You don’t have to have a lot of money to travel. If you can pay for a round-trip ticket and have a healthy sense of adventure, you can travel very cheaply in exchange for a little work. Work-stay programs are not only great for budget travelers, they can also enhance your resume, help your language skills, and let you get to know the people of your destination far more than if you were just seeing the sights. So when you’re making plans for Spring Break and summer vacation, consider these options.

WWOOF

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) has put travelers in touch with farmers all over the world since 1971. In return for 4-6 hours of work per day, you can get free room and board in stunning locations in over 20 countries. Some of the examples of work opportunities I found were helping at a winery in France and making cheese at a goat farm in England. Not all WWOOFing opportunities are as glamorous as cheese and wine-making though. You should be prepared for hard, dirty work (it’s great exercise!) and a thorough education in organic farming.

Here’s how WWOOF works: Room and board are free, but you do have to pay for airfare and a small membership fee for each country you plan to visit (or pay one fee to join WWOOF Independents for access to hosts in 43 countries).

After you become a member, you’ll be able to choose from a list of host farms to contact—but you can see sample farm postings for free on their Web sites, like this one for Italy. You contact your potential hosts yourself to make arrangements. I recommend agreeing to stay for one week with the option to stay longer if all goes well, or to leave if it doesn’t. Definitely ask what the accommodations are, since some farms can be very rugged. You might be staying in a guest bedroom, or you might be staying in the barn, trailer or tent out back. Most hosts speak English, but always check to make sure. Then, show up at the appointed time with a friendly smile and an open mind.

Most of the work is basic farm chores: working with animals, weeding, planting vegetables, repairing fences etc. However, with so many individual farms to choose from, it’s not hard to find unique activities like working in environmental education and sustainable living centers, or even helping out in Buddhist temples.

Contact the WWOOF branch in the location(s) you plan to visit since countries have different laws and visas, and because different branches offer varying services.

Workaway

If you are less interested in the organic lifestyle but still want to trade work for lodging, then try the Workaway program, which caters to budget travelers, language learners, and people who want to immerse themselves in a culture more than touristing usually allows. For 5 hours of work per day, 5 days a week, you’ll get a place to stay with meals, and learn new skills with the chance to practice a language with native speakers. Workaway offers a wider range of work opportunities than WWOOF, but many jobs are still on farms and ranches. You might help work with horses in Australia, keep bees in Belgium, or help build an eco-retreat in Hawaii.

Like with WWOOF, it is up to you to contact your hosts, agree on the details of your work and accommodations, and organize your travel arrangements and visas. Membership costs about $25 for 2 years, and allows you to see the contact information for their registered hosts. In addition to the work you agree to, you will also be expected to share some household tasks—and clean up after yourself!

In any work-stay situation, you should ask your potential hosts for names and contact information of some of their prior helpers. Then call them and ask about their experiences if you can. Also, do some Google-stalking and see if anyone has posted reviews of the specific place online.

Other Volunteering Opportunities

There are a number of other volunteering organizations that charge money for the volunteering experience. Many are well-intentioned and honest, but programs can vary widely in credibility since there are no rules or guidelines governing them. While there is no way to be completely safe from misrepresented volunteer opportunities, online user review sites can provide useful insight into the experiences of other travelers, and websites such as www.ethicalvolunteering.org help volunteers to critically examine schemes.

A Street Sign in Nikko: Knowing Japanese would have been useful

Learning another language isn’t easy, but whether it’s for your undergrad prerequisites, study abroad, or to prepare for a graduate program, you are going to have to do it. Personally, I hate learning languages. I am not a polyglot, it does not come easily to me, I can barely remember how to ask where the bathroom is in Spanish. But I travel a lot and learning a few key phrases (like “where’s the bathroom?”) come in handy. I don’t have the time or money for a class, and I’m lazy. That’s where learning languages via podcast comes to the rescue.The internet is packed with fairly affordable ways to learn languages. For example,  eduFire allows you to take classes online from tutors teaching all sorts of subjects. Social networking sites are also getting in on the action with services like LiveMocha, where you can enroll in courses and practice the language you are learning with other users.

However, for my time and limited money, Podcasts are becoming my favorite new tool for learning languages online. Podcasts are portable: you can download them onto any media player you want; take them wherever you go; and listen to them in the car, on the train, on the treadmill or on the walk to campus. You don’t need an iPod – podcasts can easily be put on any MP3 player.

I am going to focus on one language learning podcast company since it is the one I know best: Innovative Language Learning.

An advantage to this particular company’s podcasts are that the lessons are presented in a very casual manner – the hosts chat and joke around – which makes it easy to listen to. The hosts share cultural tips and insights that would be impossible in any other format. It’s like an educational talk show. You can learn words and phrases from a textbook, but in a language as different from English as, say, Japanese, there are rules on how and when to use certain words, as well as vocal nuances you can only learn by ear.

Some podcasting sites feature only the podcasts for download – in other words, audio only –  but sites like www.japanesepod101.com  also offer interactive exercises, forums, dictionaries, and video lessons. For me, Japanese and Italian would be useful to know – Japanese because I’ve been there twice and knowing a basic “thank you” isn’t cutting it anymore, and Italian because I want to go  to Italy someday and not feel like an idiot.

Tip: If you create an account for a free 7-day trial, you’ll receive a torrent of emails. You can always click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email, or register using a secondary email address that you don’t mind filling up.

For www.japanesepod101.com and www.italianpod101.com, free 7-day trials allow you to test drive everything on the sites before committing money – and to make sure you really want to learn the language. A new podcast is put up every day and there are also video lessons on culture. A native speaker is paired with an English speaker in each lesson so you can hear the language spoken with the native accent, and then have the content explained in English. Lessons are separated by proficiency levels: Newbie, Beginner, Lower Intermediate, and Upper Intermediate. With a Beginner Italian Lesson titled “What Will You See in the Italian Club?” and “Italian Knock-Knock Jokes” I can see already that language learning goodness is in my immediate future.

Here is a beginner lesson from www.japanesepod101.com if you want to try out learning by podcast. Just click “Play” where it says Free Content under the picture.

Survival Phrases: Thank You

The Innovative Language Learning sites like those above are great for learning the most common languages, but podcasts are exploring more unusual and specialized languages also.

Radio Lingua offers “One Minute Gaelic” lessons for free online, which is a misnomer because they last from 2-4 minutes (hey, it’s not how to count in Gaelic).

www.OpenCulture.com has links to a number of iTunes foreign language downloads, including the most common languages, but also Danish, Dutch, Esperanto, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian…you get the idea. Since the language lessons are from many different companies, sites, and probably a few entrepreneurs, you might not find the best quality – so it’s a good thing they’re free.

Now for your English word of the day: Autodidact.

Is a date the same here and there?

Dating is difficult wherever you go. College students in this country seem to be giving up on it altogether in favor of “hooking up,” and I’m sad to say that after traveling around the world, no one else seems to have it figured out either. But asking about dating on my travels to England, India and Japan did reveal some fascinating differences in how guys and gals are getting together – or aren’t.

England
Over a bottle of beer in Oxford, Xander and Ben explain the mating behaviors of the British male. Xander’s girlfriend, Miranda, provides eye-witness testimony to the accuracy of their account. English men never ask women out on dates. They are convinced that if they were to directly ask a woman on a “date” that they will be turned down flat and laughed at publicly. Since the Number One priority for an English male is to save face, there is no “dating” in England at all.

Xander explains: “You go out to a pub with your friends, some of whom are girls, get too drunk one night (but not too drunk) and end up sleeping with one of them. Then, suddenly, you’re in a relationship. And since she’s already slept with you, you won’t be rejected – presumably. And it usually works out quite well since you were friends first.” Xander and Miranda didn’t follow that exact routine, but they did meet at a pub while she was studying abroad in Oxford. Pubs are one of the few places in which it is easy to meet people and strike up a conversation if you’re new in town.

Breaking up is hard, since it is very English to avoid confrontation. The breaking up ritual seems to involve the man’s shoes being chucked out the window or into the sea (whichever is closer at the time). But that could just be Xander’s bad luck.

India
While India is westernizing in many ways, dating is not yet culturally accepted. In rural areas there is no dating; in urban areas, dating is rare and almost always covert. Ani, a young man from Coimbatore, says dating is “99% without the parents’ knowledge, as parents are conservative and would get REALLY mad if you date.”  When two people do date, dates are exactly what you might find in the West: restaurants, cafes, movies. In India there is no formal asking out on dates. My friend Sheethal breaks it down into four steps:

1. Hang out.

2. Boy tells girl “I love you.”

3. You’re a couple but no one knows about it except a select few friends who won’t tell the parental units.

4. Either marriage when the parental units find out, suicide (if kids are super passionate…this doesn’t happen a lot), or breaking up to keep the family happy.

Families have a lot of influence over their children’s choices – and older generations frown on dating. Arranged marriages are still the norm, and love marriages are often met with difficulties.  When dating does happen, it is taken seriously. Akhila, in her twenties says “People who date, date with marriage in mind. Very few people date to see where it goes.”

Japan
My friend Jessi, an American Expat in Tokyo, and Toshiko, a native are my guides to Japanese dating, and they both agree on one thing: it’s hard to find a date. They aren’t the only ones to notice this problem. This generation of Japanese men are often uninterested in relationships or pursuing women. They don’t want to take on the responsibilities of girlfriends, marriage or children. In 2006, columnist Maki Fukasawa called them “Herbivorous Men,” and the term stuck. These young men in their 20’s and 30’s aren’t even interested in sex, just friendship with women – and, they’re straight.

But, not all men in Japan are “herbivorous.” Dating starts in high school, and goes like this: Much emphasis is placed on “the confession.” Instead of asking a girl out for a cup of coffee and taking it from there, the young man is expected to dramatically confess his feelings to the girl. Then, skipping over the dating part, they are in a relationship from that point onward. Since Japanese men have the same strong instinct to escape embarrassment and rejection as the English men (and all men), declaring love is obviously terrifying. It’s no wonder so many are opting for friendship.

Looking for love isn’t easy. So for those wanting help to meet people, there is “Gokon.” Gokon can be either like speed-dating in an organized group of singles, or a group of single girls meeting a group of single boys in hopes of finding romance. If that fails, parents are a little too happy to step in and help. It’s not uncommon for mothers of 30 year olds to go to matchmaking services on their children’s behalf, and then try to set up dates with the suitors they like best.

You don't have to be the Bard to blog.

I have been out of college for three years now, and during those years I have sent out maybe three job applications via Snail Mail. You know Snail Mail? It’s the one that uses sticky stamps and envelopes you have to lick.  Most job applications are done over email now. Your potential employer will probably Google-stalk the likely candidates before deciding who to interview, so managing your “online presence” is vital.

“Managing your online presence” is a bunch of buzzwords for knowing what other people can see about you, and then making sure that what they see is good. Start by Googling yourself.

When I put my name in the search, the first thing I see is an article I wrote. That’s great; I want potential employers to see that. The next thing I see is my Myspace profile and my Twitter profile. My Myspace profile got hacked into by Spock.com a few months ago, so I had to delete everything on there to protect my personal information, including a quote that made me sound like an idiot.  Twitter accounts also show up early in the search results. Since my tweets on Twitter almost always lead back to my blog, it is a powerful tool in focusing attention in the right direction. And potential employers will know I’m savvy about using social media, which is an increasingly valuable skill.

Cheat Sheet: Myspace, Twitter, and other websites with large followings show up first.

One of the things I have done to showcase what I do well is to create my own blog. I put my blog URL at the top of my resume, under my name and contact info,  and at the bottom of my cover letter so employers don’t have to work to find it. On my blog, I have links to every article I have ever published. Potential employers can see everything I have done and pick a sample at random. My blog also has an “About Me” page with a nice picture and a brief casual blurb about myself that wouldn’t fit in a cover letter.

Now, it’s unlikely that an employer will look past my first two blogposts, so every post I write has to count.  The last thing I write is the first thing they’ll see. It has to grab them with words and visuals. And my latest blogpost had better not be an online diary entry of how much I hate my current or previous job.

Cheat Sheet: Your blog is not your diary. It is a sample of the skills you have to offer an employer.

My mother always said: never write or say anything that you don’t want on the front page of the New York Times. That piece of advice is more pertinent now than ever, since every word and picture we post online can potentially be read or seen by anyone. I had a job for two years that I never wrote about or mentioned on my blog (if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all). It’s a good rule of thumb to not write anything about your current or previous employment – save that for your resume.

Cheat Sheet: Avoid TMI, and focus on a hobby applicable to the kind of job you want.

By the same token, you don’t want to create a blog in which you divulge Too Much Information. If you’re on anti-depressants, can’t maintain a healthy relationship, had a kinky sex dream – that is all TMI. What should be on your blog? Focus on a hobby that is related to the industry you want to get into. For me, traveling, eating and taking pictures are all wrapped up in the same bundle with what I want to do professionally. And my blog is about: traveling, eating, and taking pictures. I also use my blog to show my “multi-media” skills, like web design and photography.

Ideally you’ll be applying to jobs within your area of interest, but right out of college, you might also be applying to In-N-Out (or any number of cubicle jobs). Always tailor your application to the job you are applying for. So if your blog isn’t about your love of excel spreadsheets and you’re applying to be a data entry clerk – it might be best not to mention you even have a blog. There is always a possibility that an employer might see your blogging life as a conflict of interest – but it is also possible that an employer will be impressed by your writing skills (remember to proofread your blogs!), knowledge, and extra-curricular interests.

Natalee Holloway, 19, was last seen leaving a nightclub with three men in Aruba when she disappeared in 2005. In April, 23 year old Aubrey Sacco went missing while hiking alone in Nepal. Traveling is dangerous, but that doesn’t mean young women should stay home – they just need to be careful. Beth Whitman, solo women’s travel expert, tour leader, travel writer, and founder of Wanderlust and Lipstick, answers my questions on how young women can avoid danger abroad.

Beth Whitman has been traveling around the world for over 22 years, from backpacking through Nepal to riding a motorcycle from Seattle to Panama alone. In addition to sharing travel tips and wisdom on her website, she has written two Wanderlust and Lipstick guidebooks: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, and For Women Traveling to India. She also leads women-only tours to Bhutan, Vietnam, Cambodia, and India (where I met her). If anyone knows how to travel safely, she does.

1. Do you think it’s more dangerous for a woman to travel alone than a man?

“Not necessarily. I think it all depends upon the destination and the person. A man who is unaware of his surroundings at a “safe” destination can be more at risk than a woman who has her act together in a place that might be considered dangerous. In general, a woman may not have the strength to defend herself, but if she’s taking all the right precautions she can avoid most potentially dangerous situations.”

2. What should young women do to stay safe while traveling? Should they travel with companions, avoid getting drunk, not hike solo in Nepal, etc.?

“There’s almost always safety in numbers so that’s a good one to point out. But if a woman is traveling on her own, she would do well to keep her wits about her by not getting drunk and not accepting any food or drink from a stranger. The biggest key is to get educated about your destination and whether it’s safe to walk around on your own and if it’s even safe to be out at night (with or without companions). Having said that, the recent disappearance of Aubrey Sacco in Nepal is worrisome. Though there have been political flare ups in Nepal in recent years, I wouldn’t have thought it to be a dangerous place for a woman to travel. But accidents and disappearances can happen anywhere.

A woman should listen to her gut and avoid any situation that feels the least bit wrong.”

3. What do you personally do to stay safe when traveling alone?

“I usually don’t go out at night (which, admittedly, has limited some of my experiences) and I’m careful as to who I talk to. If I am in conversation with someone, I usually make up a fictitious traveling partner (such as my husband) and make sure the person I’m speaking with knows that I’m expected back at my hotel by a particular time.

“I’m also hyper-alert about my personal belongings so that I don’t seem unaware. Having grown up outside of New York City, I think I bring a certain sense of street smarts that many women might not have. If a woman is shy or hesitant to be on her own in a foreign place, I highly recommend taking a self defense course. Whether she uses it or not, taking a course may give her enough confidence as she walks around that a would-be thief might pass her by.”

4. What advice would you give to college girls for spring break and summer vacation travel, where a Girls Gone Wild atmosphere might come into play?

“Well, you can have just as much fun (and actually remember things!) if you don’t get blotto during that spring break. Seriously. Safety should be a woman’s number one priority, whether going out locally or while on vacation and drinking heavily can make things go from bad to worse really quickly.

“Stick with your girlfriends and don’t put yourself in any sort of iffy circumstances. This might sound boring but it’s better to take some precautions than to have your travels end on a really sour note.”

5. Have you ever been in a really dangerous situation while traveling, and what did you do to get out of it?

“The most dangerous situation I’ve ever been in was in Cambodia in the early 90’s. There was no real government installed at the time and there were four factions vying for power – so no one knew who was in charge.

“I chose to travel overland (which was actually illegal at the time) from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. I was in the back of an open-ended pick-up truck and we kept getting stopped by the local military. On one occasion when we were stopped, a rifle-toting man was talking to me in Khmer and stroking my arm. I had no idea what he was saying and just kept repeating, “No understand.” He was drunk and was laughing back at me, “No understand.”

“The driver finally came around to the back and gave the man some riels (the local currency). We drove off while the military guy was pulling out a hand grenade. He didn’t pull the pin but I can honestly say it was the scariest time in my life.

It turns out he was looking for US dollars.”

To read more travel tips on everything from how to pack, to health on the road, to solo adventure travel for women, check out WanderlustandLipstick.com.

According to the June 1^st article in the LA Times, UC Berkeley officials are asking new students to volunteer their DNA in an effort to foster discussion at fall orientation. Over 5000 swabs will be sent out this summer, and while no one will be penalized for refusing, genetics ethics groups are concerned that students will feel pressured to join in for fear of alienating future professors.

So what are they testing for? Nothing important, it turns out: gene variations that control reactions to lactose, folic acid and alcohol. These specific genes were selected because they were not “traumatic” and could be ignored with students no worse off. The results of the DNA tests will only be known to participants and the samples will be destroyed.

Every year UC Berkeley has an “On the Same Page” program for incoming students in which they are usually asked to read the same book over summer for discussion in fall seminars. This year, program coordinators wanted to engage students more actively in the cutting edge issue of genetic science. At orientation, faculty members will lecture about what the DNA results mean, things like blushing after drinking, or how lactose and vegetables affect peoples’ bodies differently. September seminars will have scientists, sociologists, ethicists and lawyers discussing genetics with, what program coordinators hope will be, a group of unusually well-informed students.

Is this “Big Brother” trying to control people’s lives? Is this how the world of Gattaca began? Are we flinging headlong into a genetically engineered dystopia? Don’t these sound like awsome essay prompts?

I think that’s the point. Playing with students’ DNA makes them think, whether they agree, disagree, are enthused, or angry about it. If college is a place in which ideas should be challenged, perspectives debated, and minds opened – then UC Berkeley seems to have accomplished all that before the school year has even begun.

What’s the difference between college kids in the 1970s and us? Sadly, I’m not making a comparison of generational fashion. The difference is empathy. Apparently, “Generation Me” has far less of it than 20-somethings did 30 years ago. This idea isn’t new – there have been a few books claiming our generation to be the most narcissistic. But, a new study hit the news on May 30^th that supports the Gen-bashing.

Yes, I said bashing. I’m not the biggest fan of some of the things I’ve seen in my peers. We definitely have some entitled brats among us, but come on. Let’s not canonize the generations before us. We can condemn them all for something, from the Yuppies, to the drugged out Hippies to the puritanical Puritans – and how about those hairy stinky cave men? Every new generation gives the older generation cause for complaint.

But, before I use this study to light my Memorial Day BBQ, let’s take a closer look.

Our generation scored 40% lower on empathy tests than college students did 30 years ago, based on a review of 72 studies conducted between 1979 and 2009. Sara Konrath, a researcher at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research, reported that the biggest drop in empathy occurred after the year 2000.

“Many people see the current group of college students — sometimes called ‘Generation Me’ — as one of the most self-centered, narcissistic, competitive, confident and individualistic in recent history,” said Konrath.

The empathy tests included questions like “I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look from their perspectives,” and “I often have tender, concerned feelings for people less fortunate than me.”

The researchers suggested that violent video games, social media, focus on material success, the fast-paced nature of our lives (in which we constantly multi-task and don’t use our time to have deep conversations) could be reasons for the disconnect.

The last reason is the only one I am tempted to give credence to; deep, long, important conversations are rare, and not easily done on Skype or Googlechat. Since my friends are spread far and wide – working for charities in Africa, pursuing careers in children’s rights journalism, helping set up PEN centers in Mongolia to aid oppressed writers – it’s hard to sit down for a good old-fashioned chat over tea. But wait… if we’re all so self-centered, then why are so many of my friends traveling hundreds of miles to help people?

I can’t say every 25 year old I know is trying to save a third world country, but the older generation needs to give us a little more credit.

What do you think? Do you see your peers as more selfish or selfless?

Through the heat waving above the cracked surface of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, a city exists for one week every fall. In this city, nothing is bought or sold, only given or traded. And the one rule is to leave no trace behind. Burning Man is part arts festival, part social experiment. It’s a mass gathering of idealists, dreamers, hippies, tech geeks, young people, and families, reaching around 43,000 participants last year. So what is this exactly, and why might you want to go?

I’ve never been to Burning Man. Honestly, as a relatively conservative person who hates dry heat, it’s intimidating. I envisioned it being a tent city of skeezy hippies high on weed, practicing free love in the dust. And that vision isn’t entirely wrong. But it is definitely not entirely right either.

The purpose of Burning Man isn’t to go out and get high in the desert; the purpose is to see what happens when people come together to give of themselves and spread ideas and inspiration. The hope is that after Burning Man, they will return to the “default world” bringing what worked in the social experiment of the Burner culture with them to make the rest of the world better. People who meet at Burning Man stay connected to each other online, sharing opportunities, job leads, creative projects, sometimes even surplus vegetables grown in their back yards.

For some, it must be said, Burning Man seems to be an excuse to run wild and naked. But the other side of it is a gathering of intensely creative, loving people who want to stretch the limits of what imagination can accomplish.

What You’ll See there:

Art Cars – Vehicles that have been painted, nailed, boarded, constructed and bent into fantastical shapes right out of Alice in Wonderland, usually playing loud music.

Theme Camps – Theme camps can be about anything. Some are substance-free camps; some offer workshops in yoga, meditation, or massage, some give away vegetarian food, falafels, chai and coffee; some specialize in fire art or wild animals. In a city of over 40,000, you can’t possibly see everything there is to see. It’s a little like Disney World in that way.

Boobs – Need no explanation.

Sculptures – From metal and fire flower exhibits by the Flaming Lotus Girls, to towering bronze trees, to giant women made of sticks basking in the sun, to the ultimate Burning Man himself – a man-shaped structure that is set alight at the end of the week – sculpture is huge both literally and figuratively here.

Performance Art – Performances happen often and everywhere at Burning Man. Impromptu parades, fire juggling/spitting/twirling/dancing (Burners tend to like their flames), people in costume, people in body-paint and little else, people dressed like fairies or Steampunk desert survivalists – just walking around can be a piece of performance art. And there is a lot of dancing.

Dancing – Dancing deserves its own space here. Dancing happens in the street, around camp sites, and in huge tents that pump trance music late into the night. Dancing happens in classes, on top of art cars, on top of busses, and on top of sculptures.

If Burning Man sounds like a good time, then take 2 gallons of water per person, per day with you. Self-reliance is a huge part of this desert festival, so you have to be able to camp in extreme conditions. The dust is caustic, so wear sandals and keep hydrated to avoid “Playa Foot,” where your heels crack and bleed. Tickets for Burning Man 2010 (August 30^th-September 6^th) are currently on sale for between $210 and $300, with low income and scholarship tickets available.

For more information, check out the Burning Man website.

“I’m a Federal Special Agent, and while firing a weapon and handcuffing dirtbags has little to nothing to do with history, getting to that point kind of does.” Kevin never was a traditional college student – he served as a Marine before attending UCLA. After seeing a B action movie with his then girlfriend (now stunning wife), he decided that the History Major was his future.

Why History?

“Funny, true story: I was undeclared for 2 years and was being pushed by my VA rep, who was approving my GI Bill benefits, to declare a major.  I took a trip to Finland during that Christmas break, and went to see a movie with Katja, ‘National Treasure.’  Yes, the one with Nicholas Cage.  I loved the freaking movie, and it wasn’t because of the hot chicks (there weren’t really any), or the fighting scenes (there were very few).  After the movie, I was wondering why I enjoyed the movie so much. Then I came to the realization that while the movie was good, it was the idea that history is interesting and so varied that excited me the most.  History tells a story of what has happened.  History is our past.  It then hit me in the head, ‘Hello, be a damn history major!!!!’”

“Being able to learn about historical events of mankind appealed to me.  I envisioned myself studying and reading about things that I enjoyed, things relating to history. I enjoyed being able to choose different history courses, such as the history of American Cinema or the history of the West.  There were disappointments, such as History of the Middle East (only because there was SO much information and it got freaking confusing).  Still, getting actual enjoyment from my reading assignments because of my love for history made my major the best major for me.  The only major that could have been better would be a “Working Out” major or “Get Fat” major (I do realize the polar opposites of my interests).”

Would History repeat itself?

When I asked Kevin if he would major in History if he could do it over, his response was a classic “Hell yeah!!” And, unlike many graduates, Kevin found that his background in history, and even the essays he had to write, were actually helpful in his chosen career as a Federal Special Agent. While neither he, nor I, can go into details about what he does – because it’s super secret – I will say that he has helped protect some of the greatest history-making men in the world, like Tony Blair and the Dalai Lama.

How does History help in the present?

“I have the worst memory in the history of mankind.  I do.  I can’t prove it, but I do.  Anyway, I don’t remember as much as I’d like about what I learned at UCLA.  I forget certain things, such as who was the ruler of China during the Boxer Rebellion.  But I did learn concepts and, more importantly, gained perspective on how certain people from certain regions are, and how relationships between nationalities formed.  Also, because of the writing skills and reading comprehension I developed for history essays, I was able to thoroughly impress when I interviewed for my career.  Part of the interview entailed providing a writing sample, on the spot, from a choice of 7 subjects.  I did damn well, which only made me even more competitive because my oral and experience parts were already outstanding.

“I do a lot of writing in my career, but it’s more factual than creative.  Still, I write.  Also, having to interact with all sorts of different ethnicities and going to different countries, it helps knowing a bit about their histories.  I need to interview many people during the course of my investigations, and my interviewees come from diverse backgrounds and often are from other countries.  Again, knowing some history and their relationships with other ethnicities/nationalities helps.”

While you might not find a career in the same area as your college major, I think Kevin is the best example of a graduate applying core skills learned in college to just about anything. Even kicking ass. And then writing about it.

Nancy Trejos, a young financial journalist, was sinking in debt from car payments, a failed mortgage, and bills she racked up as a college student. Ironically, Nancy is a financial reporter for The Washington Post, but while she knew a lot about finances, she couldn’t dig herself out of debt without help. Then she wrote a book about it: Hot (Broke) Messes. What fascinates me about her story is how it started: Student loans and a credit card in college.

Man-Eating Credit Cards

Would you like to sign up for a Target credit card? How about an Express credit card? Banana Republic offers a credit card, and you’ll save $20 on this purchase! Even my grocery store wants to sign me up for a credit card – as if my wallet isn’t heavy enough. I can’t even count the number of credit card offers I received throughout college. According to a 2009 MSNBC article, Sallie Mae reported that student credit card debt is “skyrocketing,” and one in five graduates owe at least $7000 on their credit cards at graduation. Only 17% of students in the study reported paying their credit card bills in full every month, most only made the minimum payment.

I was taught to believe that credit cards are dangerous and to handle them very carefully. Here is why these bits of plastic might as well have teeth:

1. When you don’t pay off the entire balance on your credit card, finance charges can be up to 25% on the unpaid portion.

2. Some credit cards have annual fees just for carrying them that can run between $20-$100.

3. Late payment fees, like if you pay off your credit card online the day it’s due and the money doesn’t go through for a few days, are usually $25-$50.

Before committing to a credit card, ask if there is an annual fee (avoid them at all costs), and be very clear on how much interest accrues if you can’t pay off the entire balance every month. If you have any questions, call your credit card company. I just spent three hours on the phone with my credit card company yesterday, and then I called them back just to double check the information I received.

For more credit card tips, check out CollegeBoard.

Soul-Sucking Student Loans

As if credit cards weren’t bad enough, the average student loan debt is $21,000 according to Project Student Loan Debt. But I have a friend who went to private colleges who is well over $100,000 in debt. Personally, with financial aid and 2 years spent at a community college before transferring to a University of California, I only had $10,000 of student loans to pay off. Whether the amount is ten, twenty, or one hundred thousand dollars, you almost have to major in student-loan repayment to figure it all out.

Fortunately, ProjectStudentDebt.org outlines what you need to know very clearly. The points that stand out for me on their Top Ten Student Loan Tips list are these:

1. Lower your principal as soon as possible. Loan payments cover late fees and interest first. Even if you pay over the required amount, you MUST specify in writing that the remainder is to be used to pay off the principal. Otherwise, that money just sits there to pay off more interest, which doesn’t do you any good. When you lower your principal – that’s the core money you owe – then the amount of interest you have to pay decreases. Always check online to make sure that the money you paid actually lowered the principal amount.

2. Consider consolidation. Instead of keeping track of a bunch of loans, you can combine them into one big loan to simplify repayment. However, don’t jump to consolidate immediately. Check to compare the interest rates of a consolidated loan versus separate loans to see if it’s the best choice.

Finances are confusing and stressful – there’s no getting around that. But, when you take control and try to understand how everything works, credit cards and student loans become less scary and more manageable. Heck, if an English major like me can pay off $10K in loans and keep financially afloat, it can’t be that bad.