Monthly Archives: May 2010

From Mashable: Foursquare Nearing 1M Checkins Daily

Written by michael. Posted on May 28, 2010. Filed under Startup Scene. Tagged , , , . No comments.

Foursquare — the social site for sharing your location (restaurants, bars, coffee shops, etc.) — is homing in on 1 million checkins a day, according to their Twitter and this Mashable article.

Do you use Foursquare? Perhaps more importantly — do enough of your friend use it to warrant your own use?

Good Creative Habits: Solitude or Idolization?

Written by michael. Posted on May 27, 2010. Filed under Professional Advice. Tagged , , , , , . No comments.

Zenhabits' great post on getting creative; inspired

Looking for advice on how to maintain a productive and creative streak? We previously shared some of Hemingway’s Hacks with you, but here, ZenHabits focuses more on consistently sparking your own creativity.

Gleaning some creativity tips from Felicia Day, Chase Jarvis and some historical icons as well, there’s some good insight into how successful creative types keep the ideas coming.

Whether it’s photography, design (web or graphic), writing, music or even business, there’s a fine line between staying sharp and just going through the motions.

What the ZenHabits post inadvertently shows is that often, creativity and inspiration can come from others. The post talks about the importance of solitude, but a lot of times one can simply ponder what creative or professional idols are up to…it’s a good way to rev up the engines!

What do you think? Are you at your best when you have some time alone with your thoughts, or do you get fired up by those you admire?

Salaries Working For The Gov’t Vs. Private Sector

Written by michael. Posted on May 21, 2010. Filed under Career Planning. Tagged , , , , . No comments.

Check out this infographic from Kiplinger displaying the difference between various jobs in the U.S. government versus the private sector. Surprised by any of these? Interesting how some of the lower-paying private jobs are significantly more lucrative in the government…

Salaries in the gov't vs. private sector (click for larger view)

From Focus.com: The Best Jobs in America

Written by michael. Posted on May 19, 2010. Filed under Career Planning. Tagged , , . No comments.

Focus.com puts together the best jobs in America (click for full view)

Interested In Going Abroad? Make It Happen With An Internship!

Written by monica. Posted on May 19, 2010. Filed under Internship Advice. Tagged , , , . No comments.

Physical therapy intern in Thailand

Do you love to travel? Do you need an excuse to jet around the world? Are you having a hard time fitting a semester abroad into your budget? Maybe you should consider an internship abroad. Interning abroad is an opportunity for you to gain the same experience study abroad has to offer, except you’re getting real experience.

Studying abroad can be very costly, sometimes even exceeding the amount of your tuition. However, pretty much all of the students that have come back said it was the best experience of their life.

An internship abroad is very similar to a study abroad program in that it provides a way for you gain cultural understanding of your host city while also gaining real work experience. Not to mention the price difference is quite favorable. Whether the internship is paid or you’re able to get financial help from your school, it’s a more cost-effective way to spend time overseas than taking classes.

Beware of internship placement companies that expect you to fork over thousands of dollars just for being placed in an overseas internship (never mind living expenses…).

The logistics for interning abroad are almost the same as a study program because many internships you find abroad are part of an intern program. They assist you with the whole “going abroad” process. Many of the programs include internship placement and supervision, housing, meal plans (occasionally), financial aid counseling, and sometimes language training. Instead of getting credits that may not transfer, you get this loaded experience to put on your resume! Think about it….

Spotlight On: IT Internships

Written by monica. Posted on May 17, 2010. Filed under Career Planning, Internship Advice. Tagged , , , , , , , . 1 Comment.
Make that chip work!

Make that chip work!

You may be working hard studying to get a degree, you may have proven your smarts, but do you know what it’s like to work in a real IT position? Hiring managers will get plenty of applicants with the same qualifications as you. The key to getting an IT job is to get some hands-on experience with an IT internship.

Many major companies, such as the Vanguard Group, will take on small groups of interns to show them the ropes. These internship duties do not require grunt work like getting food and coffee. From day one you will get hands on experience. The senior HR manager Dawn Lindberg says, “Our internship program is highly structured. The group comes in as a class. They work together, network together, and present a class project in addition to their other assignments – programming, hardware, Web services or another technical area – from their supervisors. We involve students in the actual day-to-day duties of their department.”

The interviewing process is much like interviewing for a job. It’s yet another benefit to exploring internships — you’re getting practice with the procedures you’ll want to be comfortable with by the time you’re job-hunting.

Specifically for an IT internship, answer questions honestly. If you cannot answer technical questions that you have already claimed to have known, why would the hiring manager want to consider you? If you are up front about the skills you possess, companies know that you are looking to be an intern and know you will learn more through this experience. An awareness of what you know and recognizing what you don’t is good at this stage. Internships are meant to learning experiences, so don’t feel like you need to speak in 1′s and 0′s.

Be sure to show that you are eager to learn, because technology never stops changing. Programming languages some and go, so try to keep an open mind and avoid getting bogged down in learning just systems, or just networking, or just C+, PHP, MySQL, Ruby, etc. An internship is about dipping your toe in the water, not diving head-over-heels into a super-niche skill set.

One of the best things you can do, not only as a student but for the rest of your career, is contribute to open-source projects to hone your skills and add to your resume. Check out SourceForge for a list of open-source projects you can contribute to.