It is a well-established fact that having a Bachelor’s Degree will open up many career opportunities when you enter the world of work. In fact, according to the National Centre for Education Statistics, about 81% of Americans with college degrees are gainfully employed. As a graduate, you have excellent prospects of finding a well-paying job with good growth opportunities.
However, attaining your degree will not automatically solve all of your problems as you start your life as an independent adult.
There are still many choices that you need to make that will have both short and long-term effects on your success as a young professional.
According to a report by Educationdata.org, the average public university student will borrow about $30k to attain a Bachelor’s Degree.
As a result, when you enter the working world and earn your first paycheck, you will have to pay back your student loans before you can start enjoying the benefits of a higher-paying job. The sooner you can pay off your student debt, the less interest you will have to pay on your loan, and the faster you can start you enjoy the lifestyle that your professional paycheck will afford you.
When you are a full-time student, many of your living expenses are offset by your ability to live, study and work on campus.
Once you get your first job, you may have to move to a new city or rent a more expensive apartment closer to your new place of work. If you have been living with your family while studying, you might want to move out on your own.
You will need to absorb many upfront costs when you start your life as a young professional, such as a deposit on a new apartment or a down payment on a house. You may also have to start commuting to your new job and need a new car. All of these short-term costs can add up but may prove worth it in the long run as you improve your career prospects and, therefore, your earning potential a little further down the road.
Some of the most successful businesses started with a good idea developed by college students, including Dell, Facebook, FedEx, and Google, to name a few.
Your college years are an excellent time to grow your skills and meet people with similar interests and ambitions. Increasingly, millennials are rejecting the traditional ‘start at the bottom and work your way up’ corporate culture and would rather launch their own companies straight out of college. However, one of the greatest challenges for young entrepreneurs is getting the start-up capital needed to turn a good idea into a profitable business.
If you are the beneficiary of a structured settlement or annuity and are facing some of these challenges as a college graduate, you have the option of selling some or all your monthly payments for a lump sum of cash. You could use this money to pay off your student debt, move to a city with the best career opportunities or start your own business. If you would like to find out more about your options, contact us at Rising Capital.
