My GPA Sucks: It Won't Matter After Graduation...Will It?

Right after college graduation, most people give a huge sigh of relief for a few reasons:


1. No more pencils
2. No more textbooks
3. No more professor's dirty looks...


Just kidding, but seriously, one of the many aspects that can make you feel better about entering the real world is that you won't be plagued by your GPA woes anymore.  Right?  Well it's actually a subject for debate.  Some professionals will tell you while you're in college that your GPA won't matter the second you step out of your last final.  Here's a few things you may want to consider:


Why Your GPA Matters, Post Graduation:


1. Job Eligibility: Although there are plenty of jobs that will take candidates with a lower GPA (below 3.0), it becomes harder to compete with candidates for a position if your GPA isn't as high.  Also, the top-paying companies and top-ranked rotational programs have higher GPA requirements for their candidates.  Some jobs will also adjust your starting salary and signing bonus based on your GPA. 


2. Graduate School: For some fields (Ex: Sciences, Medical School, Law School) admissions are extremely competitive.  Your GPA will definitely affect whether or not you will be considered as a candidate.  Also, some schools will waive applicants' entrance exam scores if they had high undergraduate GPA's in certain undergraduate degree programs.


3. Scholarships: It is possible to receive a scholarship with a lower GPA but most will use it as a criteria for a monetary award.  Also graduate schools have Assistanceships which are awarded based on your GPA and other factors.  These are paid positions (teaching assistant, etc.) that accompany scholarship awards which offset the cost of school.


Despite the three points above, many would argue that your GPA is insignificant after you graduate.  


Why Your GPA Doesn't Matter, Post Graduation:


1. Work Experience: Once you begin working, after undergraduate school or graduate school, most employers are no long looking at your GPA on your resume.  When you go to apply for position #2 they will consider your work experience and skills to determine your eligibility as a job candidate.  


2. HR's Focus: Human Resources Representatives at companies will tell you what the hiring managers are typically looking for, especially for an internal job.  At many sessions that I've attended recently they say that your GPA can easily be removed from your resume once you are in your first full-time position.  Most advise you to remove your GPA especially if it is below a 3.0.


3. It's Old News: When you're in college, no one asks you about your SAT score anymore, right?  Well once you graduate the relevance of your GPA starts to wear off as well.
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We would like to hear from our readers now!  Let's start a debate on our site, please comment if you feel more strongly that GPA's matter after college or that they don't matter any longer.


Jessica Ebony

Part-Time Gigs to Full-Time Digs: Finding Quality Jobs & Internships in College

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Introducing our newest guest blogger: Christina! She is a proud Community College alum and attended graduate school at UPenn.  Christina now works as an Admissions Counselor and writes the blog Community College Voice.

We hope that any college student would benefit from Christina's advice and her first series will focus on how to parlay part-time jobs into full-time opportunities.

-CKB
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Senior year of college. The end is near. Good bye 8 a.m. classes. Hello 9-5 with benefits and weekends off. Now to conquer the beast...the job search. “Okay, no problem”, you tell yourself. You’ll just hop on monster.com, create a profile, upload your resume, and click submit. Now we just wait....right?...Wrong.  The problem is that your resume
looks like this...

Jane Schmoe

Objective: To obtain a position as an accountant.
Education: B.A. Accounting, ABC University (2004)
Work History
2000-2001 - Waitress at Barney’s Wings Shack
2001-2003 - Candy Striper at Union Hospital
2003-2004 - Costume Character at Sparkle Playland

As a recent graduate, I understand how it feels to want to take any job that pays over $8.00 an hour just so you can stop eating in the cafeteria on campus every night and treat yourself to a 2 for $20 special at Applebee’s every once in awhile.  However, don’t make your resume look like a rummage drawer.

Here are just a few things to keep in mind when selecting part-time jobs and internships in college so that you can start your job search off right:

1. Have an open, yet discerning mind.

While out to lunch with my team, my co-worker ordered olive tapenade. Afterward, he shared that he didn’t enjoy it. When we asked why, he said that he hated olives. (crickets) I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this.

Obviously, you have to explore your options, however, you should know yourself well enough (or take the time to do so) to know the type of work that is not going to remotely benefit you and your career plans in the long run. If that potential job falls into that category, leave it alone and keep looking.

2. Assess skills necessary for the career you want.

Do research on the career(s) that you are interested in and find common skill sets needed. Seek out (paid or unpaid) internships or part-time jobs that will help to build those skills, or give you related experiences valued by potential employers in that field to increase your prospects of full-time employment.

Back to the accountant example: While you may not find an internship handling the books for a Fortune 500 company, you could apply for a position as student programming board treasurer.

3. Don’t be afraid to work for free.

Sometimes you can get some of the sweetest opportunities when you’re willing to volunteer. Many companies are on tight budgets, but could really use someone who is hungry to learn. Take advantage of that and soak up as much knowledge as possible. Most employers don’t care that you didn’t get paid for the work. What counts is the experience. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb and sacrifice for a great opportunity.

Now that you know what to look for in a quality college job, in the next post I’ll focus on networking at your part-time gigs for maximum results. Stay tuned!

-Christina

Chef Mair's Easy Meals: Chili Mango Chicken

Introducing our newest guest blogger: Brandon! Brandon (Chef Mair) is a recent graduate of Georgia Tech's Mechanical Engineering program.  He currently works for Texas Instruments in Dallas and he loves to cook!

A couple times a month, he will share quick, easy, and inexpensive meals with our readers.  Young adults are sometimes reluctant to cook (too much time, cooking for one, etc.).  However, Chef Mair will provide his spin on meals that Gen Yers will enjoy preparing and are sure to enjoy!

Jessica Ebony
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I am not your ordinary cook. I only began cooking the last two years since I graduated from undergrad and moved to Dallas. I used to hate watching relatives cook as a child but now I realize cooking isn’t that hard! All you have to do is follow the directions and add a little bit of your own spice and you can make delicious (and cheap) meals.

Chili Mango Chicken

This recipe (from Men's Health Magazine) will amaze whoever you cook it for and it doesn’t take too long to make!  I am a big fan of recipes like this one that include exotic flavors and spices that you don't run into everyday. 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 Tbsp peanut or canola oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp grated or minced fresh ginger
2 cups sugar snap peas
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and chopped
1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce (preferably sambal oleek)
Black pepper to taste

(makes 4 servings total)

1.       I bought a regular chicken breast package (~2lbs), where I used 1 and ½ chicken breasts cut into small ~1/2 inch cubes. Make sure you don’t cut too chunky or it will be harder to cook middle of meat.  To save time, cut/chop all ingredients before you begin to cook.

2.       I marinated the chicken in a big bowl with the cornstarch, soy sauce, and sesame oil. I added a couple drops of vanilla extract (just because I like it) and some extra soy sauce. Let the chicken marinate in there for at least 10 mins.

3.       While the chicken is marinating, start to sauté the vegetables. Throw the ginger and onions into a large skillet or wok and let it cook on high until the red onions become transparent. After they become clear, you can then throw in the snap peas. Make sure to keep the vegetables in constant motion.

4.       After the chicken has marinated in sauce for at least ten minutes, place into its own skillet and let cook until its a nice golden brown on the outside. The marinade really helps to seal in the tenderness of the chicken.

5.      Now, add the chicken, mango, and chili sauce to the skillet with vegetables and let soak up the flavors of the mango and chicken. I would actually add almost double the chili sauce proportions to give more flavor and kick.

6.       Once you feel the flavor of all the ingredients has been released, add a little pepper and salt to taste.  It’s best to serve on a bed of white rice, which also helps to accentuate the chili mango chicken.

Now it’s time for the best part….time to eat and enjoy your delicious Chili Mango Chicken meal! The chicken should be extremely tender and the chili sauce and marinade should provide a unique medley of flavors that will take your taste buds for a ride.

*Remember, as always, kiss the cook!

-chefMAIR

What's new on The LI$T?

Here's 4 new ways that we are revamping our College Advice Blog:

1. CheckLI$Ts
Every Thursday we will send out a LI$T of our favorite blog posts from other Career & College advice websites throughout the week.  We feel that there are many sites out there with valuable advice for our readers.  If you'd like your article to be featured, let us know!

2. Facebook Fan of the Month
We want to feature our readers and loyal fans!  You all will get to meet our Facebook Fan of the Month and learn a little about our readers, some college advice that they would like to share and what draws them to The LI$T!

3. Have You Checked The LI$T?
Our bi-weekly Newsletter will feature a recap of our articles from the past week.  We will also let our readers know which workshops we have coming up and any new contests or initiatives that we are working on.  This is a way for The LI$T Editors to really reach out to our readers.  If you have an event or business that you would like to publicize in our Newsletter to our demographic, please let us know!

4. A New Look & Interactive Activities
We are currently working on a new website!  Our new look will allow us to better reach the readers when it comes to including job listings and advertisements, promoting contests, and providing clear and concise advice.  We will also have interactive activities to get our readers excited about working on their college and career goals throughout the year.

We hope that some of our new additions to The LI$T will really engage our readers, get them excited to visit our site on a regular basis, and make you all want to ask us for the advice that YOU need to be successful in college and your careers!

Please contact us at haveyoucheckedthelist@gmail.com if you have any questions about What's new on The LI$T and stay tuned for our new website next month!


Jessica Ebony

Up In The Air - 9 Tips For Business Travel

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I really like to travel! I must have gone on 30+ personal/business trips in 2011 alone! It's a great way to learn and expand your horizons. However, personal and business trips are conducted very differently and until I actually started traveling for business I had NO idea what to do or what to expect. Of course I eventually learned the ropes, but below is a checklist of what to keep in mind when traveling on the company's dime:

1) Method of Paying

Will you have a corporate card or be reimbursed for travel?

2) Will you be traveling as a group?

Will you be traveling with your co-workers or is everyone traveling individually?

3)What does your company cover and how much?

What will your company pay for on your trip? Hotel, food, transportation, incidentals, etc... Also, most companies have caps on what you can spend in each category. Make sure you are aware of this before you make your plans.

4)Do you need to be accessible in the airport and hotel?
When traveling on business sometimes the rules are different. Find out if you need to exchange cell-phone numbers and if you need to be accessible at non-traditional business hours.

5)How should I dress?
Sometimes when traveling on business you want to ensure you are aware of the dress code. For example, if you work in an office, but you are visiting a plant or a client that has operations outside, what is the appropriate attire?

6) What's the policy for schedule changes?
For example, your manager asks you to stay a day later which means one more night in a hotel and a change of flight. Sometimes there are different rules for changing the original itinerary.

7)Expense Reports
A lot of companies make you submit expense reports and track what you purchased on your trip. They usually have to be completed in a selected time frame. Make sure you understand the process around this if there is one.

8)Don't abuse it
Traveling for business can be fun and it's a great way to meet new coworkers and see new places at the company's expense. However, don't buy that $100 steak and bottle of wine at dinner. Someone will always see what you charged and you don't want to break the corporate rules and lose the privilege of traveling or worse lose your job.

9)Turning business into fun
These days many companies are focusing on the importance of 'work-life' balance. For people that travel often on the job, some companies now allow their employees to extend trips to allow their families to join them. This can be advantageous in many ways. One, you can sometimes keep the company hotel rate and two, the company has already paid for your flight which leaves you just paying for your family. However, there is a right and wrong way to do this. Make sure you discuss this with management or the appropriate parties before you invite your family along on your Hawaiian business trip.

There you go! So, the next time there's an opportunity to travel or if you find out you need to take a red-eye to the other side of the country tomorrow morning for a meeting you will be more than prepared. Now we want to hear from you! How many of you travel for work? What other work traveling tips can you share with The LI$T?

-CKB

occupystudentdebt.com

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There has been so much in the news recently about the burden of student loans on the backs of Gen Yers. We even covered a story here on The LI$T (Occupy Student Loans). These loans are keeping us from buying cars, homes, and even starting families. One site out there is providing a platform to students and former students to voice their concerns or simply share their stories around student loan debt. This site is occupystudentdebt.com . It's one thing to hear the statistics in the news, but it is much more impactful when you see screenshots of people's Sallie Mae accounts showing that they have been paying on their $126,000 student loan since 2003 and in 2011 they still owe $115,000!

I encourage you all to look through this site and take note of the struggles others out there are facing with their mounting student loan debt. However, there is one story that sticks out to me that I would like to recap that fully captures how student loan debt can not only hold you back, but also others around you:

There is a 60-year old man from Southern California who is married to a woman who went back for her Bachelor's and also became a CPA. Unfortunately, her salary never met their expectations of what an average CPA makes. They have two children who were both top-ten in their high school classes, but because their parents made "too" much money, they were not eligible for any scholarships. Here are his shocking statistics:

His family's total net worth is -$10,000.00

Their home is worth $180,000.00 dollars and they owe $178,400.00.

He and his wife have three outstanding student loans:
Loan 1: $66,967.94
Loan 2: $88,479.18
Loan 3: $15, 178.21

His son is a struggling attorney who owes $198,395.27 for law school

His daughter who is a teacher owes $35, 938.09 for her credential work

Total education debt for his family is $404,958.69


Seeing numbers like this completely boggles my mind, but there are millions of stories like this all over the country. Now we want to hear from you! Were student loans worth it? What would you do differently if you had the chance to start over with your college career?

-CKB

Don't Forget To Say Thank You

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It's my personal opinion that you can never say 'Thank You' too much. I think people have gotten away from it somewhat. Especially in a face to face conversation 'Thank You' can go a long way. Honestly, when is the last time you looked someone in the eye and said 'Thank You! I really appreciate it'? I always try to end a conversation with this statement especially when someone says they are going to do me favor.

Being young and a member of Generation Y, people older than us think WE can be insincere, entitled, and downright rude. However, being genuine and truly thanking someone for their time and efforts can really leave a lasting impression on a new contact, a future mentor, or a future co-worker.

Ways to simply say 'Thank You':

1) A follow-up email
You should always send these after a meeting, a 'get to know you' or an interview.

2)A follow-up phone call
If you really want to leave a lasting impression and have the time to do so, you can always call and send a thank you message.

3) 'What can I do for you?'
Sometimes the best thing you can do is offer up a returning favor. Now this might not always make sense after an interview, but after making a networking connection you can certainly impress your contact by asking how you can return a favor. Most times you will learn that just by simply asking this is all that the other person needs to hear for you to be in their good graces.

I know it might come off as basic manners, but don't forget to say your thank you's as they can really separate the best for the rest.

-CKB