Letter to my brother
Things I learned in my first 3 years out of college
I have been thinking about what I have learned in these past few years since I have graduated college and dabbled in the real world. Besides learning many practical skills, I have also learned a few life lessons I think are valuable to anyone just finishing college. I chose to organize my thoughts into a letter to my younger brother who will be graduating from college in June.
Hey Scott,
You are almost done! These next few months are gonna be awesome, so soak it in. After you walk across that stage there are a few things I want you to start thinking about:
-Don’t get stuck in a shitty job — Don’t stay at a job you do not enjoy just because it pays well, you ‘kinda’ like it, or it fits your field of study. Continue searching and trying new things, even if it means making sacrifices. The short term sacrifices will be worth it compared, to the endless grind of toiling away in a job you don’t enjoy. Don’t rush into a well paying job because you see your friends doing it and you envy their new found income and lifestyle. Keep searching for what you are truly passionate about. Don’t wait, find what you are passionate about now! When you look back you will be glad you didn’t waste time doing something you hated.
-Start learning to maintain balance now — Friends, family, girlfriends, work, fitness, kids, are a few things that will be vying for your attention as time passes. Don’t think that you can dedicate your time to one or two for a period of time and hold of on the others until you have more time. You will never have more time, the balancing act only gets more challenging. Don’t think ‘Oh I will start exercising after this project’ or ‘I want to focus on work now, relationships can wait’. At some point in the future you’re gonna need to balance all of these things, so start practicing now.
-Stay active, stay healthy — Continue exercising regularly and eating well. It only gets tougher as you get older. Stopping and restarting is even harder, so keep at it!
-Start thinking long term — This whole ‘real world thing’ is a marathon not a sprint. Be spontaneous but don’t be too short sighted in your decision making. Start thinking about how each step you take in a certain direct will set you up for where you want to be 5, 10, 20, 50 years down the road. This may seem daunting, but start small. Start thinking 6 months or 1 year down the road and as you get better you can start thinking more long term.
-Never stop learning — Your college days are numbered, but the learning should never stop. In order to keep up with an ever changing world you can never stop learning. And if you are learning about things that truly interest you, then learning should be fun. Turn learning new things into a habit.
-Do crazy shit! — This is a great time to experiment and try on lots of hats. Don’t be afraid to take risks, because this is the best time to do so. Move to Europe. Start a company. Don’t be afraid of falling flat on your face. Don’t be afraid of failure. Just do it!
-Give before you receive — I know this is a standard concept we were taught when we were kids. However, I feel like we sometimes lose sight of it when we are in school and so much revolves around us as students. Building relationships is all about paying it forward. Always look for ways to help people. This will help you in ways you can never imagine both professionally and personally.
Enjoy these next few months. But keep in mind this is only the beginning. The real journey begins in June.
Dan
PS: Never hesitate to ask me for advice, help, or anything…we are in this together
Original post on my blog
