Author Archives: Evelyn N.

About Evelyn N.

just everything, man.

The Post College Life hiatus explained

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I just woke up from the most decadently intoxicating, hazy-ass nap. You know the kind — you wake up and have no idea where you are or why you even chose to go to sleep at 3pm, but it feels like an easy 90 degrees in your apartment so you rip off your clothes and sit on the living room floor…pantless…furiously tearing the soft peels off of a million Cuties tangerine (mandarin?) thingies.

No? Oh.

I decided now was as good a time as any to start blogging here again. I have a problem with waiting for the “right” time but there is no such thing. I made the “official” announcement on Youtube in a fit of inspiration and as a result of soaring sugar high, but as you can see on the video, it’s been over a month since that and I’m just now writing a blog post.

I’ve been absent from this slice of the Internet for damn near 5 months. That’s approx. 3.5 years in Internet Time, girl. Dedicated blogging (as opposed to my word vomit on Tumblr) felt laborious and yucky and I was trying to be all encouraging Oprah Life Class on dat azzz, but in reality, I felt like poop. Poop!

Photo 116
me, feeling like poop.

I graduated college and didn’t really know what to do or how to get there. I was accepted into a “newbie reporters of the world” type of program and wasn’t offered a job at the end of the gig. I wanted to go to New York to live in Magical Black Brooklyn and commune with the fly people worthy of a million notes on Tumblr. That didn’t pan out (and I haven’t bothered to ask why).

I just sat at home, day in and day out, sometimes freelancing, sometimes not. Sometimes looking for jobs, sometimes not. This went on for a year, broken up only by the productivity of that summer in Phoenix. I didn’t feel like writing about that. Who would want to write about that? I HAVE BROUGHT DISHONOR TO MY FAMILY, MULAN!!!

My parental units never actually made me feel like that, by the way. Ashamed or like I was somehow less than. They get 100,000 gold stars in parenting – I know it must have been rough. Stepping on eggshells because not only am I a Leo, but keep in mind that I’m an artist *points to you to finish the quote*

Then one fateful day, through no voodoo of my own, I get an email from my former internship supervisor. There’s a job opening. If it’s my thing, I should apply. So I did. Then a phone interview. Then a face-to-face interview. Then a “you got the job”.

In less than a week, I went from Hopeless in Seattle Jobless in Texas to shopping for renter’s insurance, stuffing all my crap in my Toyota, and running through Ikea like a madwoman. I had one day to find a place to live. I moved back to the city I went to school in to work for a company I had an internship with. It’s so disgustingly full circle that sometimes I look up and ask The Ancestors why that one year dry spell had to happen. But I gotta trust my struggle or whatever people who are already successful say…

It’s been almost two months since I started the job, and things are going ok. I always feel like I’m slacking, but I’m not sure that feeling goes away for people like me. Some of y’all already know where I work and that’s cool — I’m personally not going to blast it over the internets though. We’ll cross paths all in good time.

So that is my update. I have my first Big Kid Job, the kind where I’m in charge of something, not just following orders. It’s scary. I have my first apartment, paid my first electricity bill ($200 initiation fee, Austin? gtfoh) and did all those firsts that will probably turn into future blog posts and videos and discussions.

Got a lot of things on my to-do list if I want this blog to improve and be a real thing. Checking The Post College Life email would be a good start. *crickets*

But yeah, that’s The Post College Life hiatus explained. If you have any suggestions for content or topics or anything like such as, I would tell you to email me, but you know what — just holla at me on Facebook.

GUEST POST: 5 Excellent Books to Read for Career Success

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When college students graduate, after four years of intense reading and writing, the last thing they want to do is pick up a book.

In fact, many students never pick up a book again, which can be detrimental to their post-grad career. There are plenty of books written about career advancement and how to survive after college, many of which can offer advice and inspiration to college graduates trying to find their way in the real world.

 Here are 5 books new grads should read for career success:


1. What Color is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles
It’s not a book about jumping out of an airplane (the appropriate title for that would be God, I Hope I Have My Parachute), but instead it’s about developing goals and learning about what your strengths and weaknesses are. It’s almost like a career journal. The best part is that it’s time-tested: It’s been helping college graduates for more than 40 years, coming out with new editions annually.


2. What Should I Do With My Life by Po Bronson
Whoa. Kind of a heavy question for a book title. But the cool thing about this book is that, through individual stories, it helps readers understand that not everyone knows exactly what they want to do fresh out of college or high school. Sometimes, it’s just life experience that shapes people and how they get to where they are.


3. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
One thing your college or university might not teach you is how to network. They educate you in the ways of book-smarts and facts, but when it comes to having relationships with people, that’s not always on the agenda. This book is out to supplement that education.


4. Do What You Are by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger
If you like taking personality tests and quizzes, then this is the book for you. Do What You Are’s aim is to help people identify their personality types and from there discover what jobs for which they may be suited.


5. Oh, The Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss
Sure, it’s a children’s book, but it offers a lot of amazing adult advice (plus, it’s short!). What’s written can be applied to most any career situation, and it also helps post-grads get out of the “college bubble” their university often unintentionally puts them in.

Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best.

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.

Because, sometimes, you won’t.

It’s good to humble yourself and remember that when you graduate, there are thousands of college graduates in the same boat out there, vying for the same entry-level positions as you.

Not all of a college graduate’s career questions will be answered in a book, but continuing to read and educate yourself after graduation helps propel you in the right direction toward self-discovery. Remember, that after college, the educational journey isn’t over—it’s never over.

Megan McLachlan writes for Criminal Justice Degree Schools, a career and education resource for individuals interested in getting started in a criminal justice career and featuring interviews with law enforcement professionals and school reviews by students.

GUEST POST: LPN Graduate. Now What?

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Don’t mess with nurses! Carla is gettin’ real tired of your crap. #Scrubs

Being a licensed practical nurse (LPN) is not as limiting as you might think.  While registered nurses are still on the top tier for pay and employment opportunities, an LPN can still enjoy a wide spectrum of employment opportunities other than the traditional bedside stereotype.

In the US, jobs for LPNs are expected to grow by as much as 25% within the next six years as aging baby boomers begin to require more and more medical services. Perhaps you are about to finish your certification, maybe you already have it completed or, you could just be thinking about the possibilities that exist in this career path. Here are some options available to LPNs that might not have crossed your mind.
Continue reading →

INFOGRAPHIC: Can a Degree Help You Live Longer?

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Peep the infographic below!

“In 2011, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) released a report that compared life expectancy by degree of education attained. The gap in the life expectancy at age 25, by education, widened between 1996 and 2006 for both men and women with a bachelor’s degree or higher.”
Can a Degree Help You Live Longer?
From: OnlineCollegeCourses.com

um…

DUH!!!!!!! Higher education (usually) means you have a higher paying job, health insurance, and can afford healthier foods. You can trade in that pasteurized cheese product for the good stuff (shout out to Sargento). Throw in a LA Fitness membership and some sweaty night yoga for good measure.

Those of us without health insurance have to think long and hard before we go to the doctor. There are people in our country who don’t get checkups. WTF is a checkup????? Just drink some Robitussin!
Everybody Haaaaaaaaaates Chriiiiiiiiiiiiis.

The thing about health is that prevention and management of a condition are often our saving grace. As a child, I had severe breathing problems. My parents were able to afford doctor’s visits, inhalers, and nebulizers – a pricy piece of machinery that allowed me to inhale my medicine through a mask. How many kiddies in this country are struggling to breathe, but a $100 inhaler is just not doable? It breaks my heart, because E.V.E. luhhh da kidz, man.

The basic point that the infographic illustrates is that formal education is correlated to financial resources. And as we all know, C.R.E.A.M. 

It’s crucial to note (and the infographic did) that correlation does not imply causation. It’s not like once the diploma touched my hand I was free from all ailments. Your bachelors doesn’t equal a long, healthy life. It doesn’t mean that those with college diplomas are always more intelligent and therefore make better health choices. The findings simply reveal that there is some correlation between diplomas and life expectancy.

I wonder what this the CDC’s report will look like 20 years from now, especially for Texas, who “is on the path to 57% obesity.”

Thoughts?

INFOGRAPHIC: IS COLLEGE STILL WORTH IT? via degreejungle.com

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I’m always hesitant to answer this question because I already graduated! It just doesn’t seem like a productive exercise because I’m already in loan repayment mode – what’s the point, nawwwmsayin? But I’ll indulge because it may be helpful to the kiddies out there. E-V-E love tha kidz!!!

In my opinion, the most important stat in the infographic below is that 94% of parents expect their children to go to college. I feel like that percentage increases to 250% if you have parents that were immigrants to this country. College was never a question for me! It was always in the books, whether I wanted to go or not! And a phD in JESUS NAME!!!!! -____-

Presented by DegreeJungle – Is College Still Worth It?

In my experience, college was one big (and expensive) networking opportunity. My professors were Pulitzer prize winning journalists, editors of major American newspapers, and from what I could tell, people who actually wanted to teach me. I interacted with people from different cultural backgrounds. I got to travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to study the effects of stereotypes in the media against women of color – something I wouldn’t have the opportunity to do without the structure and travel grants that a university provides.

BUT, and this is a big B U T:

We need to rethink the purpose and content of a four year college education. Degree saturation changed a bachelors degree from some magical Key To The World into the Base Requirement To Have Someone Glance At Your Resume. College doesn’t mean we’re smarter than our peers without degrees. Be honest. Sometimes it felt like college was a game. I didn’t need to be intelligent or innovative – I just needed to figure out how the professor graded papers and act accordingly. Why on earth am I taking Texas History as a college sophomore when I had Texas History in Mr. Goodwin’s 7th grade class? Why aren’t we problem solving? Why do we value info regurgitation? Why was my advertising book for non-majors still $105??????????? We have to revamp education in its entirety – from the babies in first grade to the people in college. All we do is make the books a little bigger, the words a little longer, but the content is essentially the same.

And let me say that all the thought provoking classes challenge the system, so they are always few and far between. Where are the classes that discuss how white privilege, male privilege, able-bodied privilege, heterosexual privilege, cis-gendered privilege shape the way our world works? Ezzakly.

True, college is what you make it. Even more true, college is infinitely more bearable when you have a desired job title in mind. I have to also acknowledge that, money aside, some people simply have a passion for learning, and threatening a History or Linguistics major with the you’re never gonna make any money spiel is pointless.

Was college worth it for me? I’d say about two semesters were absolutely worth it. Intriguing, challenging, inspiring, helpful. The rest…not so much.

What do you think of this infographic? Is college still worth it?

WAIT TILL I GET MY MONEY RIGHT: my freelance blog posts for American Student Assistance

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So a few months ago, I started blogging for American Student Assistance, a non-profit organization that will help you get your finances together, whether you’re still in college borrowing money, or if you’ve begun the task of repaying your loans.

They offer neutral student loan advice, as they aren’t affiliated with a bank. They do it for The People, y’all! You can use online loan repayment calculators, read thorough explanations of different types of loans, and find answers to all your student loan FAQs.

ASA recently launched a new membership website called $ALT. It’s an extension of ASA, continuing their mission to equip us with the basic principles of personal finance that, for some reason or another, are not taught in schools.

We want to revolutionize the way students finance and repay higher education, transforming them from passive financial aid recipients to instead proactive, financially savvy consumers who truly own their student loans and finances.
- ASA.org


Aside from their professional advice, they have a team of bloggers that provide personal insight into their college (and post-college!) lives. This is where I come in.

You can read the posts I’ve done so far by clicking the links below. Drop me a comment there, and give me suggestions on what to talk about next!

Meet Evelyn Ngugi, in which…you meet me. But you already know me. So read at your leisure.

Why I Decided to Consolidate My Student Loans, an article about the benefits of smashing my multiple federal loans into one easy payment.

What Next? How I’m Starting My Job Search…Kind Of, in which a much less emo me explains how I’m plannin’ to git my money right.

3 Reasons Why Making Friends After College Is Expensive, where I provide exactly three reasons why turning strangers into buddies post-college can break the bank (but it’s frikkin’ worth it, man).

So check to see if $ALT is available through your university. Peruse through the diverse perspectives from the other bloggers. Make it from the student loans to a benzo.

YOUR RATCHET IS SHOWING: social media tips for young urban professionals

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Person in the plaid shorts is GETTIN’ IT though! That isolation is flawless.

I’m not tryna be like one of those fast food or automobile commercials geared toward Black people. Cue the generic hip-hop or R&B instrumental! Cue the well dressed bearded man or the adorable socialite with natural hair! Add a “mmmhm, gurl!” after you sip your refreshing beverage and make sure all the friends in the backseat are varying shades of brown! WHAT’S IN THE NEW CHICKEN WRA–

As a young person in the media business, branding and social media are everything. I know my colleagues and future employers lurk check out my social media outlets. Am I a good fit for their brand? Do I look and sound like I’d be a good addition to the team?

My goal is to help you represent yourself responsibly on the internets with your integrity and authenticity in tact. We’re multifaceted people with diverse interests and backgrounds. Unfortunately, sometimes I feel like I have to drastically change my online behavior to impress my Potential Employer who, 97.8% of the time, is White. (Yes I made up that percentage. It just feels right.) Even though I have a generic American accent, I too, have a White Voice that I can switch on and off at the drop of a snapback. I wish I didn’t feel the need to have one, but I do. Such is the world we live in.

So here are my tips to you, Young Urban aka Black Professional! Note: I’m varying degrees of horrible at following my own tips. Continue reading →

Feeling restless & moving forward

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Can I confess? I’ve had this blog post (just the title, nothing actually written) saved as a draft since March.

It’s definitely September, y’all.

*silence*

…

*crickets*


Even Mark Wahlberg is disoriented.

I’ve been wanting to talk about this topic since MARCH, people. That’s almost enough to send me on an eating binge. Just slide into Whataburger one day and order every damn thing on the menu. Uhhh, lemme I get a uhhh, number 1 through 16, please. All the damn sauces. All dem thangs. Do y’all sell gallons of sweet tea? No? I’ll settle for five large cups of drank then.

TIME IS MOVING AND I AM NOT SO IMA CHICKEN STRIP MYSELF INTO OBLIVION. That’s what I want to do, yes, but I’ll write this blog post instead. My waistline thanks me.

Remember when I posted that video on Youtube challenging us to sit the hell down and figure out what we want to do with our lives? Yeah, me neither. Well, my “checklist lifestyle” (vs. climbing the proverbial ladder of success) makes it hard for me to focus. I know I’m a big idea person. I’m a dreamer. I want to do it all, but since I have no ultimate end-all-be-all goal, I don’t know where to start. I’m often overcome by a sense of what if I miss out on something exciting because I’m doing something else?!?!?. Continue reading →

A POST COLLEGE UPDATE: Remember Jamal?

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In May, my buddy Jamal shared his experience as a December 2010 college graduate who hit a couple road blocks on the way to his goal: becoming a certified music teacher…with an actual job teaching music. He had to work at Target to pay to retake his teacher certification tests, and once he passed, had a tough time finding job openings. It was the middle of the school year, after all.

Well, The Post College Life is elated to report that Jamal is now Mr. Jamal, Music Teacher Extraordinaire to children pre-k through 5th grade!!!!

He was caught off guard in this picture. Mr. Jamal is actually a pretty jolly guy. Or so he claims. >___<

The kiddies filed into class last week, so I hopped on Skype to ask Jamal how things are going so far.  Continue reading →

GUEST POST: Underemployed can lead to overjoyed

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After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with honors in only 2 1/2 years, Toni immediately entered graduate school in the Fall of 2011. After only 3 semesters, she graduated again with a Master of Arts in Education, concentration early and elementary education with a specialization in child development.

I thought I would be underemployed forever. Well not forever, but at least for a few years.

When I graduated from undergraduate I immediately started graduate school, so I just took a job as an intern at an investment bank because I could do my readings and such at work and still get paid. This was working well for me until I realized that I needed to actually have some experience in the education field before anyone would accept me into an education doctoral program. Then came the job search…

So here I was looking for a job, an honor graduate from the freaking University of Texas at Austin, almost finished with a Master’s degree in education and I was having a ridiculously hard time finding a job that I was qualified for. I was turned down for a director of a day care position, assistant director, preschool teacher, admissions representative, etc. etc.

While I was in the middle of my unsuccessful job search one of my classmates from graduate school suggested that I work on an alternative teaching certificate, take a job as an “instructional assistant”, and possibly start teaching the next school year, if everything went well.

Long story short, everything went well. The principal loved me with the children and when a teaching position became available she interviewed and asked HR to offer me the job.

But before that job offer came no less than 35 applications submitted online at various school districts, daycares, preschools, private schools, career colleges, basically anywhere that had anything to do with education.

Moral of the story: Your resume can only take you so far. Who you know matters. If you can get in the door and “show them what you got”, go for it! Impressing your boss now in a job you are just settling for can mean landing that job you’ve always wanted in the future.

- Toni