Hey Potential Interns ! I just wanted to take a moment to let all students know that Fall Internship season is upon us and it’s very important to start putting in your resumes and cover letters for your dream Fall Internships. Lots of students say they cannot intern during the Fall because there are no “cool” companies in their town.
Wrong. They are out there – you just need to find them.

HOW TO FIND THE FALL INTERNSHIP OF YOUR DREAMS

1. Create a Dream List – A “Dream List” is a complete countdown of the companies you dream of working at in the future. If you are interested in becoming a magazine writer this list might say “Cosmo, Seventeen, Oprah, Cosmogirl, Allure, Redbook.” Try to write down between 8-10 companies that you’d be interested in working for.

2. Take your dream list and bring it down a few notches. If your dream magazine to work at is “US Weekly” then do some research and see what local magazines your city/town has to offer. Most big cities have at least one publication dedicated to their location. If your dream internship is to work at Lehman Brothers than take it down a level and see what financial firms are in your local area.

3. Reach out. Do whatever you need to do to at least find a main number to these companies. Going to the company’s website is usually your best bet. There is usually a “Contact Us” button at the bottom of the page. If not, try the “Terms of Use” or “About Us”; they should at least list a city where the company is headquartered. If you know the city the company is based out of you can at least look that up on yp.yahoo.com or another directory search. When you call these companies ask to speak with the Internship coordinator. If you get a voicemail, leave a clear message and state your phone number. If you don’t hear back in 3 days then call again to follow up. Don’t be annoying about it but at the same time – stay on it. Putting in one call usually does not get the job done. Remember to always thank the person on the phone for taking the time to speak with you. Read More »

So, you’ve just settled in to your campus, unpacked your essentials and have caught up with the necessary friends and college hook-ups and you’re all getting ready to go out for an evening of debauchery, you look into your wallet to grab some cash and – surprise – you’re broke.

If you’re tired of asking Mamadukes and Pops for some cash (or if they just plain won’t give ya any), a part-time job is necessary. Some college jobs can be a total buzzkill (hello scrubbing dishes at the dining commons), but others turn out not too shabby. Here’s a few I suggest:

1. Library. Every campus has one and there are TONS of jobs that need filling. It’s convenient, generally in the heart of the campus, AND it beats working for the dining halls. I spent my four years of college working for the Special Collections and Archives Department where I made around $10/hr, which was more than any other on-campus position around. I could work in between classes and I wound up making one of the best friends I have at that job, not to mention some excellent recommendations when real-life job time comes around. Try it, peeps. Head to the Circulation Department of your Library (or the college job website – there is one, if you didn’t know!) and see what departments are hiring.

2. Restaurants/Bars in town. Every campus has a “downtown” or “uptown” – the happening place on a Friday or Saturday night. If you can’t afford to spend money on drinks, get a job where your friends go; you can make loot and enjoy their company. It’s the best of both worlds. Just pop in to your favorite night hot spots and pick up some applications!

3. College Admin Office. Whether it’s the Administrative Office, the Bursar Office or another department in the Academic and Billing section of your campus, you can find a job that is accommodating to your schedule and pays decently. A friend of mine worked at one of the offices in the billing building and for graduation her boss got her a white gold necklace. Score! Read More »

Rarely while I am writing a story for CC do I find myself changing my mind about the subject halfway through. However, as I sit here with my can of sugar free Red Bull trying to muster up some energy for whatever kind of weird crowd will be at the bars during the summer on Thirsty Thursday, I had a sudden change of heart.

I’ve been spending a lot of time at music festivals this summer, like waaay more than anyone who isn’t obsessed with Jerry Garcia and The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test should, so I have run into a few very interesting characters, to say the least.

Now, I’m not saying that I’m not a whole fan of the hippie lifestyle. I’m extremely liberal and I love me some tye dye & hemp necklaces & moonshine just as much as the next chick. I just prefer to have clean underwear and hair that smells more like strawberries than Mary Jane. But the one thing I have never found appealing are the dreadlocked, banjo-playing, I-ate-way-too-many-mushrooms-once kind of crazies you run into at festivals – who basically live and breathe the whole scene.

I have a best friend; however, who is notorious for falling in lurrrve with every boy who writes her a sonnet and accompanies on his harmonica or enchants her with stories of touring with The String Cheese Incident. She’s a sucker, that’s for sure. I always wondered: How is it humanly possible that my friend who is gorgeous, intelligent & about to graduate with a B.A. going to seriously consider dating someone who is jobless, degree-less and (presumably) showerless? Read More »

Marriage is a big thing in this country, isn’t it? People are all up in arms about protecting the sanctity of it. Making sure people wait for it before they have kids, and that those of the same sex don’t do it because that would be wrong. With all of this to do about stopping certain people from marrying, who’s making sure that other people do?

It seems that marriage (according to statistics, which as we all know, are infallible) has become a white institution. Black people just aren’t doing it anymore.

Some of you may be familiar with the special CNN aired, “Black in America” in which they spoke on many of the issues that black America is having not only with marriage, but with other aspects of day to day life: employment, education, etc., all of which impact the black community.

Dionne Hill, the producer of the segment has a special rumination on black people and marriage. It’s not a new statistic, but the fact still remains: black people simply are not getting married in the numbers that we once used to. Certainly no longer comparable in numbers to the ethnic majority of Caucasian people marrying. In the article, which can be found in it’s entirety here, she talks about her own experience with the illusive unicorn that is marriage and her own vision of the perfect life, which is, of course: marriage, career, and children. Read More »

I have a friend who has a job thousands of people would kill for: he works in video games.

Whenever we’re out and he meets someone new, the conversation inevitably dissolves into a discussion of his job. Even those who hate video games (like me) want to know how he landed a position in such an elusive field.

And I thought, why not give you guys the benefit of his experience? So I interviewed him and, voila, here it is. May it be at least somewhat helpful.

If so, let me know–I’ll conduct some more of these suckers with people in other industries.

Okay, here’s the interview:

Hi, friend! What’s your name?
Ronnie Villanova.

And how old are you?
27.

What’s your current job title?
I’m an Associate Producer.

Oh, cool. And what kind of company do you work for?
It’s a video game company. They make and publish video games.

Wow, that sounds really interesting. Do you like it?
As fun and creative as people think video games might be, my actual job is very corporate and full of red tape, and hierarchies, and meetings, and Excel; lots of Excel. It’s sort of like The Office, except even more socially awkward. Read More »

Who couldn’t use a quick buck these days? Especially college students who can barely scrape together a couple of quarters for 50-cent beer night at the pub. Sure, we have financial aid, work study, and minimum-wage paying part-time jobs, but sometimes we just need a little extra cash, stat. Thanks to Craigslist, that cash isn’t so hard to come by.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Craigslist, there is an individual site for most major cities across the US (and around the world, for that matter), e.g. losangeles.craigslist.org, boston.craigslist.org, and so on. Craigslist is basically a bunch of classified ads, and there’s a huge section of both “jobs” and “gigs” just waiting for you to stumble upon. So whether you want to splurge on a shopping spree, get your grandmother a birthday present, or actually buy your books this semester, look on Craigslist. I recommend browsing the categories “ETC” and “Event,” though if you have a particular talent or skill, you may want to look under “Creative,” “Labor,” or “Writing.”

Here are some of my favorite past Craigslist gigs:

1. Mock Juror
Listed under: Event
Paid: $60 for less than 4 hours Read More »

In this episode, the Lohans FINALLY get to Vegas! They didn’t fly there in a private jet though, which I’m gonna admit was a bit of a let down (I expected some major control issues and perhaps Dina’s debut as a pilot), and there was no liquor fueled dramz. While the episode was age appropriately absent of hard booze, it was heavy on the whine.

For some reason, Ali chooses to adopt an even more nasally tone for this 25 minute tribute to ungratefulness. She complains in this obnoxious tantrum pending voice about all of the trials life has delivered to her. Like the fact that she, her awesome brother and (arguably) cool mom have to live in a tricked out penthouse at the Palms while she records her album. I guess it gets pretty taxing when you’re attending all of these exhausting “Welcome to Vegas!” parties (with delicious looking cake) thrown just for you by the f*#king Maloufs.

Ugh, sorry about that. Anyways, Dina introduces Ali (who is wearing a gorgeous but way too mature minidress) to a bunch of important 30 something guys that she wants Ali to “get comfortable with.” Dina baby, they’re mentally undressing your 14 year old — not very comfort inducing, I would say. The men all flirt with Ali while she fidgets, present her the aforementioned cake (note to self, go buy something with chocolate as soon as I’m done writing) and begin an episode long tradition of complimenting Ali and promising her she’s the next big thing. Read More »

This article really made me think.

In the article, we learn that some cities are better for individuals to work in than others (cost of living, housing, relation to career, etc.). New York City, where I have lived since the tender age of 17, gets slammed.

Yes, it’s an expensive city to live in, but what I think this article completely leaves out is lifestyle. New York, for instance, offers a way of living that no other city can offer. And I’m sure any defender of any place they love would say the same. It’s important to be in a place that makes you happy, that keeps you fulfilled, if you want to do well at work. A fulfilled worker is a happy worker. Right?

Or wrong? I don’t know.

Today (at least in our society), job often comes before all else. It’s what we ask each other first at parties–”What do you do?” is supposed to tell us all we need to know.

And yet, most of the functioning 20-something set I know are unhappy in their jobs. Most of them don’t consider their current job to be their ultimate career. Read More »