There are millions of students across the country investing in college tuition to better prepare them for the future. I think it is time to dive into the question of what that future is and what students want to do in it.

A lot of people go through college for different reasons. Of all the reasons, perhaps the most common among students across the country is to help find a job. Naturally, the next question is, what type of job?

There are many paths you can take, and of course there is no better or worse, but I’d argue that you want to allocate your time in hopes of learning. As Justin Kan calls it, “optimize for learning.”

And this is the perfect time do to this. To “hustle” and put yourself in an environment where you can accelerate growth super quickly. This time frame (5–8 years) is not about making money ; rather, it is the best opportunity to learn about the world and about yourself. (Gary Vaynerchuk does a great job of demonstrating the urgency in this time period.)

As a recent post-grad, you have a few competitive advantages that may keep you alive in the highly competitive workplace.

1. A network

If you did college right, you likely have a network there to support you. Perhaps the most valuable asset you gain as a student is the resource of alumni connections and classmates. Use those to your advantage.

2. Energy and passion

Another advantage you have is incredible inflow of energy. You can stay up longer hours and sleep less at night. You can survive on your friend’s couch and afford to eat cheap.

3. Intrinsic motivation

Perhaps the biggest advantage, though, is that you are willing to learn. Why? Because you have the least to lose. And that, in itself, is a huge opportunity for you to excel.

Be different and you will find yourself in an opportunity to grow.

Now,  this is not to say you should go out and quit your day job to go “learn.” Money is important and will help you in going far. But  try to put yourself in a situation where you can get the most out of learning. This applies not only to post-grad jobs, but also to internships and random gigs. Optimize for learning.

This post was originally featured on Medium and was republished with permission from the author.