The end of the college marks the beginning of your real life with a job in the hand. The initial period is really tough for everyone. You are not used to the hectic work schedules, constant questioning by your seniors and obviously the tiring lifestyle. Many of you may need to move away from the hometown. This creates an emotional void in your life. You don’t have your parents and siblings to share the day after office. You don’t get home-cooked meals. But all these problems rake a back seat when you get your first salary. That is presumably the best day of anyone’s life. Getting a salary for the work you do boosts up the confidence. This marks the beginning of your journey to be independent.
Most youngsters commit a mistake at this point. They spend all their salary on getting new gadgets, gifts and fulfilling all the fantasies they had. There is absolutely no problem in that. But you do need to realize that you have to plan your whole life. It is better to fulfil the desires one at a time.
Here we will be suggesting the new members of the working community do the following right after getting their first job. they will surely help them in having a planned future.
Ten Things to do after getting Your First Job
- Get a Life Insurance: You might think that why you should get an insurance in the first month? That's because you will have a good backup for your future family. It is easier to save money when you are single than when you are a family man/woman. You can get a new dress next month. But once you are married, you will be faced with unexpected needs like increased house rent, sudden illness, family functions and so on. Also, getting a life insurance will mean that you are saving a particular fraction of your money. This will prevent you from over-spending. And the most important part is that you will be paying lower premiums on the insurance plans. When you buy the same plan at an advanced stage, you have to pay higher premiums. Apart from that, most of the students have students loans for their study. If god forbid, something wrong happens to you, your family will get into huge debt. So, by getting a life insurance, you are securing their future too.
- Invest in Long-Term Plans: Consult a financial advisor. It can your family member, a senior colleague or even a professional advisor. Enquire about the best long-term plans for you. By investing for long-term, you are ensuring that you have good savings by the time your kids are ready for college. You can invest in banks FDs, RDs, or in post office savings plans and even in mutual plans. It is not necessary that you invest a large amount. You can begin with as low as INR 500 and then increase the amount as your salary progresses. But never stop saving or decrease the amount. You will realize that y the time you hit your 30s, you can afford to buy a house. This is a huge achievement.
- Plan your Future: Just because you have got a nob does not mean that you no longer need to plan your future. Create an outline of how you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 and 30 years. Work on achieving your goals. If you are just a bachelor, plan to do your masters. You can go for the executive degrees. If you are already masters, plan on doing some specialized course or PhD. The job world demands constantly upgraded talents. If you cease to upgrade yours, you will become obsolete. You will no longer be in demand. This is never good for personal growth. So, plan your educational future. Then you need to plan on the personal front too. But a house, or some property. These are all investments in long-term. And if you have your future clearly chalked out, it will be easier for you. You will not feel a sudden pressure after reaching a certain age.
- Create your Budget: Getting your salary means that you have all the rights t spend it in the way you want. But this is not the right approach. You should create a monthly budget and strictly adhere to it. This will bring a uniformity in your life and will also help you in saving. Without a budget, you never know how much you can afford. It is better to steer clear of the credit cards for a few initial years. You will never realize how much you have spent just because of no one demand money instantly. But paying the bills may put you in bad debts.
- Learn to keep Yourself Organized: Student life means you can afford to be disorganized. You can have unwashed clothes. You can go on without ironing your clothes for days. But the professional life clearly demands an organized person. You need to go to the office in a pressed shirt, polished shoes and well-kept hair. You have to be presentable all the time. You need to have your papers in place. And all of this demand that you keep yourself organized even in day to day life. Learn to keep your clothes and shoes in place. Invest in getting an iron, hangers, shoe polish, and folders. How much unusual it may seem to you initially, it will turn out to be a life-changing decision. You will realize in your later stages that you can keep your things in place and get them on time. This attitude needs to be followed in professional front as well. Learn to meet your deadlines, to get your work in a prescribed way and following all the office protocols. Even an organized workstation says a lot about the employee. Keeping yourself clutter-free will keep you stress-free.
- Get rid of all the Bad Habits: Many students develop bad habits like smoking and drinking. As soon as you start working, get rid of them. If you continue such habits, you will lose a big fraction of your salary in them. This will leave you bankrupt at the end of the month. Also, this may create your bad impression in the office. With money in your account, you may even get into drugs. This will ruin your whole life. There are such people out there who know how to lure youngsters for their benefit. Getting rid of all habits will give you a secure and peaceful future.
- Spend Time on Your Health: Develop the habit of exercising daily. Join the gym. No matter how fit you already are. If you do not develop this habit, you will get several health complications, thanks to the majorly sedentary lifestyle. But if you develop the habit of exercising early, it will help you in sticking to it even in your later ages. Look what you eat. Try to stay away from the fast foods, fried and oily food and eat as much health as you can. Learn to meditate regularly. It will cultivate a better outlook for handling the stressful life. Nowadays, many marathons are organized. You can participate in them. They will give you a chance to interact with and observe the fellow health enthusiasts.
- Travel: Although we have given all the previous suggestions for saving, we do suggest that you travel. Travelling will allow you to gain experience. It will also help you get rid of the monotony of the life. It will help you in interacting with unknown people more easily. Making new friends in each new place will broaden your horizon. You will also learn to survive in the new conditions and also in limited budget.
- Start Networking: After getting into the job, you should start networking. You will realize that a good network of seniors and colleagues will help you in progressing in your career. Also, you will come across newer opportunities. Try to maintain contact with your college professors. Even if you change your workplace, always maintain a cordial association with your ex-colleagues. Drop a short email on occasions. Along with that, never use people for getting ahead in the career. It may yield you the instant result but can turn out to be harmful in the long run.
- Learn to Move on: You can come across all the unfavourable situations in your life. You may have a bitter relationship with some friends or family members or even the colleagues. You should learn to accept their flaws and move on. Never hold grudge against any rejection. This will not give any positive outcome. Instead, you may develop a negative bent of mind. You will lose your peace of mind. So, learn to embrace flaws and rejections and move on in your life.
Getting a job is an important junction in anyone’s life. But that also marks the beginning of responsibilities. So, you should learn to balance your life where you have equal time for your professional growth and personal responsibilities. And, you should never cease to chase your dreams. Spend time on your own amusement too. This will keep your mind refreshed and more concentrated. Wish you have a bright and prosperous career!
