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Todd Schultz is a senior majoring in English at The University of Iowa. He enjoys marketing, blogging, and anything else that might be useful in helping him get a job after college. Visit his blog at 
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New here? Employee Evolution is a blog written by Ryan Healy. Ryan is a Co-Founder of Brazen Careerist, the webs #1 social network for young professionals. Ryan speaks with organizations on best practices for recruiting and retaining Generation Y and how to effectively use social media to reach your target market. To contact Ryan, please visit our contact page.
As I inch closer to my December ‘08 college graduation date, my fingernails inch closer to my cuticles. Long ago, as a freshman in college, I looked at my future like I would a fairy tale: Expecting a nice happy ending. With a few more years under my belt, I recall that even Cinderella had it hard once.
Soon after I graduate college, I am expected to find a good job, with a good salary, and most importantly, good benefits. One of the hottest topics in the presidential campaign is about health insurance. Thousands of small businesses (3-199 employees) have been cutting their health insurance plans as of late due to increasing costs of coverage. Many of these are businesses that I might work for one day. I’ve recently come to find that I wouldn’t qualify for private insurance due to pre-existing conditions. Therefore, if I can’t get a job with benefits, I am destined to be one of those 47 million we’ve all been hearing so much about: the uninsured.
As if I didn’t have enough to worry about, I will also be leaving college with close to $100k in student loan debt. At the moment, my brother is enduring (with the help of my father) $1,000 dollar monthly payments on his student loans.
Yes, it’s all a bit overwhelming, but it’s reality. And it’s why I’ve started blogging.
After some research on other recent college grads, I found that blogging is a skill that provides many young people with a solid foundation for their careers. Obviously, Employee Evolution is a great example of this. Also, women like Penelope Trunk, operator of Brazen Careerist, has a career that spans a decade, in which blogging plays a fundamental role in her success.
Starting your own blog will encourage you to read other blogs, and to read them more critically, which will get your mind into the same gear of the blogs you read. You’ll see how other people managed to make the scary step into the workforce after college, and you’ll be engaged in an active approach to your future: the best, and perhaps the only way to jump-start your own success.
Blogging is also a great resume builder. Many businesses are looking to incorporate blogging as a part of their marketing strategies. It’s a simple way for them to reach their clients, and to maintain an ongoing dialogue with them; building both brand appreciation and a solid customer base.
Blogs offer advice on any topic. Especially the issues most important to the future college graduate, such as how to manage student loans, living without health insurance, and general career advice. I became so invested in reading up on this transition, I started my own blog covering all of the issues.
The most important benefit of starting your own blog, is it will make you more conscious of your future, and as a result, you will become better prepared to handle what comes after graduation, before it sneaks up on you.
Leave your thoughts here. (15 responses)
- 1 Pingback on Feb 5th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
- 2 Pingback on Feb 7th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Todd, good thoughts here. Before you join the conversation, I think that listening (i.e. reading other blogs and subscribing to them) is essential. You need some substance to base your ideas and your comments off of. By reading first, you become more knowledgeable with your responses.
Todd - congratulations on entering the blogosphere. I”m not sure your concerns about health care are something to lose sleep over - most major companies still offer health care benefits to salaried employees.
Also, blogs are great, but keep in mind most blogs don’t get as popular as Penelope Trunk’s. She also had help from columns at Yahoo Finance and the Boston Globe. A blog could get you a job or boost your resume, but internships and personal interactions are equally if not more important. Though if you want to become a writer, a blog is a must.
Good luck with the job situation!
Welcome Todd! Here is my post on Why I Blog as a Gen Y Young Professional with few more reasons for blogging.
@ Dan- Thanks for the encouragement. I absolutely agree with you. It is essential to read blogs and their comments in order to be come more knowledgeable. I also think that just starting a blog is a catalyst into engaging in other blogs, as well as increasing one’s expertise on the given topic.
@ Monica- While it may be true that many major companies still offer health care benefits, obtaining a decent salaried job right out of college may not be as easy as 123. Especially for those starting their own companies, and again, those working for smaller companies. In the latter situation, while a salary might be high, the cost of medical care can be too, so it’s best to be aware of the situation.
As far as gaining a decent readership, one doesn’t have to be the next Penelope Trunk. A solid readership ,however, and a well maintained blog, is a great thing to put on a resume.
Thanks for the comments.
Blogging also helps me to realize what matters to me - taking all sorts of information found online and in the world and then seeing it through your own rose-colored glasses. Good luck with the graduation and ensuing job search and congratulations on jumping into the blogosphere!
It’s been a while since I graduated from college, but I can tell you that everyone leaves that institution with great fear, excitement and, of course, debt. But at a time when you have great concerns, you also have many more choices than generations before you. Blogging is a great way to develop a community of people who can help you along that path, but you must also always consider your responsibility to those who read your blog. A few suggestions: 1. Verify your facts. I’m dismayed by the number of people who think that if they read it on someone else’s blog it must be true. Verify the information yourself, directly from the source if at all possible, before you repeat it on your blog. 2. Blog with integrity. Don’t fudge the facts to make your blog more provocative, because that can do a lot of damage very quickly. 3. You are known by the company you keep. Employers will look to see not only what you’re writing, but who you hang out with online. They can get scared easily, so don’t recommend blogs that will concern them, such as “How to Sabotage Any Employer in Three Easy Steps.” Good luck with your future — that first step can be a doozy, but well worth it.
Anita Bruzzese
www.45things.com
Todd - thoroughly enjoyed this post. As a college student graduating this spring (with over 50k in debt), I definitely understand how blogging can not only serve as a platform for developing your interests and writing skills, but also as an avenue of useful information. Since I joined the blogging community last summer, I have learned an incredible amount of helpful advice (especially with personal finance) through other blogs. Getting involved in the blogosphere with active participation in others’ content has been just as fun as developing my site!
Again, great post. Best of luck.
Alan
Nice post, Todd, and welcome! I’m convinced that blogging provides many benefits no matter what your age group. Imagine a would-be employer with a job opening that has great potential for you. Before you even come in for an interview, your blog URL gives the employer more information to complement what it sees on your resume (provided you list the URL on it). And, since communication skills are much more important these days, an employer that places a high value on them will know your skill level (which looks pretty darned good from the perspective of this Boomer).
Write on and good luck!
Rick
therickchronicles.blogspot.com
I’m confused how you can rack up $100K at a public university. Is this including a graduate degree or something? Avg tuition at publics is only $12-13K/yr…
DMT - Avg tuition for out of state public schools are nearly equivalent to private schools. Also, you need to figure in housing, food, books etc. etc. It aint cheap!
@ Anita- Thanks for the advice. It can definitley be tempting to believe and or say something in a blog that sounds good, but that one is not sure is true. Good research and being knowledgable on your topic is a must in blogging.
@ Alan- I feel like getting involved with other blogs is one of the key ways to developing one’s own site. It helps one gain readership, as well as insight into potential topics for blogging.
@ Rick- Thanks a lot for the compliment. I certainly do hope to apply the skills I attain and develop blogging into my career. Like I said, it’s why I’m blogging.
@ DMT- Tuition alone is 20k a year. Not including books, housing, food, etc. Pretty crazy, huh?
I also started my blog, math-geek-rock-chick.blogspot.com/ , with career in mind, but I had no idea it would have such a big impact on me.
At first, my blog was supposed to be like “if you want to get to know me, read this”. After only two months, I am surpried to see how my writing has improved. The blog became proof that I:
- can write
- can do it in English (in Poland, it’s important)
- do what I do on a regular basis
- have a sense of humor (not the most useful quality, but still a quality).
Also, like you said, it made me read other blogs and significantly extended my horizons.
I thought it was funny when half-a-year after I started work, one of my managers said I was one of just a few people they’d ever seen put a website on their resume (I actually had two).
It definitely sticks out. But be sure you’re proud of what you’ve put out there. I’m not saying put up a front and pretend to be something else online, just make sure it’s clear who you really are.