Blog

by Kayla Herrera, Scholarships.com Virtual Intern

As a soon-to-be college graduate, you are probably stoked to get the heck out of school but also a little scared to enter the sneering, looming workforce that will launch you into the rest of your life. This is it - the final draw before your life is dictated by 40-hour work weeks and mortgage payments - and there are some things I highly recommend you do before leaving your campus life behind:

• 1. Attend a rock concert somewhere. Sure, it’s not entirely school-related but you should still do it. The energy of the audience coupled with the chill atmosphere and good music is extremely uplifting – take a walk on the wild side!
• 2. Study abroad. I know this can get costly but a study abroad experience is remarkable and one you won’t forget. Ever. Plus, employers love someone who’s willing to go the extra mile...or 3,000.
• 3. Get on stage. Whether it’s to recite poetry, sing a song, participate in a debate or give a speech, having a stage experience can benefit you in so many ways. Once you stand back and see it didn’t kill you, you feel pretty good about yourself.
• 4. Get experience in your field. Whether it’s an internship or co-op, you are going to want to be able to say you’ve seen the inside of a newsroom, a trading floor or something related to your career. You've got to test out the waters before you know you want to dive all the way in!
• 5. Have your own first pet. This may sound weird but owning a pet at this age can really help us grow. Owning your first pet – it doesn’t have to be just a dog or a cat – is a remarkable feeling because YOU raise it and it is YOUR responsibility. And when it turns out pretty okay, it’s nice to know you’ve got what it takes to take care of something other than yourself.

What are some other experiences you think you should have before you graduate from college?

In addition to being a Scholarships.com virtual intern, Michigan Tech student Kayla Herrera is a media coordinator for the Michigan Tech Youth Programs and is a writer for The Daily News in Iron Mountain, Mich., Examiner.com and WHOA Magazine. She love a tantalizing, action-packed video game and can't get enough of horror movies (Stephen King's books always have her in their grip, though she prefers the old over the new). Writing is what she has always done and that is what she is here to do.

by Liz Coffin-Karlin, Scholarships.com Virtual Intern

I don’t think most students will disagree with me when I say college messes with your head. It’s not a bad thing to become wrapped up in the culture and “crazy” things start to seem “normal” – midnight pancake breakfasts, grown men dressed up as professional wrestlers breaking chairs on each other in the quad, and just dorm food in general all become regular life – yet one of the most confusing parts of college is that the classes that consume so much of your time and energy really only count for so much.

I remember being consumed by my senior honors thesis my last year and vaguely thinking “Huh, I should probably be applying for jobs...” but with the exception of a few research fellowships, I couldn’t imagine taking the time. Objectively, that job hunt was way more important than whether I got a B or an A- on that last Spanish major requirement because one class out of 40 just doesn’t affect your GPA that much. How much time you spend on outside activities and jobs versus academics, however, does affect your employment choices.

Like I’ve said before, employers want to see experience. Life experience, not classroom experience (this statement should obviously be modified for those planning on Ph.D. programs or going straight into non-professional graduate programs), is vital and whether you’re applying for medical school, a paralegal job or want to be in the business world, internships and volunteer work matter. They prove you have practical skills and good professional recommendations show you are easy to work with, which is more important than you think. Many employers calculate your attitude and demeanor into the hiring decision: They can retrain you on skills you’re lacking but it’s hard to reprogram someone who’s annoying the heck out of everyone in the office.

Obviously, your GPA is important (for example, Google won’t hire anyone with under a 3.5) but most employers care about your concrete skills more than they do about your successful memorization of Don Quijote’s final stanzas. So as hard as it may be, I actually counsel putting down those books sometimes and putting extra effort into that job or internship search, even if it may feel counterintuitive. That means completing informational interviews, exploring both externship and (sigh) unpaid internships and really utilizing your alumni network. But those are topics for another week.

Liz Coffin-Karlin grew up in Sarasota, Florida, where the sun is always shining and it’s unbearably hot outside. She went to college at Northwestern University and after studying Spanish and history, she decided to study abroad in Buenos Aires. In college, she worked on the student newspaper (The Daily Northwestern), met people from all over the world at the Global Engagement Summit and, by her senior year, earned the title of 120-hour dancer at NU’s annual Dance Marathon. She just moved to San Francisco and is currently working on a political campaign on ocean pollution but will be teaching middle school or high school Spanish this upcoming fall and working on her teaching certificate.

by Radha Jhatakia, Scholarships.com Virtual Intern

One of the best resources that college can offer you (besides an education, of course) is the opportunity to find employment after graduation. There are programs dedicated to helping students in different career fields and at SJSU, one of these opportunities comes with the Bay Area Retail Leadership Center, or BARC.

BARC consists of SJSU students and faculty who have partnered up with those in the retail industry. Currently, the list of partners includes Target, Walgreens, Kohl's, Verizon Wireless, Ross, Nike and Walmart and students are able to interact with professionals at these companies and gain insight to what working for a retail corporation will be like while networking and getting potential job offers.

BARC offers a study tour during which students travel to different headquarters and main offices of these companies – an advantageous experience that happens only twice a year. Apart from this, BARC hosts conferences in which speakers present on different aspects of how to make it to the retail industry; internships are also offered. Just like with any networking opportunity, though, it is up to the student to make the most of these prospects in the end.

If there is a program like BARC at your college, take advantage of it – there are so many unexplored opportunities! – but if a program like this doesn’t exist, speak with advisers and faculty to start one! It will be a great chance for you to launch a program that will not only help many individuals but will allow you to gain work experience and contacts in the professional world as well.

Radha Jhatakia is a communications major at San Jose State University. She's a transfer student who had some ups and downs in school and many obstacles to face; these challenges – plus support from family, friends and cat – have only made Radha stronger and have given her the experience to help others with the same issues. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, reading, cooking, sewing and designing. A social butterfly, Radha hopes to work in public relations and marketing upon graduation.

by Angela Andaloro, Scholarships.com Virtual Intern

College students are always being reminded of the importance of internships. Anyone who has taken a serious look into what’s out there knows that many of the internships offered are unpaid and though students may receive college credit or a stipend, it’s rare that they are actually paid hourly wages. While many students accept these conditions for the opportunity to break into their chosen industry, one former intern is taking a stand.

From August to December 2011, Xuedan "Diana" Wang was an intern at Harper’s Bazaar and is now suing the magazine’s publisher, Hearst Corporation, for improper compensation for her internship in which she was working anywhere from 40 to 55 hours a week. Her lawyers believe that Wang is among many interns who are working for an opportunity and being taken advantage of because if these interns were not doing the work they do, companies would be forced to hire someone to do the work. They reason that interns are not only losing out on money by working under these practices but benefits including Social Security contributions, the ability to collect unemployment and workers' compensation as well. Wang’s claims are grabbing the attention of many as her lawyers are looking to turn her case into a class action lawsuit. According to the New York Times, the lawsuit states that “Employers’ failure to compensate interns for their work, and the prevalence of the practice nationwide, curtails opportunities for employment, fosters class divisions between those who can afford to work for no wage and those who cannot, and indirectly contributes to rising unemployment.”

So what does this mean for unpaid internships nationwide? Will employers cave under pressure and start paying interns for their work? It’s hard to say at this stage but the fact is that many employers hire interns to provide a learning experience for students and because they cannot afford to hire entry-level employees to do that work. This could lead to a decrease in the number of internship opportunities available to students, making them more coveted and prestigious positions when attained. The qualifications to be hired for an internship would be higher than ever. Whether this would be a good thing for students or a bad thing depends on a number of factors. We’ll have to stay tuned to find out.

Angela Andaloro is a junior at Pace University’s New York City campus, where she is double majoring in communication studies and English. Like most things in New York City, her life and college experience is far from typical – she commutes to school from her home in Flushing and took nearly a semester’s worth of classes online – but she still likes to hang out with friends, go to parties and feed her social networking addiction like your “average” college student.

by Jacquelene Bennett, Scholarships.com Virtual Intern

One of the nice things about growing older and getting further along in your college career is that you start to network and make connections that will help outside of college. Throughout the academic year, universities hold networking events that allow current students to connect with alumni and professionals in different career fields but remember, these events are a privilege to attend and there is a proper way to act and present yourself.

Dress appropriately. You don’t want to show up to these functions in jeans and a t-shirt – dress in a business casual fashion instead. It’s not necessary to wear a suit or anything but you want to dress to impress so some nice slacks (or a skirt for women) with a button-down shirt or blouse will do the trick.

Don’t get drunk. A lot of these events serve alcohol, which can be nice and fun (if you are over 21!) but you shouldn’t take it too far. This is a business event with professors and professionals, not a Saturday night party with your friends; if you do decide to imbibe, limit yourself to just one or two glasses of wine.

Talk to everyone. The point of these functions is to network and meet people. Don’t stand in a corner or only talk with the people you came with – interact with everyone there! People expect you to come up to them at these events so don’t feel embarrassed or rude doing so. Universities organize these events for people to make connections and if you don’t do that by talking to every person you can, it will be a waste of time.

Like I said at the beginning, these events are a privilege to attend so follow these simple guidelines and you will take full advantage of these experiences...and maybe even a job!

Jacquelene Bennett is a senior at the University of Redlands where her areas of study are creative writing, government and religious studies. When she is not studying or working, you can usually find her eating frozen yogurt or blogging about her day. She has a cactus named Kat and believes that Stephen Colbert is a genius. Jacquelene works hard, laughs hard and knows that one day you’ll see her name in lights.

Despite our name, we’re more than just scholarships here at Scholarships.com: We strive to keep students in the know on pretty much anything and everything college related, from figuring where you’ll spend the next four years and how you’ll pay for it to picking the major that’s right for you and finding employment once you’ve finished. And when it comes to the latter, recent college graduates are faced with one of the toughest job markets in recent years. What can you do to place yourself in the best position for employment after you graduate? Consider taking courses that will help you stand out from the crowd like those that deal with coding, design and analytics. Here are three tips U.S. News and World Report compiled to help you entice employers:

• Get your code on: Regardless of your background, understanding even basic coding is a huge differentiator for job seekers in nearly every field, says Keith Cline, founder of the recruiting firm Dissero. Before you graduate, squeeze in a basic computer science class or, if you just don’t have room in your schedule, join New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and pledge to learn computer code by the end of 2012 via Codeacademy, a free tutorial website.
• Socialize, virtually: If you think knowing your way around Facebook will suffice, you’re in for a rude awakening. Instead, Cline suggests students build and maintain blogs focused on target fields and use Twitter to engage with industry influencers. "Out of 10 applicants … that one person who has a personal blog and a social media presence, that's the person they'll hire," Cline says.
• Take stats...STAT: Companies need people who can break down data and interpret the information with a business mindset, says Vijay Subramanian, chief analytics officer for Rent the Runway, a website where customers rent high-end designer fashions. Taking statistical analysis is a great way to get an understanding of programming language and getting into the weeds of Google Analytics and the power of what it can tell you, advises Cline.

If you’re a high school student, you’re probably still enjoying winter break. But with that two-week treat shortly coming to a close, I’m sure there are at least a few of you already looking forward to the warm, lazy months of summer. (I know I always did!) Then again, summer may not be the carefree paradise it once was. Whether you’d like to admit it or not, it’s the perfect opportunity to gain some work experience and this summer, you’re in luck: President Barack Obama is looking to boost summer job prospects for kids.

The White House recently announced that with help from the private sector, it has nearly 180,000 youth employment opportunities for the summer and aims to add tens of thousands more. With unemployment rates still relatively high for adults nationwide, young people are finding it almost impossible to find any employment opportunities. President Obama insisted that with the economy in a rut, the government needs to step in to make sure kids are provided with opportunities to learn skills and a work ethic. One downside of the plan for kids trying to save money for college, cars and other expenses is that many of the positions would be unpaid training opportunities.

Are you already thinking about where you’ll be working this summer? Are you more interested in a paying position or one that would be a killer reference on your resume?

There are a few key moments in life when you step back and say, “That is non-negotiable in my book.” For the most part, they’re usually pivotal moments that deal with relationships, faith and, at times, your job. When it comes to the latter, they are definitely a few factors to consider – How far are you willing to travel for prospective employment? Will you work for minimum wage and no benefits? (I hope not!) – but what if your future employer tells you that social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are off-limits? Well, for some college students and recent grads, that is the absolute definition of non-negotiable…even if the unemployment rate is around nine percent.

According to a recent study by Cisco which surveyed 1,400 college student and 1,400 young professionals between the ages of 21 and 29 in 14 countries, some students would be willing to accept a lower salary in return for technology freedom. The survey also notes that 56 percent of college students said they would either not accept a job offer from a company that blocked access to social media in the workplace or would attempt to sidestep company polices. (For more on the study, click here.)

For those of you with full-time employment, was access to social media a deciding factor? Would you be willing to forgo a higher salary in order to “tweet” and “like” during the workday? Let us know what you think of the study in the comments section.

by Lisa Lowdermilk, Scholarships.com Virtual Intern

If you're like most people, the thought of bees and the stings that can come with them fills you with dread. But if you're looking for a career where you can learn more about the hard-working critters, make a decent wage and spend a lot of time outdoors in the process, beekeeping might just be for you.

Many beekeepers are nearing retirement and thus, the beekeeping industry has a wealth of employment opportunities for up and coming beekeepers. Grande Prairie Regional College in Edmonton, Canada is hoping to produce the individuals to fill these positions with its 45-week beekeeping program. Students will learn how to construct wooden beehives, market honey products, keep bees safe from disease and a particular focus on queen rearing, or the process of raising healthy queen bees. (After all, you can't expect to produce much honey without an effective queen!) Participants are also promised 26 weeks of paid work in the industry. The program is thought to be the most comprehensive beekeeping program in North America and will show students just how crucial bees are to the economy and life in general. In addition to honey, bees play an integral role in the creation of candles, candy and cosmetics. As if that's not enough, almost a third of our food in North America would be impossible without bees' pollination!

If you're interested in applying for GPRC's beekeeping program, you can find out more about the program here. The application deadline is December 1st so get yours in soon to avoid the sting of rejection! If you decide you'd rather keep your studies confined to the U.S., there are also a variety of beekeeping organizations devoted to the practice all over the country. Get the buzz from this list.

Lisa Lowdermilk is a soon-to-be published author (her first novel is a murder mystery for young adults set in the future), an avid video gamer and an artist. She enjoys watching thrillers, trying different restaurants and attempting to breakdance. Lisa completed her Associate of Arts degree entirely online and is now majoring in professional writing at the University of Colorado Denver.

by Radha Jhatakia. Scholarships.com Virtual Intern

Tattoos and facial piercings have become part of modern day society and college culture. There is nothing wrong with this – I myself have seven piercings (three in each ear and one in my nose) and a tattoo – but with these artistic choices can come consequences that we may not think of when we are younger and attempting to fit in.

Many members of older generations do not view tattoos and piercings the same way we do. To them, they are forms of rebellion, disrespect and, most importantly, decisions that make it increasingly difficult to build favorable professional reputations. If you have a facial piercing, interviewing with a professional organization is risky: Unless you have an exceptional resume and amazing skills, most employers won't take you seriously.

Visible tattoos are deal breakers for many employers as well, especially for those who work alongside customers and are constantly representing the company. Professional workplaces will not tolerate visible tattoos; if you have any but also have your heart set on a career with this kind of organization, you should cover them up. Though many offices have adopted more casual dress codes, visible tattoos are still a long way from being accepted and could hurt your chances of getting hired: If there’s one position available and the other applicant has a cleaner cut appearance, you could lose out.

If you just have to get a tattoo or piercing, I am not going to try to stop you. Just remember that the choices you make now will affect you in the future.

Radha Jhatakia is a communications major at San Jose State University. She's a transfer student who had some ups and downs in school and many obstacles to face; these challenges – plus support from family, friends and cat – have only made Radha stronger and have given her the experience to help others with the same issues. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, reading, cooking, sewing and designing. A social butterfly, Radha hopes to work in public relations and marketing upon graduation.