Soon — or at least within several short years — the routine and rigors of college days will be over, and you’ll find yourself settling into the routine and rigors of finding a job, making a living and, for some, raising a family.

You’ll be trading making the grade for making a budget. Not that students don’t already find themselves stretching a dollar and living within their means. But when you say goodbye to college life and you’re on your own, it will be a whole different world. Student loans won’t be the only bills that have to be paid.

The new world will include making sure your elected representatives reflect the same values, concerns and goals as yours. That’s why the April 5 election for Milwaukee County Executive is so important.

The county is dealing with critical financial issues involving education, transportation, recreation and safety, among others, and now is the time for those to be faced head-on. Pushing them to next year, the year after that, or the year after that only means they will worsen and have even greater impact on you, your spouse or your family — no matter what path you take.

As a Washburn University magna cum laude graduate with degrees in political science and history, and as a longtime Milwaukee County homeowner, small-business owner and state legislator, I know what you are and will be facing.

Unlike my opponent in the election for Milwaukee County Executive, I wasn’t born into wealth. I started a printing business, made that business successful, lived within my means and paid my fair share of taxes along the way. In fact, I received a “Guardian of Small Business Award” from the National Federation of Independent Business.

While I was born in Kansas and lived in Arizona, I have made Wisconsin and Milwaukee County my home because they offer a quality of life hard to find elsewhere. I have a detailed plan to help Milwaukee County retain and enhance its unbeatable quality of life — at the same time saving the county tens of millions of dollars. It includes creating an economic and fiscal atmosphere that will make companies think “Milwaukee” when looking to expand or create jobs.

Since being elected to the state legislature in 1998, my focus has been job creation and reigning in excessive taxes and government waste. When you start your career or even now when you’re preparing to start your career, I want you to know that you’ll be able to keep and manage more of the money you begin earning.

This is what I mean when I say that your elected representatives should reflect your values, concerns and goals. A vote for me as Milwaukee County Executive on April 5 will help all of us make the grade now and in the future.

Jeff Stone is a candidate for Milwaukee County Executive