Five Things to Do in College to Set You Up for a Great Career

There is an argument raging in this country right now about whether it is the duty of colleges and universities to make young people job-ready. Traditionalists argue that colleges should teach students how to think and help them develop a strong knowledge base, and that career preparation is the purview of career centers and employers. Many others, including President Obama, feel that colleges should take more responsibility for their graduates’ ability to get jobs. They argue that an ivory tower attitude doesn’t work anymore, given the cost of a college education today.

Starting OutAllison ChestonNovember 19, 2013Career Development, Career Management, College Debt, College to Career, Gen Y College Debt, Gen Y jobs, Internships, Interviewing, Job Search, LinkedIn, millennial careers, Networking, Social Media Management, Career PlanningComment

Don’t Just Find a Job—Find a Career

Recently a career industry colleague who works with Millenials asked me a question very relevant to our times. She asked, “How do you get college graduates to think not in terms of finding a job, but finding a career?”

Changing Course, Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your StoryAllison ChestonSeptember 4, 2012Career Development, Career Management, Colby College, College Debt, College Loans, College to Career, Internships, Interviewing, millennial careers, Networking, Roger Woolsey, Work-Life, Career PlanningComment

The False Start

It used to be that, just five or six years ago, you could graduate from college pretty much assured you’d have a job. Of course all that has changed since 2008 and the recession, with close to half of new college grads unable to find a job.

Starting OutAllison ChestonMay 2, 2012Career Development, Career Management, College Debt, College to Career, millennial careers, Networking, new college grads, Work-Life, Career Discovery, Career Planning, College Grad UnemploymentComment

The Tough Case for Law School

Back in May, the New York Times wrote an article slamming law school and the profession in general.

Starting OutAllison ChestonMay 25, 2011Career Development, Career Management, College Debt, College to Career, Law school, millennial careers, Transferable Skills, Work-Life, Career PlanningComment

Waiting for Payday on the College Front

As we’ve discussed in this blog before, the price value relationship of college is being called into question, now more than ever. For many Americans, whether they get financial aid determines whether or not they can attend the college of their choice. This is not a new situation, it is just a lot more common.

Starting OutAllison ChestonMay 12, 2011Career Development, College Debt, College Loans, College to Career, economy, Gen Y College, Gen Y College Debt, millennial careers., Career PlanningComment

Let’s Make All Majors Employable

In the last couple of years, the price value equation of going to college has been called into question. Blog post after post questions whether a college degree is worth the money—and if that degree is really just for rich people or for those who can qualify for a free ride.

Moving Up, Starting Out, Telling Your Story, Changing CourseAllison ChestonApril 29, 2011Career Development, Career Management, College Debt, College Loans, College to Career, millennial careers, Career PlanningComment

Starting OutAllison ChestonApril 21, 2011Career Management, College Debt, College Loans, College to Career, Gen Y College Debt, Internships, Interviewing, millennial careers, Networking, Student Debt, Career PlanningComment

Weighing the Cost of College

Early this week I wrote about Gen Y college debt, and put the post up on Brazen Careerist with the question, “If you could do it over, would you attend a less expensive school”. The question really struck a chord.

Starting OutAllison ChestonApril 15, 2011College Debt, College Loans, College to Career, Gen Y College Debt, millennial careersComment

Gen Y’s College Debt

There’s an article on the front page of today’s New York Times entitled Burden of Loans on College Graduates Grows.

Starting OutAllison ChestonApril 12, 2011Career Management, College Debt, College Loans, College to Career, millennial careers, Career PlanningComment

In Praise of “Good Enough” Schools

I’ve been interviewing college grads in their 20’s for my upcoming book and career curriculum In the Driver’s Seat: Work-Life Navigation Skills for Young Adults. And one of the things I’m finding is that not everyone who’s “successful” at 28 attended a top college. This is not surprising but definitely merits conversation.

Starting OutAllison ChestonDecember 2, 2010College Debt, College Loans, College to Career, millennial careers, Career PlanningComment