Life pro tips

Pro tips
    buy a filing cabinet as soon as possible. if you're really young, you'll start saving things that you'll think are funny later in life. if you're in college or older, you will have no excuse for not being able to find your W2's from 2008. you'll have copies of all your paid bills, medical records, as well as important documentation regarding work, etc.

    be prepared for anything at job interviews. bring a leather (or faux) bound folder with you, wherein keep a few extra copies of your resume on good paper, a pen, a calculator, as well as a few notes on your notepad. interviewers always ask if you have any questions. if you have notes on your pad, there's no reason to forget them. an interviewer will actually be impressed by this.

    speaking of networking/interviews: work on your pitch. your pitch. when people say "tell me about yourself," you'll have a nice 1 to 2 minute (quick) intro about who you are: where you went to college, brief chronology of where you've worked, where you go to grad school, and what your interests are.

    when people ask you a question, answer, and then ask them one back, and listen.

    get a spare copy of your car key made, hopefully that will fit in your wallet.

    get spares of ALL of your keys made, and have them on a separate keychain. that way when you're getting ready for that big interview, and you cant find your keys (they're in the pants you wore yesterday, btw), you wont freak out and panic. you have a spare set, no worries.

    if you have a job interview, drive the route to the building the day before, that way you're comfortable with the route and you wont be searching for the building stressed out. this isn't always possible, but you know...

    leave for an interview with a lot of extra time to spare. this way you won't be stressed about granny driving 10 below the limit in front of you, or if there's an accident on your route there. you never know. i usually end up getting to interviews about 45 minutes earl. do not go into your appointment this early. wait in your car, relax, listen to the radio, clear your mind. it's appropriate to go in about 15 minutes early, so that they know you're punctual (they will know, because the receptionist will tell your interviewer that you are there). use this extra time to get comfortable (mentally - don't make yourself at home), or use the bathroom. if nothing else, wash your hands and face before the interview, and dry them completely. no interviewer wants to talk to someone with a oily face for two hours, just as much as they'd rather avoid a wet handshake.

    try to remember to clean your bathroom once in a while, even if you're not having a lady friend over (certainly clean it if you are having a lady friend over - especially a gf. i know it's hard to keep this up after a while, but if she's worth it, she'll appreciate the effort).

    don't drink all of the alcohol in your house, and never let your fridge be bare... always keep something stocked. all of this acting confident won't do you any good if you manage to bring a girl back to your place, and you don't have any booze or food.

    learn how to properly mix a drink. girls don't want something that's going to knock them out, and heaven forbid, you don't want that either. girls want to drink something nice and get a little silly is all. 1. tumbler glass. 2. fill to the brim with ice. 3. add your alcohol of choice. a good, quad/triple distilled vodka from a glass bottle (no plastic bottles, come on). if the bottle has one of those plastic pour regulators at the top, you'll want to pour in four seconds. count them as they go in. 4. top it with a mixer. in my experience, women love the vanilla chai tea (i think its bolt house, sold in supermarkets near the veggies). this mix is a panty dropper. you can also go for classics like a screwdriver (vodka with OJ), but mango is usually a hit, as well as vanilla coke zero.

    be passionate about what you enjoy. you can let it consume you as long as its productive. nobody is a professional minecraft player or redditor.

    keep receipts from the day in your wallet so you don't forget them. this also serves as a reminder if you've been out drinking. every time you open your wallet, you'll be reminded that you've been spending money and it might be time to slow down.

    balance your checkbook every day (i use excell, and my spreadsheet categorizes what i've spent money on each month: utilities, dining, groceries, other). all those receipts from your wallet can be removed as you do this.

    learn about your car. know how to check the oil/other fluids. keep your tires inflated properly. you don't have to change the oil, i mean there are places that will do it for $10 in 10 minutes, and to me that's worth it, and when they're under there they can spot problems that i wouldn't otherwise know what to look for. if you have the time though, learn how to change your own oil. the first time will be a bitch because you're worried about screwing it up, but it's kind of like a zen thing. all of your other problems just melt away...

    seriously, don't drive under the influence. a cab may seem expensive, but it's way cheaper than a dui or injuring yourself or others. in major cities, most cabs accept debit/credit cards. if you have neither of those, the final tip will save you...

    keep $40 hidden in your wallet. this is for emergencies only. not i-need-to-buy-beer emergencies, but i-need-to-get-home emergencies.

edit: one last one!

    if you feel like there's something wrong with you, for chrissakes go to the damn doctor. there's no reason to be a hypochondriac, but anything having to do with your junk, your ass, your head, or knees... you're going to need these parts for a while. take care of them!

edit #2: apparently that wasn't the last one.

    be self reliant. you will have friends and family in your life who will love you and do their best to you, but remember that at the end of the day, the only person who is there to watch out for you, is you.

    save some of your paycheck. ok if you're making minimum wage right now, it's tough, but when you get your first real job, you're going to be tempted to do more things with it: cable tv, a better car, a bike, better food, new clothes. don't. have 4-5% of your paycheck go into a 401k plan (most good companies have a matching program). have another $50 to $100 go automatically into a savings account every paycheck, on the day it's deposited in your checking. it will definitely suck at first, but after a while you'll get used to it and, bonus, you're saving money for emergencies.

3rd and final edit:

    this one may be controversial, but in my experience: do not ever ever ever go out on the town expecting/anticipating/wanting to get laid. i don't know how it works, but women have a sixth sense about this. men apparently radiate an aura that only women can see, and they can tell if you're desperate. go out on a friday or saturday night to have fun with your friends, not the hope of meeting girls. yes, you will meet them. be a gentleman. it's awesome if you get someone's number, but don't expect anything. if nothing else, you've just made a friend.

postscript edit:

thanks for the gold :) have a safe and fun weekend, everybody!