When I graduated college in 2004, I was waiting for a graduation speaker to send me into the world with words so inspiring I would think I could conquer any and everything.

That didn’t happen. But as colleges across Maryland start to send the class of 2008 out into the great wide open, Stuart Schultz and Chris Schonberger of Gradspot.com have some helpful — and humorous — words. They’ve just written “The Gradspot.com Guide to Life After College,” available for $14.95 or as a free e-book at gradspot.com/book.

And they’ve exclusively given b their top 5 tips for new grads. Enjoy! Bonus points for the “Wire” reference:

Commencement speakers may make more money than us, but we keep it infinitely more real—I guess you could say that we are the “The Wire to their CSI: Miami. While silver-tongued orators have their value, there’s some stuff that you really just need to know. Here are the five most important pieces of advice that we wish we had when we graduated from college.

There are more jobs—and more job resources—than you think. If you are not going straight to grad school or into a profession like consulting or finance that has heavy on-campus recruiting, you may feel like you’ve been put out to pasture. Don’t get tunnel vision — remember that a lot of other people are in your same position, and there’s an unlimited number of jobs available that can compensate you for doing something you actually like. If you want to be a freelance writer, check out Mediabistro, Ed2010, and listings on journalism school websites. Or, have you considered non-profit work? Tutoring? Who knows—with the financial industry in shambles, you might just end up having the last laugh!

That said, employment is not the be all and end all of post-college life. It’s important to recognize that there’s a lot more to life after college than getting a job. For example, once you get a job, you have to navigate the challenges of the workplace (e.g., office politics, what to wear, how to appropriately IM with a 50-year-old man). But even before that, you may have to get an apartment, set up a bank account, start building your credit, settle into a new social scene, and much more. Don’t get caught up in any one area (but don’t get too overwhelmed, either).

Wherever you can, be a penny-pincher. Entry-level salaries get eaten up fast when you have to pay your own bills and buy your own groceries, so look out for simple ways to save money. For example, if you have a full-time job, your daytime cell phone usage is probably pretty low — why not scale down you plan? A daily latte adds up, so consider sticking to the office coffee pot. And if you’re living at home, don’t take that as a green light to blow any income on eBay auctions and Vegas trips. Remember “compounding interest” from Econ class? The sooner you start saving, the better.

Health insurance should not be considered optional. Just because you’re “young” and “healthy” doesn’t mean doctors are irrelevant. One ill-fated attempt to open a can of Campbell’s Chunky soup with a bread knife and you won’t be feeling so “invincible.” Too many recent grads think that if they didn’t land a job with benefits then they are screwed. But there are plenty of ways to get health insurance on your own—look into options like short-term “emergency” plans, the Freelancer’s Union, and telling your parents that you might “die without it.”

The best four years of your life are NOT over. Graduating college can feel a bit ominous when all the talk is about jobs and the “real world” and the end of your “glory days.” But while the transition can be overwhelming at times, life after college also brings with it a whole new level of personal freedom that can be pretty awesome. Pursue your interests, read books that weren’t assigned to you, and take advantage of what your city has to offer. Also, remember that the same people who said “college is the best four years of your life” are probably now claiming that “life begins at 40,” so take it with a grain of salt.

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