{"id":2758,"date":"2016-09-12T22:06:35","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T22:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/?p=749"},"modified":"2018-06-27T11:27:42","modified_gmt":"2018-06-27T17:27:42","slug":"your-after-college-survival-guide-how-to-survive-as-a-fresh-college-graduate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersons.com\/blog\/your-after-college-survival-guide-how-to-survive-as-a-fresh-college-graduate\/","title":{"rendered":"Your “After College” Survival Guide: How to Survive as a Fresh College Graduate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SavingBeth Bowman graduated college bubbling with excitement. She had accrued over $25,000 in student debts, but it didn\u2019t matter because she felt she was pursuing a degree that will help her land her dream job of being a cultural consultant for a non-governmental organization. Now out of college, she was excited about her prospects.<\/p>\n

However, Bowman soon realized the hard way that we don\u2019t live in a perfect world. After sending about 500 job applications — to which she got no response — she now manages at a job as a policy administration specialist, a job that does not require a college degree.<\/p>\n

Bowman\u2019s story isn\u2019t an isolated example.<\/p>\n

Statistics from <\/a>Pew Research Center<\/em><\/a> show that it is becoming increasingly harder for college graduates to find good jobs: a whopping 44 percent of college graduates work at jobs that don\u2019t require a college degree, and 20 percent of college graduates work in low-wage jobs that pay below $25,000. That obviously doesn\u2019t justify today\u2019s average student debt<\/a> of $37,172.<\/p>\n

Here are some survival tips to help you cope as a fresh college graduate:<\/p>\n

1. Make Preparations before Graduating College<\/strong><\/p>\n

Considering the difficulties in getting quality jobs faced by college graduates today, it is best to start making preparations before graduating college. Research shows that employers still value job experience<\/a> — and having experience as a paid intern makes things even better.<\/p>\n

The good news is that you don\u2019t have to be out of college to get relevant job experience. You can still intern while in college; look for relevant organizations that have internship organizations for you while you\u2019re still in college, and slowly build up your work experience. By the time you graduate, you don\u2019t have to be disadvantaged due to lack of work experience.<\/p>\n

2. Get Creative About Job Applications<\/strong>As a fresh graduate, don\u2019t assume that you can get hired by applying to advertised jobs. Some sources show that up to 80 percent of jobs are unadvertised<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instead:<\/p>\n