Please remember that all of life is a learning experience, all of your life is a time to make an impression on others. Making a positive impact is the best way to ensure that you will be successful in anything you do.

People don’t have to be around you all the time to be your friend:

A good friend isn’t the person who is always around; some of my best friends I rarely speak to. Adulting is hard, but the rewards of a career, of family and education, will serve to improve your quality of life.

You should dress for success, even when no one is watching:

You need to go to the closet right now and take a look. Don’t get rid of all your most whimsical clothing. I kept my Hufflepuff sweatshirt from Universal Studios, and I’ve held on to concert t-shirts from some of my favorite bands. When you’re out with friends, it’s okay to let your hair down and dress in a way that shows off your personality. Going almost anywhere else, though, it’s important to look your best. I stocked up on cable knit sweaters and cardigans, and I traded in my extensive collection of yoga pants for blue jeans and dress leggings. This comes across as casual but still classy; you care, but you’re not uptight. This can tell potential employers and friends that you both care and want to be mature, but you’re not going to ruin everybody’s good time.

The company you keep affects your ability to be taken seriously in all facets of life:

Even during downtime, it’s important to be mindful, that the people you keep in your life can have a positive or negative impact on your ability to move up in this world. Associating with individuals who are less than savory, or behave like children, can make people think twice about the content of your character or the strengths of your work ethic.

Be sober, even if it’s the weekend:

It is delightful to have that glass of wine with dinner on Saturday night. You need to remember: moderation is key. Alcohol and marijuana can affect everyone in different ways. It’s crucial to know your limits when indulging in controlled substances. What you’re doing might not be entirely illegal, but it might make you look like an idiot. We live in a digital age. Chances are most of your crazy antics can come back to haunt you. Know your limits, it doesn’t matter if it’s Saturday or Wednesday. (Disclaimer: Marijuana is only legal for recreational use in some states.)

Privacy is a lie:

We are living in a time when practically everyone has a smartphone or something similar. Because of this, social media is very important. What you post online can directly affect your ability to be hired for a job; it can also impact your ability to be let into internships, and it can change how your professors see you. Please remember that Facebook is not a journal, and that everyone from your college professor to the local police department could potentially review the content of your social media accounts without you knowing.

Be careful who you friend on social media:

We all have that friend that we haven’t talked to since second grade whom we’ve befriended through some type of social media. Not being entirely aware of who your friends are in real life has the potential to become a problem. We all make mistakes, but if someone has a history of making poor life choices, or participating in illegal activities, associating with them could be potentially harmful to your future plans.

If you wouldn’t talk that way to your mother, don’t speak that way:

Being professional in any form is essential. Always remember to go to school, or to your job, and be respectful. Even if you’re the manager of an organization, you have people under you, who could review you poorly. Everyone has good days and bad days, but respecting others is critical.

When applying for a job, “canned answers” aren’t right answers:

I’ve been training for a managerial position, and I can tell you that telling an employer what they want to hear is not going to get you anywhere. Part of my training is to know when to spot someone who has been rehearsing their answers and throw them off. This technique helps managers and members of Human Resources to know when someone is lying, or when someone can’t handle a challenge. Be honest, be yourself, relax, and you’ll be just fine.

Remember to do your best and to be coherent even off the clock:

Most millennials know how to use internet abbreviations and slang text lingo. Communicating in this way is a big no-no for any type of corporate or academic communication. An academic paper should not be written in the same way as a text message. Much of the other correspondence should not be written this way either. Grammarly is a relatively inexpensive, helpful tool that you are you able to connect to Google accounts. Emails, basic business messages, and text messages can be spruced up with this tool.