Gen Y | Classy Career Girl

Book Giveaway for the Investing Career Girl (Which Should Be All of Us!!)

December 9, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

Chris Camillo is not a stockbroker, financial analyst, or hedge fund manager. He is an ordinary person with a knack for identifying trends and discovering great investments hidden in everyday life. In early 2007, he invested $20,000 in the stock market, and in three years it grew to just over $2 million. In the book Laughing at Wall Street, you’ll see:

How Facebook friends helped a young parent invest in the wildly successful children’s show, Chuggington—and saw her stock values climb 50%
How an everyday trip to 7-Eleven alerted a teenager to short Snapple stock—and tripled his money in seven days
How $1000 invested consecutively in Uggs, True Religion jeans, and Crocs over five years grew to $750,000
How Michelle Obama caused J. Crew’s stock to soar 186%, and Wall Street only caught up four months later!

Engaging, narratively-driven, and without complicated financial analysis, Camillo’s stock picking methodology proves that you do not need large sums of money or fancy market data to become a successful investor.

There are three reasons that I love this book:

We all need to manage our finances and we cannot rely on anyone else to do it. I know at times it is hard to think of that amount that you put towards your 401K and what fun you could have spending it today. It is hard to take time out of your busy schedule to figure out what investments and funds you want to put your 401K into. But, we all need to be actively managing, learning and growing that fund as much as possible NOW. Trust me, you will thank me later. If you don’t start early you’ll miss out on a huge head start that will be incredibly difficult to make up later on.
You don’t have to be a financial planner to understand this book. It is written in terms that the average Jane can understand and you don’t have to understand finance or economics.
Many people think that to invest they have to spend a lot of time studying charts, graphs and historical trends. Many of the investing tips you will learn in this book are looking for investments by what is woven into things you do already. Examples include reading magazines, checking Facebook, shopping or talking with your friends. No excuses ladies!

Ready to learn more about investing? Enter to win a copy of the book today!

To enter:  Leave a comment below with your email address. This giveaway is open to all residents in the US or Canada. It begins NOW and ends on Dec 13th, 2011 at 9pm PST. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 24 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was provided me with a copy of the book to review but this did not change what I wrote about the book.

Filed Under: Gen Y, motivation, personal development | 16 Comments

Everything You NEED to Know Before Entering the Professional World – Part II

November 25, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

Welcome to Part II of everything you NEED to know before entering the professional world. If you missed part 1, make sure you check out this post. All of the tips are from amazing readers like you who left comments on previous posts. If you have more tips for young readers, feel free to share them in the comments below! If I get a few more, I will do part III!

Here is your college and life advice for young girls!!

Get an internship every summer as soon as you start college. Even if it’s unpaid. This is a great way to start building skills on a resume (future employers won’t know whether you were paid or not) and the fact that you were employed multiple times makes you much less of a hiring risk in the future! Internships are also a great way for you to learn what jobs you like and don’t like before you have to commit to a full-time job post-graduation. (by Alex Nelson)
My advice would be to choose a career you will love. So many people choose a career based on money and are unhappy each day. Choose an interest you love and go with it. I have a teenage sister and I always tell her to make her own money. Don’t count on someone else taking care of you. Have your own money and know how to take care of yourself. (By Dawn at Life’s Experiences)
The thing that I wish I’d really grasped was that learning is about developing a career and not just a dream. So I often reflect that I might have been happier if I’d done something directly related to a career – accountancy or law, perhaps (I spent most of my education studying theatre). My other tip would be not to underestimate the need for basic skills. I have a lot of resumes and applications sent to me that are terribly written and put together. I expect an application to be the very best example of the individual’s work standard. (by the girl behind)
Always be prepared – do your research on the company, on the position and on yourself! Review your achievements in school, work or community and be prepared to confidently speak about them all. Most importantly have a great attitude and represent yourself honestly. Always be open to trying new things – even when you are not going to be compensated for those things – they will inevitably lead to a greater opportunity that may not be quantified through renumeration! (by Felicia Nurmsen)
Watch your managers carefully. Once you enter the “business” world, you can get a feel for the kind of leader you are going to be by remembering the things you liked and didn’t like about your different leaders. I learned SO MUCH about mentoring from one boss and I left another job with a laundry list of things I didn’t want to incorporate from another.(by Maranda Gibson)
My recommendation would be to make sure you ask lots of questions at your job interview. Inquire why the position is open, what the company culture is like, etc. The interview process is for both the job candidate and employer alike. (by Sarah at My Colleges and Careers)
When still in college or school, remember to socialize. You will meet a wider variety of people when you start working and you might be intimidated by the lot. But if you’re used to socializing with people as early as possible, then you wouldn’t have a problem when you already have a job and working with people. (By Steph)

So much great advice! What is your career and life advice for young girls? What do you wish you would have known before going to college and entering the real world?

(P.S. This post was supposed to go up Friday morning. Unfortunately, there were too many black Friday deals today that I got a little behind. Oops!

Photo Source

Filed Under: Gen Y, How to Find a Job, motivation | 2 Comments

College Mistakes That Will NOT Help You Find a Job

September 7, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

If you are planning to head back to school or are currently school, this post is for you. I have put together a list of the top 10 mistakes that myself and my friends made when pursuing our undergraduate and graduate degrees. Learn from us and don’t make these mistakes!

The Top 10 College Mistakes That Will NOT Help You Find a Career:

Getting a degree where the only way you can get a job is by getting your masters or PhD.
Heading into a career field with no jobs available.
Getting a graduate degree that wasn’t necessary because you could have gotten the same job without it.
Not conducting informational interviews to find out that you hate your chosen career before you start working in it.
Not making a plan for what you are going to do after college so you just take the first job that popped up after graduation (that you hate).
Not building a network during college because you spent too much time studying or partying.
Picking a major where there is only one type of job after graduation instead of having many different options that you can pursue.
Picking a major that you are good at in school but you actually despise it.
Picking a major because someone else said that you should.
Since you can’t find a job after college, you decide to head to grad school instead (and still can’t find a job after grad school).

Did you make any of these mistakes? Are you happy with your degree?

Note: This post was written in assocation with Kaplan Open Learning. Progressing in your career can be difficult in the current competitive job market. Thanks to online distance learning schools like Kaplan Open Learning, even if you are already employed you can further expand your skills base by studying online. For more information on online learning and courses, visit www.kaplanopenlearning.org.uk. (photo credit: 123RF Stock Photos)

Filed Under: College, Gen Y, How to Find a Job | 14 Comments

What Is Your Career and Life Advice To Teen Girls?

September 1, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

Big news!! I am excited to announce that I will be participating in Girls World Expo in San Diego on September 24th, 2011. Girls World Expo gives girls an opportunity to meet the women business and civic leaders in their community, hear about their paths to success and sample a variety of workshops and seminars that provide insights, skills, and knowledge—the things that can make lives go in a whole new direction.

My hope and purpose for this event is to empower girls to know that they can be whatever they want to be and give important life, college and career advice to them that they will always remember.

Will you help me?

Please leave a comment answering the below question. I will write a post before the event and include all of your great advice so that we can pass it along to all of the young girls in our lives.

What is your career and life advice for young girls? What do you wish you would have known before going to college and entering the real world?

Thanks! Please pass along! I would love to get as much advice as possible!

Filed Under: Gen Y, women at work | 19 Comments

Listen Up Gen Y! DON’T Ignore Your 401K!

August 17, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

Recently I was talking to a friend about our 401Ks. My friend told me that she had not yet started contributing to her retirement account (even though her company matches!). Her rational is that she is now at the lowest salary she will ever be making so she will worry about it when she makes more money.

Are you contributing to your retirement?

Read this from MSN Money:

“Less than a third of workers 25 and under are contributing to their employer sponsored retirement plans. These accounts are much more important to young workers than to older Americans. That’s because the majority of younger workers aren’t covered by an old fashion guaranteed pension. Moreover, every dollar that 20-somethings save will be more valuable over the course of their lives than the same dollar will be for older workers. That is because young workers have more time to invest their savings and then let that money grow. Sadly, there seems to be little urgency among young Americans to remedy this situation. For instance, a paltry 19% of young workers say they plan to fund a traditional or Roth IRA this year. In fact, the majority of 18- to 24-year-olds don’t even know whether they qualify to fund various types of IRAs, according to CCH.”

You have been warned! Time is your biggest advantage right now. Starting now is the absolute best thing you can do! If you don’t start early you’ll miss out on a head start that will be incredibly difficult to make up later on.

Here is your challenge: TODAY! Research how you can start contributing to your 401K. You don’t have to be a financial whiz or hire a financial planner. But whatever you do, don’t ignore it. You will thank me someday!

Photo by teenage crime

Readers, are you planning for your retirement?

Filed Under: Gen Y, Grad School | 8 Comments

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

July 15, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

Today’s post will take us down memory lane and challenge us to think about who we really want to be in life. The author, Cheryl Rhody, has an appetite for ambition, a vivid imagination and an enthusiasm for public relations, marketing, digital media and ultimately brand amplification. You can connect with her on Linkedin or follow her on Twitter @CherylHRhody.

We’ve all been asked this age-old question, most likely inside of an elementary school classroom while introducing one of your parents to speak to your classmates for “Career Day”. (Luckily my dad designed jets, so I always had an interesting guest to bring along.) When asked this question over the years, my responses included whimsical things such as a fairytale princess, a ballerina or a high-fashion model until I ultimately realized that a 5’2 girl like me with an imagination the size of Texas was destined for a career in marketing and public relations.

Flash forward several years later, I am still in love with my career choice (although certainly not grown-up!) However, there is something about our culture and society that irks me. You see, I think we have been asking the wrong question all along. While I take pride in my job, it is just one of the many things that define who I am. I believe we should be asking not “What”, but “Who do you want to be when you grow up?

If I had been asked that question, perhaps my response would have been vastly different, with hopes and aspirations of being the best daughter, wife, mother, friend, pet owner, volunteer and colleague that I could possibly be. Here are a few tips to help you reconnect with the “who” we all want to be:

Be a good person. It’s a simple as The Golden Rule. I am a big believer in karma and in not burning bridges. While your career or personal life might be thriving today, tomorrow could be a different story. By treating others with respect and kindness, you open up the doors to many new opportunities in life that you would have otherwise been unaware of.
Be passionate. It is so important to have things in life that motivate and inspire you. Whether it’s the corner office or the coveted title of “Home Room Mother”, it doesn’t matter as long as you are passionate about your goals. If you don’t have an interest in what you are doing, you will ultimately run out of steam and possibly have a mid-life crisis.
Be smart. The most successful people in life are those who continue learning and never allow themselves to believe they have reached their full potential. No matter where you are in your lifecycle, there is always more to be learned. Take a cooking class, travel around the world, learn to play a musical instrument, mentor children, visit the elderly…just do something
Be real. By allowing yourself to trust your instincts, you become both vulnerable and empowered. Don’t embark on a career, relationship or any major life decision if you are simply “going with the flow” or following in anyone else’s footsteps, especially not if you are fulfilling someone else’s vision for you. Life is certainly not a “one-size-fits-all” piece of clothing.
Be yourself! Take a look around. We all come in different shapes and sizes, with our own backgrounds and experiences. Quite frankly, it would be so boring if we were all the same! Embrace who you are, good and bad. A wise person once said there will always be someone who is better off than you are and someone who is worse off. Comparing yourself to anyone else is not only a waste of time, but is a huge roadblock in becoming the person you want to be and living the life you want to live.

So I encourage you to take a trip down memory lane and recall what you wanted to be when you grew up. Flash forward to this very moment, are you who do you what to be today? The good news is that if you aren’t, there is still plenty of time and getting there is easier than you think. Start by treating people with respect, finding and following your passion, continue learning, be genuine and above all, be you! No matter what the answer to the question is, if your answer makes you happy, then you have successfully fulfilled your childhood dreams!

(Photo by Matteo Catanese)

Filed Under: College, Gen Y | 4 Comments

Benefits of City Living For The Gen Y Career Girl

June 21, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

I live in the suburbs of San Diego. I drive 30 minutes to work everyday and sometimes sit in a lot of traffic. I love where I live but occasionally I am a little jealous of you ladies living in the city. Every time I look at the Cubicle Chic blog I see photos of Lindsay and Meredith in cute work wear all over New York City. Doesn’t it make you want to pack up and move there?

I know there are pros and cons to city living but today I am talking all about the benefits for the Career Girl!

Transportation – By living in the city, you use public transportation and save money by not having to pay for car expenses. You won’t have to battle traffic and you can use the free time on the bus or subway to catch up on your favorite blogs! Also, hopefully you get home quicker from work when you have to work a late night.
Entertainment – There is always something going on! You have coffee shops close by you if you have to work or study on the weekends. You also have bars close by for some after work happy hours.
Education: As classy career girls, we are always on the search to learn something new. By living in the city, there are many places and people that you can learn from. There are museums, libraries and industry networking events all right at your fingertips.
Exercise: By living in the city, you will spend a lot of your time walking which is excellent for your health!
Job opportunities: More companies in the city means more job opportunities for YOU!

{This is a featured post by City Living Leeds - no matter where you are, there are estate agents who cater for living in metropolitan areas, such as UK-based City Living Leeds.}

Readers – What do you think? Do you live in the city or the suburbs? What are the pros and cons of where you live?

Filed Under: Dress for Success, Gen Y, How to Find a Job | 7 Comments

Listen Up College Grads! How to Get Rid of Student Loan Debt

June 7, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

If you are thinking about college or grad school, you might be wondering how to eliminate student loan debt after graduation. Lucky for us, Patricia Briggs asked if she could write an article to help us eliminate our student loan debt. Patricia is a guest columnist, blogger, author for various websites and communities. She loves to write articles during her free time about bankruptcy, investment opportunities and monetary policies.

Millions of students are relying on loans in order to pay for their educational expenses. After graduating, these students find it difficult to eliminate their overwhelming debts as the interest begins accruing on the principal balance. Here are some solutions for fresh graduates to avoid damaging their credit reports and to eradicate their student loan debt:

Formulate a debt repayment plan so that you can focus on accumulating some extra cash to eliminate your debts. You can prepare a list of the debts in descending order of the interest rate. You can use your extra income to pay off the high interest debts and make minimum payment on your other debts on the list. Once you pay off the highest interest rate debt then focus on paying the second highest on the list. But, you should remember that you will not succeed in paying off the debts unless you follow a budget.
Negotiate with the creditors to lower the principal balance along with the interest rate. Try to convince your lenders to reduce the interest rate or monthly payment until you get a job. Be aware that a creditor might charge interest or a late fee on your owed amount.
Enroll in a debt consolidation program if you need to manage multiple creditors. This will allow you to consolidate your bills in a single convenient monthly payment and it help you get out of debt. But, the success of the consolidation program depends on the type of your student loan, your income flow and your eagerness to maintain a financially disciplined life.

These are three important ways to eliminate your student loan debt effortlessly. If you have an insurmountable amount of debt, employ any of the above mentioned methods to lower your financial woes.

Filed Under: College, Gen Y, Grad School | 3 Comments

Social Networking for Gen Y: A Guide to Starting a Blog

June 3, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

If you have ever thought about starting a blog, it is very important to make sure you do as much preparation as possible. Starting a blog has been one of the best things I have ever done. I have learned that I love to write, connect, teach, help and learn. If you are thinking about starting a blog, here are five things to think about with help from Alison Silbert’s great new book called Boost Your Revenues By Turning People Away: How to sell more to your ideal client online.

Make a long list of great ideas that you will blog about. You should have a common theme so that every blog post should be connected in some way. When I first started I had close to 50 post ideas so I knew that I had a topic that I was passionate about. Make sure it is something you enjoy and you can see yourself writing about it for a LONG time!
Think about your ideal visitor. This will help you know who to write to. Each time you write a post, you should think about writing it directly to that person.
Create a website name with short simple phrases to help your ideal visitor remember the name. A website name can cost between $9.95-$45 US and can be purchased at companies such as godaddy or whois.
Know the pros and cons of working with a website designer. Some of the pros are that you can choose a unique design for your site and it is easier to fit your needs. But, the downside is that it can be very expensive and you can lose control of various areas of development. (If you need a great designer, check out my designer at Strosgirl’s Designs).
Plan out your writing schedule. Will you post once a week or everyday? Make sure that you have the time in your schedule and take it one day at a time. You never want to feel like you HAVE to blog but it should be something that you enjoy doing.

For more information, make sure you check out this video by J.T. O’Donnell about whether or not you should start a blog. I love her advice to identify 4-6 key skill sets from your resume you want to leverage in your next job and plan to build blog posts to support each one. What a great idea!

Are you a young professional with a blog? If so, leave a link!

(photo credit: Mike Licht)

Filed Under: Gen Y, how to network, Networking | 10 Comments

Career Girl 101: 8 Rules for Getting Ahead at Work

June 1, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

According to Kelly Love Johnson, author of skirt! Rules for the Workplace: An Irreverent Guide to Advancing Your Career, here are 8 rules to get ahead at work.

Control your temper. Learn how to not get angry in the office.
Listen, don’t talk. You may be surprised at what you learn.
Love change. Don’t resist it. Change is good!
Shoot for perfection. Don’t rush, spell check and double check your facts.
Be your own measure. Don’t go on facebook just because everyone else do. Do what you think is right and be different.
Dress the part. Dress professionally but don’t forget to express your individuality.
Lead before you are asked. This is a great way to show you are capable of a greater challenge! And why not have a little practice at being in charge?
Don’t watch the clock. I know its tempting but your boss will notice.