[Life after college is hard. Like really hard. But it's not so hard that you should curl up in a ball and watch E! marathons all day long. Not only are we covering the experience from a first-hand perspective, but we're now covering it from a how-to-survive-it perspective. Every week, we're going to bringing the best advice to getting through your first post-grad year. Because sometimes, your grandmother's "just go to law school" advice just doesn't cut it.]

I know how the scenario goes. They put that college diploma in your hand on graduation day, you walk across the stage with your head held high and you think, “This is it. I made it.” Fast-forward to two months later, you’re sweating bullets selling ice cream cones at the town pool’s snack bar. And they said you needed a degree for this? Read More »

The following post is written by Tandra Haycraft of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, one of our many friends at Uloop, a student powered marketplace. Read more great posts in their blog.

Let’s face it — there aren’t a whole lot of uber-desirable job options for college students. The current economy, a student’s weird availability, and a lack of experience can mean sometimes only the basest jobs are out there for the taking. Don’t get discouraged, though — any job can teach you a lot and give you an opening into your desired career.

I got my first job during my freshman year of college. I had federal work-study job and worked for 10 hours a week in the graduate admissions office. I filed, a lot. When I wasn’t filing, I was making copies. If I wasn’t doing either, which usually only happened Friday afternoons, I was there to answer the phone and direct prospective students to the right place for information sessions. Needless to say, it was pretty boring. I quit after two semesters.

At the beginning of my sophomore year, I moved to another campus job, at the information technology help desk. I hadn’t thought that my filing job would get me anywhere besides intense boredom and a headache, but, in fact, it was a boost. I had learned to use an industrial copy machine, change toner in laser printers, clear jams in the equipment, and work with a multi-line phone. Being able to tell my trainer that I already knew these basic skills was a boost. Being a self-starter was a necessity as a filer, and a plus as a help desk assistant. Paying attention to how technicians solved some of the most common technology problems, earning a reputation as being motivated and friendly, and volunteering for special projects eventually moved me farther up to working directly with one of the technicians.

I won’t lie — it’s not all wonderful. I still get paid minimum wage, my workload has doubled, and it’s often thankless or boring work (sometimes both). But it isn’t a dead-end job from which I’m only getting a paycheck.

Read More »

The following is a guest post by our (nerdy) friends at Hack College, the #1 tech site for college students. Check ‘em out.

As hopefully all of you know, LinkedIn is a professional networking website that allows those looking for jobs, especially college students, to create profiles and look for business and career opportunities. It’s a really fantastic service, and if you haven’t signed up yet, you definitely should. LinkedIn caters to 80 million users worldwide and is an easy-to-use tool that may help you find a job or career after college.

To add to its professional networking services, LinkedIn recently added a new feature to its site called Career Explorer. The new feature will allow college students to essentially map out their desired career path and visualize how they can attain this path. Students are able to look at career paths that those before them have taken in order to understand what steps they must take to get to their goals.

On LinkedIn’s press page, the chief executive officer of LinkedIn Jeff Weiner said,”LinkedIn is about connecting talent with opportunity at massive scale. Career Explorer is the latest example of how we make that possible by providing one of our fastest growing demographics, students and recent college graduates, unique and valuable insights enabling them to develop the optimal career path. We’re excited to be launching this product in partnership with PwC, one of the largest and most forward thinking recruiters of new graduates.” Read More »

College brings a whole lot of new experiences, new lessons and new people. But it seems that no matter what school you go to, there are same characters on every campus. The frat house groupie, the sensitive all American, and The Cool Girl.

When walking around campus, you see her. She’s rocking the casual look like it’s nobody’s business. And she’s doing it well. Her bootcut jeans are accompanied by a perfectly worn-in t-shirt layered under a zip up hoodie. She’s wearing black Converse or a pair of well-worn sneakers, the laces tight enough to keep them on, but loose enough to allow her to slip in and out of them easily. Her haircut is low maintenance, but totally chic.  She’s rocking plastic rimmed glasses, no contacts; a watch, no jewelry.

You don’t know her, but you want to.

This is one co-ed who has got it together. She is the kind of girl who is naturally pretty, has a killer body and is completely oblivious to it. She is friendly, kind, and her easygoing, low maintenance attitude makes it easy to get along with her. Even her professors are drawn to her, always chatting with her before class and helping her after.

She has a large circle of friends, filled with a variety of different types of people. Girls love her, guys love her, nerds love her, athletes love her. And though you don’t know her, you kind of want to love her too. Read More »

You gotta love Japanese culture. They always find a way to surprise you with their little quirks and pleasantries.

I mean, in America, the stereotypical retiree will move down to Florida to spend their time lounging by the pool in a gated community or playing a few holes on the golf course. Lame. In Japan, adult films for senior citizens, aka “elderly porn” is growing into quite the profitable franchise, according to porn producing giant Ruby Productions.

While America’s economy is declining, many entertainment venues (including golf courses) are taking a hit. In Japan, at least one retiree is cashing in on the entertainment biz. Shigeo Tokuda, 73, is the Ron Jeremy of elderly porn.

CNN correspondent Kyung Lah describes Tokuda as “the star of his movies in every way, romancing his co-stars, no matter their age, no matter their needs.” And apparently, his films are no-holds-barred, much like anything Jenna Jameson has appeared in. Read More »