Question of the Day | 05/25/2009 11:00 pm

Given our current economic/career environment, what advice would you give to a 2009 graduate?

Candice Bergen, Liz Smith and Joan Ganz Cooney wish the graduates the best of luck and more. What advice would you offer someone new to the real world?

Liz Smith | 05/25/2009 11:00 pm

Liz Smith Advises Graduates on Careers, Shelter and Attitude

Keep your head down and your chin up. Really, how presumptuous that we old crocks should give these bedeviled young people any advice when nobody knows what they are doing these days!

First, I’d be sure I was a tech expert; up on all the latest gadgetry and ready to go. This could be crucial even if you have to go back to classes to learn it all.

(And seriously I might do something like that myself; I am so tired of not understanding this brave new world.) Second, try to find some inexpensive place to live – at home, with pals, share-the-wealth kind of thing. It won’t kill you, but high rents are a killer.

If you don’t get what you want, don’t give up before taking more menial jobs to eke out an existence while you look and wait. Be brave! Continue to educate yourself. Read everything. Be aware.

I once worked in three menial jobs at the same time. It finally all paid off. I arrived in New York in 1949 with $50 and no return-to -Texas ticket. And look at me years later, still hustling!

8 Comments

Candice Bergen | 05/25/2009 11:00 pm

Candice Bergen Wouldn't Give Tips to a Graduate

What I would give to a graduate in ‘09 is a job.

6 Comments

Joan Ganz Cooney | 05/25/2009 11:00 pm

Joan Ganz Cooney to Graduates: 'Get a Job'

Get a job, any job that will pay the rent, and start plotting your move (it will take time and peristence) into something you feel passionate about.

4 Comments

Read more about: Advice, Career, Financial, Graduation, Lifestyle

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Smart answer, Susan. One of my dtrs called me close to graduating from A&M and told me that she was entering a "managment training" program with her part-time employer (a retail chain). I nearly flipped, until I heard her say, "Mom! You have always told us to take adavantage of any free education or training IN ANYTHING offered by employers or universities - and I’m doing just that!"

Her company had a "home rule" option, so her first store was a gigiantically successful one close to our home! She later became regional VP - after 6 years of that, she returned to attend grad school - in the sciences! Amazing.

It’s nice to swallow some of my words.

By C jay on 05/30/2009 10:45 pm

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Reach out to your alumni network! College, sorority, high school, etc., anything where you can find common ground with someone. Flatter some alums by asking them how they got where they are and asking them for tips! Asking questions makes you look interested, on the ball, and ready to learn. Attach your resume. And make sure that you PROOFREAD your emails - if you’re sending e-mails to many alums, make sure you are individualizing the e-mails/questions, and addressing it to the correct person/company. Consider it a pre-cover letter. A well-written informational inquiry will set you up as a great potential hire; one that is riddled with typos or overly familiar language will not. Then, when the alums hear of openings at their businesses, they will think of that nice young grad who e-mailed them, and pass your resume along. And make sure to thank them for their time!

By mg b on 05/26/2009 2:11 pm

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When I finished my undergrad work I knew I would go back and get my masters. During my undergrad years I worked my way through school saved a little nest egg. I would tell the graduates of today - get a group together - pool your resources and take a couple of months off. We went (3 months) to England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We took odd jobs we lived by the seat of our pants. It was a wonderful breather before we started careers or returned to grad school.

Don’t look for a job when everyone else is looking for a job. Take any job. Build friendships - build a book of contacts. Take a job with a part time agency. Many of those jobs turn into careers. Look around, what fields are open and begging. Perhaps a return to school for a different career than you imagined. Be prepared to relocate - the job you want isn’t always where you are living at the present time.

Right now look at careers in the Medical Profession (not necessarily Doctors) - there is also a high demand for Engineers.

Be on your own. Pay your own bills. Learn responsibility. Keep yourself out of credit card debt. Don’t ask your parents for money. Your parents educated you, now it’s your turn to stand on your own.

By Lady Gator on 05/26/2009 2:53 pm

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Lady Gator … we think alike. My family believed in the work ethic, beginning at 16 - period. But it had a twist. Don’t work at McDonalds. Think about a job that might work well on a resume later — or, the other choice, go for grants in high school and beyond — and as National Science Foundation grants cost us nothing, my daughter had 3 summers in fascinating circumstances trying various professions. By the time of college, her application could get her into Harvard. But my son took another route — independent business done professionally. College house painter — hard, hard work but good pay. And so in college, he and another boy decided - with my encouragement - to keep putting that money away. Right after graduation, they continued until they had enough of a nest-egg to take a one-year trip everywhere. My friends thought "allowing this" when he should be working now was scandalous. But when after that can you get an on the ground education of travel and fun BEFORE you have to settle in. It will be forever before there is another chance like this - and chances are he would be decrepid - right? And so, they had worked for every cent, frugally worked out their year, and afterwards, had memories beyond any kids I know. NOW they had that out of their system, were a year older and much more mature, and had a head start on the others still wet behind the ears. I personally think that anything that you work for and do has more meaning than being given the monies. That is a no-brainer. Oh - and it was helpful long-range that they were self-sufficient from working on their own - and then met contacts that helped in getting started.

By joan larsen on 05/26/2009 6:34 pm

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By joan larsen on 05/26/2009 6:34 pm

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Joan — I have said it before, I’ll say it again, we are truly SUTS (Sisters under the skin). I started working at 15. Taught swimming at the local community center. Small town everybody knew everybody. So, I was 15 1/2 and told them I was sixteen. My father told all of us (there are three) that flipping burgers was OK but it didn’t get you into college. I had so many jobs during high school and college that now, when I think about it, I gasp for air. One summer I worked in a bakery. One sunmmer I sold women’s clothing in a women’s store. I worked at a local factory punching felts on an assembly line.

In college I worked at the local airport. I loved airplanes - knew I wanted to study Aeronautical Engineering. So I worked on airplanes. Took 3-4 months during the college year to get the grease out from under my fingernails. Started learning to fly. My father was bewildered that a "daughter" was such a "tomboy". I loved every minute of it. I finally flew solo the junior year of college. And, one day, a very good looking, blue-eyed guy was hanging around the airport. He also loved airplanes and was at the Naval Academy and wanted to be a pilot. A romance was born there and has lasted for 48 years.

All of us were independent in our own way. My brother went into the seminary - my sister had no desire to go to college - married at 18 and they just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. So we were a diverse bunch. I knew that I wanted more.

The summer we spent in Europe was one of the best experiences of my life. And the fun we had. We had a reunion of that group last year. It’s funny, there was no romantic envolvement - just a opportunity to "feel" life before we had to knuckle down the rest of our lives. We are all friends and still e-mail each other on a regular basis. One of my professors in grad school, was so impressed with my background that he asked me to give a talk to his class about "do something, do it on your own and sever the apron strings".

I never went home to live. I made it on my own. I never asked my parents for money. Being self-sufficient was tough at times, however, my father and mother respected our independence. The contacts I met over the years were invaluable to me. You are so right, those contacts and that self-sufficiency has served each of us well over the years.

By Lady Gator on 05/26/2009 8:43 pm

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There is no way I could have put the advice and experience of you and Joan down better! My favorite sentence in your thread was The contacts I met over the years were invaluable to me. Absolutely. So entralling no one believes them, do they? I’m ‘there’ all the time.

BTW I used to fly out of Aero Valley, and helped knock that field through with the founder/owner, Edna Gardner Whyte, who taught me to fly, and earn my aerobat rating (she forced me to do that one!). Later, two of my brood flew with me, (but I loved low flight and pylon racing), and my son purchased a Piper that moved to the cover of PIPER after he restored it. ;-))

Fun reading your post, LG.

By C jay on 05/30/2009 10:52 pm

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and one last thing to add for mthe notes above I added to others:

don’t move home! give your parents a break, will ya, and get your own place!

By Chips AHoey on 05/26/2009 4:20 pm

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There’s a lot of good advice on these pages. I hope the youngsters to whom it is directed will get a chance to read it. If they follow the recommendations, they are certain to do well. The only suggestion I would add, and I know it’s kind of tough after you have spent most of your life attending class and studying. but a real great step ahead can be achieved by finding some additional subject that especially interests you and continue some kind of post graduate studies, especially if it relates to the type of profession you wish to follow. Go to night school if you can’t find classes somewhere that will better suit you. I know it’s not easy, but it will definitely pay off in the long run. Also, if you can, try to learn at least one other language that is well used and recognized around the world. Of course, all of the wonderful suggestions listed by the WOW’ers will help you achieve success in your endeavours, but added to all of the above, try to get to travel the world.

By Lauriate Roly on 05/26/2009 8:54 pm

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Why Luariate … I do think that you have become a true believer that travelling opens up your world, your life, as nothing else can. The education it provides, the people you meet, the independence you have — and all the emotions that seem to bubble up, catching you at the oddest times. And either I have missed it, or you have let me go on and on about my life with polar bears, and you have not told me where you own travels have stretched. And don’t you think it is about time???

By joan larsen on 05/26/2009 9:12 pm

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Dear Joan. reading all of the postings, particularly yours, I wanted to add how important travel is to garnishing one’s education, to the point of adding a very attractive and important definition to one’s character and disposition, not to mention noticeable sophistication.

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have traveled somewhat, but nowhere near the extent of the travels you have undertaken. Also, my jaunts were limited to areas of the globe that are quite tame compared to the adventurous regions you have visited. As you have noticed, Polar Bears are out of my acceptable range when adventure is involved. So are many of the other really perilous worldly sojourns you have quite evidently joyously and enthusiastically experienced.

No Joan, I am not a Richard Halliburton type. My travels have been mostly to Europe, where I have lived from time to time, also much of the USA, plus limited areas of Mexico and the Carribean. Outside of having driven myself through almost all of my journeys, I guess the most perilous parts of my travels would be crossing the Atlantic several times by steamer.

By the way, I was more than a little concerned about a note I found, “en passent” in one of the postings last week, suggesting that you may have been ill. I trust in reading several of your interesting stories this week, that what I read was not too serious and that if you were only somewhat out of sorts causing you to be absent a little while, you are now recovered and I may hope and look forward to hearing more from you.

By Lauriate Roly on 05/27/2009 10:53 am

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Concerns all around, Joan !!! ;-)) Love, Moi

By C jay on 05/30/2009 10:54 pm

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1. I would say that a super high priority is to maintain your physical health. College may have been more unstructured, and filled with indulgences, but with the state of health care looking like there will be longer lines, and more health rationing in the coming years, you’ll save loads of time and money and grief by staying well. (And that includes staying free of STD’s, many of which are only 30-40% preventable with condoms, such as HPV, and dozens of others.)

2. Guard you reputation: it’s really your prize asset in business, and in life in general. The corollary to this is to pick your friends and associates very carefully. Choose them; do NOT let them choose you. The unscrupulous are often drawn to the radiance and professionalism of a person with integrity. Often they need a well respected person to give them credibility or cover to achieve their nefarious objectives- but it will be at your expense. Be very discriminating regarding the quality of people in your inner circle.

3. Read the Economist every month.

4. Find a spiritual outlet, and associate with a group that is working for the betterment of individuals. Always give 10% to charity.

By Bella Mia on 05/26/2009 11:59 pm

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The advice I have given to my own kids is to have a first career, maybe the one you have studied for, but also think about a second career. Consider an online business or diversify the existing talents and have more than ‘one finger in the pie’.

Here’s an example: My younger son is a draftsman. I have told him that, not only should he do the drafting in his present company, but he should also start an online presence and maybe also teach himself graphic design. That way, if the housing company he works for doesn’t do well, he can still work in his online business which he will steadily have been growing while he was at the present job, and he may have some clients of his own.

Also, if you can’t get a job in your profession right away, look at online tendering to get jobs. Look at www.elance.com and other online freelance job sites to tender for work which others, somewhere in the world, want staff for.

By Karen Fiala on 05/28/2009 3:55 pm