A debate that I increasingly hear more about since the downturn in the economy is whether or not its worth the money to attend an elite university (versus an average state school, or community college for two years first).
Prospective college students need to realize that these two options have their benefits in drawbacks. Obviously, community college and/or a state school will be cheaper than an Ivy League, but it has its drawbacks at the same time.
To begin, the quality of the education you will receive will be the same in some ways, and different in others. If you are a science or engineering major, the material you will learn as an undergraduate will essentially be the same, whether you attend an elite or average school. However, your chances of participating in cutting-edge research will be more likely at an elite school, as will the chance be of having a “brilliant” professor (perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize winner) who may be willing to write you a dazzling letter of recommendation.
One other benefit of an elite school is the connections you can potentially make there. At such schools, you will often rub shoulders with children from wealthy/powerful families (more than you will at a more “average” school). Such connections could potentially land you a great job someday, for example. Additionally, schools like this will more often have distinguished professors and speakers (i.e. CEO’s of major companies, etc.), and well-known companies often clamor to recruit students from such colleges.
On the other hand, by attending a state school (or community college for two years first), you will save tens of thousands of dollars (maybe even over a hundred thousand) on your college education. The question you must figure out is what you want to get out of college. If having those connections and extra opportunities is important to you, definitely consider an elite school. If in the end all you are looking for is a quality education and a finding a good job after college, you will be just fine attending any four-year college/university.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Wall Street Jobs for College Students
If you are a new or soon-to-be college student that expects to have a lot of debt come graduation, one important thing to consider is what sort of jobs will allow you to pay off that debt fast. Obviously, you should pursue what you have a passion for to an extent, but college students should look for jobs that will compensate them reasonably well at the same time.
If you have a knack for math, science, or business, a couple of fields that you should consider after college are engineering, and the world of wall-street.
As an engineer, you probably won’t become a billionaire, but if you are a hard worker and contribute to your company’s bottom line, you can easily earn $100,000 to $200,000 per year; this will vary based on what field of engineering you go into and the location of your job. Obviously engineers will be paid more in an area such as San Francisco or Los Angeles, where the cost of living is higher than in other parts of the U.S.
Jobs on wall-street, investment banking, and hedge funds, are a few other areas where you can make ridiculously large amounts of money. I know students that will be graduating from college this year…one has accepted a job offer for an analyst position at an investment bank on Wall Street. He is only 22, but guess how much his starting salary is?
$80,000 base, plus a bonus that could be as high as $80,000, depending on his success. And he’s only 22! Most investment bankers can easily earn $500,000 to $1,000,000+ per year by the time they are thirty.
If you are a good when it comes to crunching numbers, enjoy dealing with people, and are prepared to put in long hours (beginning investment bankers average 80 to 100+ hours of work per week), consider the fields mentioned above as career possibilities after college. Not only will the work likely be exciting, but you will earn loads of money and will be able to pay off your student loans within no time!
If you have a knack for math, science, or business, a couple of fields that you should consider after college are engineering, and the world of wall-street.
As an engineer, you probably won’t become a billionaire, but if you are a hard worker and contribute to your company’s bottom line, you can easily earn $100,000 to $200,000 per year; this will vary based on what field of engineering you go into and the location of your job. Obviously engineers will be paid more in an area such as San Francisco or Los Angeles, where the cost of living is higher than in other parts of the U.S.
Jobs on wall-street, investment banking, and hedge funds, are a few other areas where you can make ridiculously large amounts of money. I know students that will be graduating from college this year…one has accepted a job offer for an analyst position at an investment bank on Wall Street. He is only 22, but guess how much his starting salary is?
$80,000 base, plus a bonus that could be as high as $80,000, depending on his success. And he’s only 22! Most investment bankers can easily earn $500,000 to $1,000,000+ per year by the time they are thirty.
If you are a good when it comes to crunching numbers, enjoy dealing with people, and are prepared to put in long hours (beginning investment bankers average 80 to 100+ hours of work per week), consider the fields mentioned above as career possibilities after college. Not only will the work likely be exciting, but you will earn loads of money and will be able to pay off your student loans within no time!
Other Job Possibilities for College Students
For college students not interested in tutoring for extra money, there are a number of other great part time job opportunities for you as well. If you are looking for part-time college jobs that pay higher than minimum wage, the best place to look will be in the classified/help-wanted sections of your college or local city newspaper.
The possibilities cover a wide range of jobs, including childcare (the pay for this can reach $20+ an hour, depending on the area you live in), personal assistants, and even serving as an extra in a movie scene (if you live in Los Angeles, this is definitely a possibility for you—plus, the pay for such positions is usually $100-$150+ per day!).
Keep in mind that the actual pay for such jobs will depend on the area you live in. If your college is in more of a rural area, don’t expect the pay to be as high. However, if you are a college student in a high income area (i.e. Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc.), there should be jobs available that will pay a handsome salary…even for college students!
Also remember that it is important to look for more than a good salary in a job, even while you are a college student. College is the time where you will want to hone your skills for the real world (i.e. people skills, organization, etc.), and a job can be the perfect place to do so. For example, if I wanted to improve my ability to persuade others, I would consider a taking on a part time job as a salesman….you get the picture.
The possibilities cover a wide range of jobs, including childcare (the pay for this can reach $20+ an hour, depending on the area you live in), personal assistants, and even serving as an extra in a movie scene (if you live in Los Angeles, this is definitely a possibility for you—plus, the pay for such positions is usually $100-$150+ per day!).
Keep in mind that the actual pay for such jobs will depend on the area you live in. If your college is in more of a rural area, don’t expect the pay to be as high. However, if you are a college student in a high income area (i.e. Los Angeles, San Francisco, etc.), there should be jobs available that will pay a handsome salary…even for college students!
Also remember that it is important to look for more than a good salary in a job, even while you are a college student. College is the time where you will want to hone your skills for the real world (i.e. people skills, organization, etc.), and a job can be the perfect place to do so. For example, if I wanted to improve my ability to persuade others, I would consider a taking on a part time job as a salesman….you get the picture.
Part Time Job Opportunities for College Students
For students searching for more money for college, a part time job is an excellent option; while it won’t necessarily cover a student’s entire tuition, it can easily cover expenses such as books, supplies, and entertainment.
One of the problems I see for college students in searching for part time jobs, however, is that they often want flexibility in their hours that not all college jobs necessarily offer. Sure, working 20 hours a week may be simple for a college student with an easy major. However, college students such as engineering majors don’t have it so easy, and are often busy with a heavy course load and extracurricular activities to the point where it seems impossible to fit a job into their schedule.
For those of you that feel this way, there are part-time job alternatives where you can still earn a nice paycheck.
One possibility for a part time college job that earns a considerable amount of money is tutoring. Many parents are willing to pay a pretty penny to someone that will help their child in a subject in which they are struggling. If you have a knack for math, science, foreign language, or English, you should consider helping others who struggle in these areas…for a price. Look in the classifieds/help-wanted section in your local city or college newspaper, and you should find parents who are offering to pay a nice amount of money to college students to tutor their child in a particular subject. The pay rates I have seen for such positions are as high as $20 to $30 per hour!
One of the problems I see for college students in searching for part time jobs, however, is that they often want flexibility in their hours that not all college jobs necessarily offer. Sure, working 20 hours a week may be simple for a college student with an easy major. However, college students such as engineering majors don’t have it so easy, and are often busy with a heavy course load and extracurricular activities to the point where it seems impossible to fit a job into their schedule.
For those of you that feel this way, there are part-time job alternatives where you can still earn a nice paycheck.
One possibility for a part time college job that earns a considerable amount of money is tutoring. Many parents are willing to pay a pretty penny to someone that will help their child in a subject in which they are struggling. If you have a knack for math, science, foreign language, or English, you should consider helping others who struggle in these areas…for a price. Look in the classifieds/help-wanted section in your local city or college newspaper, and you should find parents who are offering to pay a nice amount of money to college students to tutor their child in a particular subject. The pay rates I have seen for such positions are as high as $20 to $30 per hour!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Scholarships for College Students
If you are a college student searching for scholarships for affording college, you have probably realized that they are much harder and competitive to win than scholarships for high school students are. As a college student looking for more advice on affording college, you should follow these tips in order to ensure that you can win more scholarships in college.
First of all, make sure that your GPA is high. If it is not, then work hard every quarter/semester to obtain a 4.0 (or as close to a 4.0 as you can get) in order to boost your GPA. If you are looking to win scholarships during college, having above a 3.5 GPA would be your best bet, as scholarship programs still highly consider a student’s GPA in determining who will win the scholarships.
Secondly make sure that you are involved in clubs relevant to the types of scholarships that you will be applying for. For example, if you will be applying for engineering scholarships, make sure you are actively involved in at least one engineering club on campus. If the scholarship is more community service based, make sure that you are an active participant in helping out your local community while in college. You get my point. Also remember not just to join a club in hopes of getting a scholarship, but only join clubs that you have a strong interest in and desire to be a part of.
College students looking for scholarships should also work on their writing skills, as the essay in a scholarship application will often make or break you in winning the scholarship.
Lastly, figure out who your letters of recommendation will be from, as many college scholarship applications out their request letters of recommendation from faculty, or people whom you have worked with in the past.
By following these tips, college students will greatly increase their chances of winning scholarships to help them in affording college.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
