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.
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
