7April2009
Posted by Kate under: Kate.
This weekend I was kicked out of my apartment for about six hours while my fantastic roommates planned quite the birthday extravaganza for me, complete with decorations, dinner, karaoke, cab fare, and cake and ice 
cream. It was the most fun that I have had in a long time, but I was a bit concerned about how much money they spent on the whole deal.
Three and a half hours of belting out Roberta Flack, that song about staying and going, among many many others, may seem daunting to mere mortals… but not to the pop stars that I went out with on Saturday. Those hours in our private karaoke room cost money though, and they still won’t tell me how much. Next time maybe I’ll get them to consider using the free trial on The Karaoke Channel. Then we would save the cab fare too!
But I will say that their idea to make individual pizzas for dinner was pretty thrifty. It was just a cheap and delicious combination of a box of pizza crust mix, sauce, cheese, and toppings. Susan made one of her beautiful cakes and Kara cleaned (!!!) then decorated the house with streamers and flowers. But my favorite part of the night was free: sitting in the living room talking, laughing, and just generally being ridiculous with the girls. Priceless.
2April2009
Posted by Martin under: Martin.
I figured that with many of my friends and colleagues graduating and looking for a job that I write a blog about how important looking for and landing that job really is.
Quick Plug: If you need help looking for a job or help with the process PLEASE come to the Career Centre and see a PCAP But that I digress.
Now I know that people are tired of hearing about the economic crisis but it is so important that we understand our lives in this crisis now so that we can make better decisions later.
Think about these statistics:
1. From 1999 to 2006 the value of real estate owned by individuals more than doubled as the homeownership rate hit a record high.
2. The money the typical family had in the financial assets in 1989 jumped to a full 53% in 2007 as the percentage of families in the market jumped 32% to 51%.
What is the trend in both of these statistics? Both of these are stats of investment. But wait a minute…what do you think runs our country? Investments? NO! JOBS!
During the days when we were in an economic “boom” we didn’t really care about jobs. Jobs were just something that were completely secondary. It was all about the investment and making the money grow. However according to Barbara Kiviat of Time Magazine Jobs are the NEW Assets. 
In my opinion jobs as an asset isn’t old it was just disregarded. “The job meanwhile is making a roaring comeback…in terms of the American psyche.”
I think that we really need to come back to this mindset and really stay there. Labour is the factor that drives this country. It is through labour that we come up with some of the most innovative products and services that revolutionize the world. Just think if Mark Zukerberg, the founder of Facebook, had been sitting around investing all the time instead of taking the skills that he learned in college and totally changing the way we communicate with each other.
Earlier this year I read this article about whether or not college is still worth the money. A discussion with my peers really gave me mix messages. Some felt that the price tag was not worth it because your entry level salary would be low. Others saw it as a chance to learn and pick up new skills. I am willing to lean towards the latter reason. It is important that we take advantage of all of the things offered to us a college students here at DePaul. Generally speaking, this school has equipped us to be successful members of the labour market. A market that would never go down, never dip 700 points, and never need a stimulus. The labour market is the ONLY market that WE can control.
I think that similar to adding money to saving accounts is important during these time; adding skills to your labour account is just as important. I feel that the ones who really rein in some skills will ultimately be the ones who make it after we rise of out this recessions. This is not to say that you shouldn’t invest or that you should want your money to grow. But you need not to freak out if your labour portfolio is diverse just like you need not to freak out if your financial portfolio is diverse. Both of these portfolios are ready for any volatility that may occur in the market.
20March2009
Posted by John under: John.
This will be my last day here at Financial Fitness, but I know I will be using what I learned here for the rest of my life. All I have to say is 70/20/10. This is what I will try to live by here on out. 70% of my expenses should be for living, 20% for saving, and 10% for debt repayment. I also know life is a bit tricky and I may not be able to follow this guideline right out of college considering I am unemployed and in the job searching process. Regardless, I will be doing nothing else with my life except searching for a job like the thousands of other recent college graduates. But all you can do, in any economy, is keep on applying and see what happens.
9March2009
Posted by Martin under: Martin.
Speaking of Free….FedEx Office is offering free resume printing (up to 25) on 10 March 2009. There are a few specifications…
1. This is ONE DAY ONLY EVENT!!! So don’t wait.
2. Your copies will be only in black and white. So if you have one of those fancy resumes (like I do) you might want to do a little tweaking.
3. You can submit your resume in printed format or digitally (which I think it better quality wise) and you can pick it up later that day.
So what are you waiting for. Free is always great…especially in this economy. So spruce up your resume today. You can drop by the Career Center before you head over and have a PCAP look over it before submitting it.
For more information please following this link.
6March2009
Posted by Martin under: Martin.
Do you want to know how your county is doing in this recession in regards to unemployment. Check out this map from the New York Times. It is an interactive map that allows you to see how much the unemployment rate increased or decrease in a very micro way.
Interactive Map
4March2009
Posted by Marianne under: Uncategorized.
I am pleased to post the first Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) interview conducted by Alexa, a staff member from the Career Center, and Jay, a member of the Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) Volunteer Network. ASK is a network of alumni and friends of DePaul who mentor students by sharing best practice tips and insights into their careers. Additionally, volunteers provide students with the opportunity to enhance their professional development and networking skills.
As always, if you have any questions about ASK, please e-mail ASK@depaul.edu or visit http://ask.depaul.edu
Enjoy the interview!! Click here to listen.
For a transcript of the interview click here Read the rest of this entry »
3March2009
Posted by Career Center under: Guest Blogs.
The Career Center is hosting the Healthcare, Science and Technology Job Fair today from 11am-3pm in the LPC Student Center! Come by for a great opportunity to network with employers and find out about some great employment opportunities!
25February2009
Posted by Katie under: Katie.
In June, I will be graduating. Yes, GRADUATING! As exciting as that is, I am more than uneasy about what will happen next. If you haven’t noticed, the job market isn’t really in anyone’s favor right now. If I could give any advice to graduating Seniors, it would be to plan ahead. Do not wait until June to begin your job search.
One of the best things that you can do is begin networking with others who work within your desired field. Don’t know many people in your field? Attend a Networking event and speak to people who work directly in your field of interest. Upcoming networking events….
*Careers in Science & Healthcare, February 25th, 4-6pm
*Careers in Education, March 11th, 5-7pm
*Visual Art & Digital Design Forum, April 21st, 4-6pm
*Careers in HR & Organizational Management, May 7th, 5-7pm
*Career Changers Forum, May 13th, 5-7pm
You can also look into the Alumni Sharing Knowledge program (ASK). ASK is a networking tool that connects DePaul alumni and current students. Alumni can act as career mentors, help students with practice interviews, look over resumes, just about anything!
There are always opportunities to create networks with others around you. These networks can help you improve your career skills and maybe even help you find a job someday.
Maybe graduating doesn’t have to be such a scary thing…
24February2009
Posted by John under: John.
I haven’t used my credit cards in a long time. I do have a balance on one of them and am paying that down slowly, but surely. This weekend I had to send off some things and didn’t want to pay cash for it so I put it on the credit card. I don’t have much cash in the bank and I didn’t want to feel more broke than what I already am. Plus, it wasn’t for a lost cause; this is for a potential employer and job offer.
Either way, I certainly told myself that it was ok even though I knew I would be ok in the end. But I also had to buy a $60 book and just didn’t want to pay for it right now. I pretty much gave in to myself and put a few things on the credit card. I could have easily avoided this had I sat down and played with the numbers so I could see how much I would have in the end. I made a decision in my head without looking things through. Either way, the mind is a powerful thing and we can certainly say no to things we don’t fully understand.
13February2009
Posted by John under: John.
This job searching crisis for many students and soon to be graduates is certainly frustrating. It does take a toll on how you feel about your life. I know it did to me until I received a conditional job offer earlier this week. I know it is not a final job offer, but it certainly keeps me looking forward. Before this there were no interviews or any progress towards a potential job.
I think what we can do as students is keep on going forward until you do receive that offer. It will certainly make you feel a lot better about yourself. It was the uncertainty that scared me from the future. We all have bills to pay and certainly a job will ease the stress in your life. I think not knowing what your next step will be is frightening to students, but you have to keep on moving forward for your own good.