Life after college. Some of you will be going back to college next month for the last time ever. Some of you have a few years left. Others are completely done with college. Regardless of where you stand I thought that it would be important to cover the many options for life after college.

I was going to cover standard topics revolving around interviews and business cards (I will do this eventually), but after reading the recent review of Escape Cubicle Nation on this blog, I wanted to try something different. I wanted to look at a few outside-the-box ideas for life after college:

Work for free.

Volunteering is an excellent way to get your foot in the door at the company of your choice. Of course this is also the least attractive option for most college graduates. After spending so many years working extensive hours to complete your studies in hopes of making big money after college, it can be discouraging to work for free. However, the reality is that volunteering is an excellent opportunity to get your foot in the door at a young age and during a time were many companies are not hiring in high volumes. Plus it’s much easier to work for free when your expenses are really low and you only have a few bills to pay.

Work abroad.

There are many excellent opportunities for working abroad available. Whether you want to find a job in your field or if you want to teach English in a foreign country, there are opportunities available that will allow you to earn money while you leave the country for a little while. This unique option allows you to earn a living while you step outside of your comfort zone. Being far away from home is also the perfect catalyst for learning a new language and adopting to a new culture.

Long term travel.

A friend of mine just graduated from college and is now backpacking through Europe for the next few months. Long term travel can sometimes be the most life changing experience. After spending many years living within the structured college system, it can be a harsh reality check to have to care for yourself as you travel foreign places all on your own, far from home. Long term travel may not provide you with the needed income but it will give you valuable life advice that you couldn’t find anywhere else. You might also end up finding a new job in a different country if things work out.

Start making money on your own.

If you’re still living at home with your expenses and responsibilities both very low, this might be the perfect time to start your own business. If you always wanted to venture off on your own then this could be the best time. It’s going to be extremely difficult to attempt to start your own business when you have a family relying on you for income. This is also likely the direction that me and a few of my friends will head in. There’s nothing like attempting to start your own business after leaving the confines of college.

I didn’t put “take time off to find yourself” or any other crap like that because quite frankly I don’t believe in it. I wanted to include a few outside-the-box options for college graduates. Please let me know if I missed anything.

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I recently started to read a book that will definitely change my life and the way I see time management; The 4 Hour Workweek. This marvellous book written by Tim Ferris is slowly but surely becoming my ultimate guide to time management, and by the same token, my ultimate guide to email management.

I will not talk much about the book for now since I’m not done reading it. However, I have just finished the  “Eliminate” section of the book which concentrates on eliminating everything in your life that restrains you from being efficient and effective at the same time (since being effective at something that is useless is quite inefficient).

Starting this week, I am trying a whole different way to manage my email. This will be very hard as I am not used to doing it this way but I think it is worth a try:

Look at your email only twice a day

If your job requires that you work with a computer, you surely have a ton of email to manage daily. If you are part of the (un)lucky employers who has a BlackBerry or an iPhone to “improve” email time management, you are probably swamped by email and your can’t stand your pocket vibrating like the Duracell bunny on ecstasy anymore.

In fact, we are constantly looking at our email throughout the day. Why are we so concerned about our email? Here’s why:

#1 Thinking that a quick reply will prove how effective we are.

#2 Thinking that an urgent issue can pop up at any time and we better be ready to respond right away.

#3 Thinking that we can’t handle the view of a red screen due to an inbox filled with unanswered email.

#4 Thinking that this very red screen inbox means a lot of angry and frustrated customers/co-workers/(or worst) managers!

However, looking at our inbox 20 times a day (if not more! Try to count them just for fun… I’m at 10 times so far this morning and it’s not even 9 am yet!) keeps us from focusing on our main tasks.

When you think about it, the fact of jumping from one task to another makes much of our time very unproductive. In fact, the first economists back in the late 1800’s figured out that employees with less movements were way more productive in manufacturing. The fact that they were doing the same thing repeatedly without interruption made their skills sharper and they were more able to concentrate on their tasks.

While we live in a world where we have 100 responsibilities to bear, we can’t imagine limiting ourselves to a single time for the whole day. That is not the point either. However, if you look at your email only twice a day, you will be able to concentrate on answering them and your efficiency to manage your email will be much higher.

You will also have much more time to focus on your other tasks during the day and you will notice that there are not many emergencies that can’t wait half a day .

Another interesting point is that looking at your email only twice a day prevents you from email chatting… which is one of the biggest time robbers ever.

Don’t look at your email in the morning (aahhhh!)

Another thing that Tim is suggesting in his book is not to touch your email until noon or after you come back from lunch. How can you go through your morning without looking at your email? Honestly, I don’t know how to do it yet.

However, his point is the following: looking at your email will prevent you and gives you the best excuse to postpone important tasks that should be done. So instead of doing the real important things right away, you will proved that you have worked very hard to accomplish very little .

I’m still fighting with this technique as I write these words (I tend to check my email while writing a post) but I will try the whole week to not manage my email in the morning and not looking at it more than twice a day (I guess I will have to try harder tomorrow as I have failed for this morning already!).

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After writing about what I like about being a CFP, I asked a few people around what they like and dislike about their jobs. Here are their answers:

Name: Frugal Trader

Blog: Million Dollar Journey

Occupation (past): Electrical Engineer

What he has to say about his job:

I’m trained as an Electrical Engineer, which took 6 years of University training in NL (MUN).  The reason for the length of the program is because it incorporates 2 years of co-op work experience.  I worked as Electrical Design Engineer for 6 years post graduation.  Career advancement opportunities are good, the work is challenging and can be fun at times.  The downsides, depending on the person, would be that working in a purely technical field can grow tiresome and most end up moving into the business side of Engineering eventually.

Name: Stew

Blog: Gather Little By Little

Occupation: full-time college soccer coach

What he has to say about his job:

There are many aspects of my job that I enjoy. First, I like competition. In fact, I like competition more than I like soccer – always have. I enjoy the relationships that are built through sports. I enjoy that my job is different almost every day. However, he has to work crazy hours: There are days when I get home as early as 2 or 3 pm and days when I do not leave the house until 11 am.

You can read his full post at Pros and Cons of my real job.

Name: Kerry Taylor

Blog: Squawkfox

Occupation: Writer

What he has to say about his job:

I write about resumes only.  I keep my disdain for my former job out of my blog. I do miss the health benefits though.

Name: Jeremy and Madison

Blog: Generation X Finance and My Dollar Plan

Occupation: They are both Full time bloggers (they are not together, but I had 2 people who think the same way about their job).

What he has to say about his job:

I like not having a job:) (I wish I could say that someday!)

Name: Neal Frankle

Blog: The Wealth Pilgrim

Occupation: CFP (just like me!)

What he has to say about his job:

I am a Certified Financial Planner. I love helping people make smart decisions about their money so they can just enjoy their lives more. I don’t like it when people make dumb mistakes or just ignore their finances. They give up way too much when they don’t have to.

My experience is a BA in Business/Accounting and passing the CFP exams and classes. My job requires me to help people with:

estate, retirement, education and financial planning

Name: Craig

Blog: Money Help For Christians

Occupation: Christian missionary to the third world

What he has to say about his job:

I love the fact that my work is making a lasting difference in the lives of people.  Some people say they feel their jobs are meaningless – shuffling papers.  However, working according to my faith is extremely gratifying.  At times living overseas can also be difficult.  As one of the few expatriates living in town, our family is often stared at.  Feeling like a celebrity is not for me – too much public attention.

In my case, I am self-employed.  My regular activities include teaching the Bible, leading worship services, and family counseling.  Different churches and religious groups have their own requirements regarding required education and experiences.  I’ve been working as a minister for over ten years.  Some of that has been in the US and some overseas.  While some churches do not have any educational requirements,it is not unusual to require the applicant to be a seminary graduate.  The Masters of Divinity (M-Div) is an 84 hour masters degree program.  In most fields of study you can get a PhD in the same time it takes to get an M-Div.

What about you? What do you like or dislike about your job?

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Switching jobs has become an extreme sport for many of us. We send out tons of resumes, we have become interview pros and do not consider ourselves as employees but more like participants, associates of the company we (work for) join forces with.

We all want the best job with supreme working conditions, the ideal manager and, of course, the top salary. But beyond what you see, there is a huge forest of unknown details. This is why you need to dig a little deeper before accepting the perfect job.

So besides the usual questions such as “is my schedule flexbile?” or “do we get paid for overtime here?”, I’ve outlined 3 interesting questions you need to find answers to before accepting a new job.

What is the financial situation of my future employer?

In these rough economic times, you certainly don’t want to change job for an employer that may lay you off in the next 12 months. You need to make sure that the company is growing not only to keep your job but also to make sure you have nice working conditions, a good ambience and promotion opportunities if you are game.

How can you find out if your new employer is going to go bankrupt?

I’d say that the best way is to look at the financials of the business if it’s a public company. If not, you can always ask in your interview how many people they have hired in the past 12 months, what is their growth during the past 3 years, what are their mid and long term objectives. You will not only find answers to your questions but you will also demonstrate more interest in your future employer than most candidates .

What is the culture of my future employer?

These days, we read more and more literature about the perfect fit between an employee and his employer. One of the best ways to succeed in a company is too pick one that you feel good working for. This is why it is important that your values are in line with those of your employer. If you have fun while at work, you will be more productive and happy in your life, right?

You can ask about the importance of the work environment, what the turnover rate is, if they have an active social committee with regular activities, what are their thoughts about flexible schedule, what is their definition of teamwork, etc. You can ultimately ask to speak with an employee to get their feelings about the firm. This could be one of your best leads to know what is really going on inside the “black box”.

Is the job description accurate?

Man, oh man, if you apply for a “customer relationship director” position, you certainly don’t want to be standing all day with a pad doing marketing surveys in a strip mall. You want to make sure that what you have read about is really what you are going to do.

Sometimes it’s pure bad faith, but some other times it’s only a question of perception. Big firms have Human Resources and Communication specialists writing their job offerings and they often use very nice, attractive words for a simple task.

By asking more about the day-to-day tasks involved in the job or what are the down sides of it, you will find out more about the true nature of your new position . One more piece of advice; don’t be fooled by the job title!

Final Thoughts About Finding The Right Job

I think that having a thorough conversation with your manager before starting could be the best career move you can make. If you don’t get along at first, it won’t get any better over time .

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For those who are in the middle of a career crisis of if you are about to choose your career path, I have one thing to say: Being a CFP is the best job in the world!

I made this career decision about 5 years ago when I started to study in order to get my CFP title. It took me about 2 years to get all the classes done and write my CFP final exam. I have been a financial planner for the past 2 years and a half and I just love my job. This is why I wanted to share my experience as a CFP.

What Does A CFP do Anyways?

I would compare a Certified Financial Planner to a family doctor of finance. As your family doctor, you go see him once a year to make sure that you are healthy (wealthy) or more often if you are hurt (have financial needs). He will give you medicine (financial advice / recommend products) in order to help you heal and if you have a very specific problem, he will refer you to a specialist (like a CFP would refer you to a lawyer or an accountant if you seek for legal or tax advice).

As you can see, it is more than a regular financial advisor. The Financial Planner will create a retirement plan, help manage your investments and optimize your debt structure and offer you tax tips. Therefore, he is a kind of a one-stop-shop for most of your financial needs.

What Makes A CFP So Cool As A Job?

I personally think that there is a ton of advantages of being a Certified Financial Planner:

#1 The Pay check is good

Overall, I think that CFP’s are pretty well paid. Some of them are paid solely on commission (i.e. they need to sell investment products or debt instruments to earn money), some others are fee based or salary based (paid by the client or by the employer) and there are also hybrid (part salary based with a bonus that can reach 50% of their income). In any kind of these structures, a good CFP can make about $100,000 a year. I would guess that the average pay check for a Financial Planner is around $70,000.

#2 Financial Institutions Are Looking for CFPs

There is an important demand for this certification. In fact, Financial Planners are part of the top career choice for the next decade. You will certainly not lose your job for the next 10 years if you go this route!

#3 The CFP schedule is flexible

As I work with my clients, my schedule looks like my clients’ schedule. Therefore, I am able to move my work time from early in the morning or late at night. If I have a good week, there is no problem that I can take my Friday off to go golfing . As long I as meet my objectives and my clients are happy, I am free to come and go as I please (note; you still have to work hard if you want to reach this level of “freedom”).

#4 You Help People

What I really like about this job is that I really help people while I’m getting paid. It is very interesting to meet different people with different stories and different visions. In the end, I really feel good when I am able to help someone going through a divorce, plan his retirement or help him save thousands of dollars in fees or via tax tips.

What Do You Need To Become A CFP

Depending on where you live, there are different requirements. I personally think that you would be a better CFP with a bachelor degree in finance or accounting. Then, you have to complete your Certified Financial Planning certification.

In addition to the academic requirement, I think that a good CFP is someone who:

- Loves to talk with people

- Is not afraid to share his point of view

- Has strong social abilities

- Loves finance (duh!)

- Is meticulous and rational

Do You Have Any Questions Regarding the CFP Job?

If you have any specific questions, don’t hesitate to comment or contact me at thefinancialblogger (at) gmail (dot) com.

Disclaimer: I am a CFP in Canada, therefore, my job may differ from the CFP position in the United States. Overall I think it is pretty similar, but still, never take any of my financial articles as financial advice. You are better off meeting a CFP in your area to look at your personal financial situation.

Have you ever wondered why some people get promotions as often as getting treats at Halloween while others toil  for decades without even seeing a decent raise in salary? Forget about those brownnosers and concentrate on the real reason: your attitude at work.

When I look at some of my co-workers, I can tell you who will get the next promotion and who will continue to spin their wheels while being angry at the World. The “Company” is looking for hard workers and positive employees. If you want to be part of the rewarded, there are some key attitudes to demonstrate:

#1 Work!

This one seems quite stupid but there are a lot of people concentrating on “face time” at work. They come in early, stay at their desk the whole day, tapping on their keyboards, but at the end of the day: nothing has been accomplished. People that are all about face time are the worst off as their bosses prefer to ignore them instead of telling them that they know they are not truly working. Why? Because it is a too much work to prove that an employee doesn’t really work. However, you will be set aside pretty fast if a manager thinks you are part of this group!

#2 Stay positive

We are living a tragic moment in the working reality: our environment continuously changes from month to month. Therefore, new processes, ways of working emerge and you need to adapt. Those who complain are not part of the “good ‘ol hard working” employees. In fact, even if you are a rockstar at work, you won’t get what you deserve if you keep nagging your boss in front of everybody saying that this or that doesn’t work properly. You can criticize, but bring a solution at the same time. If you just complain, once again, you will be cast aside.

#3 Do more

I learned a lot from my first manager. He used to spend a lot of time coaching me and telling me how to become a more valuable employee. He told me something very smart:

“if you want a promotion, show me you can do the job”.

This means that if you want another position, start doing things that is required of the person who is already there. So when the position becomes available, you will be first on the list. Some call it working for free; I call it working to climb the corporate ladder.

#4 Be a pro

If you are looking to get promoted from amongst your co-workers and stay in the same department; I suggest you be start becoming the pro. Being a pro doesn’t mean being the best or a show-off. The real pro is the one who masters his job and help his colleagues reach another level. By helping others, you will achieve 2 important tasks for your manager:

A)   You will demonstrate that you can contribute to your team and help others do the same.

B)   You will earn the respect of your co-workers and they won’t bad mouth you once you get your promotion .

#5 Don’t play games

I know it is very tempting to talk about others during your lunch hour. It is so interesting to say things about others that some people make a hobby of that. Don’t be part of this group. Some people do it to “be part of the gang” but I’ll tell you one thing; that gang is probably doing the same thing to you when you are not around!

If you take a second to look at people working around you, you will notice their behavior and will see how a good attitude at work can benefit you.

It’s been a busy month this May. Besides working with my regular freelance work, I’ve been working on a temporary job. It’s a nice two week assignment (plus part time hours training earlier this month). The work is good and the office has a wonderful and friendly staff. It makes much easier.

I’ve worked other temporary jobs as needed, the most recent being several stints with the 2010 Census operations. This opportunity worked well as it as on an as needed basis. I’m happy I took it because we get to work on a few goals.

Goals for the Extra Paychecks

It’s nice to have 3 extra paychecks this month. We’re keeping on track with our monthly cash flow, so we can kind of spend this money as we please. Two goals we have for the extra money are:

• Build up our emergency fund
• Have some fun money for vacation

I’m keeping simple with my two goals. I have a responsible side that wants to put some more money into our emergency fund for some peace of mind. My other side wants some cash just to have around for our trip so we can have a debt free vacation.

Finding Temporary or Part Time Work

Are you trying to pay down some debt, build some savings, or reach a financial goal? Does your current income make it hard to reach your goals? You may want to do some temporary/season work on the side or even have a part time job for a certain period of time.

• Pizza Delivery: This is a popular choice with the Dave Ramsey crowd; mainly because of the flexible hours and the ability to some money with tips.
• Hotel Reservations: This can be a low stress job depending on where you work.
• Waiter/Waitress: This is another flexible job with tips available for pay.
• UPS: Around the holidays, UPS hires a lot of temporary employees to help out with their increased workload.

You also need to ask around to see if some jobs pay as well as you think. I’ve heard that delivery drivers don’t make much moneyfrom tips, as some people are tipping low (if at all).

My only big warning is to count all the costs of the work, not just the pay. Will it affect your school schedule? Will it affect your performance at your main job? If you have a family, how will you juggle your responsibilities?

It may be hard to picture yourself working even more hours, so maybe having a specific goal or time frame for the extra income can help it become more manageable.

Your Thoughts on Extra Income

Have you taken another job to reach a financial goal? What was the hardest part of having two jobs? Was it worth it?

A few years ago, I wondered in which field I should study since I wanted to have a good job… and a safe job . Choosing your career at the age of 20 is not an easy thing. You have a few interests but you haven’t discovered yourself yet. Personally, I knew I was good with numbers and that I liked talking to people. This is why I went into the world of finance.

I have looked into the topic and will share my thoughts about what will be promising sectors for the next decade. Which jobs will be paid well by employers for the next 10 years? Here are my top ten picks (in no particular order) of the best sectors:

#1 IP Phone technology

This is a fast growing market and businesses will need qualified technicians to design, install and troubleshoot solutions using this technology. Communications has been a key factor for many industries so IP phones will definitely be a hot market for jobs in the next 10 years.

#2 Financial Planning

All right, I must admit that I am a financial planner myself. However, with the recent economic crunch, financial planners are one of the most useful people you may know if you want to retire. They can help you establish an investment strategy and they can help you build a plan in order to retire with enough money.

#3 Biotechnology

Biotechnology has been and will continue to be an important part of our future for many decades. We will need a lot of innovation to overcome several health issues seen in society right now.

#4 Ecommerce

Making money off the internet? This is the future my friend! I am already making a few good bucks online and I think that there is a lot more to do in this field. All you need is inspiration and it doesn’t cost much to buy great domain names!

#5 Environment

Environmental protection has been a very popular topic for at least the past 5 years. We are more concerned about the health of our planet, which is a pretty good thing! My guess is that environmental consultants will be a good job for the upcoming years.

#6 Interactive entertainment

People want to interact with others but are too busy to schedule it. This is why online gaming exists! Nothing is easier than arriving home, turning on your computer (or Xbox) to go online and play with others. No scheduling, no late friends to deal with, there’s always someone somewhere to play with you.

#7 Estate planning

Believe it or not, sooner or later baby boomers will pass away. While they occupied a huge place in the employment market and they have changed the way we see the world today, they will also occupy a huge place in terms of estate planning and the transfer of wealth from one generation to another. This is when estate planning professionals and financial planners will come into play to support families and manage this money properly.

#8 Search Engine Tool

If Ecommerce will be the next way to make a lot of money, search engine tools will definitely be their bus pass to success. This is how Google, Microsoft and Yahoo plan to take over the net and provide powerful search engine tool. Working for a search engine optimization company will be pretty rewarding in the upcoming years…

#9 Infrastructures

Roads, bridges, highways… everything is falling apart! The construction industry will surely be a big actor of the 2010s economy. Governments need to invest a lot of money to keep their infrastructure up and running and this is something that will last for several years.

#10 Real Estate

Now that we are slowly emerging from the real estate meltdown in the States, several great deals are appearing at the same time. While most of us are too afraid to buy properties right now, a few smart investors will benefit from this one with a lifetime opportunity to grow their real estate empire…

Any thoughts?

Do you think I have forgotten some great job opportunities for the next decade? What is your favorite sector to get a job?

Author: Mike.

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