Your orientation guide to the ‘real world’

Dealing with new finances
Earning new money is exciting, but it can be challenging for many new adults who are learning to cope without being bankrolled by mom and dad.

“How to Survive the Real World” offers these tips:

1. Don’t spend what you don’t have, especially when it comes to credit cards.

2. Don’t be seduced by 10% off when you sign up for a new department store credit card. You’ll save a lot more in the end by passing on it. The fewer the credit cards, the better.

3. Pack some lunches for work or grab coffee in the office — eating out every day can add up; it costs a lot more than you realize.

4. Set a monthly budget and stick to it. Save a certain number of dollars each month, and use the rest as “mad money” for fun. Just know the amount of fun money you have to spend before you enjoy it. 

Basic survival skills necessary for the real world 
Last, but not least, being an adult means you now have to act like one. Etiquette is important in both business and life. The book offers these tips to take with you in your future endeavors:

1. Being an adult means you should dress like one. Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. It’s important to dress professionally in a way where others will take you seriously as an adult, not a recent graduate.

2. Send handwritten thank-you cards for gifts promptly and always bring a gift to the host of a party you attend.

3. When dining out, keep your language and your behavior in check.

4. When sending any kind of correspondence, make sure you’ve spelled the recipient’s name correctly.

5. Keep money matters private — once you’re out of college it’s no longer appropriate to talk about how broke you are.

Excerpted from “How to Survive the Real World: Life After College Graduation,” edited by Andrea Syrtash. Copyright © 2006 by Andrea Syrtash. Excerpted by permission of Hundreds of Heads Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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