Top five list

The top five things college graduates wish they had known when in college

1. Gain experience in the field you are pursuing

Do not wait until your senior year to work “on the job.” Instead volunteer and shadow within the field you are majoring. This real world experience will help you know if it’s the right degree for you…plus you’ll gain valuable experience.

2. Take advantage of breaks

Once you graduate you will not have as many opportunities to travel. Take advantage of breaks by taking road trips home with college friends, staying in hostels, and working at summer camps. These trips will help shape and broaden your world view.

3. Meet as many people as you can

The network of friends you develop in college may be more important than the academics. Information is not hard to obtain today, but it’s your contacts that will provide you with the opportunities to share that information.

4. Diversify you classes

Look beyond obtaining your degree and ask yourself, “What else do I need to learn about?” For example, you may be majoring in music, but plan to open a school for voice development. In addition, to your music curriculum taking courses in business, accounting, and marketing may be a good idea.

5. Remember that life is a marathon not a sprint

Go easy on yourself. It’s okay not to have your life all figured out. No one does.


For more lists and practical articles please visit www.quarterlifesolutions.com

Jason C. Steinle is the author of Upload Experience: Quarterlife Solutions for Teens and Twentysomethings, and host of The Steinle Show talk radio and television programs

Summer Vacation Offers Life Lessons

Article by Jason C. Steinle, author of Upload Experience:Quarterlife Solutions for Teens and Twentysomethings

“Back to college sale!” “I hate those words,” says 19-year-old Tom. “It means that the fun is over and it’s time to get back to learning.”

Did you have similar thoughts? Did you try squeezing every last drop out of your summer?

Unfortunately as the line between being “in” and “out” of school becomes more pronounced so does the myth of learning.

Today as quarterlifers—people between 16-34—we have come to believe that true learning only occurs within the structured world of academics. We think, “I’ve got two months to play before I have to get serious about college and my future again.”

Here’s the mistake. Most experiential learning occurs during the months of summer vacation. Think about it. It’s the time in which we begin working, socializing and having our first taste of freedom.

The myth of learning struck me during a recent radio interview. My guest, Seth Godin, a consultant for Yahoo! and considered one of the leading marketers of our time, flatly told me he learned and developed his marketing skills back when he was a camp counselor.

“I learned how to do it in summer camp.” Godin told me. “At my summer camp I was the canoeing instructor. The way the system worked is that each instructor had to persuade campers to spend time doing their activity.

“When I took over the number of people who chose to canoe was close to zero.

“I really wanted to succeed at that job so I got good at standing in front of 250 people and saying things that sounded silly or that made a fool of myself.

“That’s what they wanted to hear and it worked. That’s where I learned marketing. Not at Stanford where I later earned a business degree.”

I bet if you’re honest with yourself you’d discover a similar experience in your past. Perhaps it was the responsibility you learned as a life guard, the customer skills you learned taking orders at McDonalds or the creativity you learned as a babysitter. Summer vacation is full of life lessons. These lessons give us valuable clues as to what careers and lifestyles will best fit us in the future.

As summer vacation wraps up here is a simple exercise you can do to become aware of the life lessons you learned over the past two months.

Write out five answers to the question, “What did I do this summer that I enjoyed doing and feel I did well?” After you have written out the answers look to see what similarities exist in the activities.

Did you enjoy activities that involved….

Learning new information
Teaching
Doing technical work
Socializing
Finding new solutions
Etc…

When you identify the reoccurring theme to activities you enjoyed doing this summer and previous summers it will make it easier to identify the career path that best fits you.

For more practical articles please visit http://www.quarterlifesolutions.com/

Freedom for Quarterlifers

Today's Youth are Redefining Freedom

by Jason C. Steinle, author of Upload Experience: Quarterlife Solutions

(Check it out at Amazon.com)


“When I 20, I was supporting myself,” said Arthur, age 70. “My wife and I had a child at home and a second one on the way.”

Today, life in the United States is different. Quarterlifers—people between 16- and 34-years-old-- are redefining what job, relationship, and financial freedom means.

Take financial freedom for example. If you’re over 50 it means having enough passive income to be able to support your lifestyle for the rest of your life. For quarterlifers financial freedom is enough saved money to be able to travel for a year.

If you’re in your 50s and 60s job freedom is the security of staying dedicated to a position until you’re granted seniority, tenure and a retirement plan. For quarterlifers it means the flexibility to move, travel and switch jobs without feeling tied down.

Finally for people in their 50s and beyond relationship freedom resulted from marrying young and knowing that your friends and family would no longer be concerned about you becoming an old maid or hermit. For quarterlifers it means the opposite. It’s the freedom to explore and grow as an individual before jumping into a committed relationship, even if it means delaying marriage into your 30s and 40s.

So how can one generation be so different?

Quarterlifers live in the aftermath of soaring divorce rates, stock market scandals, and coorperate layoffs. Its not that quarterlifers have the answers, it’s just that like previous generations quarterlifers are looking for something else.

The reason for the change is the same motivating factor that has been responsible for every generational shift. A defiance of the way things are and the belief that “our generation” can do better.

Choosing a college major

How to choose a college major

Article by Jason C. Steinle, author of Upload Experience:Quarterlife Solutions for Teens and Twentysomethings

(Check it out at Amazon.com)

“I’m glad it’s over.” said, Tim, a recent HS graduate. “The rush to get college applications in, narrowing down the choices, and making the final decision. It was a little overwhelming.”

Tim, like a lot of quarterlifers, is ready to kick back. Why not? The party’s over, the in-laws have gone home, and he knows where he is going to college next year. Tim’s work is done.

Right?

Wrong.

It doesn’t matter if you just graduated from high school or are finishing your sophomore year at CSU, one of the most overlooked questions students fail to explore is “What should I major in?”
Here’s the deal. College is expensive. The 2004-2005 Annual Survey of Colleges indicated that four years of public college costs $22,266. But what the numbers don’t tell you is that college is even more expensive if you drift aimlessly for five or six years before committing to a major and graduating. Think about it. Each change in major adds thousands of dollars in tuition, books, room, and board costs.

So what can you do help control these costs and ensure you don’t bounce from major to major.

Opportunity

Start by writing at the top of a piece of paper “What should I major in? Next, write out all the questions that to relate to the problem. For example:

If I choose that major...

1. Where will I work?

2. When will I work? (early morning, evenings, weekends?)

3. Will I have flexibility in my schedule to invest time in family? hobbies?

4. Are there job openings or will I need to start my own business?

5. Will it support the lifestyle I desire?

6. Does it allow me to capitalize on my interests?

7. Who will I be working with? (people, machines, computers, animals)

8. Will I be doing the same work over and over, or will there be opportunity for new innovations?

9. Can I see myself doing it for the next 30 years?

and so on...

Keep writing out all the questions you can think of regarding the problem.

After you've written out all the questions go through and decide which seven are the most important. Then consider how each possible college major addresses those top seven questions.

By making your ultimate decision based on which college major bests answers the top questions, there is a greater chance you won’t be stuck paying for wasted tuition and you won’t feel inclined to switch degrees every semester.

For more practical tips please visit www.uploadexperience.com