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Putting
Graduates on Course
Chicago Tribune RedEye
By Alison Neumer
April 18, 2003
After college,
Jesse Vickey headed to Wall Street. With a bachelor's degree in economics
from Duke University, he felt prepared for the job, but what Vickey didn't count
on were fish knives. Or W-4 forms. Or lease legalese.
Vickey realized he and his peers lacked crucial life skills never taught in a
classroom such as navigating business dinner etiquette, dealing with taxes, or
renting an apartment.
"The first day of my job, I didn't have a clue," said Vickey,
28. Nor did his friends, he said, recalling when one ordered a glass of
"mur-lott" in front of clients.
So in 2001, Vickey founded Cap & Compass, a company offering on-campus
seminars and online resources to explain the logistics of life after
school. He followed the courses with a book: "life after
school. explained."
Cap & Compass has conducted 150 seminars. More than 100 colleges and
universities have purchased its materials or services.
While the Cap & Compass business plan was a relatively recent idea, Vickey's
desire to be an entrepreneur was long-standing, beginning with a mail order and
trade show baseball card business at age 14 and selling Blow Pop suckers before
class in high school.
After starting his job in New York finance, Vickey enrolled in a course on how
to launch a business.
Using the advice gathered from the likes of tax accountants and apartment
brokers, Vickey condensed the essential information, removed the jargon and
added a healthy dose of humor.
Goofy slides, entertaining presentations - and maybe the time-tested lure of
free pizza - draw in students for 45 minutes of tips on dealing with credit card
debt or choosing a health-care plan, the Web site says. Also at
www.capandcompass.com
visitors can find guides for living in a new city.
The seminar instructor is Andy Ferguson, a comic and former English teacher.
The program is effective, in part, because students hear these key lessons from
their peers, rather than their parents, said Ferguson, 26.
"So many people make the same mistakes coming out of school," he
said. "We say, 'Here's good information. Make the decision for
yourself."
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