How to set yourself up for success financially after high school or college: 1. Income & Jobs

In this series of posts I hope to provide some sort of value to those who are just starting to be financially independent or may already be financially independent and are looking for some guidance.

There is a substantial amount of financial information on the internet. Some of which may very well be better explained or than this one. I plan to provide additional resources to videos and articles that I personally found beneficial. I intend to share information and knowledge I have gained from personal (hopefully relatable) experiences from being a recent college graduate.

There is no way to sugarcoat it. The amount of income that you generate is going to determine almost every aspect of your financial life. Everything has costs and benefits.

Hopefully you are at the point in your life where you have started to get a realistic idea of the lifestyle you plan to live. Now obviously the more money you make the more money you will have, but this does not correlate with financial success.

With this being the first post in this series I also want to address that "success" is dependent on your own interpretation. When I refer to success I refer to working towards financial freedom or wealth. This can get very philosophical but having something you are working towards or for is going to make your journey much much easier.

"If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability." ~ Henry Ford

With this approach, making as much money as possible may be a short term solution to a longer term problem. Getting out of high school or college there is still so much to learn and figure out. While working a job you dislike may help you get to the next step, always look at jobs as continuing your education.

If a job can't provide you with the knowledge, education and experience you need to better yourself you may need to consider your options. This is not to say quit that job on the spot, but perhaps start to look at other jobs that are inline with your career goals. You can also look further into education or training needed to get to where you want to be. (Tip: You can do this while working).

Income

There are many factors on how someone can achieve financial success. Luckily, assuming you live in America, you can control most if not all of these factors such as income and spending habits. The most important factor, which is often the most difficult, is your income. You cant be financially free or independent without money.

There are countless ways to make more money, especially right now. After a year of being out of college I am no where near my end goals but am happy with the trajectory I am on. I work a reliable W2 job at where I learn new things everyday and am able to network. I also pick up side hustles wherever I see opportunity.

Building out NextLvl doesn't bring in any income (unfortunately the opposite) but I justify any expenses because this is part of my end goal. I have recently started reffing youth soccer games, which I also did in college. It surprisingly brings in a decent amount of money and while also getting me outside. This is just one of millions of different side hustles you can do, get creative!

My best advice for this post would be to try your best to find a healthy work-life balance where you are able generate a sufficient amount of income that aligns with your financial goals, all while working towards and NEVER losing sight of your end career and life goals.