Bright FuturaInternships After Graduation?
Posted on July 18, 2012
Graduation is a very major milestone in everyone’s lifetime. After years of continuous studies, quizzes, assignments, and tests, you are finally free to take your first steps in your professional life. However, that is a major test in itself nowadays. With the economic downturn, finding a good job is nearly impossible because of the number of applicants jumping at every good opportunity. What you can do to improve your odds however is apply for part time jobs or through the various recruitment services available online such as: http://www.inspiringinterns.com/
Who says internships are only meant for students?
Students and fresh graduates both can apply for internships and use them to gain access to the organizations where they want to get full time jobs.
They are an excellent method to test careers and employers and to enhance your network. They might even give you access to better positions, as opposed to entry-level jobs.
Good full time jobs are very difficult to come by if you don’t have some experience written on your resume. However, with internships or temporary placements such as a part time job, you might just find the kind of job you were looking for. Once you have access into an organization, you can easily network
Network. Network. Network.
All you need are good interpersonal skills and a professional attitude. Internships are specially useful to get the feel for an organization and gain entry there. Once you’re in, you’re in. Most organizations put together a resource pool of interns that they can hire later on as full time employees. That, combined with a strong network within the company is all you need to find yourself a decent full-time position.
According to surveys by several educational and human capital development institutes, employers usually hire most of their interns for full time positions. Internships are low risk scenarios where the intern gets to know the organization and how it works, while they get to see the candidate in action. This gives them a much better understanding of how they will perform in a proper job. This makes internships excellent tools for both entities to see how well they fit together.
Whether you go for an unpaid or paid internship, both are pretty good investments of your time as long as you have done your homework about the organization. Just make sure you use that time to make a permanent place in the organization for yourself.
Once you’re through the internship term, you won’t necessarily get a full time position there right then. However, you will still gain some experience and learn some new skills. You will also be able to add a few stars to your resume and hence, will improve your chances of getting a good job at other firms. Moreover, if you have networked properly during the internship, you should have a decent network of contacts that you can utilize for career advice and referrals.
Regardless of all this, you have to tell the company what you want. Until they know that you are interested in a full time position there, they won’t be sure about it. Why wait for them to decide to hire you? Once you’re through half of your internship term, communicate your interest to your boss and ask them what the proper steps would be to apply for a certain department. If done properly, this should give you the entry-point you wanted.
Don’t Be Stewpid: Professional Proofreading By Kibin
Posted on May 1, 2012
Your terms paper is due on Thursday and guess what it’s worth 50% of your grade. My guess is that you probably want to get that baby proofread. You can ask Larry, your roommate who has been going on a 2 week Minecraft binge OR you can get it proofread by some pros!
Ultimately, it is your choice. If you think Larry the roommate can handle it than be my guest. I personally would prefer using Kibin, especially if the university writing center has an extremely long wait list.
Kibin use to be an editing community where volunteer editors proofread and offered unbiased feedback for free. However, lately they have been getting a lot of press and they have begun to charge.
Kibin’s current rates
The service is really easy to use.
Just upload your (doc, rtf, or txt) file and in the time you’ve specified (24,48,72 hrs) you’ll get your paper returned with edits/comments in the Kibin dashboard.
If you’re in a hurry and need a guarantee that your editing will be done in 24 hours, you can opt to pay the $0.01 per word, but otherwise the service is free.
What does the essay look like when they return it to me?
Interested in editing for Kibin? Ask if they are hiring @kibin
Kibin’s guarantee
“If you ever feel like your paper did not receive the editing or attention it deserves, please contact us immediately. We promise to make it right whether that is refunding your payment, point balance, or having it edited again without charge.” – Kibin website
Related: How To Literally use Literally by the Oatmeal
Related: Play on Facebook with Maximum Stealth
Reason you should always have someone proofread your work
Maximillian Garland: Bright Futura
Want to Be Unemployed? Get This College Degree
Posted on March 19, 2012
By BLAIRE BRIODY, The Fiscal Times
What’s the degree with the highest post-graduate unemployment? It’s not English (editor’s note: I majored in English!) or philosophy,
Architecture, a once-thriving industry that’s been severely battered by the housing crash (though the former two don’t exactly bring in the big bucks either).
A study released Wednesday by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce found that among recent college graduates with undergraduate degrees, architecture had the highest rate of unemployment at 13.9 percent, followed by the arts (11.1 percent) and the humanities (9.4 percent).
The degrees that gave graduates the best prospects of landing work were
- Health (5.4 percent unemployment)
- Education (5.4 percent)
- Agriculture
- Natural resources (7 percent)
A real architect at work.
While many college students are acutely aware their degree in 17th century Greek literature won’t garner a salary anywhere near what a Wall Street banker or chemical engineer makes, others likely don’t give it much thought, opting to follow their passions and face the real world after graduation.
Why did I major in Eastern European Pottery
But in an increasingly dicey job market for college grads, it might finally be time for students to sit down with a calculator to crunch the cost-vs.-payoff numbers for their degree before declaring a major.
That, or acknowledge that the only architecture they might be seeing if they pursue their love of structural design is the unemployment office.
By BLAIRE BRIODY, The Fiscal Times
Leon Langford | Bright Futura Columnist
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How To Pay Off Your Student Loans Like A Boss
Posted on February 23, 2012
Paying off student loans is stupid hard to understand and if you are anything like me you probably stick you head in the sand when it comes to college debt.
However pretending that your loans don’t exist won’t change the reality that they will never ever ever go away (not even if you fall into a deep coma). So I have decide to help you embark on a journey to help you beginning paying off your student loans off while still in college.
It may be challenging but hopefully I can make the whole process a hell of a lot easier for you.
Things you’ll need to know
- You have a 6 month grace period that begins following following graduation or being unenrolled for longer than 6 months. (That means if you take a break from school you may be required to begin paying immediately)
- You begin accumulating interest (~6.8%) on your unsubsidized loans as soon as they are disbursed.
- Student loans can never be defaulted on not even after bankruptcy. Which means they aint goin’ no wheres
- The difference between subsidized and unsubsidized. Explanation below.
Subsidized vs Unsubsidized
Subsidized loans
- Don’t accumulate interest until after your grace period
- The government will pay your interest during times when you’ve been authorized to defer the loan
Unsubsidized loans
- You will be charged interest from the time the loan is dispersed to the time it’s paid in full.
- Should be paid off first!
Related: 5 Reasons Student Loans Are Like An STD (VIDEO)
Related: Top 5 Strangest College Degrees: Hobbies vs Degrees
Things you’ll need to have
- Patience: First and foremost you’ll need patience because paying off student loans can be ANNOYING to say the least
- Your social security number: Almost everything you look at requires knowledge of your SSN, so always have it on hand or better yet you’re an adult MEMORIZE IT.
- An income! You can’t pay off your loans if you don’t have a J.O.B. So find one! Or you could always sell your plasma.
How Do I Find Out How Much I Owe?
You can go about this one of two ways.
Option 1: Go to Sallie Mae
- Go to https://www.salliemae.com/
- Create an account or if you have an account already enter your account information.
- In the main menu click “Loan and Billing Information’
- Click on “Show Details [+]“
Option 2: Go to National Student Loan Data System (nslds)
- Go to https://www.nslds.ed.gov/
- Enter your
-Social Security Number (Told ya you’d need it)
-First two letters of your last name
-Date of birth
-Pin number (I don’t know my pin) - Your welcome!
How Do I Pay Them Online?
It took me 2 days to find out how to pay my loans online. Luck for you, I have made it really easy.
- Go to https://www.salliemae.com/
- Create an account or if you have an account already enter your account information.
- In the main menu click “Pay Now”
If you want to be walked through you can always call Salliemae Toll free: (888) 2-SALLIE (888-272-5543)
What Should I Pay Off First?
If you have a large student debt amount to deal with you might be thinking about how you can most effectively pay it off. It is important to look at all your options and to understand what is priority.
If you are ready to begin making paying on your student loans be sure to pay the larger, higher-interest loans that you have first. While you’re in school you aren’t earning interest on your subsidized loans so it is recommended that you pay down your unsubsidized first.
What happens if I don’t pay my student loan back?
“Students who default on their student loans are reported to credit bureaus, so your credit rating and future borrowing ability will be negatively impacted. In addition, legal action can be taken to require payment through garnishment of wages and withholding of tax refunds.”- According to National Student Loan Data System
In short don’t think for a second that these cumbersome loans will ever someday magically disappear. If you haven’t been paying your loans or if you don’t have a plan it is never to late to start.
But what if I really want them to just disappear
Ok, if you really really really don’t want to pay them back under certain circumstances, the government will cancel all or part of your student debt. This practice is called
Loan Forgiveness.
In order to qualify you have to:
Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government offering working for a 27 months period. If you travel with the Peace Corps, you will get to defer most of your student loans until after you leave the program. You also might get some of your loans reduced by as much as 70%. Visit their website for information.
Americorps is a U.S. federal government program on civic education, education, and public service.If you are willing to commit a year volunteering for Americorps, you get $4,725 to pay off your college debts,and a stipend up to $7,400. For more information, visit their website.
Military Service. If you join the Army Reserve or the National Guard after graduation, you can receive up to $20,000 to pay off your loans.If you are willing to accept additional risk, ask to be stationed in areas of hostility to get even more money. While I can’t say I would take this route, I commend any individual man/woman/gay/straight who does.
Teaching is a great way to qualify for loan forgiveness. Teach for America,for example, selects college graduates to teach in low-income communities and offers $4,725 to pay off your student loans for each year you work for them. Visit their website for more details.
There are many others as well.
Remember to ask: How much of your loans will the program pay? Many programs will help pay for loans and grant you the ability to defer payments but you often have to do the legwork in applying for deferment, and if you have private loans, you’re still responsible for paying those if you can’t defer them.
Related: 3 Amazing Ways To Use Parents During College
Related: 5 Ways to Get Work Done without Actually Working
Why Student Loans Hurt Your Credit Score:
Paying off your loans isn’t going to be easy. However it shouldn’t have to be confusing. We are all in the same boat when it comes to paying off these bad boys, so we mind as well band together.
Leave your questions and advice about paying off student loans in the comments below.
Maximillian Garland | Bright Futura Columnist
Remember to follow Bright Futura on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, or you can subscribe to our RSS feed.
How To Write A Resume (Must Read)
Posted on January 2, 2012
I have met people in their second year of college who have resumes that have not been updated since high school. In fact, I can think of a couple instances of people who don’t even have resumes at all. You can guess what their job situation is like.
Not having a strong resume means one of three things:
- You are completely underestimating the value of a resume.
- You are extremely confident that you will win the lottery following graduation.
- You are lazy. Plain and simple.
While I can’t help anyone who falls into the last two categories, I can help people realize the value of a strong resume. Moreover, I know that as long as you don’t fall into that last category, I can help you build a resume that will land you that job or internship you’ve been drooling over.
Because to put it simply…
Resumes (and connections) are what get you a job PERIOD
Simple math problem:
A = Job (which requires knowledge of your past performance)
B = Resume (which are used to show your past performance)
C = Job (which equals cash money$$$)
If A requires B and you require C then you better write your damn resume! Math is stupid anyway. Continue Reading
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How To Craft The Perfect Modern Resume
Posted on December 26, 2011
Writing a resume is such a nebulous activity these days. You have to figure out which type of online resume format is best for you, whether to include a cover letter, how to incorporate social media into your resume, if a video resume is a good idea and what you should include on your LinkedIn profile.
Above all that, to get the job, you need to beat out all the other creative digital peeps who are producing dynamic digital resumes. Phew — that’s a lot of work!
We’re always finding new resources to help you on your journey to perfecting your digital resume, and we happened across this nifty infographic by the team at Colorado Technical University, which includes tips on creating a digital resume, as well as tips for sprucing up your traditional resume, for potential employers who still like the smell of top-linen paper. Enjoy.
No Longer Hiring: Jobs That Died in 2011
Posted on December 21, 2011
(Jen Hubley Luckwaldt, PayScale.com)
The tech-savvy, newest generation of workers grew up hearing that the jobs they would hold as adults hadn’t even been invented yet. No one mentioned that the jobs they had come to think of as permanent might become a thing of the past.
This year has been a rough one for many industries. In fact, many fields were plagued with layoffs and budget cuts severe enough to threaten the continued existence of specific jobs within them. In time, we may look back and say that 2011 was the year that the following jobs began to die. Continue Reading
Infographic Resume For The Creatively Impaired
Posted on November 30, 2011
As a freelancer or job seeker, it is important to have a resume that stands out among the rest — one of the more visually pleasing options on the market today is the infographic resume.
An infographic resume enables a job seeker to better visualize his or her career history, education and skills. FACT!
Unfortunately, not everyone is as talented as the Elliot Hasse (see below), and whipping up a professional-looking infographic resume can be a difficult task for the technically unskilled job seeker (most of us). For those of us not talented in design, it can also be costly to hire an experienced designer to toil over a career-centric infographic.
Luckily, a number of companies are picking up on this growing trend and building apps to enable the average job seeker to create a beautiful resume.
To spruce up your resume, check out these four tools for creating an infographic CV. If you’ve seen other tools on the market, let us know about them in the comments below. Continue Reading
How To Get Better Grades By Using Social Media [Infographic]
Posted on November 28, 2011
![22 Better Grades Social Media 00 How To Get Better Grades By Using Social Media [Infographic]](http://brightfutura.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/22-Better-Grades-Social-Media-00.jpg "22-Better-Grades-Social-Media-00")
Who says Social Media can’t help students get better grades in school? In fact, Master in Education posted an infographic showing that students who use social media acquire better grades in school. The reason? Because they tend to create study groups without the need of encouragement from their instructors. More over, students who use social media finds a way on how to discuss and relate to issues in and out of their schools.
To Learn More, See The Infographic Below. Continue Reading
How To Get More Out Of Google [Infographic]
Posted on November 25, 2011
![timthumb How To Get More Out Of Google [Infographic]](http://brightfutura.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/timthumb.jpg "thumb")
The great minds at Hack College have created a simple break down of the best ways to use Google– perhaps you’ve heard of it. It’s just this little search engine founded by two PhD. candidates while they were attending Stanford University. It basically is able to locate anything ever created on the world-wide web. I encourage you to check it out, if you haven’t already used it. I also urge you to learn how to use it properly; which brings me to the infographic below. Continue Reading
