Cool Finds: The Latest Links for Soon-to-Be and Recent Grads

Some more cool links to help you navigate the real world!

• Generation of Debt: Cool video from ABC News about recent grads dealing with school debt. Features Anya Kamenetz, author of DIY U and Generation Debt.
• Generation Y's steep financial hurdles--Huge debt, no savings: Interesting article about Generation Y and spending.
• Guide to Health Insurance: eHealthInsurance.com answers your questions (specifically for new grads) about health insurance. This is so interesting, because when I came out of college, I had no clue about health care!
• From Graduation to Corporation: Another book about starting your career by Andy Teach.
• New Rules Grads: Job Search, then Diploma: Love this article by Butler University talking about starting your job search earlier than two weeks before you graduate. Still, starting the search is better than not at all, right?
• Survey reveals lowered expectations among new college grads: An article by Dawn Anfuso that talks about how more grads are moving home after graduating. Maybe not lowering expectations--maybe being more practical!

The 2010 Job Outlook for New Grads

It's that time of year when all the "experts" put together their forecasts for new grads. And in just about every case--and especially in this economy--it doesn't look good.

So what do you do: Listen to the reports or brush them off? If you listen to the reports, they will likely leave you feeling deflated, because many elude to there being few job prospects for new grads. That can really sink in...after all, if a top-notch career professional got laid off, what qualifies you to have a job?

My vote is to brush off the reports and ignore all the hype. Too many people get all upset when they read these reports and that negative energy can weigh you down. Instead, take all that energy--and everything you have to offer--and put it into your job hunt. There's nothing else that you really can do. Too many people are waiting things out while things get better and missing out on the chance to get a job.

So what do you think of the 2010 grad job outlook? Is it all hype to screen out new players? Are there really NO jobs out there?

Good Finds for 20-somethings

Here are some things online I'm enjoying:

• Lindsey Pollak's podcast featuring Jenny Blake on modern moonlighting--having two jobs as a new graduate!
• Miriam Salpeter of Keppie Careers talks about your networking strategy--and if it's really working for you!
• TalentCulture: Just a cool site!
• YSN discusses quitting a job without another lined up--eek!
• 5 High-Impact Career Habits: Must-haves for advancing your career.
• What to do when there aren't many jobs out there--tip: don't stop looking! From Grad to Great.
• 2010 College Grads Face Lower Salaries: Yes, numbers are down in general, WSJ...but it's still not that bad!
  

Calling Gen Y'ers--Share Your Story!

More Than Myth TM (MTM), a ‘grand social experiment’ created to capture and chronicle the most uninhibited and outrageous (but true) stories of a generation launches March 31, 2010. Even cooler? The most legendary stories are guaranteed to be published in a book.

To celebrate undiscovered stories, ‘MTM: Living Legend’, kicks off the MTM search. More Than Myth will give the person with the best story $5,000 and propose a question, "Do you want to get paid $5,000 to blow $5,000 on creating a legendary story?" The winner’s story will be published in MTM’s upcoming book.

What are legendary stories? MTM founder Daniel Tweedall interviewed the likes of comedian Michael Ian Black, poker champion Phil Hellmuth Jr., pop culture ‘I.T. Girl’ and Party Monsters: Cabo runner-up and pop culture queen Kinsey Schofield, eccentric entrepreneur Peter Shankman and designer and Project Runway runner up Althea Harper, who all shared their incredible experiences.

“Life is often stranger than fiction, and those moments make for the best stories” said Tweedall. “From the surreal and shocking, to the hysterical and emotional, More Than Myth gives you the platform – it only takes 5 minutes to begin telling your story.”

Anyone can share their stories on MTM’s website through a simple 3-step process. The top-ranked stories (decided by vote) are collected each month for the chance to be published in their upcoming book.

“More than just making the home page for an afternoon, this is a road to glory – getting your story enshrined in a book” said Tweedall. “It isn’t about having the best formal writing skills, it’s the best storytelling – like you would with friends over a beer.”