Category Archives: Uncategorized

Guest Posts, internships, Uncategorized

The Top 3 Summer Jobs for Students

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summer jobsIf

Summer is a time to relax and recuperate, but it’s also a great opportunity to gain work experience and make money. With a challenging job market facing them after graduation, it’s essential for students to buff up their resumes and make connections while they’re still enrolled in school. For college students wondering about their summer work prospects, here are the best summer jobs fields and positions to explore:

Internships

You’re a student looking for part-time or full-time work during summer break, consider interning at a company you’re interested in working for after graduation. There are a variety of internship positions only open to college students, where you can earn course credits in addition to professional experience. Fastweb has a large list of nationwide internships in various different industries that you can apply to based on your interests or major.

While many internships are unpaid, they all offer the opportunity to make connections and gain new skills, which will pay off financially in the future when you’re searching for a job. After graduating, you’ll be able to list your intern work on your resume and use your former supervisors as references. Your experiences can also help you become more confident and focused during your post-college job search because you’ll have a better idea of your own professional abilities.

Volunteer Work

Similar to interning, volunteering can be useful in helping you decide what you’re passionate about and what field you should pursue after college. Sites like Idealist and Indeed can connect you with a volunteer program that correlates to your passions. So whether you’re interested in education, public policy, environmental issues, or humanitarian work, you can find a position that’s well matched and right for you.

In addition to being professionally valuable, volunteer work can also be personally satisfying. Volunteering allows you to serve others, gain fresh perspectives about the world around you, and gives you a chance to work in a field you’re passionate about outside of academic pursuits.

Freelance Writing or Designing

If you’re a good writer or designer looking for more flexible work this summer, you should consider doing freelance work. Freelancing gives you the freedom to create your own schedule and work from home, since most positions are open to telecommuters. If you like setting your own work pace and want the opportunity to improve your skills as a writer and designer in the digital realm, then a freelance job is right for you.

Since there are so many online businesses and companies that utilize the web for marketing, you can find writing and design jobs fairly easily. Available freelance jobs include web or graphic designer, website content writer, blogger, and social media developer. You can find a position that meets your skill set or knowledge, as well as create a freelancer profile, on sites like Guru.

Many freelance jobs don’t pay well at first but you’ll be able to set higher prices for your work once you have more experience. You can become a more desirable freelancer over time by adding work to your resume and increasing your online exposure. You’ll be able to send links of your work and show that you have an online presence to future hiring managers.

Freelancing, volunteering, and interning, all offer the important opportunity to gain professional experience in fields that you may want to pursue after college. If a position you want is unpaid or doesn’t pay well, you can always take on a part-time server or retail job in order to supplement your income. While food service and retail work can help you gain customer service experience and make extra cash, they don’t offer a career path that’s useful or interesting to most college students. This summer, try to invest your time and energy into a job that can improve your professional skills, add value to your resume, and help you land a job after graduation.

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Javaher Nooryani is a writer and editor based in Denver, CO. She has a BA in American Literature & Culture from UCLA and a Masters in English & American Literature from NYU. As a former tutor and advisor, Javaher is passionate about higher education and is glad to share her knowledge on CollegeFocus, a website that helps students deal with the challenges of college.

careers, Uncategorized

What Path Should You Take For an Investment Career?

 

college applicationsInvestment careers, although challenging, can nevertheless be very rewarding and fulfilling. The investment industry is quite a dynamic industry which is ever changing. If you wish to make a career in the sector, you need to be willing to work hard and put in long hours, but the rewards are well worth it.

A wide variety of investment careers

There are various investment careers that one can embark on in the investment industry. They include:

  • Investment managers, who handle the clients’ money and invest it in equities and bonds. Their role also involves providing sound investment advice and options to their clients.
  • Research analysts, who undertake fundamental investment research as well as valuation. Their main role is to determine the growth potential as well as the future outlook of the investment in question.
  • Investment bankers, who assist in the sale of stock by businesses and governments to members of the public. They can also assist these entities in floating their shares in the stock market.
  • Client account managers, whose main role is to maintain good and fruitful relationships with clients by communicating regularly with them about ongoing investments.

A mathematics degree, while not essential, would help you get into an investment career since number crunching is an important skill to have. A finance degree or an MBA would be even better to have. You should also not expect to enter into investment management straight after graduating, but should aim to start off as an investment research analyst first then build up from there.

Wesley Edens: an investment management success story

Wesley Edens is a successful investment manager who serves as a good example of just how much you can achieve in the investment world if you work hard and diligently. Mr Edens is a principal as well as the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fortress Investment Group LLC. He is in charge of the company’s private equity business as well as a wide variety of publicly and privately traded portfolio companies. In the past Mr Edens has also worked for BlackRock Financial Management Inc. and Lehman Brothers as a managing director in both companies.

Investment careers require you to put in a lot of work and grueling long hours, the compensation can be extremely high. The nature of the work is also not only demanding but also unpredictable. All the same, it remains an exciting and very rewarding way to make a living.

Uncategorized

Practical Ways to Help Prepare Your Child for College

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college majorAside from your son or daughter’s academic achievements, what else do they need in order to help prepare your child for college? If your child’s lived at home until the age of 18, they may well need your support in learning a life lesson or two- particularly if they’re moving away from home for the first time. So how can you help? Check out the tips below to find out how best to support your child as they venture into further education.

Look at living options

Deciding where to live in the first year of college can be a tricky decision to make, especially if there’s a choice of living on campus, in a student house, or alone. Take a look at the different living arrangements available and do some research online, as student accommodation websites such as Uniplaces and Urban Student Life offer a wealth of information. Encourage your child to contact anyone they know who studies at the college they’re attending, or college representatives, who are often more than happy to give advice about the different types of accommodation offered.

The money chat

Before your child begins life at college, it’s worth sitting down to have a chat about how they will manage their finances, as a student budget is likely to be stretched.Before the start of term, encourage your child to shop around for a student bank account with low interest rates and an adequate overdraft. Together you could draw up a list of items they can sell? Old electronics, cameras and school books can be sold to gain a little extra cash. Discuss whether it would make sense for your child to get a Saturday job to earn money while they study, to help ease any financial pressure.

Course reading material

Text books are a costly expense to take into account, but remember your child doesn’t necessarily need to buy brand new course material. Often text books can be bought second-hand, either via an online book store or at a college book fair. Many colleges also have a ‘buying and selling’ page on their website, so it’s worth checking this out to see if books can be purchased here.

Cooking skills

Does your child like cooking? And more importantly, can your child cook for themselves on a daily basis? It’s likely that your son or daughter has not had to cook for themselves and for extended periods of time, so to help avoid any kitchen disasters (or endless days of baked beans on toast), why not do some cooking together, so that your child can learn a few basic kitchen skills? If you have any cheap, easy recipes they really like, you could compile a small recipe book together. Cooking from scratch, rather than buying endless takeaways, will help your child to save money and stay healthy.

 

Scholarship Friday, scholarships, Uncategorized

Scholarship Friday: Young Animators $25,000 Scholarship

 

young animators $25,000 scholarshipNickelodeon and the Get Schooled Foundation have teamed up to find the next generation of animation storytellers by offering a young animators $25,000 scholarship. Together they are inviting animators aged 17 to 24 to submit an animated short in any format for the chance to win a $25,000 scholarship.

The goal is to encourage up-and-coming artists, says Russell Hicks, Nickelodeon’s president of content development. “With a rich history of championing artist-driven shows and shorts, Nickelodeon is on a mission to bring these ever-growing, young animators to the forefront.”

In a separate competition, aspiring animators aged 13 to 16 are invited to submit a theme-based looping animation for the chance to win prizes, such as a tablet with animation software.

Get Schooled is a national non-profit, co-founded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Nick’s parent company Viacom, promoting media, technology, and popular culture as a means to motivate and inspire young people.

More information about the scholarship is available on the Get Schooled website, with full guidelines available in April. Winners will be announced in summer 2015.

college planning, Uncategorized

Truth or Fiction: Are Boarding Schools Exclusive?

 

Hollywood has warped the concept of a boarding school. Many people think of these schools as private country clubs that are expensive and exclusive. The truth is that these schools are very diverse, with children from all over the world attending classes and participating in their extracurricular activities.  A local neighborhood school relies on the community for students, but boarding students come from everywhere. Because you live with your classmates, you actually have more opportunities to get to know them and learn about their culture.

Around one-third of the students receive some type of financial assistance to help with their tuition. An education at a boarding school is much more accessible than ever. Many schools offer grants, scholarships, and loan programs for families who want their children to receive a rigorous education. Read further for more information about the diversity and availability of a private education that emphasizes personal growth and academics.

Click graphic below to see entire infographic.

boarding schools

Infographic from Athol Murray College of Notre Dame

study abroad, Uncategorized

Studying Abroad: The Pros and Cons

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Many college students jump at the chance to study abroad. For some, doing a semester abroad in a foreign country is as traditional a college experience as living in dorms or making long-life friends. While there are many exciting cultural and social benefits to studying abroad, there are also a few potential drawbacks. If you’re a student or parent looking into study abroad programs, here are some things to consider before planning the trip:

studying abroad
photo courtesy of Merrimack College

The Advantages to Studying Abroad 

The main attraction to studying abroad is getting to visit another country. For many young adults, study abroad programs offer them their first chance to travel internationally. Experiencing another culture first hand is a fantastic educational opportunity, which serves to advance a young student’s intellect and widen their perspective.

Studying abroad gives students the chance to learn outside of the confines of lecture halls or limitations of textbooks. Getting to immerse yourself in something you’ve only previously read or heard about adds a deeper dimension to your understanding of it. When a theater major watches a Shakespeare play at the historic Globe Theatre in London or a fine art student looks up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, they are experiencing something that will have a major influence on their craft.

For those looking to sharpen their foreign language skills or better comprehend world history, studying abroad can be a great asset to their education. Whether it’s studying Spanish in a Latin American country or learning about China’s industrialization in Beijing, studying abroad can have a profound effect on their knowledge.

In addition to sightseeing and receiving an enhanced educational experience, students who do a semester or yearlong study abroad program can gain vital social skills. The challenges of interacting with a different cultural group and meeting new people on a daily basis has the potential to make students more adept at public speaking and networking, as well as making them more tolerant of others.

studying abroad
photo courtesy of Merrimack College

The Disadvantages to Studying Abroad 

Despite all its positive potential, studying abroad comes with potential problems, too. Some study abroad arrangements work more like vacations than they do as learning programs. If a program lacks strong leadership from its educators/professors or doesn’t enforce a study schedule, then students are likely to fall behind on their scholarly work or indulge in non-educational activities.

While it’s beneficial for students to experience unconventional educational experiences, young students still require discipline and direction. Outside of their college environment and routine, students may take advantage of their new freedom and foreign setting in ways that are detrimental. Some students spend too much time sightseeing or fraternizing with others in their program rather than trying to learn new concepts. Instead of spending a semester expanding their intellect, students may just act as if they are on an extended break.

Besides falling behind on their studies due to excessive partying, many students studying abroad run the risk of becoming victims of crime or even breaking the law themselves. Like tourists, students visiting foreign countries are easy targets for criminals looking to steal money or abuse others. It’s hard to guarantee a safe housing situation when signing up for a study abroad program. Regardless of the program, students who are ignorant about a country’s customs or laws may get themselves into trouble with law enforcement or the locals.

The overall educational quality and advantages of studying abroad depend on both the individual student and the structure of the program. An immature or disrespectful student is likely to lose out on the intellectual and cultural potential of a good study abroad program, just as a bad program is likely to fail an eager and hardworking student. Either way, it’s up to every individual college student to consider what they want out of their time abroad and to find the right program for themselves. Talking to former study abroad students and to an academic advisor are good places to start when planning for studying abroad.

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Javaher Nooryani is a writer and editor based in Denver, CO. She has a BA in American Literature & Culture from UCLA and a Masters in English & American Literature from NYU. As a former private tutor and college prep advisor, Javaher is passionate about higher education and is happy to share her knowledge on CollegeFocus, a website that helps students deal with the challenges of college. 

 

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Happy New Year from Parents Countdown to College Coach

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happy new year

Happy New Year to all my readers, parents

and future college students!

 

Leave a comment on this post wishing me a Happy New Year and I will give you a FREE copy of my Parents Countdown to College Crash Course (a $147 value)!

Uncategorized

The Best and Worst College Stories of 2014

What are the best and worst college stories of 2014? Do you have a favorite? What about 2014 blew you away? What’s your favorite tweet of the year?

best and worst college stories of 2014If you’re home tonight, (or out and want to schedule tweets), #CampusChat is hosting a New Years Eve chat for a walk down memory lane.

Join @collegevisit for an open mic night asking the following questions:

21:05 Q1 What was the best college story/headline of 2014?
21:10 Q2 What was the worst college story/headline of 2014?
21:15 Q3 What was the biggest change in college education in 2014?
21:25 Q4 Did college become more, or less, affordable in 2014?
21:30 Q5 What should be on parent’s radar when sending their kids to college in 2015?
21:35 Q6 What was your favorite tweet of 2014?
21:40 Q7 What do you predict will impact college education the most in 2015?
21:45 Q8 What’s the best advice you have for college-bound teens for 2015?
21:50 Q9 What resolutions do you wish colleges would make in 2015?

It’s going to be a party! Complete with virtual champagne, lots of laughs, and time spent with all our #CampusChat friends.

Tonight at 9PM ET using hashtag #CampusChat; follow @collegevisit.

See you there!

P.S. If you can’t make it, look for the recap!

Uncategorized

The Benefits of an Online Degree

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online degreeStarting or continuing your education can be a benefit to your career and earning potential. However, for many people, there is the question of whether or not the degree is worth the time and money. While the rewards of a degree speak for themselves, many people do not have the time to seek a first or second degree while also holding a full time job.

That is where online degrees come in. An online degree offers you a number of benefits that a traditional degree does not. Lets review how an online degree can help move you towards your goals while taking up a minimum of time.

A Long Distance Education

One of the reasons why people do not pursue a second degree is because there is no university near by. Where as an hour a week for nightly classes is not that bad, the hour or more commute each way usually stops people from pursuing a degree. Thankfully, the availability of online degrees, such as through a National University online education, solve this problem by allowing you to attend classes via your own computer. Now, all you need to get credit is a stable Internet connection and a computer.

A Second Degree at Half the Price

As discussed previously, the time commitment is what stops a lot of people from pursuing a second degree. In addition to time however, is the cost. Taking courses in a traditional university setting can cost hundreds of dollars per course. Online courses however are usually much cheaper and are targeted towards adults who are looking to continue their education. As a result, online courses can be half the price of traditional college courses, making them an excellent alternative for those who are looking to save money.

Meeting Pre-requisites for Work and Advancements

Job descriptions often have a preferred level of education and degrees. By getting your degree online, you can quickly work to match these requirements, making yourself out to be a better candidate then you were previously. Online courses are also a great way to show initiative and move up in a company. By taking your own time to study and move towards a degree, you can better prepare yourself for the dream job you want. If you already have a job, then see if the company is willing to cover the time and cost for the classes. More often then not, a company will help you get a degree, as it improves your performance and skill in the workplace.