Woman Shares 5 Things to Do in College for a Financially Secure 20s

Upleveling your finances can seem intimidating. However, history tells us that starting early always proves advantageous in the long run. This TikTok user took to the popular video-sharing platform to talk about the five things she did at the age of 18 to become financially stable at 23. The creator, Lily says that she currently helps viewers uplevel their career and finances. She started by talking about how she was a business major who ensured she got as many internships as possible. "I did a total of four internships in college, and the fourth internship I bagged led to a high-paying role after I graduated."

"My four internships were in consulting, product marketing, and venture capital," she said. She then urged people who are still in college to get as many internships as possible, adding that it will make the process of getting a job much easier.

Secondly, she talked about how it's important to educate oneself on personal finance and learn how to manage your money. "If you don't understand how to manage your money, even when you have a job, it's easy to get lost, even if you have a lot of money," she said.

She recommended that college students open a Roth IRA , saying, "It's the retirement investment account that one can open at the age of 18." It allows you to invest money from your internships or your jobs. "It's especially beneficial to open this account when you are young because then your money has more time to grow in the market," she said.

She then shed light on how getting a secured credit card is also extremely beneficial. "The specific one I got was the Capital One Platinum Secured Card," she revealed. "I got a credit card at the age of 18 to build my credit score, which is super useful for things like getting a job, buying a car, securing an apartment lease," she said.

Lastly, she talked about the importance of creating different income streams besides doing internships. "In college, I had a lot of side hustles , like having an Etsy store where I sold my handmade crafts, doing part-time work for clients, and in the senior year, I started doing content creation, got UGC brand deals," she said.

She concludes by saying how these steps have secured her finances and also made her a disciplined person.

Many in the comment section were curious as to how she bagged the internships. "How did you find the internships? reads one of the top comments. To which the creator replied, "I also have a playlist on my page called 'internship tips' but I can make more vids about this."

Younger audiences enquired about what internships are, with one user saying, "What are internships? I've been living under a rock and I'm gonna be in college soon." Others took to the comment section to talk about their achievements. One user wrote, "I bought a house at 20. Currently, 23, stable ASF, paid off car and just chilling." "The best thing I did was NOT go to college," writes a user to which the creator writes, "That’s amazing!"

For more such content, you can follow (@lillianzhang) on TikTok.