How To Survive Graduation: From College to a Career in 10 Books

Life after college can be tough. Sure, after years of hard work (and the occasional party or two!), you’ve got a degree under your belt. But now you have another mountain to climb.

Launching a career or just staying afloat after college can be a massive challenge, especially if you’re wallowing in debt. But you’re not alone; most graduates struggle with the transition. We’ve been there! So we put together this list of our favourite books to help you navigate the post-graduation maze.

You’ve passed the finals. Great! But suddenly you’re expected to know how to do all sorts of grown-up things like buying health insurance and dealing with tax forms. No one ever taught you how to do this stuff. James Kramon is on hand to guide you through jobhunting, finding an apartment and dealing with paperwork. Better still, it’s full of handy checklists for every situation. Say good-bye to college and hello to your new life!

The world’s most popular job-search book has been published in 22 languages and 26 countries. Even after selling 10 million copies, it’s as popular as ever. This edition is updated for 2014, with handy tips on how discover your unique gifts, skills, and interests and launch your career – even in hard times.

New York Times bestselling author Martin Yate has come up with a formula to help you create your best possible resume. He’ll guide you through every step of the writing process, showing you how to get noticed with examples of industry-specific resumes and those that cover every stage of your career. He also offers helpful advice on submitting a resume electronically, what to include on social marketing profiles, and how to make the most of keywords so that search engines find your resume quickly.

You don’t have to stifle your creative impulses to pay the bills! Whether you want to be an architect or a crossword-puzzle maker, Carol Eikleberry gives you an inspiring guide on how to make your passion pay. Now in its third edition, this book gives you all the tools you need to remain different, unconventional, and hard-to-categorize while finding work you love.

So you’ve found yourself a job. Great! What next? College courses, even business-focused ones, put little emphasis on adjusting to corporate culture. This brief, handy book provides a crash course on the inner workings of organizations and the most effective ways for a new employee to earn acceptance and respect.

Managing your finances can be the biggest challenge graduates face. The all-new edition of the New York Times bestseller Get a Financial Life busts open the system, teaching tricks for becoming master of your own money universe. No matter what’s happening in the economy, all the guidance you need is right here. Covers everything from paying off student loans to taking advantage of the latest tax rules and investing in socially responsible companies.

It’s the curse of the college graduate – an enormous pile of debt. But getting out of the red needn’t be stressful. Based on the proven techniques of the national Debtors Anonymous program, this book gives you a complete, step-by-step guide to getting out of debt once and for all.

Not every graduate wants to dive straight into the job market. Hitting graduate school first can turbo-start your career, and it’s mandatory in some high-powered sectors like law and medicine. Based on thousands of interviews with successful grad students and admissions officer, this guide deconstructs the applications process to help you get into the graduate program of your choice.

Whatever you decide as your next step, it’s important to stay positive as you navigate the post-college maze. Unflappable is a book that will not just help you survive the post-college blues, but to embrace the ups and downs of the journey and learn to stay centered and peaceful no matter what.

Here it is – the ultimate guide. Jenny Blake’s Life After College is an essential manual for every graduating student and young professional. It features practical, actionable advice that will help you focus on the BIG picture of your life, not just the details. Life After College will leave you feeling inspired, confident and ready to take action toward creating the life you really want.