Best apps for college graduates

Your future has arrived, and these apps will help you make the most of it.

You did it: you earned your college degree and graduated with a diploma in-hand. Which of course begs the question, what comes next? After you've graduated, and you're ready to join the real world, it can be a bit overwhelming to figure out what precisely you are supposed to do next. There are resumes to be sent out, housing to acquire, and for many students, a leaning tower of School Loans that will need to be repaid over the next several years.

Have no fear though, these apps can help to ensure you hit the ground running!

Indeed

Once you've graduated and are figuring out what comes next, the first step ought to be starting to look for a position in your field. There are hundreds of different job search sites that you can post a resume to, but Indeed delivers a straightforward experience whether you are on a phone or computer.

Using Indeed you can upload your profile information, which is how prospective employers will find you. Once you've done that we suggest starting to look for the position that is right for you from the thousands of openings listed on Indeed. Since it automatically pulls from career boards, newspaper listings, and company career pages, you can even set up email alerts to notify you when a sweet new opening becomes available.

Hotpads

Along with finding gainful employment, you need to find a place to live. With dozens of different sites, there are plenty of ways to search for accommodation, but Hotpads makes it a better, easier experience to search for rental properties.

You can search a specific area, or look for your new home with specific parameters in mind. Once you've entered the criteria you are looking for, you will then be able to see properties in the area that fit your needs. You can also just click through properties, and get plenty of information on each one.

Move Advisor

If you're planning to move away after graduation, Move Advisor is an absolutely free app that will help you to make sure that you are prepared for the big move.

Move Advisor acts as an in-pocket emissary to make sure your moves goes as smoothly as possible. To this end you can build a week-by-week moving schedule so that everything is packed and ready to go on the big day, as well as giving you a full inventory so that nothing gets accidentally left behind. It even helps to connect you to local moving services if you wind up needing a bit of extra muscle to get everything where it needs to go.

Mint

One of the biggest challenges to leaving school entirely behind is learning to stand on your own two feet without (much) help or assistance. While you might still call your mom about how to make her prized meatloaf, or ring up your dad to ask the best way to clean out your gutters, your budget will be entirely in your own hands. Thankfully there are apps out there that exist to help you balance your checkbook before it goes diving into the red.

Mint is owned by Intuit, the same folks that run TurboTax, and they connect to help you file, too. With the app you can get bill pay reminders, build a budget, keep an eye on your credit score, and even keep track of your finances all in one place. If you're serious about building a budget and sticking to it, this is the best app you can find on Android.

Download Mint (free) {.cta .large}

Living Social

Whether you're back in your hometown after graduation or you've picked up and moved halfway across the country, you're going to need to occupy yourself with more than just your career. Finding fun, and affordable, ways to relax when you aren't really familiar with an area can be difficult at first.

That's where Living Social comes in. The app delivers tons of great deals on local food, entertainment, hotels, and more, all with some serious discounted rates. This means that by scanning the deals each day you might be able to snag a spa day, even when you are counting pennies on a budget. For anyone who likes to enjoy themselves without spending all of their extra income, this is a great one to check out.

Flipp

You may be broke, but you still need to eat. Flipp is a coupon app for the phone addict, parsing thousands of great grocery deals in one place. Not only does it save you money through virtual coupon clipping, but it does its own price-matching magic to ensure you get the lowest prices on the staples you buy every day.

What are your suggestions?

There are plenty of great apps out there that can turn your phone into a serious powerhouse for getting your life settled the way you want it. Whether you're trying to build a budget for the first time, looking for the perfect apartment to rent near your new office, or just trying to ensure that you can have a night out without feeling the hurt in the bank account the next day, there is most definitely an app for that.

Do you have a favorite set of apps that got you on track after graduation? Did we miss an excellent app for new graduates? Be sure to leave us a comment below and let us know about it!