My Graduation Advice to the Class of 2016
Disclaimer: I’ve given this piece of advice at several college commencements, and the parents who hear it are never happy. Class of 2016, here it is: don’t take the job for the money.
Do not take your first job, or even your first series of jobs, for the money. I’m not advising you to work for nothing your whole life, or to give up on dreams of financial success. I truly believe that profit and purpose can live hand in hand and fuel one another. So long as purpose is not an afterthought. Or something you put off until you make a lot of money in your twenties.
Think about it.
You have one graduate who takes the job that they are so passionate about, even if that means they are living in a tiny apartment with 3 roommates. You have another graduate who joins an investment bank that offers them the highest possible salary right out of college
If you look at that amount of money, and how they will each spend it based on their lifestyle, virtually none of it will end up in their savings for retirement or the rest of their life.
Finding work you are passionate about is the best investment you can make as a graduate. The return on that decision will be so much greater in the long-term than the shiny job and high starting salary.
Instead of taking a job for the money, look for:
- Work you are deeply passionate about.
- A boss that is truly invested in you learning and growing.
- An opportunity to develop your unique identity.
Your passion is what will fuel and sustain your work ethic, drive, and inspiration, beyond your twenties. Your unique identity is what is going to allow you to earn money in the future — whether that is within one of the companies we know and love, or on your own entrepreneurial path.
