Millennial Must-Haves to Enter the Real World

How to successfully adult.

Want to retire early? Build a financial foundation!

Having a solid financial foundation is crucial for setting up long-term financial success. This means keeping track of your spending, building credit, saving for retirement in a 401k/Roth IRA, and paying down any loans. Building credit cannot be emphasized enough! Request and review your credit reports from each of the three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) annually. Make sure you have and are using a credit card at least for occasional purchases and don’t forget to pay your credit card bill on time. If you don’t have a credit card yet, consider one from TomoCredit, Deserve, or a secured credit card from any of the major banks.

Your resume.

You will more than likely go through multiple jobs in your career’s lifetime, which is just starting. Make sure you have a presentable, 1-page, single-sided resume handy that is consistently updated. Keep in mind, you do not necessarily want to use the same resume for each job application. A good tip is to have a template resume that includes all the items you could potentially include on your resume, and pick and choose the items to include on your actual resume that are relevant to each individual job application.

A strong support network. You’re going to need it.

People coming and going through your life is inevitable. While this is true, it’s important to always have a close group of people in your life who you can rely on and support you especially at a time when you are potentially making many life changes. Perhaps a new job requires you to relocate or you are simply adjusting to work for the first time.

Learn to work-life balance.

As you are trying to build your career, it’s easy to overwork yourself and forget about everything else. Don’t become a workaholic. In fact, it usually makes you less productive overall. Take time for yourself, spend quality time with family and friends, and pursue hobbies and interests you enjoy. Achieving a solid work-life balance can be challenging, so get in the habit of it early on!

Always have something to look forward to!

Always have something to look forward to. Whether it’s a dinner with friends, a trip, a concert, or even a package delivery, having something to look forward to will increase your motivation and keep your morale up even when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed.