We’d like to offer the graduates of 2015 a little advice as they head into a new chapter of life.  Our V. Sattui staff shares their words of wisdom for graduates, and for anyone else who needs it.

John Winkelhaus 
Vice President, Operations
•    Put $5 of every $100 in a savings account and never touch it.  Easy to say, tough to do.
•    Set goals, set a plan to achieve those goals, work your plan.
•    Life is short.  Have fun, love hard, take what you do seriously—but not yourself.  Laugh a lot, especially at yourself when appropriate.

Lorie Clift
Staff Accountant
“When you land your first job begin to put money away for your retirement.  If you aren’t eligible to save into a retirement plan right away, then put money into a savings account that comes directly out of your paycheck.  This way you will never notice any difference when you can put it to a retirement account.  Attempt to put 10 percent away every paycheck, and don’t leave it in a savings account, put in a money market or something that will make your money work for you.”

Pat Krueger
Vice President of Events
“Never stop learning.”

Jim Montalbano
Wine Consultant
“My best advice for a college grad is not to be discouraged if they cannot find a job in their major. They may find that some things they learned in college have a direct application in their current work or even their personal lives.”

Michelle Shafrir
Enologist
“My advice would be: Don’t be practical. Take risks. You’ll find that as you get older it gets harder to take a chance on something different. So seize the day, explore your passions and see where they take you.”

Chris Rota
Wine Consultant
“While graduation may be an accomplishment, it is really a humble beginning to life.  Learning (aggressively) can never stop.  One of the best tools for learning is your Word Power and that is not just your ability to explain things to others, but to explain to yourself as well. Grammar and syntax are equally important.  I cringe when I hear ‘Where are you at…???’  OR ‘I had to ran all the way’, OR ‘I have just rang it up.’  No matter how well you have mastered your discipline(s), if you have not mastered your language, you are destined for difficulties.

Brook Rasmussen
Wine Club Assistant
“I’ll pass along the best advice my Mom gave me– don’t get arrested!”

Fernando Hernandez
Shipping Assistant
Fernando chose to share a link to four of the most inspirational, life-changing TED talks for students.  They’re definitely worth checking out!

And most importantly…