A check is nice. So is a good pair of earrings. But if you really want to make sure your favorite graduate is headed off to college or to a first real job with the best foot forward, think about a career-minded graduation gift. My kids are getting older, and I’m of the age where I go to a lot more graduation parties than baby showers. My favorite gift is wrapping up two personal finance gems — ‘‘I Will Teach You to Be Rich,’’ by Ramit Sethi, and ‘‘Get a Financial Life,’’ by Beth Kobliner. The books lay out the basics — spending less than you earn, putting money aside for emergencies, the pitfalls of easy credit — the things that many young people don’t learn until they’re mired under thousands of dollars of credit card and student loan debt and can’t buy a car or a house.