By Elizabeth Simmons

As December graduates prepare to receive their diplomas and May grads get ready for their last semester, we have to wonder if they learned everything they need to know. I’m sure most of this year’s graduates are well educated in their fields, but an education in fields like engineering, history, or music will only get them so far.

The graduates of school year 2013-2014 are entering a job market that’s iffy at best. They also face the expectation that after four or more years of college they are able to be a successful adult. More often than not, however, college grads leave their hallowed educational halls lacking these important skills. They aren’t taught them in a lecture hall or classroom, but maybe they should be.

Ability to write a few lines of HTML code

This may seem like it’s coming from way out in left field, but a number of job postings today are asking for someone with a small amount of knowledge about coding. You don’t have to be a pro, but listing code writing as a skill (that you actually have) on your resume can make you stand out from the other applicants. Almost every industry works online on some level, so having the ability to write code and assist with even basic website management will help you enter any career field.

Manage a budget for a small household

Whether you’ve been living on your own for some time or finding your first place after graduation, you’re going to need to manage your own budget. I doubt there were courses on bill paying or managing checkbooks in college, but those are major parts of post-grad life. Take the time to sit down and see where your money is coming from and where it’s going. If you don’t already have one, open a savings account and put something in it every month. Learn even the basics about finance and investments so that your money can go a little further and you can actually understand that 401k benefit as well as manage your student loans. Read the rest of this entry »

The extension of parental dependency among 20 somethings in the new millennia is a boundless social phenomenon. As post-high school adults lean longer on their parents than previous generations—with the putrid job market and instant gratification world being the main offenders—the pillars of our society can’t help but conform to this generous line of credit. So, for the past three years, under-zealous young adults have been able to stay on their parents’ insurance until the ripe old age of 26.

Cafe girl says no to unhealthy life choices.

If the insurance charity has been in place for three years, why do we bring it up now? Use your aprons to rub the sleepies from your eyes young readers! The Affordable Care Act—aka Obamacare—is officially law after three years of slow implementation. If you had no idea about this, don’t worry, mom and dad have you covered. Also, kudos. Your ignorance means you probably haven’t had to visit the campus clinic—you’ve been safe!

As per a super-official document with White House letterhead and everything, the increase in insurance coverage is for a few reasons:

“Young adults have the highest rate of uninsured of any age group.”

Dang. According to the White House, 30 percent of shiny new adults aren’t covered by insurance. That demographic represents ONE-FIFTH of all uninsured people. Read the rest of this entry »

“Do you believe you’re missing out, that everything good is happening somewhere else?” - Brand New, “Jesus Christ”

In terms of eras, the age of social media is in its adolescence. Therefore, psychological conditions associated with social media are undeveloped, but they do exist. One such condition is the fear of missing out, or “FOMO.” FOMO is a disorder in which people are worried their friends might be having more fun and rewarding experiences than them.

For example, you’re stuck taking math 101 in summer school while your friends road trip to Lollapalooza. FOMO is characterized by an unrelenting desire to monitor or be connected with what your peers are doing. Researchers have developed a quiz to diagnose how bad you’ve got FOMO, take it here: The FOMO Quiz.

Feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and depression can stem from the fear of missing out. Brooke Randolph, LMHC, resident mental health expert at DietsInReview.com, said this condition is relatively uncharted territory, and she’s “never treated someone with an unhealthy reliance on social media.” However, she says that if social media is managed correctly, FOMO won’t occur.

When I asked if social media strengthened bonds of friendship or created low self-esteem, she said, “Both can occur. It is dependent on how it is used and the perception of the user.”

There is no concrete evidence that social media use contributes to the development of psychological illnesses. Brooke even suggested that people with pre-existing social anxiety could benefit from social media. “For most people with social anxiety, social media allows them to control socialization to the amount of contact that works best for them,” said Brooke. One good component of social media platforms is the ability for the user to turn the on or off switch, but having the ability doesn’t mean they have the will power.

Everyone has been guilty of FOMO at one time or another. People text while driving or crossing a street, hop on Facebook at work, check Twitter during social gatherings and sporting events—all in the quest to find a more fulfilling social experience than the one they’re in. We don’t post pictures of our bills, dirty bath tubs, and prescriptions for a reason—we would hate to tarnish our reputation or give the idea our lives are normal and humdrum. We present ourselves in the most flattering light possible on social media sites to give the impression our lives are quite exceptional. There’s no shame in only sharing the more exquisite moments of your everyday life, but the sugar coated sheen we polish on our posts becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of FOMO.

When we see someone else having a more privileged experience than us, we get bummed and try to one-up or match the idealized lush life. And so turns the FOMO wheel.

If you feel you display some of the symptoms of FOMO, I humbly invite you to put down the phone or close the laptop; having a concentrated, focused conversation with your pals is pretty refreshing, IMO. I know living IRL is tough, and while social media can make you feel super connected and important, your likes, shares, and retweets ain’t gonna be eulogized. Tweet if you liked the article!

Also Read:

University Offering Master’s Degree in Social Media

Colleges Reaching Students Through Every Social Media Angle

Teens are Texting All Night Long

Graduation memories are unfolding for college students at campuses across the country. Some are lucky enough to have speeches presented by the foremost thinkers of our time. Don’t discount them because of their celebrity. They’re bright, interesting, see the world from a different angle, and often leave otherwise stodgy commencement speeches feeling a little lighter.

We’ve rounded up the commencement speeches given by actors, actresses, and even tech giants that left us inspired, humbled, and in stitches.

In 2006, Stephen Colbert gave the commencement speech at Knox College, a private liberal arts school in Galesburg, IL. His opening remarks played on his thinly veiled real life/television persona. “I play someone on television named Stephen Colbert. He looks like me and talks like me, but with a straight face, says things he doesn’t mean. I’m not sure which one of us you invited here today.”

It didn’t take long to figure out which Stephen Colbert showed up. In his trademark farcical, news anchor style, he was light on the wisdom and heavy on “truthiness.” He somehow pulled off a law student/beer pong/Dred Scott joke, and claimed to have attended Knox College. “It doesn’t get reported much, partly because the press doesn’t do proper research, and partly because it’s not true,” he said.

It only took him 18 minutes, but he finally squeezed in some genuine remarks. He talked about his experience with improvisational comedy troupes, and how the spontaneity imitated life. “You’re about to start the greatest improv of all. You’ll have no script, no idea…and you are not in control. So say yes, and if you are lucky, people will say yes back,” he said. “Saying yes begins things, saying yes is how things grow. Yes is for young people, and that’s the word.” Read the rest of this entry »

“You wasted $150,000 on an education for $1.50 in late fees at the public library?”

In Dale J. Stephens’ book Hacking your Education, he makes a case for an alternative post-high school route. The book is his love letter to other free thinking people who have ever questioned their college education. It begins with a disclaimer: This is not a book about dropping out but rather about becoming empowered to make your own decisions. For a college dropout who bucked educational convention, he sure did his homework.

Stephens, a 20 year old wunderkind, has taken the time to productively analyze the quandaries frustrated college students have, but are too lazy to take to task.

The author has taken the principles of the unschooling movement, a philosophy started in the 1970s that encourages learning through real life experiences, and ushered them into the Internet and social media age. He has oodles of thorough advice on how to connect with like minded individuals in an attempt to foster your passions. Stephens accurately points out the loads of free, open to the public presentations on a wide variety of topics at university campuses everywhere. “Hacking Your Education” is all about identifying resources and sapping them dry. Read the rest of this entry »

Four years of college have passed, and you’re debating whether or not your education is over. Many recent grads face this dilemma: workforce or grad school? The experience vs. higher education debate may have your brain spinning with conflicting information, but here’s what you need to know to make a decision.

When Local is Best

The majority of master’s students are enrolled at the local level (in smaller, community-based schools). These are good choices in three scenarios:

1. When you plan to stay local. While these schools don’t have the reach of their top 10 counterparts, they do have strong brands and alumni communities in their areas. A degree from a local school will provide professional recognition and a network, both of which can greatly help for job placement in your area.

2. When you need it to move forward. Some career paths, such as physical therapy and engineering, require advanced degrees to move forward. In these cases, attending a local school can be a great investment.

3. When you are going to school part-time. Not everyone has the time or money to pursue an advanced degree full time; local schools tend to be cost-effective and flexible. Read the rest of this entry »

A new study has been released showing that high jobless rates in major cities across the country may correspond to poor education. Another factor revealed showed that cities hit hard by the housing crisis have larger gaps between workers’ actual education and the required education level of most job listings.

The study was conducted by the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Calculations were completed by senior research associate Jonathan Rothwell, and included online jobs posted between 2006 and 2012.

Rothwell looked at the average number of years required for jobs in 100 metro areas and compared that with the education level of those respective populations. The most narrow education gaps were found in locations with highly-skilled workers such as Raleigh, North Carolina, and Washington, D.C. - both boasting gaps of 2 percent or less.

“Narrowing the education gap is particularly important for improving the long-term health of metropolitan economies,” Rothwell told Forbes in a recent interview. “Metro areas with wide education gaps have higher unemployment, but metro areas with narrow education gaps have lower unemployment, more job creation and more job openings.” Read the rest of this entry »

More than 100 college professors signed their names on a letter advocating the legalization of marijuana. The letter was released yesterday by the campaign Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.

The letter was signed by professors from all over the nation, including several from the state of Colorado, as reported by Matt Ferner of The Huffington Post.

The release of the letter coincided with President Obama’s campaign stop at Colorado State University yesterday, during which he aimed to discuss issues that affect college-age voters, such as college tuition.

However, the supporters present were hoping to rally some discussion about Amendment 64 instead - the amendment that’s seeking to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults, jut like alcohol.

Colorado isn’t alone in its push for legalization. Washington and Oregon have marijuana legalization initiatives on their November ballots as well.

So, why are so many college educators from across the nation in support of these initiatives and nationwide legalization? The professors range from law, health, economics, and criminal justice fields, and all seem to have strong feelings on the subject. Read the rest of this entry »

I still remember being a restless high school senior waiting to cut my ties and finally make it to college. My sister had chosen a community college for her freshman-sophomore experience just three years before me, and since I followed in her footsteps in most areas I naturally considered taking the same route.

So on a hot day in mid-May back in 2004, my mom and I made the journey just one hour south of Wichita, Kansas, to check out the college that would soon be my new home. While my stay there was short - just two years until I could snag my associates degree - it was memorable. And the following two years spent at Wichita State University securing my bachelor’s degree were even more enjoyable than the first.

When I was looking for schools, my top priorities were proximity, price and degree offerings, among other minor considerations. Out-of-state universities weren’t an option for me as tuition would’ve been outrageous. And along the consideration of price, I also wanted a school that could offer me a scholarship.

Earlier this month, Forbes announced its list of top 650 colleges in America. Among its highest-ranking universities were Princeton, Williams College and Stanford, with Johnson & Wales and Texas Southern University snagging the last spots in 649th and 650th place.

While some have criticized the methods Forbes and other news sources, including US News and Newsweek, use to determine their respective rankings, there’s really no one, tried and true way to determine which colleges are superior. Because the truth is, everyone has their own opinion about what makes one college better than another. Read the rest of this entry »

A tiny dorm room isn’t ideal for most college freshmen, but sharing a room is something most freshmen will have to get used to. Students should be aware that roommates can affect your life more than expected. Bruce Sacerdote, Professor of Economics at Dartmouth, wrote in a study, “Roommate effects are important influences in freshman year GPA and in decisions to join social organizations.”

The scenarios of how roommates can affect your freshman year are endless. For example, before the school year begins, roommates talk about joining different organizations which can include going Greek. Another example is studying for an exam while every other roommate may suggest going to a party. While being away from home, first year students may have the desire to be social, instead of studying. College is all about learning how to be an independent adult and accountable for your actions, so if there starts to be a sign of lower grades and there is a direct correlation with your roommates, then something must be done to fix the situation.

Here are tips on how to fix roommate problems:

1. Speak up to your roommate, tell them you have priorities and that you need to find a way to accommodate each other in such a small space. Read the rest of this entry »