First of all, congratulations! You did it! You successfully survived four years (or more) of long lectures, all-nighters, expensive textbooks, and presentations! However, it was all worth it in the end because you officially have your degree you worked so hard to accomplish! Every time you thought you were at your breaking point and couldn’t possibly endure another day of “college,” you stuck with it until the end! You should be so proud of yourself because graduating college is a big milestone in your life that you can finally say you completed! So what now? Take it from a somewhat recent graduate; give yourself a little break! You deserve some downtime to relax, turn off all your alarms, and celebrate!

Spend time with your family, your friends, and enjoy not having to write another paper, take another test, or present another PowerPoint. Wow! Feels good to say, right? However, don’t get too comfortable with the lifestyle for long; you did earn your degree for a reason, so make sure you use it! But there is nothing wrong with enjoying some downtime in the meantime!

Once you have had all about all of the Netflix you can endure (trust me, you will have enough at some point), plan out what you want to do next! This is your life, your career, so make it worth it.

Make your own decisions.

This isn’t the time to follow what your friends’ plans are. This is about you; if you have always wanted to visit Europe, make it happen! If you want your dream job, do whatever it takes to make it happen! Your friends may move away to fulfill their dreams, but you have to do what it takes you make your dreams come true too! You can always stay in touch, but now it’s about you. What are your dreams and aspirations?

Save your money.

No one wants to think about it, but yes, if you had to take out loans, you will have to pay them back. When you were in college, you could just put the idea of having to pay back student loans in the back of your mind. Now, you are graduated and you will have to pay them back in a short six months. While working, put back a small portion of every check you receive. It may not mean a lot to you now, but if you don’t, you will be wishing you had once the six-month grace period has ended.

Don’t be afraid of rejection.

When entering your career field, you are entering a very competitive field. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t receive the first job you apply for. I know that is a lot easier said than done, but it is important. No matter what, every interview you have, every application you fill out, and every improvement made on your resume will only help you. Take all of these opportunities as experiences, learn from them, improve it, and apply it to the next position. Hopefully you receive the job you are looking for right away, but if you don’t, try not to get discouraged. Everything happens for a reason, and you will find your niche in life when the time is right.

As a recent college graduate you are going through such an interesting time in your life. You’re full of different emotions, from excitement of graduating, the bittersweet feeling of finishing school, to the uncertainty and anxious feeling of what to do next. Don’t worry, you are not alone! You just graduated college! Don’t forget that major accomplishment, and if you can do that, you are ready to take on the real world, one step at a time!