A New Career and Your Finances

Landing your first career is such an outstanding achievement. Many times, individuals begin making money after they have been out of the workforce for a long period of time, so it is important to make sure you manage your finances completely and carefully!

1. Don’t Be Frivolous
Making money comes with responsibility. If you went into debt during school or have credit car bills, utility bills, house or rent payments, etc. make sure you make these a priority with your new income. It’s always fun to buy great new things, but the most important thing you can do is manage your money carefully and save for those ‘splurge’ purchases.

2. Create a Budget and Follow It
You should most definitely take the time to sit-down, look at your income and compare it to your expenses and your debt. There are several free resources on the internet that can help you build and manage your budget, so use them! We like this one: http://www.budgetworksheets.org/

3. Save What You Can
After you have created your budget and you know how much to allow for expenses and debt with each paycheck, start a savings account to save additional money. You never know when an emergency will arise and you’ll need that extra cash!

4. Utilize Your Resources
If you come into a situation where you have lost your source of income or you are struggling, always contact your Financial Aid Director at the campus where you attended school. They can help get you on the right track and can help make sure you don’t get behind in your loan repayments from your school loans. This is very important! You never want to ruin your credit when you could have had help!

Also, any student who attends PIHT, WVJC or OVCT can always come back to their campus for Career Management Assistance. The Career Management Director at your campus can assist you with updating your resume, filling out applications and they can even help you mail or fax your information to job leads. It’s up to you, though – you have to take the first step to call your campus and schedule an appointment!