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| Life
after graduation filled with blind spots Columbia College Chicago Chronicle by Bridget O'Shea, staff writer April 29, 2002 By the time you graduate, you’ll probably know some history, science, basic computer skills and the specifics of your major, but will you know how to fill out a W-4 form or what to really look for in an apartment lease? A recent study shows that most college students do not feel adequately prepared for life after school. “I felt there was a lot to know that I learned after school,” said Ben Abrams, a graduate of the Columbia Film department. Abrams said the Columbia Film department is good at teaching technical things. “However,” he said, “they don’t prepare students for the business.” Cap and Compass, a small company in Branford, Conn., recently conducted a survey that showed 73 percent of the students said they don’t feel that college prepares them for things such as taxes, 401Ks, W-4s, and other, jargon-filled documents. “People are surprised there’s so much to know,” said Jesse Vickey, co-founder of Cap and Compass. David Hawkins, a graduate of the Columbia Fiction Writing department, said he thinks a lot of colleges get around certain business-related topics by relying heavily on internships and special courses. Hawkins said he thinks college in general does not successfully prepare students for real-world situations such as how to fill out tax forms and how to go about getting an apartment. “When you get out of college, the first thing you’ll probably learn is that you don’t know anything,” he said. Vickey explained that Cap and Compass is looking to fix this common problem by giving entertaining seminars on these topics. They currently host five different seminars that are free of charge and designed for students or recent college graduates. Some of the seminars include “Translating Day 1 at Work,” “The Least You Need to Know About Taxes,” and “Avoid Looking Stupid at Dinner,” which goes over the essentials of business-dinner etiquette. Although the Cap and Compass seminars may not go over the necessities of specific businesses, Vickey explained that they cover more than just money issues. Although the topics seem boring, Cap and Compass has various ways to make these seminars interesting to young people. For example, Vickey explained that in the taxes seminar, one person will dress up as a tax man and someone else will dress up as Uncle Sam. Another technique used is the addition of 1980s, sitcom analogies or throwing out candy for right answers. “We try a number of tricks,” Vickey said. “In the taxes one, there’s some words that are not too pleasing to the ear, like ‘dependents’ and ‘deductions,’ so we make fun of these words.” Vickey said one way they make fun of this boring jargon is by referring to these words as “sexy.” Vickey explained that a seminar called “Getting Your Apartment,” teaches students to look for the length of a lease so you don’t sign into any agreements too long or too short. “The problem with leases is that they are large documents written in big print with small words,” Vickey said. The apartment seminar helps students and recent graduates decipher these confusing agreements. This seminar also shows students how to make sure they earn interest on their security deposits. Some students may disagree that this kind of guidance is necessary. Bernie Sokolowski, a graphic design junior, said he could probably understand an apartment lease without a problem. “I think that’s a separate responsibility,” he said. Although many students say they learn these skills through friends or family, many also say they learn by trial and error. By having inadequate knowledge of office etiquette or of certain long, gray printed reports, Vickey said many young people are at a risk for appearing very foolish in certain situations. Cap and Compass has visited about 20 schools so far this year. The company recently published a book, Life After School. Explained, which offers tips on filling in these blank areas many college students feel. “We wanted to create a book that was helpful,” Vickey said. “But we didn’t want to fill the pages with boring drivel. The challenge was to take seemingly dry and confusing topics, like health insurance or mutual funds, and explain them in a way that is both clear and entertaining.” Vickey explained that the book discussed everything covered in the seminars, only more in-depth. The book contains information on where to go to rent a car, the pros and cons involved with buying versus leasing a car and how to pick out an engagement ring. Cap and Compass was started two and a half years ago and has given seminars at some universities. “We plan to expand to the West Coast next year,” Vickey said. . . |
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