When I came to college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my future. So, being young and naïve I decided to major in English. My thought process: an English degree can get me into any grad program and basically get me any job I would ever want.

Turns out, I made a big (HUGE) mistake.

According to recent stats by some important people at the Wall Street Journal, a major in liberal arts is…well, worthless.

OK, maybe not worthless, but definitely not nearly as valuable as majoring something a little more 21st century. Just check out these stats for first year earnings in various fields:

Accounting: $46,000
Consulting: $47,000
Aerospace: $54,000
Engineering: $49,000
Retail: $34,000
Education: $30,000
Journalism: $23,000

Depressing, right? Well, it doesn’t have to be. Read More »

It looks like you left something off that back-to-school list of yours in September, champ: money.

Whether it’s paying for tuition or a Bud Light at Cryan’s, you’re going to need cash. While some have the luxury of parental support or a paid internship, most only have three frightening options: prostitution, refund checks…or getting a job. With the first two being (sort of) out of the question, cash-strapped students actually need legitimate employment to suffice.

Now, note the legitimate and squash the wild ideas, because the following are not options: model, zookeeper, photographer, archaeologist (the fun, Indiana Jones variety), radio personality, novelist, video game tester, professional poker player and every possibility that involves the word “pirate” or “ninja.” It’s not happening, so don’t waste your money on the nunchucks. Read More »

The key to success? Be a nice guy. Seriously.

Obviously, be competent, smart and forward-thinking. But according to Tim Sanders, author of The Likeability Factor, your career success depends on having personal well-being and playing well with others.

‘The grim reality is that life is a popularity contest,’ says Sanders, a Loyola-Maramont graduate and former indie-rock musician. ‘There was a Harvard Business Review study about how people select who they want to work with. And you know what? Everyone would rather work for a likable fool than a competent jerk.’

Sanders is part of a new breed of managers who are looking for ‘emotional talent.’ rather than just physical and mental skills. Being a nice guy, he shared with us some tips to finding emotional satisfaction in our career, from finding a perfect job to loving the one you get. Read More »

Recently, I found myself strapped for cash and needed a way to supplement my income. Like most people, I decided to try nude modeling! The gigs were usually just a few hours, and they paid well above minimum wage. Why not?

I called a few local college art departments. “There’s a shortage of nude models,” I was told. So, career advice No. 1: find an in-demand job, and there’s no interview necessary. Also, nudity is often a deterrent.

During my first class, things started out fine. I walked in, disrobed, ignored the goosebumps forming on my skin (note to profs: turn up the heat) and walked on to a platform in the center of the room as the professor gave me instructions for my first pose. It was pretty simple: I just had to sit still for twenty minutes.

But then my legs started shaking. It dawned on me that I was the only naked person in the room! I looked out at the rows of students, who were busily sketching me while their instructor discussed the angles and shadows of ‘the figure’ and I realized I was just their subject for the day. That’s it. And I took a deep breath and relaxed. Read More »

As if the New York City heat wave wasn’t hell-sent enough, it chose to hit at the exact moment that the air conditioning in our cluttered intern’s den became kaput. Working at this music television station had simply become one crazy story after the next.

The other day I was asked to get one of the VJ’s dogs groomed and was given an anal leakage prescription that, to my horror (this is my luck we’re talking about) got carried away by a breeze and was handed back to me by a beautiful, beautiful (somewhat queasy-looking) but beautiful boy. Anal leakage is not such a cute ‘So how’d you two meet?’ type of story. So, I bailed pronto.

Anyway that was the other day, today was today, and today I was sweating like a recovering nymphomaniac who’d accidentally stumbled into a brothel. The glory of it all was that miraculously, the AC had only died out in our small cubicle encrusted room, so no one with any actual power had any desire to get it fixed anytime soon.

Oh, the agony of a summer internship.

I was immersed in checking for evidence of the dreaded pit stain (little ones already and it was only nine, boo) when my boss Pierre came to what seemed like my rescue, informing me that I’d be working in the filming studio today. I clapped my hands together, this I’d never done before! Read More »

Oh, right: money. Looks like you left something off that back-to-school list of yours, champ.

Whether it’s paying for tuition or a Starbucks latte, you’re going to need cash. While some have the luxury of parental support or a paid internship, most only have three frightening options: prostitution, refund checks … or getting a job. With the first two being sort of out of the question, it obvious that cash-strapped students actually need legitimate employment.

Now, note the legitimate and squash the wild ideas, because the following are not options: model, zookeeper, photographer, archeologist (the fun, Indiana Jones variety), radio personality, novelist, video game tester, professional poker player and every possibility that involves the word “pirate” or “ninja.” It’s not happening, so don’t waste your money on the nunchucks.

With all the exciting possibilities being unrealistic student jobs, the thought of flipping burgers might have you scared. But don’t be; a college job can be a blessing in disguise. Obviously, your motive is to make money, but you can amount to more with the right job. The key is making the job work for you.

You’ll be surprised by what people are being paid for, and these aren’t elaborate, exotic jobs. Ideal for students, these are commonplace places of employment that save time by converting daily tasks into one that rewards with a paycheck. Feeling flabby? Get physical and take a job that’ll keep you active. Trouble studying? A quiet office is the perfect place to hit the books, and you can even be paid while you boost your nightlife.

So, exhale in relief, because there are alternatives to the burger-and-fries jobs everyone dreads. There is more to student employment than stocking shelves and serving drinks, so when your search begins, keep your needs in mind and try applying at places like these:

• Gyms, health clubs, tanning salons and spas: Attractive because you’ll have an opportunity to exercise and earn a buck simultaneously, the fitness world wants fit people, and nothing helps the health industry's image like a bunch of young, athletic adults working away on all that fancy equipment. Plus, gyms're open all day.
• Pools: Large schools have them for student use, and almost every community has one. The Saved By The Bell crew became lifeguards in college, so why can’t you?
• Libraries: There's bound to be one on your campus or in the neighborhood. The quiet environment is perfect for studying, and you’re never in short supply of reading material, not to mention computers or copy machines (for personal use).
• Banks: Tellers are always on demand, and local braches will work around student schedules. Slow hours translate into study time, and I ask you this: Is there a better place to balance your checkbook? While you’re working, you may gain some fiscal prowess, too.
• Nightclubs, music venues, radio stations: Don’t expect a job in the limelight, but as a promoter, you couldn’t ask for a better nightlife. Free backstage access to concerts and clubs, a casual dress code and the rare chance to meet the stars. The same can be said about sports venues and stadiums.

None of the above hiring?

Nonprofits and law firms are a great source of part-time jobs and will shine on your résumé come graduation day. If spending your paycheck is inevitable, try working where you shop: For example, Victoria’s Secret employees get 30 percent off everything. That’s hot. And if you can tolerate the food service world, why not work for the free meal incentive?

Remember, a useful job utilizes time wisely. It also forces you to do something you wouldn’t necessarily motivate yourself to do like study or get off campus. More important, though, the work should be tolerable; there’s no sense in being miserable. Sure, you may not be working as a model, zookeeper or ninja assassin, but you're bound to find a job that you'll enjoy, something that's not so scary after all.

For extra money while attending Ohio State University, I used to caddy at OSU alum Jack Nicklaus' swank golf course, called Murfield Village, in nearby Dublin (no, not Ireland). I had never done it, but my buddy told me it was a great way to make quick money. (He didn't tell me that we would get into the routine of blowing the proceeds on beer on our way home.) It was Wednesday, doctors' day off to play golf. So all the hackers were out in full force, full of arrogance as if, just because they were playing on this pro course, they were pros. No, they were assholes. So, there we are, on the third green. The doc I am caddying for picks up his ball and throws it my way, mimicking the gesture to wash it. Yes, there was a small grass stain on it; evidently, he figured that would impair his upcoming shot. Such drama. So what did I do? Not the obvious, which would have been to wipe the ball down with the towel slung over my shoulder. No, I turned and ran, ran 30 yards up a hill, hightailing it to the next tee box, where I douched the ball in the ball washer. Then I ran all the way back to the green, where everyone was waiting for me. I handed the ball to the doctor. He looked at me like I was crazy. I was elated when he missed his precious putt. He had the last laugh: He dicked me on the tip.
' David W. Major

As a political science major at Ohio Wesleyan University, I had had, by the fall of my senior year, enough of the classroom. I was maxed out on theory and history. It was time for some reality, a little fieldwork. Fortunately, a professor in the department arranged for me to serve as an intern in Washington, DC, working for the House Republican Conference. (I got paid, too!) It's a department in the United States House of Representatives that helps smooth the differences between Senate bills and House bills. The two bodies, which make up the U.S. Congress, have to reconcile differences in similar bills so that they can be passed into law. The office also was a cheerleading service for the House Republicans.

I don't care much for conservative ideologies or, for that matter, the Republican Party, but my four months in the nation's capital were great. There is nothing quite like walking through the halls of Congress and bumping into famous senators and representatives. And it was cool witnessing the entire legislative process, going to the respective chambers to see congressmen debate the great issues of the day. The senators were like mini-presidents, moving along with adoring entourages and issuing canned, pompous remarks that were supposed to pass as candor. In Washington, there seems to be more concern with taking care of one's ego than with tending to the issues facing the nation.

I had the added kicker of living with a very political couple, who lived in Georgetown, the swank enclave for movers-and-shakers. The wife was the White House social secretary for Hillary Clinton, and the husband was a correspondent for The Sunday Times of London, considered The New York Times of England. I was going out with their daughter. Being well connected, and social, they threw great parties. Many leaders of government and the media would drop in for dinner and drinks. Some came by regularly to play tennis or to go for a swim. I learned more about how Washington works from observing them and eavesdropping on their conversation than why I absorbed from books on the art of the possible: politics. ' David W. Major