Rebecca Odell is a brand-new young pro with a love for caffeine, sunshine, exclamation points and digital media. Before landing her current gig as a marketing specialist for state government, this May 2010 Kent State University public relations grad completed several agency and health care internships.

Every day, I’m reminded of the hurdles I’ve jumped in my life.

Literally.  If you take a close look at my left knee, you’ll see small pieces of gravel: my battle wound from a fall while running hurdles at a middle school track meet.  It’s a constant reminder that some hurdles are harder to cross than others, and sometimes we stumble: no matter how prepared we feel.

As I transitioned from college student to young public relations professional, I jumped a lot of hurdles I didn’t see coming.  Let’s face it: There’s something incredibly scary, yet terribly thrilling, about moving from the world of college football games and “Thirsty Thursdays” to the land of retirement funds, electric bills and big-kid responsibilities.

I’m glad to report that I successfully made it through the first few hurdles of my young professional life, and I lived to share these tidbits with you:

Get uncomfortable.

When I started the post-grad job search, I quickly realized I’d have to step out of my comfort zone if I wanted to find a career in public relations and marketing.  For me, this meant moving to an unfamiliar city, hours away from my college friends and family back home.

Was moving to a new city intimidating? Yes. Did I have days when I just wanted to give up and go back to the joys of college life? Absolutely.  But although the transition was difficult, I can honestly say the temporary discomfort was worth it.  I set a goal (to land a public relations job in Columbus within three months after graduation,) and I stuck to it.  The road was rocky, but sometimes you need to shake things up to gain fresh perspective.

Don’t be afraid to take the detour.

Not only did I move to a new city one week after college graduation, but I also moved with no promise of a full-time, permanent position.

It’s a rough economy, and when I graduated in May 2010, my dream job wasn’t in the cards.  I moved past this road block, accepted a post-grad internship and prayed my decision would be well worth it.

My internship was the best “detour” I’ve ever taken.  The experience presented an opportunity to expand my skills while networking with professionals in a new town, which led to my full-time job.  Don’t be afraid of detours; they take time, but they’ll get you where you need to go.  The scenery along the way is better than you’d expect, too!

Know your financial boundaries.

Reality check: After you graduate from college, you no longer have the comfort of leaning on student loans and mom and dad’s piggy bank (unless you’re still on a gravy train) to buy gourmet pizza every other day and feed your clothing fund.  Your bills are real (including those student loan payments!) and you can’t play the “student card” when fishing for an explanation to your debt.

Set a budget, and set it fast.  Keep track of everything you buy (I personally like to track this through online banking) for two weeks. You’d be surprised by how much money wasted on simple things like coffee, snacks or unnecessary trips to Target. I wanted to cry when I realized I couldn’t buy Starbucks four times a week, but I’ve adjusted just fine (thank you, home brew!) Define your budget, make some room to save a few bucks, and stick to your guns. Your financial future will thank you.

Stay true to you.

One month into my career, I realized I was making my job my life. It’s all I talked about. It’s all I thought about.  I even had recurring dreams about writing tax incentive news releases (terrible, I know.)

I really love the career path I chose, but frankly, I was letting myself become boring.  It’s important to remember the things you love and to learn how to find a balance between work and play. It’s far too easy to be consumed by what you do. We’re all multi-faceted individuals; don’t let work become the only element that defines you!

Recent grads: What hurdles have you jumped while transitioning into the real world?