1. The Honor Gala: Seeing all the NSCS chapters get recognized for their great work was wonderful! And I especially loved seeing  Alexander Flowers being recognized for his role in starting two NSCS chapters (St. Xavier, and soon a chapter at Roosevelt University), and Lisa Benoit receiving a $15,000 grant to help developmentally disabled people.

2 . Talking to attendees about their Red Rubber Ball: Kevin Carroll, a motivational speaker/writer, gave an amazing speech about how people can find their passions and goals in life. And it starts with creating a “box of magic”, a cardboard box that represents who they are, their interests, aspirations and more. We have some cool video footage that we’ll post to our Facebook Fan page very soon.

3.  The Day of Service: For the day of service, NSCS members helped Littles from Big Brothers/Big Sisters make their “box of magic.”  Watching those kids talk about their loves, lives and hopes inspired me to apply for the Big Sisters’ program, and I think it had a similar impact on several of our members.

4. Greeting students at the airport/metro: I got to do airport duty this time, and meet students just as they were getting to baggage claim. A lot of them were clearly happy to see me! Always nice to see a friendly face when you get off the plane.

Check out our pix of Convention.

Uslan talked about some really interesting things that I found really inspiring:

1. It’s worth following your passion even when it’s something unusual or even weird: People thought Uslan was crazy when he wanted to create a comic books course at Indiana University and when he wanted to buy the rights to Batman comics. But he knew it was his passion, and he’d find a way to turn that comic book into movies.

2. Even as you follow your passion, don’t forget to put your family first: Uslan and his wife raised their family in NJ, near his parents, rather than Beverly Hills. In the short term, it meant that he had to spend a week per month in LA, doing 10 meetings a day. But in the long run, it meant that his children were well settled, grounded, and  close to their grandparents.

3. 95 percent of people wait for opportunities to come to them; be part of the 5 percent that gets up and does something: This was an epiphany for me. It always seems as if you’re competing with SO many people to get a job or an opportunity, but it really is a small handful who’re focused, dedicated and want to get somewhere, who you’re competing with.

I have one beef with Uslan though: he’s the guy who wrote the Archie Comic series where Archie chooses Veronica! How awful. I sided with Betty all the way.

All in all, very awesome. If he ever speaks at a venue near you, make sure to go.

Today’s the summit day, which means that NSCS officers are being trained on how to run their chapters effectively. They learnt about everything from how to run community service programs to managing their budget to engaging members and potential members effectively.

It’s been really cool watching officers take in the information and get inspired to do something great with their chapters.

I did some interviews with officers, so look for those in the near future.

This is my third Summit/Convention and I’m really looking forward to it.

Aside from leadership development and career workshops, we have inspirational speakers, and networking opportunities.  The best part is seeing motivated, excited NSCS members respond to the workshops, presentations and speeches.

Starting next Thursday, we will be blogging and tweeting Summit/Convention highlights.

You can find us on Twitter at twitter.com/nscs, and of course add our blog to your feed reader so you can follow along through the Convention!

That’s the message you will receive if you attempt to deactivate your Facebook account. Not that I would ever do that. I’m a self proclaimed Facebook-junkie and even clicking the cancel link to see who’s face would show up and “miss me” made me a little nervous. What if I accidentally wipe out my account? Where will I put all my photos? How will I stay connected? Will I never get to “like” anything ever again?!

What I would like to know is: would this actually sway anyone from canceling their account? I will admit it’s a pretty good last-ditch effort to prevent people from leaving. You are also required to tell Facebook why you’re leaving. Some reasons are: I don’t feel safe on Facebook, I spend too much time on Facebook, I don’t understand how to use Facebook.

I guess even social media tools want to know why you’re breaking up with them.

I’d also like to know why they care so much. It’s not like we have to pay for our Facebook accounts. Are they getting ready for the day we will have to pay or is it a simple exercise in polling their audience to find out how to make the product better. I’d like to think it’s the latter. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be swayed to stay by the faces of my friends on the cancel page begging me not to go but I don’t really see myself canceling my Facebook account in the near future either.

Don’t worry Facebook, I still love you.

Claudia Tattanelli, CEO of Universum, came to Washington to share the results of the survey with our partners. As expected the NSCS participants have higher gpas – 3.7 compared to to 3.4 of general undergraduate participants.  NSCS members also showed to be more interested in public service opportunities (Peace Corps and Teach for America) which also gets at a core NSCS value – the community service aspect of our mission .  The Peace Corps, Teach for America and City Year have been working with NSCS for several years to attract our members to their opportunities.

When it comes to salary expectations, NSCS members expect to make $46,350 in their first year compared to $48,050 general undergraduates.  At five years after graduation, NSCS members expect to make $71,121 compared to $75,114.  Claudia stated that NSCS members are probably more realistic although both may be high given the current economy.

NSCS members also identified the following ten qualities as most important employer attributes:

1 – Will enable me to have a good work life balance

2 – Offers a friendly work environment

3 – Secure employment

4 – Good reputation

5 – High ethical standards

6 – Good prospects for high future earnings

7 – Flexible working conditions

8 – Offers a creative and dynamic work environment

9 – Professional training and development

10 – Clear path for advancement

NSCS has an employer partnership program where we work to connect our high achieving students and young alumni with companies and organizations that are a good fit for us. This is great information for NSCS when we are discussing partnership possibilities.  Knowing these attributes are important considerations for our members…we will want to make sure our partners can deliver.

You know what happens most of the time? These people wake up and they are ten years older, and they are stuck in a career that they never wanted, and now they’re so entrenched they don’t see a way out. We all make compromises in our lives, giving up some of our own wealth and well being in exchange for doing some good for the world.

I think it’s important to ask ourselves every so often what it would be like to give up a little bit of money to go after that dream job; and it’s also important to ask the other question. What would happen if you took a more selfish approach? Would you be better off?

This article says that there are no right answers, but it’s important to think about.

I have found that oatmeal is a great way to start the day. It provides plenty of fiber, good carbs and protein and it really fills me up. Oatmeal is also a great way to lower your cholesterol.

Oatmeal is easy and fast to make and you can add whatever you’d like to make it the perfect breakfast for you. Here’s how I made my oatmeal this morning…

Servings: 1

Ingredients
½ cup organic oats (you can find these in the bulk food section of your grocery store)
1 cup water (or milk if you’d prefer)
Pinch of salt
Honey
Cinnamon
Handful of chopped walnuts
Handful of raisins
2 fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
¼ banana, thinly sliced

Instructions
Bring the water and pinch of salt to a boil
Stir in the oats, turn heat to medium and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
Sprinkle with cinnamon, add honey, walnuts, raisins, strawberries and banana and mix well

Done and done. Enjoy this nice breakfast outside with a cup of coffee and enjoy the summer season!

Ok, I know.  We’ve all heard the same news.  Corporations are failing.  People are out of work with few prospects on the horizon.  Prices for goods and services are increasing, and we feel helpless in our attempts to stop the increases – mainly because they are out of our control.  Things are hard all around, and I’m sure many of you have been directly affected by some of the events of the past year.  It has been drilled into you that you needed to go to college to get a good job.  You’ve worked hard, studied even harder and saved money to earn your degree.  According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE, March 2009), hiring trends among recent college graduates has dropped 22% from last year, and the number of interns being hired has dropped 21%.  What is a young college graduate supposed to do?

First of all, stop.  Breathe.  Relax.  Be patient.  You’ve done everything right, and the time you’ve spent in school will truly pay you a lifetime of dividends.  When you started on your college path 4 years ago, no one could have possibly foreseen all of the events of the past 18 months. But keep this in mind:  As difficult as the recent past has been for so many people (maybe even your parents), you’re just at the beginning of your professional career, and you’ll survive in the long run.  I’ve been talking with recruiters about some of these trends over the past 8 months, and I’ve shared some of my observations below.

Believe it or not, there are places that are still hiring!  From some of my conversations with recruiters, I’ve learned that there are job opportunities within certain industries – i.e., energy companies, health care, some federal contractors and the federal government.  According to the NACE 2009 Job Outlook Survey, certain majors are still in large demand.  Among them are accounting, engineering (mechanical, electrical and computer), computer science, business and economics/finance.  If you happened to have studied one of these disciplines, you have a good chance of still finding an opportunity right now.  Even if you didn’t study one of the still in-demand majors, you can still find some meaningful opportunities out there.  How, you might ask, will I find those opportunities?  Keep reading!

You may have to be more creative in your job search, and you’ll want to consider different industries that need your skills.  For example, you may be an accounting major and had your heart set working for a Big 4 firm.  If you haven’t received an employment offer from where you expected to receive one, then look elsewhere.  The last time I checked, every organization, regardless of size, industry or type, has an accounting department.  If the job on Wall Street isn’t there, then look at Main Street.  There are even specialized temporary agencies for people with certain skills.  The more creative you can be, the broader you can make your search.  Sometimes, you’ll be able to perform more hands-on work with smaller companies, which will help you grow your skills level.

If you know you want to develop a professional career within a particular industry, look for ways to build that experience outside of employment.  Consider working as a volunteer or as a non-paid intern if you can’t find a paying opportunity.  Most organizations still have work that needs to get done, even if they can’t afford to pay you.  You will learn pertinent industry information through non-paid work.  Additionally, you may want to consider attending conferences/meetings within the industry’s professional associations.  Not only are they a great way to add to your knowledge base, they can serve as invaluable networking events, and most organizations offer student discounts on dues payments.

Another point that I want to stress is this:  Don’t leave your humility at the door.  Bear with me…I don’t mean to lecture you, but the one trait that can help you land on your feet is your adaptability.  Be a team player!  You may have a college degree, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help with a labor-intensive task that needs to get done.  I earned my undergraduate degree almost 20 years ago (yikes!), and I am a member of my organization’s Executive Team.  I have profit and loss responsibility, and I’m held accountable for my area’s overall performance.  But I still answer my own telephone…I don’t have an assistant…I draft my own correspondence and run the envelopes through the postage machine…heck, I even have to change the water bottle in our water cooler from time to time!  Earning your degree is a great accomplishment and will open doors.  Just try not to step on any toes as you walk through the doors, and you will earn your co-workers’ respect.  Try to pitch in where you can.  If you volunteer for projects that have to get done that no one necessarily wants to do, that speaks to your character more than you’ll ever imagine, and when folks look to hire or promote people, that type of initiative gets noticed.

I know what you’re up against, and it can feel like things will never turn around, but remember that there is help out there if you need it.  If you have student loans for example, you have 6 months before you have to start repayment.  Take that time now to develop your budget and map out your finances.  If you think you won’t be able to make your monthly payments, talk to your lender – you may be able to qualify for lower payments until you find steady employment.

By the way, Congratulations!  You have earned a major milestone at this point in your life, and you’re about to embark on an amazing professional career.  It’s not going to be easy, but then earning your degree wasn’t easy either.  You’ll get out of your job search only what you put into it.

-John Crowley

Last night, I was BBQ’ing and thought that watermelon would be a nice addition to the meal. Rather than simply slicing up the watermelon I had in the fridge, I thought a nice refreshing salad would be tastier and a lot more fun. Here’s what I did…it was both delicious and a nice way to celebrate the summer!

Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients:
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly
1 avocado, cubed (search Google to find out how to do this properly)
¼ – ½ watermelon, cut into ½ inch cubes
Fresh basil, sliced thinly (search “chiffonade” in Google to find out how to do this)
Lemon, quartered
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt

Instructions:
Set up 4 small salad plates and do the following on each plate…
Place a layer of tomatoes on the bottom (approx 4-5 slices)
Sprinkle tomatoes with a dash of kosher salt
Place a layer of cucumber slices on top of the tomatoes
Place a pile of watermelon on top of the cucumber (in the center)
Sprinkle the chopped avocado throughout the dish
Spray entire dish with 1 lemon wedge
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar (approx 1 teaspoon)
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil (approx 1 teaspoon)
Sprinkle the sliced basil on top
Hit with a pinch of salt
*you could probably add fresh mint for additional flavor

I used this as an appetizer to my BBQ meal which consisted of chicken breast marinated in Trader Joe’s BBQ sauce, a little crushed red pepper and Montreal grilled chicken seasoning; dry baked sweet potato and grilled corn on the cob.

Bon appetit!