I was recently asked to speak to a previous professor’s Entrepreneurship class at my alma mater. In preparation for my presentation, I began reminiscing over my years in college.

I thought of the advice I was given and how different situations made a positive influence on my life.

I thought of the fun times I enjoyed with my friends who became more like family over those years.

I also thought of my life now compared to what it was like then.

This is a list of the things that I would’ve liked someone to tell me during my years in college. Chances are, someone did tell me some of these things and younger me didn’t listen very well. I hope this list of advice might help someone else through their journey, too.

Make Small Investments Over Time

Knowing what I know now about investment opportunities in the stock market, I think about how small investments over the years could’ve made a big impact on my future. I worked a part-time job in college and didn’t have a lot of extra cash, but even $20 a month using a commission-free broker could have made a big impact on my life after school.

These small investments not only would have the potential to make more money for the future but the interaction with the markets would grant learning experiences and knowledge for making larger investments later in life as well as learning ways to prepare for retirement.

I personally find that this free brokerage app is easy to learn and operate. This app can also be used for “paper trading” which is simulated to real-time stock market values and allows trading without financial risk.

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Establish a Source of Passive Income

I love having my own blog as a sort of public diary of my life and things I learn and the beneficial side to having a blog is there are many ways to monetize and earn passive income from your audience. I wish I’d had started this in college, but I never did the research on how to start.

Blogging is not the only way to earn passive income. Passive income is considered income that requires minimal labor to earn and maintain. Here are a few great options to generate passive income:

1. Start a Blog
2. Create YouTube Videos and Series
3. Sell Digital Products (Etsy is a great resource! Here’s a look at my digital products.)
4. Dropshipping through Amazon
5. Design T-Shirts to sell through companies like Printful and Printify
6. Write an E-Book or Sell Copies through Amazon

Recognize Your Timeline as Your Own

It’s normal to compare your accomplishments to someone else’s or look at their life wondering why your time hasn’t come yet. It’s important to know that everyone’s timeline looks different. “Why haven’t I graduated yet?” “Why haven’t I found a job yet?,” “I don’t know which career path to pursue,” “Why don’t I have a boyfriend/girlfriend?”

Those thoughts evolve after college as well. “Why am I not engaged or married yet?”, “Why don’t I have kids?”, and the list goes on and on.

End that mental toxicity now by recognizing your timeline as your own. There are no specific guidelines for meeting these societal-imposed expectations. Someone else may look like their life is packaged perfectly with a beautiful bow on top, but chances are, they’ve felt that same intimidation at some point in their own life.

Remember Where You Are is What You’d Once Hoped For

Greek philosopher, Epicurus, is known for saying, “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

Cherish where you are at this moment. It wasn’t but a few months or years before that you desired to be where you are at now. Don’t become so fixated on your destination that you miss the joy of the present. It’s easy to think, “once I get out of college, things will be easier.” Yes, things might be easier, but there will be different challenges in the next chapters of your life as well. That’s why it’s important to take joy in your present weaknesses and know that even though times might be tough, you are strong and capable to continue through. It will all be worth it in the end.

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If you enjoyed this post, you’ll also want to read about 5 Things I’m Glad I did in College.

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