It may seem smooth sailing once you have landed your first graduate programme after college but there is a little more than meets the eye.

If you are reading this, you have most likely finished your bachelors and are going full steam ahead into what seems to be adulthood – with training wheels. You may be considering the many paths that people take after graduating such as travel, volunteering, joining a corporate or further studies.

Before applying to a graduate programme, many of you may question what lies ahead in the upcoming days, months and years. This is where I will dispel some of the mystery of the life of a grad, so grab a cup of tea and let me take you through what I learned the first 6 months.

Excel can become your friend or foe

Remember when listing proficiency in excel on your CV meant you knew the addition and subtract function?  

Those days are long gone, as the better you are at understanding the programme could mean the difference of an hour job and a full day’s work. Knowing the many shortcuts that Excel has to offer not only makes your job that much easier but allows you to create powerful tools for projects.

There are infinite sites that help you improve your excel skills and show you how to create your own unique charts that are suitable for your project.

Excel not only serves as a powerful calculator but can used to record income and expenditures, plan budgets, illustrate chart data or even used to pull external data such as the stock market which can be updated in real time.

Either way, learning the ins and outs of excel can help you reduce your workload, work more efficiently and backing up your research with hard data.

Financial literacy becomes your second (or third) language

Like many others after graduating college this may be your first time living away from home.  You may even be moving to another country or continent in which the living standards is drastically different from the one you are used to. The rent may be twice as expensive as it is back home and a night out may cost an arm and a leg. However, no matter how sensible you may be, you will be challenged mentally, spiritually and financially once those dollar bills hit your bank account.

As a veteran of pot noodles and the beloved pasta and pesto, I am no stranger to living my financial life on the edge. However, once a couple months pass you by, the realization that there are better ways to manage your resources starts to sink in. A few tips that helped during my time have been:

• Set aside savings at the beginning of the month
• Plan a budget for the month ahead
• Consider making lunch for work instead of eating out everyday
• Have a morning coffee at home instead of from a coffee shop

Everyone has their own way of saving for a rainy day, comment below to share your advice!

Finding comfort in the Great Unknown

Prepare to walk the path of the less known. Up to this point in your life, there have been many guidelines given to us from the time we entered primary school and left university. You may have gotten homework every day, or had assignments with specific deadlines or exams to test your knowledge.

The beginning of your career can be a daunting path, as the way ahead may be unclear as all the guidelines have been taken away. However, this also means that it can be an exciting one and you can find out more about your likes and dislikes, the way you work alone and with others, what tasks fulfil you the most. Be brave to take on more responsibility when times get slow, if there are projects you feel drawn to, try to take part and learn something new.

Many may recall their first phone call with an unfamiliar voice request to know something obscure. Your eyes pace back and forth as you try to come up with a solution. Alas, nothing. There a second pause before you utter the words, “that is an interesting question, let me find out.”

The path may have many twists along the way but at the end you should have more clarity on a sense of self and what makes you tick.

Become comfortable with the great unknown for there will be many situations during your programme where you simply won’t know the answer to. Not only this but there be situations after you are done with your programme that you won’t know the answer to. This is even relevant to things outside of your professional working lives. Be okay with the unknown, embrace the unknown. You don’t know some things and that is okay. Make it your job to know.

Organisation is key

Time is of the essence and this means that organisational skills is crucial during your time as a grad. Learning to manage your time and organisation is one of the most important skills to learn during your programme and will serve you in future roles.

In the grand scheme of things, this means that you are on a specific programme for a specific amount of time. That time must be utilized to the best of your ability by thinking about what you would like to go into after finishing the programme. This is a constant thought process that may gradually evolve over time. Tasks that you once though were perfect for you, you may find don’t fit your sense of purpose at all.

In the day to day running, time management is needed to prioritize specific deadlines, organize workloads, the sea of daily emails and balance your work and personal life. These are essential skills to develop during your professional life and these skills can be used in the many roles that you may enter in the future.

So overall, there will be many learning curves ahead through your graduate programme journey which will hopefully shape the career path that you are looking for. Learn to embrace the journey ahead and enjoy the endless opportunities that come with it and meeting new people that will cross your path.