I work in a sh*t-hole on the verge of bankruptcy, and I love it. I’m currently employed by a locally owned sandwich shop/late night drunk food emporium. If it’s 2:30 in the morning, you’re hammered and you need a hot dog that’s been warming on rollers for three hours we’ve got you covered. I make just above minimum wage, but for the work I do it’s almost robbery. Almost.

There’s nothing better than a summer job that requires no real thought, almost no work, and a boss who smokes a lot of pot. For the past three summers, I’ve worked for the maintenance division of a national park. It was a lot of physical work outdoors. I made great money, but I had to do a lot of work. This summer I make almost no money, but I don’t have to do anything. And as sad as it is, I actually prefer making and doing nothing. As a bonus I work with a bunch of college drop-outs and stoners who’ve never had real jobs and complain about what little we’re expected to do. Since I don’t complain, and work whenever it’s necessary, I look great. My boss absolutely loves me. (more…)

Picking up the tab on the first date is always an awkward moment. Do you offer? Do you just sit there looking around the room and wait for him to take it? What do your actions say about you as a person? In this week’s He Said/She Said, we dive into first date etiquette. Who should be grabbing their wallet?

He Said:
Paying on the first date is completely inconsequential to me. I seriously don’t care. If I asked you out, then me paying makes sense to me, based only on logic. However, if she wants to pay, that’s fine, too. It doesn’t make me feel like any less of a man. Especially if I’ve somehow tricked some super-employed high powered lady into dating me (bonus!). (more…)

I need to say this. Jewelry sucks. And I hate buying it for women and I think I’m done buying it forever–at least until I decide to get engaged. Honestly, is there a more useless thing on this planet then jewelry?

Completely ignoring the entire system of imbalance that permeates men/women romantic relationships when it comes to gift-giving and buying dinner etc, could I please get you something else? Something worthwhile. Something that doesn’t cost a fucking arm and leg to prove to you that I’m into you as a person?

Here’s some reasons why jewelry is stupid. (more…)

For all you recent college graduates entering the workforce, I realize that “Start Thinking About Your Savings” might be the lamest piece of advice uttered to you since, “Wow! There Is No Way You’re OK To Drive Right Now”. But I promise you, in both instances you’ll be very happy in the pants that you heeded both warnings.

First off, let’s take a little look-see at the financial future of our country. The way things are going, the idea of ‘Social Security benefits’ will be non-existent in the year 2041. Whoopsies! Therefore, if you’re 21 years-old right now, you’ll be royally screwed with a good few years to go before retirement age.

With medical advancements going the way they are, Super-Future-Year-2041-Viagra will be alarmingly good. And hot cougar retirees will be friskier and hotter than ever. Better have a little something put aside, if you want a piece of that ‘retired and ready to bang’ tail.

But forget about that for a second (if the imagery isn’t permanently burned into your brain already). The real point here is how saving just a little now, as I’ll demonstrate, gets you a lot more in the long run.

Check out the full article at Wall $treet Fighter

Despite Poor Economy, Coaches Still Making Bank

Gas is $4 a gallon—and rising. The economy is struggling. Some believe the worst is yet to come.

But you can’t tell it by college football coaches’ salaries. They’re breaking the bank.

In 1995, Bobby Bowden became the first $1 million coach in college football. Now, the average salary for head coaches at major college football programs exceeds $1 million a year. [Tennessean]

 Victoria’s Secret Plans Clothing Line For 33 Schools

Starting July 1, University of Minnesota students and fans can get a little more intimate with Goldy Gopher.

The University’s mascot and other school logos will appear on apparel from Victoria’s Secret’s PINK Collegiate Collection clothing line next month.

The line will consist of nine types of apparel, including panties, fleece pants and T-shirts. It will include licensed products from 33 colleges and universities to be sold in select stores, online and in catalogues.

Big Ten rivals Michigan and Wisconsin will also have PINK merchandise sold. [Minnesota Daily]

Fads In Football: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Football fans are a curious bunch. We are creatures of habit. We complain about concession prices, but shovel out eight dollars for a beer and six bucks for a dog the minute the second quarter ends. We are like sheep on an open range.

Our adherence to tradition and rituals, however, is something that makes us unique.

Most of our traditions, such as Army and Navy standing together, side-by-side after the game, are sacred. But this isn’t about traditions—it’s about fads, and while some of them need to be permanent traditions, others need to be dumped forever.

A look at some of the fads in football that have made “The good, the bad, and the ugly” list.

Charges Dropped Against Gator Bandits

Five students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University who tried stealing a baby alligator from a miniature-golf course in Daytona Beach will get the charges dropped.

Prosecutors say as part of the plea agreement announced Monday, the students must do a year of community service. They will also have to do an anti-theft course, take random drug tests, pay fees to the city and they can’t visit the golf course.[Fort Mill Times]

High School B-Ball Phenom Lance Stephenson’s Choice Down to Three Schools

Lance Stephenson, the only junior on USA TODAY’s All-USA Boys Basketball Team, has narrowed his college choices to three schools, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via Zag’s Blog.

A 6-foot 5-inch star from Brooklyn, N.Y., Lincoln will decide between USC, UCLA and Kansas.

Check out the entire 2007-08 USA TODAY’s All-USA boys team. [USA Today]

Student Loans Start to Bypass 2-Year Colleges

Some of the nation’s biggest banks have closed their doors to students at community colleges, for-profit universities and other less competitive institutions, even as they continue to extend federally backed loans to students at the nation’s top universities.

Citibank has been among the most aggressive in paring the list of colleges it serves. JPMorgan Chase, PNC and SunTrust say they have not dropped whole categories, but are cutting colleges as well. Some less-selective four-year colleges, like Eastern Oregon University and William Jessup University in Rocklin, Calif., say they have been summarily dropped by some lenders.

The practice suggests that if the credit crisis and the ensuing turmoil in the student loan business persist, some of the nation’s neediest students will be hurt the most. The difficulty borrowing may deter them from attending school or prompt them to take a semester off. When they get student loans, they will wind up with less attractive terms and may run a greater risk of default if they have to switch lenders in the middle of their college years. [New York Times]

College Baseball World Series 20 Team Preview

With two-time defending champion Oregon State sitting on the bench, the College World Series is wide open. No. 1 Miami and the other seven seeded teams own 11 of the past 20 titles, but the road to Omaha is always full of upsets and drama. As the tournament gets under way across the nation, UWIRE has the inside pitch from the reporters who have been covering the teams all season – who’s hot, who’s not, players to watch and more. [UWire's Inside Pitch]

Just graduated? Entering the job market?

After the jump check out the starting salaries for entry level employees in various industries. (more…)

Recently, I found myself strapped for cash and needed a way to supplement my income. Like most people, I decided to try nude modeling! The gigs were usually just a few hours, and they paid well above minimum wage. Why not?

I called a few local college art departments. “There’s a shortage of nude models,” I was told. So, career advice No. 1: find an in-demand job, and there’s no interview necessary. Also, nudity is often a deterrent.

During my first class, things started out fine. I walked in, disrobed, ignored the goosebumps forming on my skin (note to profs: turn up the heat) and walked on to a platform in the center of the room as the professor gave me instructions for my first pose. It was pretty simple: I just had to sit still for twenty minutes.

But then my legs started shaking. It dawned on me that I was the only naked person in the room! I looked out at the rows of students, who were busily sketching me while their instructor discussed the angles and shadows of ‘the figure’ and I realized I was just their subject for the day. That’s it. And I took a deep breath and relaxed. (more…)

Whether you are enjoying the high life that is college – complete with parental support – or collecting change out of the couch just to get that much needed after-work-martini, coming into some extra money is a wonderful thing. Especially when you want one of these or, the newest addiction in my life, the latest version of Guitar Hero. (Note: SERIOUS chick magnet!)

But finding extra money isn’t always so easy. Or fun. Especially if you consider selling your sterm or serving your fellow students in the cafeteria.

I have recently found that my bank account is seriously lacking, but my beer addiction is not. I work over 40 hours a week, but still don’t make enough (yet) to live the way I want to. So, I decided I needed to find ways to come into some money. And while some of you may never want to even consider these options, I have found the following to be the easiest, least stressful and most fitting into any woman’s life.

1. Lawn work for the neighbors. Rake leaves, mow lawns, landscape and so on for the people you know best… your neighbors. You’re outside getting tan, gettin buff and making good cash while you’re at it. Plus you get to make your own hours and techinically you are running your own business. (more…)