College transcripts after graduation ?

How often will you need your college transcripts after you graduate? Never. First of all you can't afford to apply to jobs that require a transcript since it costs money to get one. Second of all your fast food job won't care whether you have a PhD in aeronautical engineering or a drive-thru certificate from Krabby Patty University.

You order them when you need them, generally, you can always access your "unofficial" transcript but will have to pay for "official" transcripts. 

You need them when you apply for some jobs (depends on the field and the nature of the job) and graduate school programs.  When I graduated, I was given a few "official" copies in sealed envelopes.  The university where I teach grants graduates a certain number of free "official" transcripts before they start charging, but they send them out themselves, which is much preferred and generally required now.

I need them every time I apply for a job.  I am an academic and do high level consulting - they demand that I show proof of my degrees.

I know of one major state university that provides each graduating senior with three official transcripts in sealed envelopes for free, to be used as needed.

It's also a good idea to download a copy of your unofficial transcript and put it on your drive or on a thumb drive.  Many potential employers will allow you to, at least initially, submit an unofficial transcript.  If you make it to the "finals", they may require that you have your school send a copy of your official transcript.

About five years after graduation, it will be rare for you to need your college transcript.

Since transcripts issued to students are not official, there's little point to your college providing you with copies. 

You can always get an unofficial copy of your transcript for free from the registrar's office web site.

You will need copies of your transcripts if and when you apply to graduate school, or really any post-secondary institution. For example, if you want to "reverse transfer" to a community college, earn a second bachelor's degree, or even take classes as a non-matriculating student, you'll need supply your transcript(s) with your application. Transcripts have to be sent directly from your college to the college you're applying to, usually electronically. 

Jobs rarely require transcripts at the point of application; those that do will accept unofficial transcripts at the early stages. Jobs often require transcripts at the hiring stage, to prove you've actually received the education you claim, but those would again have to be an official transcript send directly from the college (or they'll just use a transcript service such as the National Student Clearinghouse). 

In the olden days, students used to be able to get a so-called official transcript in a tamper-evident, sealed envelope. I still have the two I bought, since even back then, no one would accept them in lieu of an official transcript sent directly from the university. 

Rarely and no, not in the U.S.

Most employers will not ask for your transcripts. They will ask for the school, degree, major and year, which they can verify online or with a phone call.  I'm sure there are specific scenarios where an employer might want to see the specific courses you took and grades you earned, but I haven't run into that situation.

If you apply to graduate school, you'll need your undergraduate university to send a copy of your transcript to the school where you are apply to the graduate program.

Generally, you have to specifically request a copy of your final transcript and sometimes have to pay for one.  You can contact the registrars office at your university or look online.  Many universities now have a web-based form for requesting transcripts.