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

Good Morning Green Panda Readers! I hope that you all hand a great weekend.  Today is the last post in our “How Smart is Your Smartphone” series.  Now that this series has come to an end I have to say that it has been an interesting series for me to write about.  I never thought that I would see the day where I could access the internet and take pictures with my cell phone, but here we are in 2011.  I also never thought that a cell phone would be technologically intelligent, but here we are with our Smartphone’s.

Over the last few weeks of our “How Smart is Your Smartphone” series we have mourned the loss of Steve Jobs who is the CEO of Apple Corporation.  There was an interesting article on CNN  this week that names the Apple iPhone 4s as the best Smartphone in existence.  I can’t speak from experience because as you may remember from previous posts, I have the LG Shine Plus with Google which is an Android Smartphone.  However I have no doubt that the Apple iPhone 4s is amazing.

Today we are discussing the Pros and Cons of Using our Smartphone in College.  Throughout this series we have learned that having a Smartphone is convenient and easy to use for daily activities such as scheduling events and searching the internet.  We can also use our Smartphone as both a Personal Computer and a Personal Digital Assistant.  However, convenience comes with a cost.

The Pros of Using our Smartphone in College

Using our Smartphone in College is great because it allows us to keep in contact with our friends and family throughout the day.  We can read and send emails, update Social Media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as send Text Messages all with the touch of a button from our Smartphone.  This is especially tempting if we are stuck in a really boring class with an even more boring professor.

However, having access to the World Wide Web during class can also be a distraction in College.  It is great to be able to stay connected with family and friends, but if we spend more time surfing the Web than we do listening to our college Professor we may find our self failing our college courses.

The key to using a Smartphone in College is to use it for school work when we are on campus, and use it for personal use when we are at home.  If we are disciplined with our Smartphone usage we will stay focused in school and not go over our data usage.

The Cons of Using our Smartphone in College

If we continuously use our Smartphone during College Classes it is very likely that we will go over the allowed usage in our monthly data plan, this can be very expensive.  If you need help with your personal spending budget to make sure that you can afford your Smartphone and your monthly data plan check out these online resources.

Another con of using our Smartphone in College is the durability of the battery life.  If we are always using our Smartphone in College for sending Text Messages and to surf the net our battery could lose power very fast; then our Smartphone will be dead when we really need it.

I hope that you have enjoyed our “How Smart is Your Smartphone” series.  Be sure to check out all the other posts in this series:

Check out the other posts in our “How Smart is Your Smartphone” series:

Which Smartphone is the Best for You

To Buy or Not To Buy a Smartphone

Should You Buy a Smartphone? Do You Need It?

Your Smartphone Can Help You Make Money

Do You Connect With Your Parents from Your Smartphone

Photo by Tony Buser

Hello Everyone.  Today is our first post for the month of October and the last post in our Ultimate Success Tips for College Students series. I hope that you have enjoyed reading about life in college as much as I have enjoyed writing about it.  Reminiscing about my life in college almost makes me want to go back to school; I said almost just in case my Parents are reading because they really want me to go back to school and get my MBA.

Life After College

I really enjoy my life after College.  During my 4 years in College I had a very busy schedule because I worked full time while also studying full time; after Graduation I found myself with a lot of free time on my hands, which has been really nice because it allowed me to try new things and live new experiences.  I now enjoy travelling once a year which I never had the freedom to do while I was studying in College.  Any free time that I had while studying in College was used to pick up more hours at work to make some extra cash.

Believe it or not I found a love for recreational reading in my Life After College.  I love reading about New York, Organized Crime, and Police Dramas/Murder Mysteries.  I try to read about one book a month, but since it is a leisure activity instead of an imposition by a Professor I take my time.  I never thought I would find a love for reading, but the truth is that I really really enjoy it.  I love reading before I go to bed because it is calming, and I love reading on a Sunday afternoon in the Sunshine on my balcony because it is a good excuse to get some fresh air and a tan.

The one regret that I have about my Life After College is not taking a year off.  I did take a year off after my first semester in College but that was because I needed to work full time.  I wish that I would have had the luxury to take a year off after Graduation to travel the world and find my place.  Unfortunately I couldn’t do that because my life was already planned out for me.

College Graduate Plans

After Graduating from College my Plans were clear…Work Full Time, Get Married, and Find Stability.  My structured adult life started right after College Graduation because it was a continuation of my life during college.  I was already working full time for a great employer while I was studying in college.  My only plans as a college graduate were to get a promotion and move up along the corporate ladder with my current employer.  That is what my parents did and that is what they wanted me to do.  My College Graduate Plans never focused on me, they always focused on my career and my money, because in my family that is what we do.  Everything is planned, and the one thing that my parents never understand is that we can’t plan for everything.

If I could give one piece of advice for College Students who are making plans for after Graduation it would be Don’t Believe Everything that you hear about Graduating from College.  Nothing ever works out perfectly as we plan because otherwise we wouldn’t have a Plan B, such as travelling or going back to school to get a Graduate Degree.  We should have a plan for our life after college so that we don’t end up wandering around like a lost puppy, but there is no rule that says we have to get married, start a family, and have a successful career right after college.  Who wants to start the rest of their life at 23 years old? I surely didn’t!  I also didn’t know it at that time; but I know it now!

In case you missed them, check out all the posts in our Ultimate Success Tips for College Students series:

Work+College=Find a Balance.

Should You Work Full Time or Part Time in College?

Be Productive In College, Not a Procrastinator!

Online Courses Helped My GPA!!!

Should Money Always Be a Factor for a Higher Education?

Use This Study Guide to Pass Your Exams with Flying Colors!

Are You Going To Graduate and Go Back To School?

Good Morning Green Panda Friends. Today is the next post in our Ultimate Success Tips for College Students series.  Today we are discussing the decision to go back to school after Graduating from College.  Many of us go to college in order to get a higher education and then get a good job.  Some of us only go to college because we were forced to by our parents, and some others go to college because we had no job prospects after high school.  A lot of our Parents went straight into the workforce after they graduated from high school because that was the reality of their time.  Nowadays it (usually) takes at least a Bachelors Degree to get a job, and even that doesn’t guarantee us anything anymore.

Get Your MBA

Some professional careers now require an MBA in order to even be considered for a job.  I think that this is totally ridiculous because many people can barely afford to get their Undergraduate Degree, let alone pay for the price of an MBA.  A Masters of Business Administration also doesn’t guarantee that we will get a job, but it could be an alternative solution if we don’t have any job prospects after we graduate with our Bachelors Degree.

After I graduated from College with my Undergraduate Degree I went back to school…twice.  The first time I went back to school to study for and become a Certified Financial Planner.  I am proud to say that I received my designation as a Certified Financial Planner in 2007.  I also went back to school and completed a Diploma in Business Law.  I really enjoy studying, but as I get older (I will be 31 in October) my ambition to go back to school is dying out.

As a Certified Financial Planner I had to complete 10 different courses before I could apply for and be accepted to (Yes they can decline you) write the final exam.  Once we pass the final exam we  officially become a Certified Financial Planner.  Some schools offer credits of my Financial Planning courses towards the courses for an MBA.  This means that if I choose to pursue my MBA I would already have almost one year of credits completed before I even walked in the door.  Both my Parents and my Employer have suggested that I do pursue my MBA, I would be the second person in my family to achieve it.  However, it doesn’t interest me.  I enjoy studying as long as it is my choice to study and as long as I choose the course topics.  I hate being forced into anything.  In my option getting my Masters of Business Administration would only add the letters MBA on by business cards beside the letters F. Pl.

Attending Graduate School

An MBA is not the only option for Students who wish to continue their studies after Graduation.  Students can Attend Graduate School and achieve a Masters Degree in a variety of subjects, it is not just for Business Students.  However in my world of Business and Finance attending Graduate School means getting your MBA.  If I did decide to pursue my MBA, which I am not, I would do it for the social aspect of attending school.  I like studying and I like learning, but I really love meeting new people and making new firends.

Students who attend Grad School are older.  In Graduate School our classmates could eventually become our friends and then possibly our co-workers. The advantage of attending Graudate School is that the Students are already educated and some may even have work experience.  In Grad School we can learn from the experience of others.

Don’t Forget To Check Out the Other Posts in our Ultimate Success Tips for College Students series!

Work+College=Find a Balance.

Should You Work Full Time or Part Time in College?

Be Productive In College, Not a Procrastinator!

Online Courses Helped My GPA!!!

Should Money Always Be a Factor for a Higher Education?

Use This Study Guide to Pass Your Exams with Flying Colors!

Hello Green Panda Readers and Good Monday Morning to You All.  I hope you all had a nice weekend.  Today is the next post in our Ultimate Success Tips for College Students series. Today also marks the last Monday in September and this means that the first month of school is already almost over.  Soon October will start and Professors and Students will start getting ready for Mid Term Exams.  During my College career some of my classes only counted my grade on the Mid Term Exam for 20% worth  of my final grade.  The rest of my final grade was made up of attendance, participation, small projects and a Final Exam.  However, some of my classes allotted the Mid Term Exam as 50% of the final grade for the course.  I seriously hate this!

Mid Term  and Final Exams already come with a lot of pressure to do well and succeed, but the added pressure of the Mid Term or Final Exam counting for half of our entire grade is unbearable.  I would personally prefer to hand in small projects and participate in class discussions rather than have the pressure of my Exams counting for 50% of my final grade.  If our Mid Term and Final Exams are worth 50% each it is unsettling to know that we only have 2 chances to pass our course.  In my opinion when our entire course grade is made up of only the scores from our Mid Term and Final Exams it is pure laziness on behalf of the Professor.

Doing Well in College

The college experience is about so much more than Exams; but the pressure to do well in College can be unbearing for some Students.  However, “Doing Well” in College can be relevant to each Students (or Parents)  interpretation.  For some Students “Doing Well” means that we have good grades and receive our College Diploma with Honours.  However, for other Students networking throughout our 4 years of College and making the right connections to guarantee a job after Graduation would be considered “Doing Well.”  After all, the main goal of going to College is to get a job after Graduation.

Some people may consider “Doing Well” in College as the ability to gain financial responsibility and grow into an independent person.  In my opinion if we went into College as a naive teenager and we Graduated as a well rounded young adult we have definitely done well in College.  Going to College is about growing as an individual and learning about life on our own. If you have achieved that during your 4 years of College then you have done well and accomplished a mission.

Here are 5 Success Tips to Help You Study For College Finals:

- Make a Plan.  At the beginning of the College Semester plan your next 3 months.  This will help us organize our time to make sure that we can successfully get everything done.  If we need 3 days to study for a Mid Term or Final Exam then we have to free up 3 days on our Calendars.

- Set a Goal.  Give yourself a Grade that you want to have.  Working towards a Goal always helps me achieve success.  If we go into the exam with the Goal to just Pass the Exam our motivation could be lacking.

- Get Some Sleep.  There is nothing worse than staying up all night studying and going to the Exam the next day completely tired.  Even if we did learn something the night before our brain is shut down during the Exam and we can’t remember anything.  It is hard to gather my thoughts when all I can think about is going to sleep.

- Don’t Procrastonate.  Procrastination can lead to defeat.  If we wait for the last minute we can crack under the pressure and not get anything done. I can’t work under pressure because I can’t clearly formulate my thoughts, I definitely get scatter brain.

- Avoid Temptation. Stay in! Turn off your Cell Phone and Log Out of Your Face Book! Time is valuable and we can get a lot more done when we don’t have distractions.

Don’t Forget To Check Out the Other Posts in our Ultimate Success Tips for College Students series!

Work+College=Find a Balance.

Should You Work Full Time or Part Time in College?

Be Productive In College, Not a Procrastinator!

Online Courses Helped My GPA!!!

Should Money Always Be a Factor for a Higher Education?