Why I'm Blogging Before I Graduate

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.