On your marks, get set …

The talented group of recent college graduates we’ve chosen to follow through Year One of their financial planning careers boasts some unusual experiences for new college graduates.

One was a Realtor for a time, while another bought his first house during his sophomore year.

And each has taken the financial advice profession for a trial run, so to speak, working as an intern in the field. Some of those experiences helped narrow down the type of firm in which they sought full-time jobs after graduation.

They also seem to have had a fairly easy time finding jobs within advisory firms. One woman had to choose between three positions and a scholarship offer to pursue her master’s in financial planning — pretty impressive for a nation with a 16% unemployment rate for young adults, more than twice the rate for people overall.

These next-generation advisers expect to face challenges their first year, including greater responsibilities, lots of training and, for most, getting accustomed to new towns and social circles.

Many of the young financial professionals we followed last year in our inaugural series found the demands on their time to be a burden, but overall their progress through the year was impressive.

Inside these pages are the stories of our six new 20-something professionals. Follow their tales through the year online with blog posts and Google hangouts. We’ll also update their stories in issues of InvestmentNews in September, December and March 2015. Page 23.