Whether you’re a student on the verge of finishing an undergrad or graduate education, preparing yourself for the real world post-grad is the first step toward shaping the direction of your adult life. While leaving the comforts of college can often be unnerving and a bit intimidating, it’s a necessary leap for making the transition into the rest of your life. In this instance, setting yourself up for success means beginning to prepare well before you finish classes. As you approach the finish line for graduation, here are some tips to help you best prepare for the rest of your life post-grad.

Build a Network

Whether you’re searching for a job or already in the workforce, knowing the right people is key and can open many doors for your career. Your network can consist of friends, colleagues, professors, past professional relationships, and more which serves as an invaluable source of information and opportunity for your personal and professional development.

Building a strong network while still in college will only stand to benefit you in future endeavors. You’ll want to foster healthy relationships and keep in touch with those people along the way as you never know who may be a resource for you. In the same vein, you may be useful to others within your network who might return the favor down the road.

While still in school, joining certain clubs and student organizations can help you to grow your network aside from building relationships with your classmates and professors. As you inch closer to graduation, looking into your college’s alumni network is the next step toward expanding your network. This will allow you to reach out to those who’ve followed the same educational path as you but have since gone in many different directions in the real world. Alumni networks can be some of the strongest in the professional sphere, and people are often more than willing to assist in providing guidance for prospective graduates – even using their connections to help you in many cases.

Prepare Your Resume

In the corporate world, one of the most foundational aspects of your professional life is your resume. While a proper resume is the first step towards securing great job opportunities, a poor resume can close just as many doors. Keeping a solid, updated resume as you juggle everything that college life throws your way is easier said than done but will go a long way towards a more polished and less stress-inducing product later on – as you may struggle to remember all your accomplishments post-graduation.

There’s no one “right” way to format a resume, but the two essential functions you will want your resume to exemplify should include being informative, while also making you stand out amongst other prospective candidates. To help you get started, a quick online search can provide many tips and insights for college students tailoring their resume.

Basic elements to adhere to are keeping it to a single page, ensuring proper spelling and grammar and maintaining uniformity in formatting. You can take things a step further and elevate your candidacy by tailoring your resume to each different job you apply for, using your various accomplishments to highlight your fit for the role. Taking the time to prepare an excellent resume will provide you with the confidence to seek better job opportunities while differentiating yourself from the rest of the competition. A solid resume and adherence to insightful job hunting tips are great ways to prepare yourself for the employment market.

Shore Up Your Finances

Regardless of where you lie between your collegiate and adult lives, your financial health remains of utmost importance at any stage. Although each college student has a different financial standing, virtually everyone encounters stress when managing money at this pivotal point in their lives. Aspects such as debt and your credit score will continue to affect your life long past graduation. For this reason, taking charge of your financial situation sooner as opposed to after graduation is very important. Doing so makes for a much more seamless transition into life after college.

A great place to start is by conducting a self assessment of your personal finances. By doing this you’ll gain a much better understanding of your monetary situation and can make more informed decisions about your future. As many in college are plagued with student loans and other debts, this should be a major point to focus on. Set yourself a budget and stick to it, focusing on paying down your debt or in some cases, seeking outside resources for managing debt. Your credit score is also extremely important – not only for while you’re in college, but for the rest of your life. For example, there are certain credit score qualifications for buying a home, approval for loans, car leases, rentals, and more. You’ll want to keep an eye on your credit score and continually look to improve it by maintaining best practices such as keeping a strong credit history and low outstanding debts if possible.

Practice Mindfulness

While the lead up to graduation is an exciting time in every college student’s journey, it can also be a major catalyst for stress and anxiety about what comes next. Your mental health is equally important to your physical wellbeing, so taking a proactive approach toward reducing the effects of this stress is crucial to keeping a healthy mind.

In this case, practicing mindfulness means choosing to focus on all of the positive things in your life that have gotten you to where you are – rather than letting the fear of the unknown dictate your approach to the transition into post-graduate life. It’s important to celebrate your successes and the wisdom you’ve gained along the way without giving much thought to any instances of failure.

Your graduation from college may seem like a routine part of life but it’s really the culmination of all of your educational pursuits. During this time – remember to relax, be humble and appreciate all of the people who have helped you get this far.