“The most important loan to pay is your student loan. It’s more important than your mortgage, car and credit card payments. You cannot discharge student loan debt in the majority of cases.” Suze Orman
I am not sure what the number is for this graduating class but a CNN report from 2013 said that the average amount of student debt for graduating seniors at that time was $35,200. That’s the average for college related debt and I don’t think that includes their car payment or what they have run up on credit cards for non-college related activities. And this is just an average. There are some students graduating with debt in the $100k range. This is a national crisis and why it is so important to find a way to start paying this down immediately after graduation.
That same article said that 92% of those debt laden students planned to pay off their debt with earnings from their jobs. That makes sense but it takes for granted you have a job. The sad reality is most college students will exit college with a heavy debt burden and an uncertain path to a decent job. So much for framing the problem ….. what’s the solution?
In marketing they say it doesn’t matter how good your product is if no one knows about it. It’s the same for you. It doesn’t matter what gifts, skills, experience and potential you have if you are not getting in front of the people who make hiring decisions. Yes, perfect your resume. But you still need to get you and your resume in front of someone. This is where your creativity and persistence come into play. In my next post we are going to talk about the referral process and how you can create a network that will work for you in finding a job.
work in the real world 