Hey! Seniors out there! You guys ready for a round of twenty questions?

I am certain it has already begun for some of you. Those infamous queries – “What are you going to do?” and “What is next after graduation?” – can cause any senior to close their eyes and wish to rewind back to freshman year, even willing to regain the “freshie 15” just to avoid that Doom’s Day in May.

While applying for graduate schools and fishing through the job market almost always make a senior’s “Beyond graduation” options, a year or two of service rarely makes the list. Sure, community service like the Peace Corps and Teach for America are on the rise for recent graduates (especially with the economy struggling even more than Lindsay Lohan these days), but those only “employ” a teeny, tiny fraction of college grads each year.

Why??

Becoming a volunteer after graduation is a way to expand your worldview and options for your future, while giving you an experience that won’t soon be matched. Trust me, the stories you will have to tell will dominate any dinner conversation from this point forward.

As I am currently volunteering for a year with an organization in NYC, I know firsthand how intimidating the leap towards giving a whole 365 days worth of time and a solid salary can be. To help you discern whether or not you were made for volunteering, allow me to give you all the facts. And I mean ALL.

First things first, why serve?
Ah, the golden question. What is in it for me? Well first, I should warn you, you need to be willing to wipe that mindset away. You should sign onto a year to serve others, not just yourself. Yes, it will make your resume look impeccable. Yes, it will allow you to travel to new places. But no, it is not all about you. That being said, there are some sweet benefits to this volunteering deal:

1)  Loans, loans, go away!: Don’t you wish you could forget about this chunk of money that, in a way, owns you? Well, a year of service will allow you to defer those suckers for the time that you are lending your hand. Sure, you won’t be making a salary during your year of service, but you also won’t have to be wrestling with the banks for the next 12-24 months.

Plus, some service programs actually offer some type of reimbursement for your service. The Peace Corps, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, and Teach for America are just a few service programs that offer some type of loan forgiveness and/or monetary award upon completion of the time commitment.

2) Stand out credentials: Let’s face it: we are all competing against one another for the jobs out there. You are my best friend until we are both released out into the world, resumes in hand. Employers are tired of the same credentials over and over again, just on different stationary. A year of service on the top of the resume is a way to stand out and prove you can handle any challenge that comes your way. You will gain transferable skills in the year that will put you a notch higher than your competitors. And seriously, who can turn down a boost in today’s job market?

3) An experience of a lifetime: I don’t write for Hallmark but after that cheesy header, I probably should. In all seriousness, devoting a year or two of your life to humanitarian efforts will teach you so much about who you are as a person and what is your purpose in this world. It is an experience that many volunteers would not trade for any wad of cash.

Now that the benefits are all out there on the table we are ready to begin the search for a volunteer program that suits you!

1) There are plenty of fish in the sea. (Nope, that statement does not only apply to men.) Maybe you have some yearning inside of you to volunteer in Africa or lend your Spanish major to a little village in Peru. Perhaps you have always wanted to try out teaching but you didn’t get that education concentration, or you have a love for nonprofits and want to help more. All of these needs can be met through a variety of service programs. They are all out there; you just need to look for them. Apart from the huge organizations that everyone seems to know about (cough Peace Corps cough) there are a ton of smaller organizations that could use your help as well. For starters, check out GlobalVolunteers.org, UnitedPlanet.org, and CNVS.org. Also, utilize your campus ministry and social justice offices – those are the go-to places for instant and hands-on help in choosing a service program.

2) Find your glass slipper of the volunteer world: The important thing to remember is service is NOT something to settle over. You don’t want to plop yourself down in India to teach in a grammar school if the only thing you hate more than heat is children. Only apply for opportunities that strike you, ones where you feel like you would be comfortable in. Ones that you are passionate about. The year or two of service will be intense and demanding so you should at least be excited about the place you are packing your bags and heading off to.

3) Angelina Jolie doesn’t pay for service, neither should you: This is my personal rule of thumb: stay away from organizations that will make YOU pay THEM to go on a service trip.  Some organizations are banking on your desire to go to Africa and help starving children. (Yes, it’s pretty disturbing!) Don’t let them fool you. Organizations are out there who need your help desperately and they wont make you pay a healthy sum of money to give them your service.

4) Been there, done that: It is perfectly normal to have crawlers in the stomach over applying for service. It is no secret: this is a huge decision! The good news? Thousands have come before you, lending their time and energy to service programs all over the world. Attend a college service fair, talk to alums, ask organizations to put you in touch with someone who has served prior to this volunteer year. Volunteers are a rare breed of friendly individuals looking to share their experiences whenever possible. Ask them your three hundred questions: How did you like the year? What did you eat? Was it hard being away from home? Did you make a stipend? (And remember: if you are at a loss for someone to ask: there is always me!)

5) Get your game face on: Applying for a year of service can be as short as a Friendly’s application or as lengthy as a graduate school process. Be prepared to fill out a ton of paperwork, ask for recommendations from teachers and employers, practice your interviewing skills, write a few essays and/or short answers and have your transcripts in the mail. The task on the whole can seem overwhelming but keep a checklist, keep all your application materials in one place, and stay on deadline! Service organizations will frown upon late applications, so be sure to get on their good side and stay there.

OK, so I just threw a borderline unhealthy amount of words and information at you but I think you can handle it. All in all, volunteering is an option post-grad that too often gets pushed to the side. There is no denying that this world needs help and you can play your role as a teacher, an activist, a nurse… the possibilities are literally endless. So get out there, fish around, and find your own way to make Gandhi proud.

We have to be the change we wish to see in the world. Volunteering might just be the first step.

Would anyone actually watch a Paris Hilton show?

Guess Tom Cruise is insecure about his height

Romantic proposal gone wrong

Fashion Challenge: wear a hat

Our favorite Modern Family couple finally kisses

10 scary realities of today’s job market. wah. wah.

How to deal with your pestering mom

Top Shop beauty collection for 2010

Obviously the current job market isn’t looking so hot for anyone right now.  Most of us don’t have a trust fund to fall back on, and the state of our economy makes attending grad school a distant dream for so many of us.  With the pressure to land an entry-level position armed only with perseverance, savvy, and Bachelor’s degree in hand, the importance of choosing the right college major is more crucial now than ever  before.

In a recent article, Newsweek names the nine majors that lead to the “best” jobs.  The list includes majors along the lines of finance and information systems – things that have always been regarded as boring safe and prestigious.  I have to say, though, that the value of a career can’t be summed up by the median starting salary.  Sure, some people are actually passionate about construction management (hey, we don’t judge) and if you are, then of course this is the perfect major for you.  But for those of us who prefer to pursue skills that are slightly less mainstream (or that won’t make you want to bludgeon yourself with a calculator during your third all-nighter in a week), I say “why not?”

Throughout college, I remember seeing my peers who chose to major in things like biology struggle to stay awake during their work days while my Communications major (obviously not the most conventional) allowed me to spend the days of my internship interviewing high profile celebs at a major magazine. Win!

With that being said, we say “suck it, high paying jobs!” and have compiled 5 majors that put you on the path to career awesomeness.

1. Floristry: Cuyamana College in California offers this program.  Essentially a combination of botany and art, this major exists within the Ornamental Horticulture department.  Students pursue their Associate of Science degree by learning everything from planting flowers to designing wedding arrangements.  (Side note: where can I find a program that teaches me to devour…err…create Edible Arrangements?  If someone can find me one, I’m THERE.)

2. Arts and Entertainment Management: Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts and Design is just one of the places where you can find this exciting major.  At Drexel students can choose a specialized concentration.  Depending on this and an individual student’s skills and interests, graduates can go on to become agents, managers, artistic/creative directors, and more.

3. Viticulture and Enology: Think an Ivy League education and alcohol are mutually exclusive?  Then you obviously haven’t heard of Cornell’s program.  Viticulture and Enology is basically just a fancy term for the study of wine.  Students within this major take courses that promise to make them experts on all things related to vino. I have to warn you, though – if you’re caught slappin’ a bag of Franzia with your dorm mates, you might get booted from the program.

4. Cartooning: It’s not exactly a college major, but this program is seriously cool.  For students who can’t see themselves in a traditional university setting but would still like to develop their skills after high school, The Center For Cartoon Studies is a god send.  One and two year certificates are offered, as is a Master’s program.  An education is Cartooning teaches all the essentials of the craft: from storytelling to drawing.  This institution, located in Vermont, promises to create master cartoonists, qualified to work at a variety of major media sources.

5. Film and TV Costume Design: FIDM offers this course, which not only teaches the fundamentals of design, but also includes plenty of info on how to navigate the industry and deal with other professionals. Who knows?  If you’re a fashionista in the making, this may be the very thing that could turn you into the next Patricia Fields (the super successful costume designer for Sex And The City.)  I mean, how much fun would it be to dress Blair Waldorf week after week?  This is one program that could definitely lead to an exciting career.

Of course, if you really want to have a fun career, there’s always Michigan….

Jobless and in debt, grads turn to stripping.

Just another reason Gen Y (that’s us!) is screwed.

Caroline Giuliani: Why do rich people shoplift?

Apparently 911 is not a cab service….

Uh, Brett Favre is a dirty old dude.

A sex ed video game – good or bad idea?

Apparently not all of you agree with us, though.  The Wall Street Journal is reporting that only 63.5% of those aged 18-29 believes college is a good investment. Somewhat more shocking is that 61.5% of those over 65 agree that college is a worthwhile experience.  These numbers have dropped significantly since 2009- from 76.7% and 82.1% respectively.

Given the current economy, it’s not difficult to see why young people regret or want to avoid strapping themselves with hefty student loans.  But for people who went to college over forty years ago, have they not enjoyed receiving a significantly higher paycheck?  Or working in a field that requires a degree?  Do they think that spending four years among other educated young people, sharing ideas and growing together as a generation, isn’t important?

I know we often talk about the more lighthearted highs and lows of campus life, but the truth of the matter is that colleges genuinely benefit those who graduate from their hallowed halls.  Between tailgating and hooking up, five days a week you’re sitting in a classroom actually learning something and working towards a degree that will help you earn almost double what you would with only a high school diploma.  Prior to reading this study, I would’ve felt this is the point at which you’d all be shouting “Duh!”, but I question that now.

College is considered an investment for a reason.  While you may be feeling the financial strain of debt now, know that down the road you’ll make out better than your non-degree-toting counterparts.  The jobs you receive will likely include a more complete package of health benefits, your salary will be higher, and frankly you won’t be working at Baby Gap until you’re able to retire at 75.

I realize college isn’t for everyone, and I’m not suggesting you force it to suit your lifestyle.  But if the reason you’re reconsidering four years of bunk beds and communal bathrooms is because of the bleak job market we’re dealing with now, perhaps you need to think again.

I don't know what to do!

Looking back, college didn’t require a lot of serious decision making – even though I thought it did. For the most part, I made decisions about frivolous things such as: Should I wear pajamas to class today? Should I stick to rum and Coke or go for the Jager bombs? Should I go out tonight or should I spend time working on that eleven-page term paper? I know at times these choices sure stressed me out, but looking back, they really didn’t matter the way post-grad decisions seem to.

A lot of difficult decisions have come my way recently. There was me deciding where to live. Atlanta, Georgia or Southern California? It was not an easy choice to make, and many factors played into my choice to move to California. Then there was the decision of what to spend my time doing. Should I reapply to graduate schools for next year or pursue my other dream of becoming a lawyer? These questions required a lot of long-term thinking, and I’m glad that I had the time and the options to choose from. However, now that life is moving full speed ahead – more life-decisions are coming my way and many of them are giving me a day to decide, instead of a month or two.

So, you know how I was running my mouth last week about no jobs being available and how awful it is trying to find something? Well, that very same day, I received a call back from a marketing firm wanting to hire me for an entry level position. A real adult job. One with benefits and a respectable first year salary. One that requires business professional attire from 8:30am to 5:30pm. A marketing firm with connections to major Fortune 500 companies.

Sounds great, right? Well, they could only take me on as a full-time worker Monday-Friday, with a lot of events that I would be required to attend on the weekends. My initial reaction was whether or not I could balance my LSAT prep course and study time in the midst of having a blossoming career path. Could I do both? Maybe, but I’m not someone that does things half-assed, so a balancing act possibly could jeopardize my work experience and hurt my practice for the LSAT.

So, I had to make a tough decision – which is more important to me right now? A job that could have me making some serious coinage with benefits, while offering me an interesting perspective, or sticking to my long-term plan of becoming a lawyer? A lot of people I talked to told me to basically take the money and run with the full-time job and that I could always go back to law school a few years from now. Although I want to have lots of money one day and be successful, I didn’t feel like making a decision based upon money was the right way to figure this debacle out.

In the end, I decided to stick to my plan to attend law school next year. Although I think taking something so spur of the moment like that job offer could have been good, I feel more secure with my plan of prepping for the LSAT, taking the exam in October, and applying to law schools during the fall. My decision to reach for law school (and in the meantime apply for part-time jobs and internships) definitely makes me feel secure with my ambitions to work in the profession of law one day. I could have easily sold myself out and said “You know, the LSAT and the application process to law school sucks – this could be an easier way out,” but instead, I decided to challenge myself and look to the future.

Even though I have not been able to find a part-time job anywhere (since when do waitresses need three years experience to serve?), I have to admit – the call backs I have received (all from full-time positions, of course) and the interest from a major marketing company makes me feel pretty good about my resume and career prospects in the future. And luckily, I’m starting to hear back from some internship programs that will overlook me not being able to get class credit!

So, here’s looking to the future and holding out for what I truly want!
…Let’s just hope it all works out.

And that is exactly my opinion about this new study by York University that says college grads are unprepared for the workplace. The study names a bunch of qualities and characteristics our generation is supposedly lacking, which might leave us all screwed when it comes to our futures. However, I think researchers are just looking at everything the wrong way.

Study Says: We fail to communicate and listen respectfully
Uh, do researchers have any idea of our obsession with Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin? Is this not considered communication? With my friends constantly updating their Facebook statuses letting me in on every detail of their lives, I think it’s safe to say we know how to communicate. If anything, we know how to do so more effectively (there’s nothing clearer than “liking” something) and efficiently (who needs a phone call when you can GChat from the office?). 

Study Says: We aren’t motivated to a finish a task
If there’s one thing we college kids know how to do, it’s complete a task. Those papers don’t write themselves at the last minute, do they? And what about all those times we pulled out that theme party costume at the last second? Or how about our ability to successfully reach intoxication night after night? Or to boot and rally? Is that not finishing what we start?

Study Says: We give little attention to appearance
This has GOT to be a joke. Apparently none of these employers have ever witnessed how long it takes a college girl to get ready to go out. All the tanning, tweezing, plucking, waxing, moisturizing, applying makeup, straightening hair, curling eyelashes etc. is nothing short of exhausting and definitely requires some serious work ethic and dedication. Sure, tube tops and mini-dresses aren’t appropriate for the workplace (well, maybe for some jobs…), but we know how to pull it together when we need to.

We may not be preparing for the real world like generations before us, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t ready to take this world by storm.

I think many (myself included) kind of just wind up at college somehow with little thought in advance as to why we’re there in the first place. There’s elementary school, middle school, high school… college is just kind of the next step in the education process. An expectation for some; a requirement for others. The reason why college is so paramount to parents is because they equate four-year degrees with success and large figure salaries to come in the future. But now, a number of economists, academics, and policy analysts are challenging all this. And experts have some pretty convincing evidence as to why two-year or technical training schools could be a better option for some Americans.

The main argument is that there are just too many people going to college in the first place–many who are unqualified. There is also a large amount of overqualified degree-holders in today’s struggling job market. But there are other major issues dealing with the current state of the economy. Before deciding to imprison yourself in one of these four-year institution, there are factors to take into consideration like rising student debt, stagnant graduation rates and, of course, the high unemployment rate among college graduates.

However some (like concerned parents) argue undergraduate schools provide a wider variety of opportunities and eye-opening experiences that help you become a more worldly, well-rounded person than trade schools. I mean, I think we can all agree that a large part of what we learn in college does not happen in the classroom; it is our environment and our experiences – both that are unique to four-year universities – that teach us many of our life lessons. Others also bring the money factor into the equation, such that college graduates may have the chance at obtaining higher salaries.

But do they? With the economy in the dumps and unemployment rates the highest they’ve been in recent history, does a 4-year degree really mean a more successful future? Maybe not.

What do you think? Do you agree that trade schools might be a better option? Do you think you are getting more out of your traditional, four-year college program?

Grad school or no grad school - that is the question.

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman (unless she happens to be charging at us with her fists raised), so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like taking him home for the holidays!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

The New Year is here, and for those of you graduating in May, it’s time to start thinking about the future (insert groan here). Probably the biggest question you face down as graduation approaches is, what next? You could go out and get a job, bum around your parents’ place for a while, or you could keep the education train rolling with grad school. Applications to Masters programs have gone way up in the last few years (and they’re starting soon) - should you be joining them?

On the “pro” side of the argument, there are a lot of reasons it could be worth it to go to grad. There’s a lot more freedom in graduate study than in undergrad, which means that you get to make your own rules a bit more and you can really immerse yourself in one area of interest instead of taking all those required classes you’re never going to use again. Also, the job market still pretty much sucks (depending on your field, of course) and studies have shown that people who start jobs now (at lower pay) will continue to be paid lower even 10 years down the road – WTF? So in that respect, grad school is a really good way to buy yourself a little time and maybe a better pay check in the future. And ultimately, the truth is that a Masters degree is going to become increasingly the standard for our generation and the ones following us. For our grandparents it was a high school diploma, for our parents, a college degree and for our generation, where soooo many go to college, standing out is going to mean a Masters at least. Consider it an investment in your future.

But there are some distinct “cons” here too. To start with, you finally managed to graduate, the day you’ve been working toward since you were five, and now you’ve got to go in for at least 2 more years?! And while many grad schools are less expensive than undergrad, it’s still not exactly cheap. If you already have student loans or debt piling up, grad school may not be such a helping hand, particularly since there aren’t nearly as many scholarships or grants for grad. And while you don’t have to take those crappy required classes, grad school doesn’t allow for a lot of blow off courses either, which means an awful lot of stress. Speaking of stress, let’s not forget that most grad programs require you to take the GREs - yep, it’s like the SATs all over again. Joy! Oh, and BTW, when I mentioned up there that applications to grad school were way up, some schools have seen jumps of over 30%, so just getting in could be an issue.

Do you see yourself in grad school? Or would you rather eat your backpack than add on more school years? Will you be applying? Have you? Or do you think the whole idea of a Masters degree is just silly? Duke it out!

But no matter how often I search “high-paying magazine job” on Monster.com, or how many fake ads I peruse on Craigslist, the harsh reality is that our economy still kinda sucks…and finding a job (where I don’t have to take off my clothes…) isn’t easy for anybody. Even a charming, well-educated woman like myself.

But don’t fret, my collegiate friends! Earlier this month the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted the top 10 industries that will GAIN jobs in the next decade. If you think you would enjoy changing old people’s diapers, filing medical records or serving the “Rise and Shine” breakfast on a regular basis, you might be in luck. Even jobs that involve helping other people find jobs made the list!

Who woulda thunk?

It’s a little too late for me to change my major to “Hospitality Management,” but for those of you still in school (or thinking about changing your major/your entire life plan), I would heed this advice. Job security is hard to find these days, so if that’s what you’re after you just might consider putting those journalism dreams on hold and put in an app at your local Target.

At least that’s what the experts say.