7 Must-Read Books For New Grads

Sharing 7 of my favorite books for new grads! Enjoy!

Graduation is an incredibly exciting time for new grads…

A time full of hope, ambition, and a moment in our lives where we feel like anything and everything is possible.

I was there not too long ago, so I remember feeling like my life was about to start. I remember the dreams I had and all the things I wanted to accomplish, and I also remember thinking that I had learned everything I needed to know in order to be a freaking rockstar at life.

LOL yea, I was wrong.

A million failures later, here I am writing this, and let me tell you, I wish I had been A LOT more prepared for the real world.

So here are some of my favorite books that I’ve read since graduating that I think every graduate needs in their life.

LinchPin, Seth Godin

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“The only way to get what you’re worth is to stand out, to exert emotional labor, to be seen as indispensable, and to produce interactions that organizations and people care deeply about.”

I read this a couple years ago, and it’s one of my favorites. Because in today’s super competitive world, the only way you’re gunna stand out at work is by being a mother f-ing rockstar. That’s the truth. Good isn’t enough anymore. Anyone can be good at their job. So it’s important to learn how to stand out and really add value. Seth Godin is pretty much a genius, so I recommend all his boos, but this one in particular.

Thrive, Arianna Huffington

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“It’s not ‘What do I want to do?’, it’s ‘What kind of life do I want to have?’ ”  

Arianna has a new book about sleep that I want to check out, but I recently read Thrive, and it truly changed my life. Thrive is a book about redefining success. It’s about realizing that your life shouldn’t be 100% about work. It’s about realizing that if you’re on the bathroom floor having a panic attack because your life is so crazy hectic, it doesn’t matter if you’re a senior VP at your company… at that point, you’re not doing so good. I just can’t say enough about this book. All I CAN say is that every graduate should read it.

Corporate Survival Guide For Your Twenties, Kayla Buell

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“If I can see your bra, that’s a problem. If I can’t see your bra because you’re not wearing one, that’s even more of a problem.”

Okay, shameless plug here…yes, I think every graduate should read my book. When I first graduated and landed a real job, I had no freaking idea what to do. I had no idea how to act, how to behave, and  I didn’t know how to approach my boss about different things. I didn’t know how to talk to coworkers who were more than twice my age. Pretty much, I was just thrown into the ocean expected to swim, and I think I could have used a little more help in navigating the business world.

In college we’re taught about the importance of finding a job. Our career counselors help us put together pretty resumes, and they help us with our interview skills. The goal is always to help us FIND jobs. But what about once we DO? What then? What comes after? Well, that’s what Corporate Survival Guide For Your Twenties is about, so I recommend it to anyone who’s looking to kick-ass in their job during the first few years.

The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg

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“Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”  

I was at the airport one day and I picked up The Power of Habit in one of those amazing little bookstores that they have in the terminals. I’m really glad that I bought this book because it’s pretty much changed the way I go about living my life. Adulting is hard. Being an adult and having to make a million decisions every day isn’t something that we always enjoy doing. But lucky for us, this book teaches us that if learn to form healthy habits, we don’t have to make so many decisions. And ultimately, life becomes a whole lot easier. Must-read, for sure.

Brokenomics, Dina Gachman

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“Who doesn’t want beautiful clothes, a great home, and fabulous bath products from France? Sign me up. The problem is that this phenomenon known as keeping up with the Joneses is no longer just about envying your neighbor’s awesome butter churn or badass weathervane. Thanks to tabloid news, the Internet, and social media, we can peer into the fifteen-bedroom homes of celebs or see a $16,000 bar tab on Rich Kids of Instagram.”

I get a lot of e-mails asking me to review new books on my blog, and although most of them aren’t really a good fit for my audience, I was really interested when they asked me to review Brokenomics. Over the past 4 years that I’ve been blogging and interacting with millennials, it seems that one of the biggest problems most of us young people have is that we don’t know how to manage our money. We just don’t.

We spend money on things that aren’t important, don’t know how to budget, and we think credit cards can just be paid “eventually.” Because of that, I’m always interested in books that can help us financially. So I finally got around to reading Brokenomics and I LOVED IT! Dina shares amazing advice in her book, but it’s also FREAKING HILARIOUS! It’s written in a way that us young people can totally relate to, and again, it’s HILARIOUS. So definitely pick this one up! Here’s my review of it in case you want to check it out.

Life After College, Jenny Blake

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“There is no manual for the real world. In high school and college we have teachers, guidance counselors, and course requirements. But the minute we graduate it seems we are immediately expected to understand where to go, what to do, and how to get wherever we’re going next- even when we have no clue where next is.”

This was one of the very first books I read post-college and I think I picked it up after seeing it at Urban Outfitters. The title caught my eye since it said, “Life After College: The Complete Guide To Getting What You Want,” and yea…I wanted to know how to get everything I’ve ever wanted. I’m a go-getter like that. Jenny’s book is awesome, because it’s about EVERYTHING. Advice about work, money, home, organization, dealing friends and family, making time for fun and relaxation, pretty much everything we need to know to have happy lives in our twenties. Plus, the book has journaling exercises where you can answer questions and write down the important stuff, so it’s interactive, easy to understand, and something I think every graduate needs in their life.

The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter – And How To Make The Most of Them Now , Meg Jay

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“Our 20s are the defining decade of adulthood. 80% of life’s most defining moments take place by about age 35. 2/3 of lifetime wage growth happens during the first ten years of a career. More than half of Americans are married or are dating or living with their future partner by age 30. Personality can change more during our 20s than at any other decade in life. Female fertility peaks at 28. The brain caps off its last major growth spurt. When it comes to adult development, 30 is not the new 20. Even if you do nothing, not making choices is a choice all the same. Don’t be defined by what you didn’t know or didn’t do.”  

Isn’t that quote powerful? Maybe a little scary? Maybe both? This is one of my all-time favorite books because I pretty much agree with everything Meg says here. I grew up around a lot of people who would downplay the importance of our twenties. People who would say things like, “Oh, you’re just a kid, you have your whole life to [insert almost anything here]” We have our whole lives to what, exactly? To get married?  Find jobs that we love? Travel and explore? But what I found was that people really WERE putting things off and instead of going after the things we wanted, too many of us were just doing NOTHING. I wrote a post about this idea, so you can read more about my thoughts on that here, but really, every twenty-something should read this. Our twenties are important. Our twenties matter. So we certainly shouldn’t waste them.

Any others that  you think grads should read? Let me know in the comments!

Books on blogging to help you take your blog to the next level:

• Blog, Inc.
• Creative, Inc.
• How To Blog For Profit Without Selling Your Soul
• 365 Blog Topic Ideas: For The Lifestyle Blogger Who Has Nothing To Write About
• #GirlBoss
• Leave Your Mark: Land Your Dream Job, Kill It In Your Career, Rock Social Media
• Crush It
• Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook
• Thrive

Books to help you deal with your twenties:

• 101 Secrets For Your Twenties
• Life After College
• The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter & How To Make The Most of Them
• Adulting: How To Become A Grown Up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps
• All Groan Up: Searching For Self, Faith, and A Freaking Job!

Other stuff you might like:

• Generation Y Redefines Success
• How To Be Rich in Your Twenties
• The 5 Most Valuable Lessons Grad School Taught Me
• Pursue a Lifestyle, Not a Job
• Why It’s Okay to Be Excited About the Awesome Stuff You’re Doing
• Why We Need to Get Over Our Fear of Rejection
• Don’t Wait, Be Happy Now
• The 5 Best Investments You Can Make in College

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