Yes. There is life after school.  And yes. Most of it does get explained.  Eventually.

But now there's life after school. explained.

Just in time for graduation gift-giving, the book is sort of a crash course on the little things about independent living that slipped through the cracks in college.

VOLUMES OF ADVICE

If you like the idea of this book, you might like these:    • Life Skills 101, A Practical Guide to Leaving Home by Tina Pestalozzi (Stonewood Publications, $14.95). Advice on job hunting, money, social skills, workplace etiquette, leases and managing car, laundry and time.    • The Everything After College Book; Real-World Advice for Surviving and Thriving on Your Own by Elina and Leah Furman (Adams Media Corp.; $12). Advice on making new friends, voting, family relationships, apartment hunting, cooking, money.    • Graduate: Everything You Need to Succeed After College by Kristen Gustafson (Capital Books Inc, $14.95). Advice on finding a job, renting, roommates, budgeting, credit, health and auto insurance, decorating, cooking and dressing.

THE LIGHTER SIDE

While the tone of life after school. explained. is definitely light, there are serious things to consider.     Like professional behavior.     Once again, 85 percent of your job success is who you are; 15 percent is what you know.     Like taxes.     We're not going to go into every miserable detail because, well, the details are miserable. If you wanted miserable, you could turn on any old Keanu Reeves movie...     The problem with a refund is that, in order to get any money back at the end of the year, you'll have had to pay too much in taxes over the course of the year.     Like appearances.     You'll want at least seven shirts. We know shirts aren't cheap, but if you have less than seven shirts, you'll visit your dry cleaner so often that he'll think you're sweet on him.     Always overdress for the first day of work. Look at your colleagues and decide how casual you can be for Day Two.     About job perks     Generally speaking, you are not allowed to ask for a doggie bag when out on a business dinner. Granted, the food may have been great and free, but again, you don't want to call attention to yourself on the work dinner. “Hi, everybody. I'm poor. I get to eat this for lunch tomorrow.”     About leases.     The problem with leases is that they are large documents written in small print with big words. The authors try to discourage people from actually reading them...     About health insurance.     This (pre-existing condition) requirement to disclose your allergy to whale blubber can actually help you when you end up in an emergency room and the doctors contact your insurer for information about your medical history. .

And, because of it, the authors say, you don't have to expose yourself as an idiot to learn about bread plates and dress codes and checking accounts.

“It's a reference guide for whenever you need it,” says Andy Ferguson, a Toledo native and one of the authors. “This book tackles all the things you wish you learned in school, but never did.”

Not prepared

Nobody really expects colleges and universities to teach them about collar stays and W-2 forms. But many graduates claim surprise when they graduate and discover they don't know everything.

In a recent survey, 73% of young adults say college did not prepare them for their first few years out of school. Most say they learned about taxes, stocks, 401(k)s and credit-card interest through friends or trial-and-error experience.

Primary themes in the 170-page book include dining out, money, apartments, jobs, taxes, and, curiously, engagement rings.

“For a lot of those things, you don't really think you need to know them until the minute it comes up,” says Sandra Sherman, a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati, Clifton. “then you go look for the answers just then.

“It could work as a reference guide,” she says. “I'm sure some people could use it.”

Richard Pauley says he had to learn the lessons the book teaches before he graduated. Now membership development associate, Four Seasons Country Club, Crestview Hills, he graduated in 1999 and 2000 from Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights.

“I was already living on my own,” he says. “I had my own apartment and had to learn all those things early on ... I learned by making mistakes.

“But I do agree with the concept. I definitely think it is a good idea. A lot of people don't know those things. Quite a few of my friends coming out of college didn't know a lot of that stuff.”

Sharon Schatz of West Chester, who has learned much about life in more than 30 years since college, is skeptical that a book could have prepared her for the road ahead after her graduation. “For me, I don't think so,” she says. Her son, Timothy, graduated from UC last year, and, “I don't think he would go for it, either.”

But many people have.

Mr. Ferguson and his partners, New Yorkers Jesse and Nicole Vickey, have sold about 8,000 books since its release less than three months ago.

“A lot of them are being bought as gifts,” he says. Many in bulk orders went to career counselors, service and alumni organizations and fraternities.

Overwhelmingly, consumers indicate they liked the tone and the way it is written, Mr. Ferguson says.

In addition to publishing and marketing the book, the Vickeys and Mr. Ferguson and their company — Cap & Compass — conduct on-site seminars for $1,400 a pair, plus costs.

“Overall, we have done 65 seminars at 25 different colleges this year,” Mr. Ferguson says.

“Most graduates learn academic topics while in college, but few learn the life skills needed after graduation,” he says.

For a copy of the book, life after school. explained. (Cap & Compass, $14.95) or for information on seminars, go to www.CapandCompass.com or call (251) 476-1987. .