Good Morning Green Panda Readers.  Welcome to the next post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series.  Today we are discussing an important decision, actually many important decisions, that we have to make in College.  When we are in High School we are told that our study habits will determine how we perform in College, and in College the decisions that we make will determine how we perform in the work world after graduation.

Declaring a Major in College

College is full of tough choices from deciding on our course load to choosing where to study.  The first decision that we have to make in college is choosing our major.  Declaring a major in College is a big decision because it can determine our career path as well as our job opportunities after graduation.

I suggest that students take the maximum time allowed before declaring a major in college because it will help you explore your options, discover your talents, and avoid the same mistake that I made.  I applied to College in a faculty that seemed interesting in the course book, but that I really didn’t know much about.  I wanted to attend College away from home and the application deadline was quickly approaching, so I chose a major without exploring my options.

My quick decision to declare a major was a big mistake.  I changed my major twice before I graduated in my final program of study.  Thankfully I didn’t lose too much time and I was able to allocate the courses from my first two majors as electives, but some other students that I know where not as lucky.  Declaring a major in College too soon can add a lot of time onto our college career.  Our major in College should be a general topic and our minor (if we chose to declare one) should be a more specialized subject.

Deciding To Study Abroad

Some College Programs offer the option to study abroad for a semester.  If the option to study abroad is available I definitely suggest that we take advantage of this unique opportunity.  Learning about different cultures and how business works in different parts of the world can only help us in searching for career opportunities.  Many programs such as hospitality, finance, and business administration offer the option to study abroad.

Deciding not to study abroad in College is by far my biggest regret.  I often wonder what path my life would have taken if I had spent a semester abroad in Europe, South America, Africa, or Asia.  If I could go back and change one aspect of my College Career I would definitely decide to study abroad.

Applying to Grad School

Deciding whether to apply to Grad School is another major decision that we will have to make in College.  Students apply to Grad School for a variety of reasons that include everything from not finding a job after graduation to hopefully having more job opportunities after graduating from Grad School.  Before we decide to apply to Grad School we should consider the opportunity cost versus the educational cost.  Sometimes having the three letters MBA beside our name on a business card will not bring more benefits than the cost of a higher education.

Photo by Marina Avila

 Don’t Forget to Check Out the previous posts in this series:

Use Your Time in College Wisely

Trade School or College Diploma

Graduate From College Debt Free

Good Morning Green Panda Friends.  It’s time for the next post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series.  Today we are discussing how to make the most of our time at college.  Every single year of college brings a new experience and a new opportunity; Green Panda is here to help you use your time at College wisely.

Our First Year at College

Our First Year at College is a social learning experience.  For the first time in our lives we are probably out of our comfort zone; we may be away from our families for the first time and we have to make friends.  The social aspect of our First Year at College may be the most important learning experience of all.

Our First Year at College is about making new friends who will become our support system throughout our College career.  It is important to have a strong support system because being away from our family and friends as well as living in a brand new environment can be very overwhelming.  I moved 800 miles away from my family to attend College and I was back at my parents’ house within 6 months.  I wasn’t prepared for this turbulent emotional road otherwise known as my First Year at College, and therefore I went right back to my comfort zone…my parents’ house.

Our Second Year at College

A year later I tried again and I am happy to say that I successfully completed my Second Year of College.  By our Second year at College we should have already made some great friends.  There is nothing that brings people together more than sharing a new experience and trying to bear and unbearable situation.  During our Second year at College it’s time to start getting our academic career on the right path.

Our Second Year at College should be used to make connections with our professors and other administrators in our program.  We want to get noticed and we want to put ourselves on the scholastic map. Join a club, become the member of an organization, and schedule meetings with your professors during office hours; even if you don’t have something specific to discuss, find a topic to talk about.

Our Third Year at College

During our Third Year at College it’s time to step up as a leader.  We have already made great friends, we have established a good support system, and we already got our feet in the door with the faculty in our program.  Now we need to make sure that our hard work and dedication are noticed by the right people.

In our Third Year at College we should offer to help our Professor with administrative tasks such as grading papers of their first and second year students.  A job as a Teacher’s Assistant is great experience. It also allows us to make a great connection with our Professors circle of friends who will hopefully become our potential employers after graduation.  If we joined an association it is time to move up from being a contributing committee member to an event organizer or a member of the executive committee.  We need to get our name published and we need people to start noticing us.

Our Fourth Year at College

Our fourth and final year in college is the home stretch.  This is where we really want to shine.  We have to put our previous three years of dedication and connections to work for us.  We can ask about, and start applying for internships or other entry level positions.

Career Prospects should be our focus in our Fourth Year at College.  We can ask for letters of recommendation from our Professors as well as the Administrators who oversee the committees that we joined. Use all connections and centers of influence to obtain any and all career prospects.

Don’t Forget to Check Out the previous posts in this series:

Trade School or College Diploma

Graduate From College Debt Free

Photo by Quen

Good Morning Green Panda Readers.  Welcome to the second post in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” series.  Today we are discussing the choice of attending College or Trade School.  There are advantages of having a College Degree but there are also several benefits to earning a 1 to 2 year Trade School Diploma as well. We are going to explore the cost of a College Degree versus a Trade School Diploma as well as the Job Opportunities that come with them after graduation.

The debate of a College Degree versus a Trade School Diploma is always ongoing.  Many students feel that having a 4 year College Degree is more beneficial than having a Trade School Diploma, but this is not always true.  My Dad attended Trade School for 2 years to become a Certified Mechanic and he has been employed at the same company for over 30 years.  My Mother graduated from University with a Degree in Human Resources and she has worked at 5 different companies over the last 30 years, so no one really knows which is better. I guess it depends on your program of study and what you want to achieve in your career.

The Pros and Cons of Trade School

A major advantage of attending Trade School is that it gives us real hands on experience.  This is great because we will know what to expect when we enter the work world after graduation.

Trade Schools usually offer a 1-2 year Diploma in a specific program of study.  This can be both a pro and a con of attending Trade School.  Being an expert in a specific field can help us work towards our dream job, but it can also be a problem if we lose our job.  Being a specialist in only one field with one specific skill set can be a problem if our field is not currently hiring.  It’s always a good idea to have a backup plan, for anything in life.

Another con of graduating from Trade School is that we may not like our program.  If we don’t have a back up career plan and we don’t like our program of study in Trade School we could be stuck after graduation in a job that we don’t like.  Trade School Programs of Study include Welders, Sound Engineers, Dental Assistants, Paralegals, and Mechanics.

The Pros and Cons of a College Degree

A major benefit of earning a College Degree is that we learn valuable information.  Because a college degree usually takes 4 years to complete, unlike a 1 to 2 year Trade School Diploma, we learn a lot more information; but it is also more generalized.

A 4 year College Degree can open many doors of opportunities for graduates of programs such as Human Resources, Business Administration, and Accounting.  These are jobs that may be offered in many different types of companies and corporations, this is an advantage because we do not have to limit ourselves to one particular sector or industry.  The Automotive Industry needs Human Resource Officers and Corporate Accountants just as The Field of Finance also needs them.

A con of graduating from College with a 4 year degree is that our program may be too general, and therefore we may not be able to find our dream job without a few years of working experience first.

Very often is the case that College Students graduate with a 4 year degree and they are unable to find work right away.  An alternative for recent College Students is to return to school or Trade School and narrow down their expertise to a specific field.

Check Out the other posts in our “Me, My College Education, and My Money” Series:

How To Graduate From College Debt Free

Photo by USACE