Where were you on April First?

Where were you on April First? Back on Planet Earth, USA the US Census is in full operation.
In order for states and any number of federal programs to receive their fair share of funds every one needs to be counted. Especially students. You may be living in the residence halls, staying at a friends, sleeping in your car or still at home. No matter. You need to be counted because you count. April first was the official Census Day for USA Census 2010. Were you counted? It is still not too late. The US Department of Commerce through the Office of the Census will be continuing their operation through the end of May. If you believe you were overlooked contact your local census office. You matter and you count. Just you alone are worth about $3000.00 to your state of residence and at this point they really need it.

You're Not Going Out Looking Like That or .....

. from Dressy Messy Slobdom to Business Casual.

It is now time to think carefully about your appearance. The term is ending and if your career on Planet College is winding down then it is time to get a real job. Covered elsewhere is the fact that graduation announcements make useful self-promotional mailers for your real job back on Planet Earth.

Well. You send them out and what happens. You may get called for an interview. The do's and don'ts, ins and outs, ups and downs and whys and wherefores of The Real Full Time Job Interview are covered in many other elsewheres. If you need some further pointers your schools career center may have counselors who can bring you up to date.

This post is dedicated to what may be called Mom 101, remember? You were going somewhere. Somewhere a little more important than the mall or soccer practice. As you hit it to the front door that all too familiar and irritating voice split the air,"You're not going out looking like that are you?" Mom, of course, and, of course, you weren't. (Going out looking like that.)

Now the demand for air guitarists and frisebee coaches is diminishing and the job hunt is getting serious.

So. When you prepare for that first interview or that next interview or any interview. Stop. Take a look in the mirror. Seriously. Are you going to the interview looking like that? Would you hire you? Think about it. Then do something. Upgrade your look to look like someone you wouldn't mind working with. It could definitely help your chances.

Dude, you suck.

Worse than when you don't rock ( see earlier post, Dude You Don't Rock) is when you suck. And, more hardcore reality again, there are times when you basically suck and things at which you really suck. Like spelling for example. If paper after paper has shown that at spelling you suck. Well, then dude, you suck. At spelling.

There may be things at which you don't suck. Maybe nine-ball or rock gym or waiting tables or calculus. Fine. Then there that is.

And, as repeated endlessly here on Planet College, becoming aware of when you rock and when you suck and what you care about and what you don't care about is, in fact, progress. All this stuff about which you are becoming aware is you. Whether you rock or suck or neither the more you learn about you the better equipped you are to negotiate Planet College and return to Earth with something even more useful than your degree. Return to Earth with a useful measure of self-awareness.