Apega/WENN.com

From Essence

Things haven’t always been easy for track and field star Lolo Jones.  After missing out on a medal at two consecutive Olympic games, Jones is turning over a new leaf.  She’s the newest member of the U.S. national bobsled team and has hopes that this new venture will earn her a spot on the winner’s podium at the 2014 Winter Games.  Here, Jones talks about how she’s reinventing herself and empowering others to do the same.

On learning her new sport, bobsledding:

At first I thought bobsled was just going to be something fun and refreshing for me, so I’m shocked that I really do love it a lot. I’m so passionate about track, so I never imagined that I would ever say I’m really passionate about bobsled, too. I’m shocked at how much it has helped me get stronger not only physically, but mentally as well. It’s done wonders.

On rumors that she’s just “desperate” for an Olympic medal:

They completely took my words out of context. When I heard those rumors, I was pretty frustrated because it was like here we go again with things being taken out of context. If you’re pursing an Olympic sport, who’s not trying to get a medal? I just stated the obvious and I said I was desperate but it was said in much more joking way.

You can check more of the Lolo Jones interview out over on Essence.  She discusses where track fits in her life, her spirituality and her new “Degree” campaign.

Shutterstock

This year has been a great year to learn more about your own finances, how to start your own business, manage your finances and be savvy while doing so, according to Madame Noire Business. From small business tips on how to create your own mobile app as a small business to tips on preparing for the next tax season, MN Biz has informed, introduced and changed the way we see the business and financial part of our lives. Yesterday, we took a look at the big issues we covered over the past six months. Today, we look back on some of the best business advice from Madame Noire in 2012.

iStockphoto

With a greater number of college students finishing up credits or gaining extra certifications in their fields of study at major colleges and universities, many expect to graduate in December instead of May. There are marked advantages of graduating during the winter months.

Graduates accepting their diploma after the Fall semester optimize their chances of landing a job, conducting their search during the off-season versus the busy summer job market that many May graduates can expect to experience. According to a Fox Business news article, the competition for jobs are less stiff for a December graduate, putting the market squarely in the job seeker’s favor.

“[It] can make them more attractive job candidates since they are available to start right away, while their peers may have to wait until after May,” says Christine Gaiser for Fox Business online.

Graduating during a time where there are few other graduates makes a prospective job candidate more noticeable. December may also be the best time for a job seeker to “reinvigorate” their hunt for a job. Graduating at the end of a calendar year puts your job search at the beginning of many companies’ fiscal year, where budgets make way for new positions. Of course, this is based on the prospective job field and their specific calendar. ”There is more hiring in January than December, but the thing about a job search is that it’s a process so you should start… before that,” comments Rob Saam for CNN Money.

Graduating in December could also open up the possibility to travel abroad, prepare for graduate school the following year, or secure an internship for the Spring semester that could possibly lead to an career at its completion, while other college students are just graduating in May.

A December 2012 graduate should already have started preparing for the reality and challenges of post-graduate life. Whether you have or not, here a few ways our next round of graduates can get a jump start on the “real world” beginning 2013:

Start the Job Hunt Now

Begin getting applications out for jobs in your field, giving you time to go through the application process, refine your resume, and interview for multiple positions. This is the optimum time to do so without panicking over an income.

Comb Over Your Resume

While finishing up your education, this is the perfect time to use your spare time away from the books to go over your resume with a fine-tooth comb. Make sure you have a clear and concise format that outlines all of your relevant experience, as well as a broad knowledge of other skills that will help you secure a job. Hit the job market running!

Use All Available Resources At Your University or College

While in college, many students do not take advantage of the resources available to them. Use this last semester to talk to professors about recommendations and providing references. Use the writing center to refine your cover letter and CV. And gain more relevant hands-on experience in your college atmosphere, like leadership or networking opportunities, to prepare you to be competitive in the job market. You paid for your college education, so let it work for you!

Decide Your Next Move After Graduation Carefully

Whether it’s relocating, studying abroad, preparing for graduate school or preparing for your career, take this time to outline your next moves after graduation. Come up with a short-term plan that outlines the next year to three years of your life and what route makes more sense to you. Make sure the plan you decide is the right one for your personal situation, and not just a way to avoid the pressures of facing the job market head on. If you prepare ahead of time in the right ways, you will be a sought-after candidate, coming out on top at the beginning of the year!

Blair Bedford is a media professional and freelance writer/contributor based out of NYC.  Follow Blair B. on Twitter @BlairsPadandPen.

First and foremost, let me say that this story isn’t about my child in particular, but about a niece of mine with a lot of talent and potential. I just thought I would bring this scenario to you guys to get your opinion on it and know what you would do as a parent (as I know many of our readers are mothers).

So during a recent trip to see my family, I had the chance to see almost all of my nieces and nephews. Two of them, twins, my family has been somewhat estranged from because of their mother and her rocky relationship with my brother. They’re both married to different people, but they still don’t get along all these years later. I also had something of an online argument with her and her sisters after one of my nephews other aunts decided to publicly disrespect my brother–his father–via Facebook after HE did the same. After some good time passed, my niece and nephew came to my mother’s home for the first time in years during Thanksgiving and we all got to reconnect. At THAT time, they were talking about their post-high school plans, their sports (which had always been a huge part of their high school career) and what they hoped to study.

Fast forward to graduation time and my visit home in May. As my sister picked up her doctorate, my cousin graduated from high school and talked about going away to a Big 10 University in the fall, and my nephew was asked to play baseball at a Division I school, my niece was the only graduate I knew who didn’t seem to have any after-the-fact plans. When I talked to her father about it all, since she was doing a good job of being MIA after all the festivities, I was quite disturbed to find that she had told him and others that she really didn’t think she was going to go to school. Though she had been accepted to a good school that wanted her to play softball in another state, she didn’t want to go that far because she didn’t know anybody out there…

Always one to stand out and stand on her own, even as a twin, she all of a sudden wasn’t ready to stand completely alone for the sake of her education. It was almost June and she hadn’t said yes or no to any school, and it seemed she was just going to take a break from school altogether. I could understand her reservations about attending a school far away from home, as I was the last child in my family and was somewhat scared about making  the decision to go out-of-state for school back in the day. But to have no plans and to say you’re not really feeling the idea of school? C’mon, this is 2012, and in this world and in this tepid economy, NOT going to school these days is unacceptable in my opinion.

And I’m saying it’s not acceptable because I think it’s a wack way of thinking or something like that, but rather, because as a friend would say, these days a bachelor’s degree in SOMETHING is your ticket in the door. At this point, it’s what the high school diploma used to be, and while many would say that a college degree doesn’t guarantee you any kind of job in this shoddy economy, we know that it at least offers you a shot at something and you won’t have your resume immediately put in the “No, thanks” pile. Many fields require a bit more, but a bachelor’s degree is something you should strive to have, whether you’re taking a few classes while working, or if you’re literally in the books full-time solely focused on your studies. If my niece decides to take some time off, that’s fine, but the whole concept of saying, “School’s just not for everybody” is on the nonsense level at this point. It’s for everybody, son. Even if she doesn’t go away, she needs to take her behind to school and not waste too much time waiting to do so. Her parents don’t seem too bothered by her choice at the moment (only time will tell how they’ll act if she’s sitting around on her mother’s couch in the fall), but as her aunt, I’ll say I’m clearly a bit worried. It’s already tough out here, I hope she doesn’t make things for herself much tougher.

So I guess that leads me to my question for you: As a parent, how would you react if your child (or even your niece or nephew as in my case), told you they didn’t want to go to college? No big deal? Or big problem?

More on Madame Noire!

• Ask a Very Smart Brotha Live: Dealing With His Crazy Baby Mother & Can You Get Over Wack Sex?
• The Thrill is Gone: 7 TV Shows That Need To Call It Quits…Like Yesterday
• Giving You The Best That I Got: 7 Signs You Might Be Giving Too Much In Your Relationship
• Where You Been Cherie Johnson?
• Grieving Over a Girlfriend: 7 Ways to Move on After a Break-up…Between Friends
• Why I Think Natural Hair is Indeed a Political Statement
• Well, Hiya To You! Shouting Out Some Of Our Favorite Black Imports From Britain

At one point, young professionals were said to be the least affected by the down economy, as older workers were being pushed out in favor of cheap labor and forced to rely on diminished retirement savings to survive. The fact that the young labor force would have time to build up their 401ks was seen as their saving grace but you can’t put money up for retirement when you don’t have a job at all.

That’s the reality painted by a new analysis of government data conducted for The Associated Press that has found about 1.5 million, or 53.6 percent, of bachelor’s degree-holders under the age of 25 were unemployed or severely underemployed last year. That number is the highest it’s been in at least 11 years.

“Simply put, we’re failing kids coming out of college,” said Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University who analyzed the numbers. “We’re going to need a lot better job growth and connections to the labor market, otherwise college debt will grow.”

Professional prospects varied by industry and region. For instance, demand is strong in science, education, and health fields, but dwindling in the arts and humanities. Median wages are lower for those with bachelor’s degrees across the board when compared to 2000 data, and sadly most future job openings are projected to be in lower-skilled positions such as home health aides, who can provide personalized attention for the aging population.

According to government projections released last month, only three of the 30 occupations with the largest projected number of job openings by 2020 will require a bachelor’s degree or higher to fill the position — teachers, college professors and accountants,” Yahoo news report. “Most job openings are in professions such as retail sales, fast food and truck driving, jobs which aren’t easily replaced by computers.

The Mountain West was most likely to have young college graduates jobless or underemployed—about 3 out of 5. Grads in the rural southeast followed behind, while the Pacific region ranked high on the list as well. The south, particularly Texas, appears to be the place to be right now. The area was was most likely to have young college graduates in higher-skill jobs.

In more sobering news, American workers are also struggling to compete with educated foreign-born residents for jobs and degree inflation as more and more young people earn bachelor’s degrees, making them commonplace for low-wage jobs, but inadequate for higher-paying ones. Sigh.

What advice would you give a recent grad trying to make it as a young professional?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• Dating Before Divorced! These Folks Just Couln’t Wait…
• Not So Famous Sisters of Famous Black Celebrities Part III
• LASH OUT! The 7 Best Mascaras For Lash Length – EDITOR PICKS
• Relationship Reflections: Things To Think About After The Breakup
• Oh No She Didn’t: Tyra Banks Fires Jay Manuel, Nigel Barker, and J.Alexander from ANTM
• Brooklyn Man Locked Up Nearly a Year for Rape Even Though Victim Recanted Story
• ‘Broke’: New Documentary Looks at How Pro Athletes (Foolishly) Lose All Their Money
• Is Church A Waste of Time?

By Blair Bedford

The path to employment isn’t limited to just one road or direction. There are various ways you can make the most out of your time and energy in-transition during the job searching process. Although interning and volunteering have a stereotype for only being opportunities for young, inexperienced college students looking to get coffee and answer phone calls all day, these methods are some of the best ways to occupy your time while on the job hunt. Plus, if you find the RIGHT internship you can be given a lot of responsibility, and in turn, get your foot in the door and possibly be offered a position in the end. While you’re waiting, try utilizing and broadening your skill set and experience with some of these non-traditional employment alternatives for some of the traditional college degrees:

I’ve never been a fan of Gabrielle Union, but I’m really starting to like the actress more and more.

On Twitter she dropped some knowledge on parenting and education yesterday that’s not typical of her Hollywood peers. Here’s what she tweeted:

“When a parent can tell me their childs fave basketball player/rapper/actor but doesn’t know the name of their kids teacher #RAGE.”

“Great ur kid wants to model…but is she a MODEL STUDENT?! We’ve gotta get serious about education! #RAGE.”

“You can’t blame the kids if the adults are the ones distracted from what’s truly important…education is key!”

“It takes a village…even if u don’t have kids or urs are grown, sometimes its just a word, gesture, lil effort 2 show kids the way #education.”

“Looks fade, money runs dry, fame leaves, entourage moves on 2 stuck some1 else dry…Education is forever.”

Of course people threw a few speculative responses at her, but she handled them well, letting the twitterverse know, number one, she was the one tweeting: “What assistant?! I do things 4 myself darlin.”

And number two, she has the credentials to back up her rant: “Sociology degree from UCLA paid 4 w/ student loans & job at the book store.”

I also love that she shut down rumors that she paid for D Wade’s lavish 30th birthday party last week:

I WAS NOT responsible 4 the car or party, I’m on a blk actress budget! #education

I never thought I’d say this, but I actually wouldn’t mind seeing more of her now. These are the type of actresses that need publicity.

Are you a fan of Gabrielle Union? What do you think about what she had to say about parenting and education?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

More on Madame Noire!

• For the Cool in You: Classic & Kooky Leather Jackets You’ll Love
• Terribly Tatted Up: When Celebrities Get Ratchet Tattoos for the Ones They Love
• Style Icon: Tina Turner
• Stereotypes That Black People Uphold
• We Are Family: Shocking Celebrity Relatives!
• Let’s Be Real: Things in Life You Need to Blame Yourself For From Time to Time
• Are You A Socially Awkward Black Girl?

By Charlotte Young

Ladies, when you take a look at your college campus, you probably shake your head and ask the same question again: Where are all the men? It appears as if they’ve all stepped to the side to make way for an increase of girl power in college and it’s not just your imagination. The International Business Times reports that on some co-ed campuses, the ratio of girls to boys is almost three to one.

The National Center for Education Statistics observes that the college enrollment increased 38 percent between 1999 and 2009, in total. But during that time span, women enrollment increased by 40 percent compared to the 35 percent increase by men.

And according to them, the disparity between the sexes will only continue to grow. The NCES estimates that by 2013, women will account for 57 percent of students in undergraduate study programs across the country. By 2019, NCES estimates a jump to 59 percent in undergraduate programs.

Advanced degree programs are also experiencing a ratio change. In 2008, women made up 61 percent of the master’s degree students and 51 percent of the doctoral students. That percentage is expected to grow to 61 percent across all advanced degree programs.

The rising numbers of women in college were also observed by the US Department of Education. In 2010, they stated that women “account for a disproportionate share of the enrollments of higher-education institutions at every degree level and are likely to become an even more dominant presence on campuses over the coming decade.”

For African-Americans, the gender difference in school leans even heavier in women’s favor.

So much for meeting your future husband in college.

Linda Sax, professor in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA recognizes that the gender gap is changing concerning women enrollment, but also notes that men are enrolling in school in high numbers as well.

Then why can’t we see them? Sax tells the International Business Times that it’s simply the balance in population.

In addition, she says, “the growing gender gap in college enrollments is attributable primarily to increases in college attendance among women from groups historically under-represented in higher education — namely, African Americans, Latinas, older students, and lower-income students.”

Now with that question solved, here comes the next question: with more women graduating from undergraduate and graduate programs than ever, why are men still likely to advance higher in the work world than women?

According to the International Business times, 53 percent of entry-level new hires are women. But if you take a look up the working hierarchy, the percentages begins to diminish with 37 percent in lower-middle management; 28 percent at the vice-presidency level; then only 14 percent at the executive committee. At the very top, women only represent 3 percent.

There are unfortunately, still several unfair hoops that women must jump through to make it to the top. Another explanation can be found in the degree programs women choose to complete compare to men.

The Chronicle for Higher Education reports that “certain majors in university remain dominated by men,” such as engineering and computer and information sciences.

It seems in addition to focusing getting into school, women must also take into consideration which majors lead to greater professional and financial gain.