Cons

1. Losing Money
   By moving out on your own after college, the cost of your living will be increased. Electricity, water, and rent will make up a majority of your bills and your take-home pay will be reduced. Additionally, renting a domicile will require that you purchase renters insurance, such as that found at RentersInsurance.com.
2. Family Issues
   Most of us go to college for the sake of getting away from constricting parents. For many, this may be one of the most burdening reasons why moving back home may not be for you. Privacy and distance is long gone but at least breakfast will be cooked by someone other than your microwave toting roommate.

Pros

1. Saving Money
   When you move back home with your parents, the ability to save money is greatly increased. The money that is saved can go towards the outright purchase of a home, which will save you cash on interest. In addition, living at home after college can allow you to set up an emergency fund before you move out on your own. This money can serve many purposes and will give you an advantage over someone who moves out on their own immediately after college.
2. Reduced Stress
   Getting situated in the real world may be a difficult transition for some. If you are not wise, moving out on your own can imply rent, bills, and insurance that would otherwise be avoided by staying at with family.
3. Extra Time
   A great benefit of moving home is the extra time that is afforded to you since finding a job right out of college may be difficult. With the current state of the economy, jobs are scarce for the inexperienced. This allows you ample time to find a job without the stress.

This article is a guest contribution. CollegeAftermath only accepts guest articles we think are super relevant and appropriate for post-college grads. If you liked this, let us know!

Thanks for sharing your story, Jenna!

——

My Financial Disaster After Graduation

I graduated college a short six months ago, and I thought I was set. I had a great GPA, graduated with distinction, and I was getting married. I thought my financial situation would be set, especially since I didn’t have to worry about paying student loans, but I didn’t take into account how much starting my life after college would cost.

After I got married, my husband and I moved to a new state, where we had trouble finding an apartment because of our lack of credit and because of the fact that I didn’t have a job yet. As much as I tried, I could not find a job in the area where my husband was employed. The job search was brutal. I sent out hundreds of resumes and only got interviews with two places in that month. I didn’t get one of those jobs and the other one was not for me because it would have required me to drive almost two hours to get to work every day.

I started to get discouraged when my husband suggested that I try Craigslist. I really thought that was a crazy idea, and I wasn’t sure if I trusted many of those postings, but I was desperate. I applied to a few jobs and finally got a response. After that interview, I knew that was the job for me, and I was really excited when they gave me the offer. I absolutely love my job, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else with my life right now.

After I got the job, my husband and I started to pay off some of the debt we had incurred during the first few months of our marriage, and I really thought we were going to be okay. In fact, our paychecks were so much larger than our monthly expenses that we decided we would be able to afford a dog, so we went to our local animal shelter and found our new pet. That’s where everything went south.

The day after we got our puppy, we took her to the vet for a checkup because we wanted to make sure our cute little canine was in good health, but we found out she was not. She had a virus the vet called “Parvo” and they gave her a 50% chance of survival. I was absolutely devastated, but I decided then and there that I would do anything possible to save her. We ended up going $3,000 more into debt by the time they said she was in the clear. I thought it might not be too bad now that we were getting steady paychecks and we could pay off this credit card debt pretty quickly, but then she threw us another illness.

A few weeks after her battle with Parvo, she started to act lethargic again, and we had to take her back in to the vet. This time they told us that she had another virus called Distemper, which could also be fatal. We had to go through another round of vet visits, overnight emergencies, and medications, which ended up costing us about another $4,000. I was completely overwhelmed, and I was so afraid that all of this credit card debt would hurt our credit and our future. That was when I made the decision to start following a strict budget.

Everyone knows that emergencies happen, which is why so many financial advisors say that you should have at least six months of expenses saved up in an emergency fund. I wish I would have known that before I decided to get a dog. However, I know in my heart that I did the right thing by saving this puppy.

She brings me so much joy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I know now that we will be fine, even with the debt that we have built up, and in time all of that debt will be paid off. I have made a plan and I intend to stick to it until I am completely debt free.

Jenna White is an author who writes guest posts on the topics of business, marketing, credit cards, and personal finance. Additionally, she works for a website that focuses on educating readers about secured credit cards.

We are looking to cast a recent college grad that has led a successful and promising academic career, but got stuck in the transition from school to work due to the shortage of jobs available. Perhaps you have student loans to pay off, or have had to move back home with your parents to cut costs. Perhaps you have found innovative ways to survive these tough times, or have shifted your career goals. If you feel that you fit this description and can help us shed light on the college grad job crisis through your story, please inquire.

Interested candidates should respond with the following information:

• Where you went to school
• When you graduated
• What you studied
• Whether or not you have substantial student loan debt
• How long you’ve been unemployed
• Info on job searches
• Where you are living now
• What you are doing to make income
• Info on your monthly budget you are willing to share
• What your plan is for the future
• A photo
• Anything else that’s interesting or you feel is unique about your story.

This is a show that provides insight into some of our nation’s most complex topics by exploring the lives of people experiencing those issues first-hand. A majority of Americans say, for the first time ever, that this generation will not be better off than its parents. It seems that this concern might very well be real.

Please send information to: cabledocumentary@gmail.com.

While taking personality tests for a new job might be tedious, tests like the Myers Briggs
Type Indicator® (MBTI®) assessment can really help a company to see if you are the
right fit. Not only do companies benefit, but these tests can also help you figure out if
your personality and natural preferences will make it easy and comfortable to flourish in
a particular work environment.

Employers will be impressed if you know and understand your personality type. Not
only for the benefit of employers, but the results of your assessment will give you
some much-needed insight on yourself. If you are made aware of your type, you can
then come to understand how you can adjust to make yourself work in any workplace
environment.

No personality type is an indicator that you won’t succeed. Rather, your personality type
is an indicator of how natural things may come to you and how much you may be within
or outside your comfort range.

There are sixteen possible Myers-Briggs® personality types which help to illuminate your
natural preferences, referred to by four abbreviated letters.

Preferences include:

• Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I)
• Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
• Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
• Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

Recognizing how your personality reacts to the culture of a specific workplace can guide
you in the right direction — the direction where you can be the most successful and
satisfied at your job.

Have you ever taken a personality test for career development? Was it useful?

Mona Abdel-Halim is the co-founder of Resunate.com, the world’s only search engine optimizing resume builder. Resunate has recently partnered with Myers-Briggs® to give users the option to take the assessment online and feed their results into its engine, enabling Resunate to provide personal insight into how well you fit to any job. The verified Myers-Briggs® assessment will be available to Resunate users starting January 2012. You can find Mona and Resunate on Facebook and Twitter.

This article was contributed by Mona Abdel-Halim. CollegeAftermath only accepts guest articles we think are super relevant and appropriate for post-college grads. If you liked this, let us know!

If you’re a recent college grad, or even still in school, feeding yourself well can be a challenge… after all, there’s a reason that ramen noodles have become synonymous with college cuisine! And while we’ve all had our moments of dietary neglect (mac and cheese at 3am, 1 too many slices of the crappiest delivery pizza, chocolaty granola bars and instant-cappucinos for breakfast) at some point, when the sugar coma ends and fog of fullness fades, we realize we need to start eating better. For someone that was a bit cooking-challenged upon leaving high school, it took many years of trial and error to find my groove in the kitchen. Having this book years ago would have made a huge difference!

Clearly, the authors know what it’s like to be broke and hungry, because the recipes often utilize cheap ingredients, fool-proof cooking techniques (microwave!), and cleverly re-purposed kitchen tools and appliances. These gals cover all the bases for cooking in a tiny kitchen with limited space, tools, and funds, and offer insightful tips like which must-have kitchen appliance easily takes the place of three other appliances. And if you’re new to cooking, you’ll especially appreciate the introduction to spotting good produce and storing it appropriately. I’ll never forget the day I was preparing a Mexican fiesta for friends and learned — the hard way — that avocados need to be soft to be even remotely edible. Needless to say, my first attempt at guac was a complete disaster! If only I’d had this book back then…!

The recipes are simple, mostly healthy, and easy and affordable to prepare. As a vegetarian, I also found the meals mostly veg-friendly or easily adaptable. The authors very cleverly teach you the basics (cooking a fried egg, making a grilled cheese sandwich, flipping up some flapjacks) while introducing new and delicious flavors to the mix. It’s the perfect balance of basics and innovation, and the girls’ funny and heartfelt story interludes give each meal a backdrop that all of us can relate to.

So, toss out the Easy Mac and pick up this book. You’ll be impressing yourself and your friends in no time!

Check out the Big Girls, Small Kitchen blog. | Buy In the Small Kitchen at Amazon

1. Wrong Company Name
Sounds stupid, right? But it’s an easy mistake to make when you have seen your resume a billion times and no longer register the important details. To help ensure you have the right company name listed, keep a template resume on hand and highlight the spot where the company name goes in a bright shade so that each time you scan through your resume, you’ll know what needs special attention.

2. Irrelevant Skills and Achievements
If you are applying to be a web designer, there is no need to mention having won the state title in track and field your freshman year of college. It also is not relevant to mention that you are an ethical person and therefore have no intentions of stealing office supplies. Stick to the relevant facts and you’ll be fine.

3. Being too Creative
Sure you want to set yourself apart from the masses, but going overboard and creating a mini-novel or a resume so fancy it’s no longer professional does not send the right message. Instead, look through books and websites for cool resume formatting ideas and take cues from them. Blend a few formats together to create your own signature style that will help get you noticed.

4. Being too Honest
Honesty is the definite route to take, but steer clear of opening up the flood gates in your objective by saying you are desperate for a job. On that same note, always disclose jail time when you are asked about it, but there is no need to mention in italicized bold at the top of a resume that you just finished a 4 year stint in prison.

5. Spelling Mistakes and Contradictions
Nothing looks worse than priding yourself on your attention to detail, then following it up with a spelling mistake. Definitely have a proof reader go through your carefully crafted resume to at least make sure the basics like spelling and grammar are covered.

Once your resume is in top shape, bask in the phone calls and interviews as they roll in. Make sure to save the jeans for casual days and show up to your interview in a sharp suit that, if possible, is tailored to fit you well; even if it’s just the sleeves and pant length.

This article was contributed by Nadine Bedford. CollegeAftermath only accepts guest articles we think are super relevant and appropriate for post-college grads. If you liked this, let us know!

Light Timers and Television Timers

You can usually pick up light timers for about $5 each at a local hardware store. Use them on lights throughout your apartment, particularly on lights that can be seen through your windows. This gives the appearance that someone is home, and helps ensure you’re not walking into a dark apartment. Many televisions come equipped with tv timers these days, so check and see if you can set your television to come on at a specific time – that’s just another way to help deter theft!

Curtains and Blinds

No matter which floor you live on, be sure you have curtains and blinds on your windows. You’d be surprised by what lengths a thief will go to see if you have pricey goods in your apartment – even climbing up on a tree branch to peep into second floor apartments! Having curtains and blinds on your windows reduces the likelihood that they can easily peer into your apartment and eye up that Wii or iPad you have.

Keep Expensive Electronics Out Of Sight

Curtains and blinds will help keep prying eyes away, but they’re not fool-proof. Do your best to remember to stow pricey electronics, furniture, and décor pieces away from windows where would-be thieves can see them. Plus, it’ll help you learn to keep your apartment organized!

Porch Motion Detectors

Motion detectors have come a very long way over the years, and you can usually find motion detectors that have just a small range of light, rather than a bright spotlight shining right into your neighbor’s window. If you have a porch, choose one or two short range motion detectors to place on the porch. Thieves certainly don’t enjoy being bathed in light, and it’ll also give you peace of mind walking to and from your apartment at night.

Keep Your Keys To Yourself

It’s tempting to want to give your good friends and boyfriend a set of keys to your apartment. You trust them, and they probably wouldn’t intentionally let your keys fall into the wrong hands. Yet, there’s always the chance they’ll accidentally lose the keys or get them stolen, and then who knows who will have them! We suggest stowing an extra key at your parent’s house, in your wallet, and in a hide-a-key that features a combination lock.

The front door is still the #1 way thieves enter an apartment, and as you’re rushing out the door on your way to work in the morning or quickly changing to go out with your friends at night, remember the #1 security tip: Lock your door! Here’s to a safe and secure post-grad life, and feel free to share your own apartment security tips with us, too.

This article was contributed by SpyTown.com. CollegeAftermath only accepts guest articles we think are super relevant and appropriate for post-college grads. If you liked this, let us know!

To recognize this time of year, the authors of the new book Gradspot.com’s Guide to Life After College have created an awards list highlighting the most notable commencement speeches ever.

Best Extended Metaphor – Will Ferrell, Harvard 2003

“I’m not one of you. Okay? I can’t relate to who you are and what you’ve been through. I graduated from the University of Life. All right? I received a degree from the School of Hard Knocks. And our colors were black and blue, baby. I had office hours with the Dean of Bloody Noses. All right? I borrowed my class notes from Professor Knuckle Sandwich and his Teaching Assistant, Ms. Fat Lip Thon Nyun. That’s the kind of school I went to for real, okay?”

Best Motivational Cadence – Winston Churchill, Harrow 1941

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

Best Anecdotal Counterpoint – Jon Stewart, William and Mary 2004

“I was in New York on 9/11 when the towers came down. I lived 14 blocks from the twin towers. And when they came down, I thought that the world had ended. And I remember walking around in a daze for weeks. And Mayor Giuliani had said to the city, “You’ve got to get back to normal. We’ve got to show that things can change and get back to what they were.” And one day I was coming out of my building, and on my stoop, was a man who was crouched over, and he appeared to be in deep thought. And as I got closer to him I realized, he was playing with himself. And that’s when I thought, “You know what, we’re gonna be OK.”

Best Top Ten List – Russell Baker, Connecticut College 1995

“Point three follows from point two, and it’s this: Listen once in a while. It’s amazing what you can hear. On a hot summer day in the country you can hear the corn growing, the crack of a tin roof buckling under the power of the sun…. Or sometimes when you’re talking up a storm so brilliant, so charming that you can hardly believe how wonderful you are, pause just a moment and listen to yourself. It’s good for the soul to hear yourself as others hear you, and next time maybe, just maybe, you will not talk so much, so loudly, so brilliantly, so charmingly, so utterly shamefully foolishly.”

Best Call to Peace – JFK, American University 1963

“What kind of peace do I mean and what kind of a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and build a better life for their children – not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace in all time”

Best Ironically Uplifting Comment About Death – Steve Jobs, Stanford 2005

“Death is very likely the single best invention of life. It’s life’s change agent; it clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now, the new is you. But someday, not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it’s quite true. Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary… Stay hungry, stay foolish.”

Best ending – Sacha Baron Cohen as Ali G, Harvard 2004

“But I has got ideals too. Just like de great civil rights leader Martin Luther…Van Dross, I has a dream…of little black girls and little white girls…playin wiv each other. Let’s make it happen. I look out and I see 1000s of people wiv different hopes and different dreams – but it is important never to forget where u all came from – becoz black, white, brown or pakistani we all come from de same place – de punani. Jah bless – bigupyaself Princeton…and keep it real… wesside.”

Best Truism About Graduation Speeches – Al Gore, Johns Hopkins 2005

“In preparing my remarks, in all seriousness I tried very hard to remember who spoke at my commencement in 1969. I have no idea. Unless I’ve just tricked you into remembering, my bet is that 30 years from now you won’t have any idea what was said here, but you will remember the parties tonight. You will remember your families being here, you will remember all the hard work that got you to this point and you’ll remember how you felt. And I hope you feel great, because this is a remarkable achievement that we are honoring here today.”

Best Advice – Conan O’Brien, Harvard 2000

“So, that’s what I wish for all of you: the bad as well as the good. Fall down, make a mess, break something occasionally. And remember that the story is never over. If it’s all right, I’d like to read a little something from just this year: “Somehow, Conan O’Brien has transformed himself into the brightest star in the Late Night firmament. His comedy is the gold standard and Conan himself is not only the quickest and most inventive wit of his generation, but quite possible the greatest host ever.” Ladies and Gentlemen, Class of 2000, I wrote that this morning, as proof that, when all else fails, there’s always delusion.”

Best Non Sequitur – Michael Bloomberg, Tufts 2007

“Now, I know I wasn’t your first choice as speaker today, but that’s OK, I can learn to live with that. When Busta Rhymes did not show up… I was only too happy to step in.”

CARLSBAD, Calif. (April 29, 2010) – College graduates and social media enthusiasts are facing what economists are calling “the worst U.S. labor market since the Great Depression.” adidas Golf is stepping in to offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for web savvy, golf enthusiasts to submit their resumes to compete for a chance to become the company’s new social media catalyst.
adidas Golf is calling all qualified applicants to submit resumes to Yahoo! HotJobs, a leading online resource for job seekers and recruiters, at hotjobs.yahoo.com. The submissions will be narrowed down to two finalists who will participate in a head-to-head showdown as part of a globetrotting golf adventure taking them to nine countries on three continents over 50 days.
The finalists will be tasked with creating compelling content through Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media channels highlighting their adventures and building loyal followers during their trip. In addition to golf outings with adidas Golf’s PGA, European and Asian Tour Professionals, the finalists will also sightsee and experience the various cultures. The entire trip will be chronicled live at www.adidasgolf.com/witw.

“adidas Golf is an authentic performance golf brand, so we wanted to test these finalists with the most authentic challenge that would demonstrate their ability to create great content,” said Harry Arnett vice president of brand and marketing for adidas Golf and Ashworth Golf. “Our hope is that through this unique adventure, a talented applicant will emerge who can help oversee our social media activities, an opportunity we have identified as being critical to the long-term growth of our business.”

The finalists will be chosen on June 4 and will be flown to TaylorMade-adidas Golf’s headquarters in Carlsbad where they will be trained and fit for TaylorMade and adidas Golf equipment, apparel and footwear. The journey begins June 27 at the adidas Group headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany and culminates in Bandon, Oregon on August 10 where one candidate will be chosen as the winner.

Traveling with one adidas Golf employee and a small documenting camera crew, the candidates will be asked to highlight the trip for jealous golfers around the world. The candidates will also compete in a series of challenges ranging from problem solving, leadership, marketing and budget management that will test their fortitude off the golf course.

Locations include:

• June 27 – Germany
• July 5 – Norway
• July 10 – Scotland
• July 16 – Dubai, UAE
• July 21 Chiang Mai, Thailand
• July 26 – South Korea
• July 31 – Japan
• August 5 – Canada
• August 10 – Bandon Dunes, OR

Seven months ago, adidas Golf launched its first edition of “Wear in the World” and sent two employees on a 31-day adventure in the Southern Hemisphere to prove that adidas Golf apparel powered by COOLMAX® Extreme performance fabric, and its industry-leading footwear, would stand up against the world’s most extreme golf conditions allowing golfers to perform at their best regardless of what mother nature throws at them.

“The last adventure was a unique way for us to validate our industry leading products and the performance technologies found in our apparel and footwear,” added Arnett. “While we look forward to seeing how these technologies withstand the extreme conditions found throughout this adventure, our objective is to find ourselves a passionate golfer who is savvy in social media and can contribute to our team.”

The search for the best and the brightest begins today. Applicants have until May 13 to submit their resumes and cover letter explaining why they should be considered for the job. As one of the most innovative online recruitment sites, Yahoo! HotJobs has been selected as the online job engine for this candidate search. Yahoo! HotJobs attracts an average of 16 million users every month making it one of the most visited sites in the online recruiting industry. Yahoo! HotJobs’ easy-to-use job search tools, insightful career advice and candidate matching technology helps employers connect with the right candidate.

Wear in the World Adventure2

As you probably already know, Obama’s health care plan includes an extension of coverage for young adults still on their parents’ plans until the age of 26. However, many parents and recent grads were frustrated because the “official” date that this new law would take affect isn’t until September. So graduates were forced to find health insurance plans that would cover them for the “gap” — the few months between graduation and September.

But this past week, some of the biggest health insurance companies have offered gap coverage to let these students maintain their coverage until the law officially begins this fall. This isn’t all of the insurance plans… so make sure you check with your individual provider to see if you area still covered through September. The last thing any recent college graduate needs is the looming thought that “I better not get sick until September!”

If it turns out your insurance company isn’t offering gap coverage, speak up! No American college graduate should get dropped this summer, and the companies need to hear from us. You can make your voice heard by visiting the Young Invincibles website.

Good luck, and here’s to a healthy summer!