When it comes to what to do after college, there are many options to consider. In this specific series, we’re covering 7 alternatives to graduate school. Today we’re going to finish the series off with some fun. We’re going to create something totally cool in our 20s.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” — Thomas A. Edison

How can you create something spectacular in your 20s?

Think of your idea.

The first step is to think of an idea or market that you’re going to aggressively go after. Now I don’t want you to get all caught up with chasing after some “perfect” idea that simply doesn’t exist and isn’t out there. This is why we need to find an idea quickly before we give up.

How can you find your highly lucrative idea?

1. Check Amazon top sellers.
2. Check out Craigslist.
3. Go through eBay.

These three sites alone should help you find some sort of a profitable idea. You must remember that you don’t always have to reinvent the wheel. You just need to keep the wheel spinning. If something is a top seller or a in high demand you can create a similar product, a review blog, a complementary product, or even write a book on the topic. This is the best way to find a profitable idea.

Ensure there’s money in the market.

Now you want to validate that you’re actually onto something and that you can make money with whatever you choose to do. You don’t want to be working away for a years in an industry where there’s simply no money to be made.

How do you see if there’s any money in the field?

• Common sense. There are just some things that nobody would ever pay for. You don’t want to start some sort of a online dog trading club. You should strive to use common sense to gauge what the money is like.
• Basic advertising research. Basic research involves finding out what others are charging for rates, what the products go for, how much Facebook advertising would cost, and so on. You need some basic research under your belt.

That’s the best way to see if you can actually make some coin while creating something in your 20s. You don’t have to chase the dollars, but it’s good to know what your potential is from a realistic point of view.

Check out your competitors.

What are the competitors like in this field? Are there any competitors? Are they making any money? I’ve always been told that a rising tide will float all ships. I recommend that you check out your competition. You can see what they happen to be doing right, what’s wrong, what can be improved, and what gap you can fill. From there you can work on your unique selling proposition and penetrate the market!

Launch.

I wish I had all of the answers for you (and myself for that matter). The best thing to do is to just launch and throw it out there. What’s the worst that can happen? The best learning often happens on the job. That’s what I did with my first blog. I just launched it and learned from others as I went along. This is a simple strategy and the best way to ensure that you’re actually going to do something.

Just so that I don’t come off as a hypocrite, I’ll be honest. I’m still working on creating something cool! I’m not giving up. You shouldn’t give up either. The good news is that this basic framework will help you start and create something different this weekend. How about that for weekend plans?

A recap of the best options for life after collge:

1. Kill your debt.
2. Master a skill.
3. Do nothing.
4. Learn a new language.
5. Create something.
6. Start your own business.
7. Work abroad.

When it comes to what to do after college, there are many options to consider. In this specific series, we’re covering 7 alternatives to graduate school. Today we’re going to try to learn a new language. Are you feeling adventurous?

How can you learn a new language? I speak English and Polish. I’m currently working n Spanish. What’s my plan? How can you learn a new language in your first year out of college?

Try one of the audio courses.

There’s the Rosetta Stone program and a few others that go over learning a language with you. I used one of these programs to pick up some basic Spanish. I’m nowhere close to being fluent in Spanish, but I’m comfortable with knowing the main words. The beauty of these audio programs is that it’s only 30 minutes a day and you can slowly pick up on the language. These courses are ideal when you have a busy life. You can listen to the audio programs from anywhere.

Watch a show in the language.

I once earned an interview on the radio where the person mentioned how they learned English from watching The Simpsons. It sounded pretty absurd at the moment. The one day I decided to give it a try and it was actually pretty interesting.

Visit a location that speaks the language.

I thought I picked up Spanish until I went to Cuba and tried to communicate with the locals. I quickly learned that I was clueless. It’s one thing to learn the main words, it’s a totally different thing to actually be able to communicate. If you want to travel, I highly recommend that you go to a location where you want to learn the language. There’s nothing like immersing yourself in that culture. The reason that I find this works is that you’re forced and have no choice but to learn the language. If you don’t learn the language, you’re going to have a tough time getting around or getting anything done at all.

Work with locals of the language.

This one isn’t exactly all that easy because you can’t control what sort of individuals you work with. I do know that a few of my friends learned a new language by working in that country with people that only spoke the native tongue. This is one step above from visiting the place. When on vacation you won’t be forced to learn the language necessarily. When you work abroad with locals, you’re going to have to speak that language or you won’t be able to hold your job for all that long. Long story short, if you want to learn a new language and travel, why not work somewhere you want to learn the language?

That’s how you can pick up another language after college. What language will you learn? How long is it going to take you?

A recap of the best options for life after collge:

1. Kill your debt.
2. Master a skill.
3. Do nothing.
4. Learn a new language.
5. Create something.
6. Start your own business.
7. Work abroad.

When it comes to what to do after college, there are many options to consider. In this specific series, we’re covering 7 alternatives to graduate school. Now it’s time to find work abroad and leave home for an extended period of time.

What if you want to work far away after college? Here’s how you can work abroad in the near future…

Start looking for work.

The sooner you start the better off you’ll be. I highly recommend that you check out Dave’s ESL Cafe and start looking for work right now. There are many different work opportunities and countries across the world. If you start looking now, you can pick and choose so that you end up with the gig that you want, in the country that you really want to visit.

The reason that you need to start working now is that the recruitment process is a bit more extensive as you can imagine. To hire someone to work in a foreign country takes a bit more work. You have to go through the screening process with the company first. Then you have to figure out all of the travel details. This is why it’s advised that you start looking for work abroad far in advance.

Consider traditional work abroad methods.

There are many options for finding traditional work post-college. You don’t have to teach English or start your own business. You can consider traditional work in the service industry or by working at a hostel. You won’t get rich from any of these jobs, but you’ll make enough money to pay your bills and stay on the road longer. I met many friends while traveling through Europe that were working random odd jobs. One dude was working as a party host. His job was to take tourists around to parties and drink with them. That sounds like a fun job for two nights. I don’t know how his liver has held up this whole time.

Try to start your own business.

You don’t have to start your own business, but it would certainly help to make more money while you’re traveling abroad. If you’re clueless about this process or strapped for cash then you need to read how you can start a business with no money. You can easily start making money on your own from your laptop. There’s enough information on the Internet on this that I won’t monopolize this post with tips for making money online. I will suggest that you start a small location independent business so that you can make money to afford your travels and expenses on the road.

Plan out your travel.

How are you going to leave home? What’s your plan? If you find a job with a company and sign on for a long-term agreement, then they’ll likely take care of all of the details. If you plan on traveling on your own and earning your own income, you’re going to be responsible for everything. Don’t let this intimidate you.

All you have to do is pick a location that you want to fly to, look for cheap flights, and book your trip. Once you get there you can easily find many close-by hostels, buses, and trains to take care of your travel accommodations. Trust me, it’s not that scary.

Leave home.

You just need to leave home. Pick a deadline. Buy your ticket. Just go. That’s what I did. I bought my ticket to Poland for the first week of September and just went. My family doubted me. My friends thought I had lost my mind. I didn’t care. I knew that I wanted to leave home and see the world. Traveling alone ended up being the most eye-opening experience humanly possible.

That’s how you can work abroad after college. Will you take this leap and move away for work?

A recap of the best options for life after collge:

1. Kill your debt.
2. Master a skill.
3. Do nothing.
4. Learn a new language.
5. Create something.
6. Start your own business.
7. Work abroad.

Photo by LCNA

Good Morning Everyone.  It’s Monday December 19th and that means there are only 6 days until Christmas Day.  Christmas can definitely be an expensive time of the year and if we get carried away in the spirit of gift giving we can definitely break our budget.  Green Panda is here to help everyone save some money during the holiday season and start some new (inexpensive) holiday traditions.  Today in our “Home for Holidays” series we are discussing different ways that we can save money during the holiday season with some inexpensive (and maybe some new) holiday traditions.

What are your family holiday traditions?

Here are some Holiday Traditions that Won’t Break Your Budget

Ask Everyone To Bring Something.  It is very expensive to host a holiday party.  It is also very time consuming to plan and prepare a holiday dinner.  It is a lot easier and definitely more budget friendly to ask our guests to prepare and bring a dish.

Don’t Serve Dinner.  We can host a party with a buffet style menu that serves hors d’oeuvres and snacks.  We can invite people over after lunch around 2 pm or we can start our party after dinner around 7 pm.  This will ensure that people have eaten before they come over.  We will have more time for gift giving and socializing with our friends and family when we don’t have to sit down at the table for dinner.

Get Outside.  The holidays are about spending time with family, so dress warmly and get outside to spend time with your family and enjoy the winter weather.  You and your family can make Snow Angels, Build a Snowman, or go Ice Skating.  Outdoor activities keep us active and let us get some fresh air.  When we party inside during the holidays we sit and watch TV, eat food, and drink. Getting outside is definitely a healthier and more active way to spend time with our family members during the holidays.

Go To The Movies.  If you celebrate Christmas on another day  of the year (i.e. December 24^th or January 7^th) or if you find yourselves with nothing to do after the gifts are exchanged and the presents are opened on December 25^th then go to the movies. I personally love going to the movies, and the last two years I have gone to the movies on Christmas Day with my friends after our family holiday parties were finished.  I was surprised to see how many families spend the holidays together at the movies.  There are always some great movies that come out during the holiday season so what better time to see a great movie than on Christmas Day.

Tell us about your family holiday traditions.  Do you drink hot chocolate in front of the Fireplace? Do you exchange gifts on Christmas Eve? Do you sing Christmas Carols with your neighbours?

How do you and your family celebrate your holiday traditions?

If you like this post be sure to check out the previous posts

in our “Home for the Holidays” series:

Don’t Let the Holidays be Costly

Don’t Be Tempted to Swipe Your Card

Travelling Home For The Holidays

Holiday Dinners on a Budget

“One of the most difficult things I experienced in my travels was trying to relate what I’d experienced to old friends and acquaintances who”d been at home the whole time I was gone.” — Jason Gaspero.

I’ve had a blast writing about travelling with you. I love to travel and plan on covering this topic in greater detail moving forward. For now we’re going to be closing the chapter on Traveling Like a Rockstar here on GPT.

There’s eventually going to be an end to your insanely fun times and complete freedom. There’s going to be that point where you need to go home. This might be by choice or you might have to go home because you ran out of money. Either way, you’re going to have to go home sooner or later. You need to figure out how to deal with this dilemma.

How to deal with finally coming home from an extended trip or how to not lose your mind when you have to leave a wild trip to go back to reality:

You might feel like a stranger.

The first feeling you’ll feel will be a bit confusing. You won’t know how to react. Should you be happy to be home or sad that your travels are over? When I first got back from my extended trip I was happy to be home. Then as soon as I settled in I missed my freedom and being completely spontaneous every single night. You’re going to feel like a stranger. Don’t fight this feeling. Just live with it. Conquer it. Don’t fear it.

Tell short stories.

Everyone is going to want to hear about your trip and all of that crazy stuff that you did. It’s cool to share stories. Just try not to get into too many details because your friends might not get them. There’s also nothing wrong with keeping the juicy details to yourself. Tell short stories so that you don’t miss your trip too much and so that your friends don’t get too jealous. You have plenty more left to experience.

Don’t let fear and selfishness back into your life.

You conquered your fears of being alone, leaving home, trusting others, and letting loose. Don’t let fear come back into your life. You have nothing to be afraid of. You just managed to travel by yourself. You learned to conquer your fears. It will be totally counter-productive if you let fear back in. Screw that.

Keep on learning.

Just because you’re at home now it doesn’t mean that you’re done learning. Apply what you learned on the road to your life at home. Start off by touring towns in your region. Check out new sights. Approach strangers on the street. Keep on learning. Never stop growing.

Plan another trip.

Now that you’ve had a taste of the world, what are you going to do about it? I start to plan another trip the minute that I get home. This forces me to work hard, save my money, and do what I can to earn my freedom. You should have the idea of earning your freedom on your mind all of the time. Where are you going to go next?

How did you deal with coming home from an extended trip?

If you want to learn ANYTHING else about traveling you need to check out the previous pieces on the topic.

Check out the other articles from the Travel Like a Rockstar Series:

Can I Travel When I’m Not Rich?

4 Little Known Ways of Saving Money While Traveling.

3 Things You Must Know About Traveling.

Is It Worth Staying in Hostels When You Travel?

How to Find Work Abroad.

The Best Excuses to Start Traveling Now