Post-College Job Search Must Be Focused, Realistic In Order To Be Effective

Dear Tazi:

I graduated college last May and, in spite of looking for a job all summer and through the winter, I have still not found work.  My degree is in Communications, and I noticed that your Mommie also has a degree in Communications.  I was wondering if I am somehow looking for the wrong type of work and how long it took her to find a job using her degree.

I will admit my grades were not the best, and that I partied a lot in college, but now that my student loans will be coming due any day now (my six months post-graduation plus my six months unemployment deferments are almost up) and I am ready to get serious about my career.  It is too late for me to take an unpaid internship to get some experience, and I don't have the money to look for work beyond my local area.  Moving away is out of the question unless the company is willing to pay my relocation expenses.  Overall, I realize that this does not look good, but I am getting desperate and will take any job that pays at least $22.50 an hour - that's what I need to pay my rent, car insurance, student loans, and other expenses.  So, do you know where I should be looking and for what kind of job I should be looking?

Signed,
Jobless

Dear Jobless:

I admire your grammatical skills!  Yours is one of the few letters that did not require me to make any corrections!  I am simply purring with joy over the fact that, in spite of your partying ways in college, you did manage to learn something (even if your grades do not reflect it).  Have you considered working as a Proofreader?  It's no $22.50 an hour, but it is a foot in the door!

I hate to burst your bubble, but if you are looking to make at least $900/week ($22.50 x 40 hours = $900) you are probably going to be working two jobs until you have enough experience to command such a salary in these difficult economic times - especially since your job search is limited to such a small geographic area.  [Ed. Note: For privacy reasons, the writer's location has been omitted, but suffice to say s/he does not live in a large metropolitan area where larger salaries are commonplace]. Without a history of internships or any experience whatsoever, it is doubtful that a company will be willing to pay to relocate you.

Communications is a broad field, so it depends on what concentration you studied as to what jobs would be an appropriate fit.  If you concentrated on Broadcasting and Media, try for opportunities to work behind the camera or on the technical side of the business. On-camera positions are few and far between, but if you can gain experience and start developing a portfolio of your work by volunteering with a local cable-access show you can gain valuable experience in front of the camera.

If you concentrated on Interpersonal Communications, than Marketing, Public Relations, or even Anthropology/Intercultural Relations are areas where you could find your career.  Many large corporations have departments dedicated to these skills in order to improve their marketability in the world.

Other concentrations include Advertising, Business Communications, Speech Pathology (which requires a graduate degree to work in the field), and Interpretation.  Do you know American Sign Language?  If you are fluent, your skills will be in high demand in the courts and possibly in educational realms.  If you concentrated on business and/or advertising, your best bet may be to start out in Sales and work your way up from there into Advertising Design or Management.

If you have no specialized skills whatsoever, I have to wonder exactly what you spent the last several years studying and suggest that you learn some secretarial and computer skills if you do not have them already.  Executive Assistant positions are often hard to fill due to a lack of qualified candidates.  These are not your run-of-the-mill data entry, Receptionist, or secretarial positions and require a great deal of vocational abilities as well as professional Communications skills.

As for how long it took Mommie to find a job in her field, I believe it was three months.  She took an entry level position in the advertising firm that brought Ginsu knives into American homes...and charmed one of the partners by doing a perfect imitation of the commercial's voice-over artist.

Snuggles,
Tazi


Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.

Daughter Does Not Pay Back Loan, Dad Refuses To Pay For Her Wedding

Dear Tazi:

I have been planning my dream wedding since I was a teenager and now my father is about to ruin it all because he is being cheap! He thinks he is teaching me "a lesson in financial responsibility" but I think if I haven'rt learned it by now ruining my wedding day is not the way to teach it to me!

When I was in college my father and I had an agreement - he would pay for my schooling so long as I maintained good grades. If my G.P.A. dropped below a 3.0 I would have to pay my own way through school. He would continue to pay for my tuition and expenses so I could work on bringing my grades back up but that money would constitute a loan and not a gift.

I had a great time in college, and worked hard. but my sophomore year I decided to pledge my sorority. It was the best decision ever and I do not regret it, but because of the added stress of pledging my GPA slipped to a flat 3.0; the following semester commitments to my sisterhood, combined with a heavy course load, resulted in a semester of straight C's and my GPA reflected this. Although I made the grades required for my sorority I did not make the grades required to please my father. He told me that I might want to get a good summer job to defray the cost of returning to college so I wasn't facing a large loan to pay back upon graduation. I could not believe he actually meant that! It's not like we had a signed contract or anything!

My grades improved and I managed to graduate cum laude after busting my hump the next two years to keep my father off my back. After graduation, my father told me he was proud of me and even threw me a party but made no mention of my "loan" until six months later, when he told me I needed to start paying on it. Again, I could not believe he was serious! I had only just secured a job and was moving out of my Mom's house (my parents are divorced) and into my own apartment. I played along and told my Dad I needed more time. That was three years ago, and since I don't see Dad that often he hasn't brought up the subject all that much since then.

My boyfriend is finishing graduate school and he proposed to me this past Christmas. I am very excited and looking forward to our wedding. When I told my father the good news he congratulated me and told me he was happy for me - and that was it. He made no mention of my "loan" (as he always does when he sees me) but also no offer to pay for my wedding. When I mentioned this to my Mom, she said she would talk to him about the cost of my wedding, since traditionally the bride's family pays for the wedding.

Tazi, you can imagine my shock and upset when my Mom reported back that my father is refusing to pay for my wedding unless I pay off my "college loan"! He told me that we had an agreement and that I did not live up to my end of the bargain, and now I owe him the $15,000 he paid towards my tuition and living expenses while I "paid for the semester spent partying" by bringing my GPA back up to where he wanted it. This is NOT fair! My mother has limited income and cannot afford to foot the entire bill for my wedding, while my father has done quite well for himself since their divorce. My mother is talking about borrowing against her retirement funds or taking out a home equity loan, but she should not have to do this! Not when my father could easily afford to write a check to pay for the entire wedding, plus honeymoon!

When I approached Dad I told him how angry I was, and he offered what he thinks is a compromise - he will give me $5,000 towards the estimated $20,000 cost of my dream wedding and forgive my "debt" to him. As far as I am concerned, this is not a compromise and I owe him nothing - like I said, it's not like I signed a contract or anything! And besides, isn't there a statute of limitations on unpaid debts? Can you help my father see reason?

Signed,
Daddy's Not-So-Little Girl

Dear Daddy's Not-So-Little Girl:

You are correct that your father cannot force you to pay your debt to him because there was no contract stating you were taking on your college expenses as a loan and not a gift. However, I doubt you have a contract with your father stating that he will be responsible for paying for your wedding, do you? Your insistence on a binding contract regarding financial assistance goes both ways. Just as you are not legally obligated to re-pay your father for your college expenses he is under no legal obligation to cover the costs of your wedding. Your moral obligations to each other are something else entirely.

To put it plainly, your attitude stinks! The time to deal with your situation was years ago, when your grades first dropped below what your father considered an acceptable return on his investment in your education. You blew off his advice as a sad little joke and now the joke is on you. If any family were in dire need of counseling it is yours.

Your mother should not have to go into debt to pay for your wedding, and if you accept any assistance she offers from her retirement account of home equity you will continue to be a part of the problem and not a part of the solution. Nowadays many couples are financing their own weddings. If you want to prove to your father that you are a mature, financially responsible young woman than I suggest that you apologize to him for your disrespect, accept his compromise, and start saving for your upcoming nuptials. Since you graduated college (mostly) debt free you should be able to save a tidy sum without too much difficulty. Since your father is willing to kick in $5,000 your mother will probably want to do the same; if this does not cause her financial hardship you have my blessing to accept it. This brings you to 50% of the total cost of your wedding. If you want to start married life debt free, you may want to downsize your wedding to meet your budget and put anything you and your fiance save towards the purchase of a home. A wedding is not about a diamond and a party - it is about a marriage.

Snuggles,
Tazi


Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with Bachelors degrees in Communications and in Gender and Women's Studies. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.

Tazi's Corner #16 - A Plea For Higher Education Funding

Dear Readers:

As you probably know, my Mommie is a returning student at the University of Rhode Island.  I learn a lot from Mommie, sitting on top of her shoulder like a parrot as she tries to type up her homework.  I, too, want to learn as much as possible!

Recently, Mommie wrote a commentary for one of her writing classes, bemoaning the lack of proper funding for Rhode Island's institutes of higher education.  Realizing that Rhode Island is not the only state with this problem - and that this problem complicates the lives of out-of-state students, as well as residents - I decided that her column needed a wider audience.  Because my blog receives thousands upon thousands of more page views than hers (It's true!  I even have more Twitter followers than her) I have decided to post her commentary here in my Tazi's Corner forum.  I will be back next week with my thoughts on what was in my trick or treat bag; in the meantime, please give my Mommie your undivided attention.

Snuggles,
Tazi

In Rhode Island, a College Education Is Worth More than the State Offers

A Commentary by Tazi-Kat's Mommie

Talk is cheap. So is the Rhode Island State Budget Committee, at least from the point of view of a student at a Rhode Island public college or university. The Providence Journal recently reported that over the past five (5) years state aid to higher education operating budgets has been cut 30%, while expenses have risen 47%. Left with a combined average of 31% of operating expenses being covered by state aid, the Community College of Rhode Island; Rhode Island College; and the University of Rhode Island have been set adrift in a sea of financial turmoil, their only lifeline the tuition and fees that students pay to attend – tuition and fees that has been outpacing the rate of inflation for the past two decades. Why should this matter concern Rhode Islanders as a whole?

According to the Providence Journal’s “Reinvent Rhode Island” series, “Rhode Island employers are having difficulty finding employees with the skills needed for high-tech industries”. The chatter one hears coming from the General Assembly’s chambers suggests that the goal is to market Rhode Island as a highly skilled hub – the Information District, as it has been called. I cannot be the only one who sees a large disconnect between what is proposed and the reality that exists, can I? The one way to close this gap is the completion of a higher and/or specialized education, but Rhode Island citizens are being priced out of learning these skills due to the ever increasing costs of higher education that are a direct result of constant cuts to the same. We can no longer afford to put off funding higher education in Rhode Island; the Day of Reckoning has arrived.

Last year the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education (RIBGHE) chose to freeze out-of-state tuition at our colleges and university in order to avoid losing the students who pay this higher tuition rate. However, to cover the rising costs of education in the face of a short budget, in-state tuition was raised considerably for the 2012 – 2013 academic year – 9.5% at the University of Rhode Island; 7.5% at the Community College; and 4% at Rhode Island College. The New England Board of Higher Education reports that these increases come on top of tuition increases already made in recent years, resulting in an average tuition increase of 47% at the four-year schools from 2006 to 2011. Institutional records show that at CCRI, a two-year college, tuition has also increased by 47% over the same time period.

How is it possible that costs have risen 47%, tuition has increased 47%, state aid has been cut by 30%, and yet the colleges and university are not operating in a deficit? The answer is simple: class offerings have been reduced, class sizes have been enlarged, and student services have been cut. The result of these measures has been devastating to the state of public higher education in Rhode Island, with students being shut-out of necessary classes, due to a lack of availability, and receiving less personalized attention from faculty and academic support staff. Students are paying more and receiving less.

There are those who would argue that tuition increases are unavoidable yet, as has already been stated, the increases that have been implemented have far outpaced the rate of inflation; those who employ our state’s public college students did not offer 47% pay increases to help cover the added cost of their employees’ education. In fact, with the Rhode Island economy as depressed as it is, Rhode Island employees have been lucky to see raises at all.

Considering the changing demographic of our state’s college students, it cannot be assumed that students can fall back on their parents to assist them with the increased costs of attaining a college degree or vocational certificate; demographic breakdowns show that an average of 25% of our state college students are over the age of 25 (9% of URI enrollment, 40% of CCRI enrollment, 25% of RIC enrollment). Many of our state’s public college students are supporting families of their own. If the choice comes down to paying the rent or paying tuition, education loses. In a case such as this the Rhode Island economy loses as well, in the form of fewer employers choosing to locate within our borders. Even the most high-tech Engineering firm still needs Receptionists; Administrative Assistants; Sales and Marketing Reps; Security; Housekeeping, and other middle and lower-skilled personnel. This is in addition to industrial supplies needed to run the business, contracts that would be awarded to other local businesses.

Although it sounds cliché, there is much truth to the saying “If you build it, they will come”. The time has come for Rhode Island to build its economy by building its workforce. An investment in higher education will bring this to pass. RIBGHE recently announced its decision to hold the line on tuition for the upcoming academic year, but this decision must be accompanied by a sizable increase in state aid at a time when the governor has requested sizable budget cuts. Rhode Island’s State Legislators have proven that they can talk about the economic problems our state is facing; the time has come for them to show the people that they can do more than pontificate by providing a workable solution, starting with increased aid to higher education. As of this writing, Rhode Island ranks 48th out of 50 with regard to state tax dollars allocated (per student) to fund public colleges and universities.

It is short-sighed and self-centered to suggest that students who seek a higher education pay for it without state assistance. How many people are willing to purchase a home in an area where paved roads and city services are not a part of the package? How many homeowners would be willing to take out a mortgage if the interest on that mortgage was not tax deductable? These allowances are a form of government assistance to those who seek to achieve the American Dream, a dream that is more likely to be achieved through higher education. Just as homeowners pay taxes to pay their fair share of municipal costs, students also pay taxes with the expectation of receiving state-sponsored services in return. Just as home ownership improves the economy of a community so does higher education.

In the past, bond issues related to the funding of higher education have passed with an overwhelming majority of the electorate’s approval [Ed. Note to RI Voters: Gaige Hall looks like a pre-historic, crumbling dump!  Vote YES on Question #3!]. However, like student loans, bond money must be paid back with interest. We as a state must show good financial sense and fund our institutions of higher learning through proper budgeting, not borrowing , which in turn will have both immediate and long-term ripple effects for our state college students, starting with a lower student-debt load upon graduation. I plead with you as a Rhode Island citizen to write to your state legislator and demand an increase in funding to our state colleges and university. The future job that is created as a result of this investment just may be your own.

The writer is a 1997 graduate of Rhode Island College and a 2010 graduate of the Community College of Rhode Island, where she is also employed part-time. Tazi-Kat's Mommie is scheduled to complete her Rhode Island higher education hat-trick in 2013, when she graduates from the University of Rhode Island.

Tazi-Kat's Mommie wrote this commentary for her Public Writing class (URI Writing 303). The views expressed in it are her own, and have in no way been endorsed by her employer or by the University of Rhode Island; just by Tazi-Kat.

Sources:

Community College of Rhode Island Annual Tuition and Fees [1986 - 2012]. Web.  Rep. Warwick: Community College of Rhode Island, 2012.  http://www.ccri.edu/irpl/2011/pdf/Tuition%20and%20Fees%202011-12.pdf

Jordan, Jennifer D. "Higher Education Board Wants to Freeze Tuition at RI Public Colleges." The Providence Journal 28 Sept. 2012, sec. A: A1+. Print.

"The Numbers." The Providence Journal. Providence Journal Company, 01 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 Oct. 2012.  http://news.providencejournal.com/breaking-news/2011/11/tuition-hike-pr.html

"Rhode Island College College Portrait." Rhode Island College College Portrait. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2012.  http://www.collegeportraits.org/RI/RIC/characteristics 

Tuition and Fee Rates at New England’s Public Colleges and Universities, 2006-07 through 2011-12. Web. Rep. Boston: New England Board of Higher Education, 2011.

            http://www.nebhe.org/info/pdf/policy/2011_Tuition_Report.pdf

"The University of Rhode Island College Portrait." The University of Rhode Island College Portrait. Web.  N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. http://www.collegeportraits.org/RI/URI/characteristics

Who Do We Serve and How Do We Perform: It’s About Choices. Web.  Rep. Warwick: Community College of Rhode Island, 2012.

                http://www.ccri.edu/president/powerpoints/2012_institutional_research.pdf

Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.

Wife Wants A New Car Payment; Husband Wants To Live Debt-Free

Dear Tazi:

I would like to buy a new car, but my husband feels that we cannot afford it at this time. He would like to use the money that would go to a monthly car payment to pay extra on our student loans each month and pay them off early so we can live debt-free. I argue that the money we spend on repairs for my current car is adding up, and the next major repair could end up costing more than the car is even worth.

In the last six months, I have had to replace the water pump, timing belts, all four tires, rear brakes, and several minor repairs. All told, I have put about $2,000 worth of repairs into it without even touching the engine or the transmission. My husband argues that the brand of car I drive has a reputation for lasting forever, and that the $2,000 I have put into my car probably represents all the repairs that I will have to make for the next three to four years, thus making the argument for keeping the car a more economical decision. Tazi, in three to four years my car will be over ten years old with a trade-in value of almost nothing. I would rather sell my current car while I can still get a solid down-payment on a new car for it, but my husband is adamant in his decision and since he controls our finances, I feel like I am stuck. Do you have any ideas on how to work my way out of this situation? To help me convince my husband that my argument is just as valid as his?

Signed,
Scrooge McDuck's Wife

Dear Scrooge McDuck's Wife:

Are you calling your husband a Scrooge because you feel he is cheap; or because you feel he is stingy towards the needs of others? The first is a case that can be reasoned; the second is a case for a marital counselor. Once you have figured out the reasoning behind your hard feelings you will be better able to tackle your problem head-on.

You say that your husband "controls the finances". Just how much control does he have over the money you earn? Do you hand over your entire paycheck to him, or do you keep a separate account for your own spending money? What are your personal financial habits? Can you be trusted to properly balance a checking account, without incurring large overdraft fees?

Assuming that you are a responsible adult who can manage her own finances, I believe that you should have a say in the matter of your vehicle. Although your husband makes an excellent point about paying down your student loans, you also make a good point about the money you have invested in repair work to your vehicle. $2,000 is worth several months of car payments on a new vehicle (assuming you keep your payment around $300/month), so the ideal time to have purchased a new vehicle was before you put so much money into it. You do not say what brand of car you drive, but you imply that it is six or seven years old already. If you were to buy a new car from a franchise dealer (Chrysler, Hyundai, Toyota, etc.) they would be required to sell your vehicle at auction, and might not be willing to give you a very good deal on the trade-in value.

Your best bet would be to try and sell your vehicle in a private party sale, which could net a few thousand dollars, putting you even with your recent repair bills. This strategy may work well with your husband, who appears concerned about losing money on the recent repair investment made in your vehicle. You can search the Kelly Blue Book value of your car to see what a fair price for a private-party sale. Armed with this information, you can make a well-researched argument for the purchase of a new vehicle. So long as the car you choose is moderately priced ($25K or less) and your husband is a reasonable man, he should at least be willing to listen to what you have to say.

If your husband's ears are deaf to your pleas, I have to wonder if there is more to the story than you are telling me - like the size of your student loan debt; your ability to manage money; or the price-tag of the car you desire. Be honest with yourself, and some of your confusion may lift.

Snuggles,
Tazi


Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.