College, Next Life

Whew! Finally understand

2005-11-29T06:09:00.000-08:00

Last night I completed my student loan exit counseling session online. I feel like I finally understand what's going on with my student loan debt. (The content of the counseling session can be found in a pdf document.)

Apparently, I have six months, starting the day after I graduate, before I have to start making monthly payments. However, I can make payments before then if I want. Also, there's no penalty for paying more than the minimum amount. In fact, doing so could reduce my overall debt. Whew! Just understanding those things is a relief. I actually feel like the government has done well setting this up.

I'm given some flexibility and six months to get settled in a job. As my income increases, I can become more aggressive about repayment. Once I get an income, I can use calculators to help budget this process.

Dr. Phil and the Boomerang Generation

2005-11-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

Oh, no ... I really don't want to wind up on Dr. Phil's show.

Dr. Phil, a television "counselor," brings families onto his show to expose their problems to the world. On his Web site, he has a lively discussion going about a show on the boomerang generation. The boomerang generation includes the people who move back in with their parents after leaving the nest. Dr. Phil actually refers to them as the "next generation of moochers."

Just four weeks away from graduation and still without a job, I guess I'll be moving back in with my parents for a while, as I continue to search. Thankfully, my mom told me they're not going to just kick me to the curb. Surely, I won't still be living with (or off) them at the age of 30, like the folks Dr. Phil is making fun of.

Thanksgiving Travel

2005-11-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving holiday travel is expected to be higher this year than in recent years, according to a video report by ABC News. The concept of traveling somewhere to celebrate Thanksgiving has never been as relevant to me before. Usually, all of my home-town family shares the big meal together at my house.

This Thanksgiving, as I'm still in the middle of my job search, I'm beginning to realize the consequences of getting a job away from family. For one, my uncle got a new job in South Carolina, moving his clan 11 hours away from Pensacola. Their absence this year around the table will certainly be felt. Plus, it will probably eliminate the annual backyard football game after dinner.

Also, I've been pursuing several jobs near my friends in the Washington, D.C./Virginia/Maryland area. However, this year, my friends who are recent UF graduates and newlyweds, might not come home for Thanksgiving. It's a long way to drive from D.C. to Pensacola, and as ABC News said, the good airline deals are already gone. I know it will be very disappointing to the wife in the pair. Like mine, her family's annual celebration takes place at her house.

Cover Letters are Difficult

2005-11-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

A cover letter is possibly the most difficult text to write. The process of submitting my resume with an introductory letter could land me an interview, so there's a lot of pressure to write one well.

For example, I've found a company and an entry-level job that fits perfectly with my passion, education and experience, but I'm having the hardest time communicating that in a cover letter. I want to be direct, but also respectful, enthusiastic but not cloying, and finally, concise.

Monster.com offers a little help in the form of samples, and QuintessentialCareers.com provides almost 20 articles of advice for writing one. After incorporating some of their ideas, I think the trick must be to approach the cover letter like any other text: edit, re-edit, get someone else to edit it, read it out loud and edit it again. Then, let it go and see what happens.

Stress for Twenty-Somethings

2005-11-10T22:52:00.000-08:00

Monday, the OU Daily reported on the depression many 20-year-olds experience. They're stressed by the pressures of deciding post-graduation plans and the reality check of responsibilities after college. (Health insurance ... what's that?)

Authors have dubbed this depression "the quarter-life crisis." The OU article mentions Alexandra Robbins' book Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis, and Amazon.com lists at least nine related books. My favorite titles include Swim Naked, Defy Gravity & 99 Other Essential Things To Accomplish Before Turning 30 by Colleen Rush and The Go-Girl Guide: Surviving Your 20s with Savvy, Soul, and Style by Julia Bourland.

I sense a desire in our age group to preserve a sense of purpose and adventure. The thought of working 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year is a bit depressing. It's certainly in stark contrast to the freedom we've had to explore, travel, socialize and learn.

I think this desperate desire to continue those activities is what sells books like the ones above. It's also the impetus for sites like 43 things. This site allows people to list what they want to do in life, like learn to juggle, fall in love, go dancing regularly and move to New York. Other people comment on whether that activity is worth it, based on their own experiences.

Rubbing Elbows at the Chamber

2005-11-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

I've come across another networking resource for soon-to-be and recent grads. On Friday, my friend and I went to a breakfast meeting of the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce.

Actually, when my friend met with a career adviser on Thursday, he practically assigned her the task of going. She's a recent grad of the University of Florida and is looking for a job in Gainesville. It was a little intimidating to show up unannounced, but her adviser assured us it would be fine.

Ironically, the keynote speaker focused part of his remarks on retaining UF graduates in the Gainesville area. He also challenged the Chamber to have more students at such events. I think he's right. The Chamber showing a commitment to UF students would increase the likelihood of the students staying in Gainesville. However, I didn't sense any intention by the Chamber itself to initiate student involvement. (Remember, it was a career adviser that initiated our going.)

On the other hand, we did meet several individuals who were encouraging. One professional and her colleagues are starting Alachua County Emerging Leaders. This organization is geared toward young professionals ages 21-45. I hope if they're serious about including the 21-25 population that they will publicize beyond Chamber events -- say, on campus.

We also met another woman who invited us to participate in the Gainesville Area Women's Network, which provides support and professional development for women.

Finally, in fairness to the Chamber, one member of the Chamber's staff did encourage my friend and I to send her our resumes. Apparently, another staff member frequently hears about area job opportunities. Also, my former internship supervisor, who works under the umbrella of the Chamber, invited us to attend the Chamber After Hours networking event later in November.

Asking for Graduation Gifts

2005-11-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

True, it's a bit superficial, but it's on my mind.

I'm talking about graduation gifts. I'm usually a bit sheepish -- even around Christmas time -- about specifically requesting a gift. I'm not even sure if asking for a graduation gift is appropriate, but I've just asked my parents for one.

For a couple years now, I've wanted nice frames for my diplomas. However, after taking a few thousand pictures for my job this summer (including hundreds for fun), I've decided I really want a good quality digital camera.

Besides, my online journalism hero told me to ask for one for graduation. After a great conversation about career advice, Naka Nathaniel of The New York Times outright suggested I ask for one at the ONA Convention this weekend.

He said he shot all of his pictures for "The Century's First Genocide" multimedia piece using a camera equivalent to the Canon SD400. Coincidentally, my good friend, who is an avid bargain-hunter for technology, has been recommending the same camera. So now, I have my parents searching Ben's Bargains for deals.

Hey, let's live large, here are my other dream requests. These I didn't actually ask for:

Laptop computer, PC or Mac ... haven't decided which yet
Adobe Creative Suite 2 software
iPod with car adapter
Two more place settings of dishes

Online Media as an Option

2005-11-01T09:46:00.000-08:00

I've only had a day to digest it, but this weekend was amazing for thinking about the future.

Thursday through Sunday, I was a student journalist, covering the Online News Association Convention in New York City. I heard the best among online journalists talk about their passion for telling untold stories. Among the most passionate, I heard a desire to speak to and involve the younger generation.

It was stirring. The weekend has made me more resolved to pursue a career in communications. I want to be an advocate for truth, and I think using online media is the way to go.

Some of the advice I heard from the professionals and my professors upon return:

Travel abroad after college
Pick a place and just move there, even overseas
Don't go with a job in finance, if you're good, you'll reach a level in communications where you're managing budgets anyhow
Pursue something you're interested in
Don't worry, one opportunity usually leads to something else that you'll find even more interesting
Develop an online resume

Working for Uncle Sam

2005-10-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

After pursuing several jobs in the private and non-profit sectors, I've decided to also branch into the public sector. I've been amazed by how many opportunities exist with the federal government. For example, I've found several positions that would relate to either of my majors, public relations or finance. Just last night, I applied for a public affairs position with the U.S. Census Bureau.

On the federal government's employment site, I've also been pleasantly surprised to find comprehensive information about available positions, pay grades and benefits. For all the jokes in our culture about the inefficiencies of bureaucracy, it seems put together as far as announcing jobs.

From what I can tell, working for the government gives college graduates a wonderful entry-level option. Academic superiority is taken into account in determining salary, the government will often pay for moving expenses and on-going training seems to be part of the culture.

My dad has worked for the federal government for 30 years, and he's been pleased. (As a dependent, so have I with all the benefits trickling down.) He sent me a list of the Best Places to Work in Federal Government, which I will compare with the opportunities posted.

Networking Opportunity Postponed

2005-10-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

The Public Relations Student Society of America has postponed its annual conference. Hundreds were going to converge on Miami, which is in Hurricane Wilma's projected path.

The weekend had promised student attendees networking opportunities with each other and professionals in the industry, guest speakers and even tours of public relations agencies. What surely would have been a highlight for many seniors will now have to wait until next semester.

Ironically, I had opted out of the conference to help with the Hurricane Katrina clean-up efforts in Mississippi this weekend.

The University of Florida chapter of PRSSA is actually hosting this year's convention. I know the committee has invested a ton of effort into preparation. My heart goes out to them as they shuffle people and plans. If nothing else, they're experiencing an opportunity to learn crisis communications.

May all in Wilma's path be safe.

Keeping in Touch

2005-10-18T00:35:00.000-07:00

My dad has told me for years: "In college, you'll make friends that you will have for the rest of your life." Well, outside of my mom and his in-laws, I can't recall my dad ever talking to or contacting one of his friends from college.

I think our generation stands a better chance of sustaining friendships with more people over time. For one thing, I doubt our parents heard the you-must-network sermon as often as we do.

Secondly, technology will surely aid our communication. Just since this weekend, I've been feeling the urge to stay in touch with the people I worked with this summer at a youth camp. I e-mailed four of them Sunday and moments ago I read the Xanga journals of another handful. This afternoon, one girl stopped in Gainesville to see me while trekking across the state. A cell phone made the connection easy to arrange.

Two months from now I will have graduated college. I will likely be trying to establish myself in a new city with new acquaintances. In the meantime, I plan to invest more in the people I already care about, hoping those friendships will last beyond Gainesville.

How about this...

2005-10-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Now, I've attended a few info sessions to hear about the latest in my industries, but this takes the cake.

The Badger Herald reported yesterday that Bill Gates made a surprise visit to the University of Wisconsin. He dropped by an Introduction to Programming class and told the students about "exciting" careers in computer science. The students were shocked. Most didn't recognize him when he first walked in.

I can't help but imagine how shocked my financial management class would have been had Warren Buffet just dropped by. No one that famous (or that rich) comes to mind in the field of public relations. However, I would love to hear Karen Hughes, President George W. Bush's former Director of Communications, speak. I would want to hear some of her strategic thinking, which led to Bush's two elections.

The Other Option: Graduate School

2005-10-11T00:38:00.000-07:00

It's no secret many college graduates avoid the job market by going to graduate school. I didn't realize until recently that I've subconsciously ruled out grad school for the immediate future. Mainly, I'm not sure yet what I'd want to study.

However, in the interest of exploring all of my post-graduation options, I've decided to look into grad schools. A few days ago, I received an e-mail from the University of Central Florida, announcing an open house session for their graduate programs. Florida State University has a similar session planned for Friday. My own University of Florida will host a fair Tuesday. They boast that more than 100 graduate and professional school representatives will attend.

Hopefully, the UF event will provide a bit of direction for me as I consider going back to school in a few years. In the meantime, maybe I can find an employer who will pay for that advanced degree ...

Becoming an Alumna

2005-10-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

Today begins homecoming weekend at the University of Florida. While preparing for the festivities, it hit me -- in less than three months I will be an alumna. Wow. That realization elicits a swarm of thoughts and emotions. Among them:

Football tickets are about to get much harder to buy.
I'm on my way to trading my Gator T-shirts in for Gator sweater sets ... Well, maybe that's rushing things a bit.
The university will contact me to start donating. (Don't tell them, but I've enjoyed being a student here enough that I will likely give.)
The proud feeling that "I made it" is beginning to swell.
My Gator collection of stuff will begin to include the words "alumni."

Beyond the superficial thoughts, I'm beginning to sense that I've been a part of something truly great. Thousands of other graduates have gone before and paved the road from here in career and family. Many of them will be back this weekend. When I meet them at homecoming festivities, I will view them with more camaraderie. For next year, I will be among them.

Getting Married

2005-10-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

Oooh, that title makes me squirm a little bit.

I mentioned last week that I hope I'll get married within the decade, but according to the Student Life, the campus paper for Washington University in St. Louis, some students are considering marriage sooner. Yesterday's article reported on three young women who were engaged and planning to get married upon graduation.

Collectively, their comments point out a perceived stigma to getting married in college or soon after. This feeling is not limited to St. Louis. I've felt it in Gainesville, Fla., and I'm sure it exists elsewhere. I think it is based in a fear that the young couple will miss out on "the college experience," their education and the directions their lives could take if they were single. I've felt that fear myself.

By the way, this article's sources were all female, and the subject focused on the pressures they feel to balance accomplishments with family--even more evidence of my assertion last week that this is common. Not including one fiancé in the story perpetuates this pressure on women.

Recruiting for Language Skills

2005-09-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

I was expecting them to look for Spanish.

When a recruiter asks me what languages I speak, I have to laugh and reply solely with "English." The fact that speaking multiple languages opens job opportunities was confirmed this week...and the opportunities aren't limited to the Spanish language, as I had expected.

For example, at the University of Florida career fair, jobs with the Central Intelligence Agency were available to students who speak a host of other languages, including Arabic or Farsi.

At Columbia University, recruiters held information sessions with Asian-speaking student groups. The Columbia Spectator reported that students in the Japan Society were specifically targeted by Goldman Sachs. The improvement in the Asian economy and globalization are apparently leading companies to also send e-mails to the Singapore Student Association.

Well, related to Asian countries--one opportunity at the UF career fair did exist for me. The Nova Group was seeking English-speakers to teach conversational English in Japan. I guess I'd be helping other students take advantage of opportunities like I've mentioned.

Just 10 years to cram it all in...

2005-09-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

I must have begun to realize its presence about four years ago, probably about the time I entered college. I'm talking about the sense of urgency that comes with being a driven and family-oriented young woman in the 21st century. It might be cliché, but the notion of "having it all" is a real pressure and obtaining it all a real challenge.

As a college freshman, I figured I had about 10 years to fit in everything in my ideal time frame. The age of 30 was my deadline for having my first child. (I've heard medical studies say a woman's chances of getting breast cancer are lower if she has a child by 30.) After that, I assumed I would quit working full-time in order to stay with my children until they were school-aged.

In the meantime, I'd have to fit in my undergraduate education, graduate school, a career, meeting "the one," and getting married.

Law school takes three years. If taking classes full time, most other graduate work takes two to five years, and a reputable M.B.A. program requires five to seven years of professional experience before even applying.

Apparently, I'm not alone in feeling a 10-year time crunch. A column in The Daily Cardinal discussed a recent study on women at Ivy League universities. Many of these women indicated that they plan to exit the workforce within 10 years to raise children. One's salary would no doubt be lower upon re-entering the workforce than if she had stayed. I wonder--if I stick with my plan, will I try to rush my children's early years, so I can re-start my career?

Do young men feel any hint of a similar urgency?

Forgiveness and Help

2005-09-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

For students feeling altruistic, help may be on the way. Although the average college graduate has thousands of dollars in student loan debt, a few service organizations offer loan forgiveness.

In searching through the list of companies that will attend the University of Florida's career fair, I found two such organizations: the Peace Corps and Teach for America, which falls under AmeriCorps. By committing to serve for one to two years in a foreign country or as a teacher in a low-income school district, graduates can have 15 percent of their loans cancelled or receive $4,725 to help pay the loan.

Some law students may also be in luck. Tuesday, The Boston Globe reported Boston University's efforts to aid law students who will practice public service law. Salaries for prosecutors, public defenders or advocates for non-profit organizations just don't compare with those of big, flashy firms. BU knows the public service jobs are unattractive with combined law school and undergraduate debt, so the university offers financial aid to the students who take them.

However, even with a new endowment, it sounds like the awards to students are pretty small...but as my dad says, "Every little bit helps."

Scary even for a Finance Major

2005-09-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Drowning would be a terrifying way to die--which makes "drowning" and "debt" in the same sentence plain scary.

The Battalion reported how one recent Texas A&M graduate spends much of his new income on college credit card debt. The article also reported a study released by Nellie Mae, which revealed the average credit card balance for college students is over $2,000. Yikes!

Thankfully, I have the use of credit cards under control. However, student loans really frighten me.

Perhaps because I'm a finance major, I'm even more afraid. I've seen numerous examples of how quickly just $1,000 invested annually can grow with compound interest.

I've also seen schedules of paying back loans. To the borrower's great disappointment, the first set of payments are basically all interest, instead of paying down the original amount borrowed.

I guess I've been given the tools to at least understand compound interest and amortization, but for those who aren't finance majors, do you have any idea what those words mean...or their repercussions?

Even if we can understand the basic financial concepts, the whole process of paying back the loans feels a bit murky. When should we start repaying? How do we lock in a low interest rate? How quickly should we try to fully repay them?

Just a reminder that I'm not alone--the Indiana Daily Student wrote in an editorial

"the average college student is graduating with $18,900 in student loan debt, and an additional $3,262 in credit card debt. Recent graduates today can expect to spend up to 15 percent of their income on repaying those loans. "

Someone please throw us a life-preserver!

Hunting Season

2005-09-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Reports from the North indicate that hunting season has begun. The hunters are donning the camouflage of dark color suits and using resumes as bait.

Students at Notre Dame attended the university's career fair last night. Their prey: the 130 companies present.

As if I had cleaned my guns or bought new traps this week, I've been preparing for the season to start in Gainesville. Wednesday, an employer critiqued my resume--that's a nice way of saying "ripped to shreds"--and I attended a UF Career Resource Center workshop. The CRC offers several job-hunting lessons, including how to sign up for on-campus interviews, prepare for UF's career fair and "leave a lasting impression."

Our season officially starts September 27-28 with the Career Showcase. I must admit though, I've never liked hunting.

A Crossroads in the Gulf

2005-09-13T09:22:00.000-07:00

Another "oh-gosh-what's-next" crossroads is before twenty-somethings along the Gulf Coast. As most people are by now aware, Hurricane Katrina ravaged parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama two weeks ago.

After determining life and limb are safe, students in New Orleans must decide what to do next with their academic careers.

A friend of mine who graduated college in the spring just started graduate school at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary before Katrina hit. Right after the storm, he posted on his blog, "man, i'm so lost. i don't have a clue what to do." He's now taking his coursework online from the seminary.

Tulane and Loyola Universities have both canceled classes for the fall semester, hoping to reopen in the spring. Meanwhile, other universities around the nation are allowing these displaced students to enroll. With any luck, these students can continue their education without missing a beat.

The Independent Florida Alligator reported yesterday that almost 70 New Orleans students have enrolled at the University of Florida.

As a University of Florida student, I welcome the displaced to Gainesville. I apologize that navigating the university's bureaucracy can sometimes feel like you're still caught in a natural disaster. I also understand that your transient status leaves you with a host of questions regarding tuition and where to live.

However, I hope you can at least feel back on track.

College is about over...On to the Rest of our Lives

2005-09-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

This blog will be about sorting out the lives of college students on the verge of graduation and whatever's next.
I'm a student at the University of Florida.