Before long, it will be graduation season once again. Caps will be flung up in the air, some names will be mispronounced, diplomas will be handed out, and hordes of new UK graduates will be asked about their career plans.

Unfortunately, some of these answers will be quite naïve, showing just how unprepared many graduates are for entering the professional world. In an effort to better prepare eager graduates for success in today’s difficult business environment, let’s take a look at 10 things every graduate should know before entering into the professional world.

1. You Will Need to Know Your Numbers

Numbers play a vital role and are actively analysed in every business environment. You will likely need to analyse data spreadsheets, interpret charts, and make a number of calculations every single day, because when you go into the boardroom or make a proposal to your boss, you will need to show statistical proof that your ideas work or will benefit the business. Thus, you better be prepared to put your analytical cap on and have the ability to crunch numbers and analyse statistical data prior to shaking your interviewer’s hand.

2. Thinking on Your Feet is a Must

You may have practiced “real-life” scenarios while in school, but you will only truly learn how to perform under stress and make important decisions on the fly when real dollars are on the line and your company’s reputation is at stake. This is not an ability that can be learned through practice. You have to gain real experience making important snap decisions. Fortunately, an internship can provide you with experience in doing this, which is an attribute worth mentioning to a potential employer.

3. Success isn’t Measured with a Letter Grade

Prior to now, you spent the first 15 years or so of your life being measured by cut and dry letter grades. In the professional world, however, your success or failure will not be nearly as concrete. Therefore, if you are going to have success in any professional environment, you must have other motivations and an understanding of what your boss wants from you.

4. You Will Never Stop Proving Yourself

To be accepted into university, you had to prove your ability by getting good grades and doing well on exams. However, once you graduate, you will start all over with a blank slate. In the professional world, your degree will get you in the door, but outside of the job interview, you will likely never be asked about it again. Every company is only interested in the skills you bring to the table and how well you can perform them, so you will need to prove your value time and time again.

5. Don’t Hype Up Your Skills

On the topic of skills, avoid setting yourself up for failure by not over-exaggerating your skills and accomplishments, because if you fail to meet the expectations you have placed for yourself, an employer will quickly lose any trust that they had in you, which may lead to your termination. After all, it is better to not receive a job than it is to explain your firing during future interviews.

6. Business Moves Fast

The business world, especially today, is ever-evolving and constantly changing. Chances are the answer to a problem that arises will not lie in a university text book. Rather, you will need to adapt and create solutions. For example, social media has been booming for years and it has become a major aspect of business marketing campaigns. However, it was not taught until recently, before which, marketers already doing social media needed to figure it out all on their own.

7. Money is Everything

Every company is interested in one thing: profit. You may be able to make slick graphics and quality videos, but unless you know how they will create revenue for the company, they will be useless. In the professional world, every tweet, sent email, press release, and so on must have a return on investment or monetary value.

8. You Will Need Thick Skin

As a business professional, chances are you will have to deal with frustrating clients, complaining customers, irritated bosses, unresponsive sales agents, and a laundry list of difficult personalities, but you will need to become really good at biting your tongue and keeping your emotions in check. If not, you won’t last a minute in any business.

9. Networking Never Ends

There’s a reason the importance of networking has likely been crammed down your throat; it is what business is all about. In the professional world, you never know who your next whale of a client or future boss will be, so you’ll need to develop positive relationships with as many people as possible to get ahead and stay ahead.

10. Be Prepared to Take Initiative

Long gone are the days of referring to your syllabus. If you enter the professional world waiting for someone to provide you with direction on everything, you may want to grab a seat, because you will be there for a while. Instead, you will need to take the reins and show initiative, which is something university doesn’t teach you.