From Classes to Career: 3 Lifehacks for Fresh Graduates

Wazzup Pilipinas!

So you’ve managed to survive endless presentations in class, aced the grueling quizzes, and defended your undergraduate thesis. Congratulations, you’ve finally earned your bachelor’s degree! You’ve done it!

Now, welcome to the real world, it’s time to find a job and start doing adult things like paying bills and managing finances. Here’s a pro-tip, not everything can be taught in school, there are just some lessons you have to pick up as you start work.

With Carousell, we share three hacks to give you a head-start in building your business acumen as you transition from student to salaryman, ready to take on the world.

Monetise existing assets; Getting entrepreneurial

Assets are things that bring value or revenue to your life and business. As a student, your assets were probably your textbooks, notebooks and calculators. Now that you’re about to start a new phase in life, you won’t have much use for these things anymore.

One option would be to throw everything away. But why waste this entrepreneurial opportunity? You spent some good money on these books, it’s better to recoup the costs.

At Carousell, there’s a ready marketplace for you to find potential buyers for your preloved textbooks.

Textbooks is one of our top 10 categories for preloved items. Subjects range from auditing and accounting to biochemistry. The community is also very active as new batches of students come in hunting for their textbooks every year.

By opting to sell off your old textbooks, you’re not only clearing precious space in your home but also earning some extra pocket change.

Besides textbooks, a change in wardrobe is likely to follow suit. You’ll need to swap out your casual university wear for something more formal for job interviews and work days.

Your usual quick outfit of tank top, polo shirt, denim jeans and sneakers won’t cut it anymore, not if you want your future boss and colleagues to take you seriously.  Or worse, you might even need to clear out clothes to make way for more work clothes.

Instead of discarding or giving away your preloved clothes, just like the textbooks, you could consider selling them off on Carousell. Men and Women’s fashion are the two most popular categories on the Carousell marketplace and there’s no shortage of buyers looking for a good deal.

In looking at the things you won’t be needing in your next stage in life and selling them, you’ve cleared up your place and earned a fair bit of money from all those sales.

Business of bargains

Now you’ve made a few extra dollars selling your preloved college items, it’s time to start checking out the styles and accessories for the young urban professional.

In any transaction, you’ll want to practice fundamental business principles. Buy low, sell high.

As you’re just starting out, perhaps it’s not such a good idea to break the bank on that brand new Zara blazer or those glamorous heels. The trick is hunting for those great deals that increase your personal brand value without having to fork out a fortune. Think profit margin.

Carousell is a great place to find bargains to complete your professional attire on a budget. Carousellers such as @adoptatop or @cbylapins have a range of functional and chic fashion, from blazers to formal shoes at affordable prices.

In your first few months of work, maximize your paycheck by choosing to buy preloved items.

Building relationships

With all this talk on buying and selling, it’s also important not to forget the networking and building relationships with clients.

The community is a huge part of Carousell and what we do. It’s simple to start connections with our in-app chat.

Carousell Groups is also a great place to meet and chat with other who share similar interests. On Carousell, we have groups ranging from Lego collectors to book lovers.

It’s always good to maintain ties with the university and your alma mater. Who knows, maybe someone you helped out selling a textbook on the cheap might be end up in a position to return the favour in the future.

With a marketplace where buying as easy as chatting, it’s also a great platform to get to know people, all whom may one day be part of your professional network.