Some Very Practical Advice For a Monday Afternoon

One of my favorite blogs and newsletters is LearnVest, a great example of a successful and groundbreaking startup by women. The website and newsletter tackles something that unfortunately, most women's magazines do not - personal finance. Instead of encouraging us women to buy the latest Marc Jacobs bag to look professional, the site teaches us how to budget, negotiate a raise and generally improve our financial future. Here's a great talk by Learnvest's founder Alexa von Tobel who reminds of how important it is to always consider our long term goals and happiness.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jkri0AeZWQ]

College degrees that don't pay

Yeah, I saw that one coming. Don't be an art major at a Liberal Arts College!! You won't have a good enough portfolio to work as a graphic designer or art director.  And you'll miss out on what going to a liberal arts college is all about because art requires so many credits. I did enjoy taking jewelry and metals, drawing, etc. but can't say any of those have really come in handy.

ART via CNN Money.

Despite the low pay, Alison Tremblay couldn't imagine a job without a camera in her hand.

Median starting pay: $33,500

Median mid-career pay: $54,800

It's not a pretty picture out there for fine art majors, with many graduates still looking for work or squeezing by on measly pay.

Alison Tremblay, an art major with a photography concentration from Alfred University, wasn't getting by on income from freelance photo gigs and was forced to take a job in data entry.

"[It] pays the bills but it's not what I want to be doing at all," she said. "But since I can't find a full time job in my field, I'm stuck doing this until I make enough money to support myself."

But despite the struggle, Tremblay says she wouldn't have picked a different major.

"I guess I wish I had taken more practical courses like business, but I couldn't imagine not majoring in art and not having a camera in my hand," she said. "I'm just trying to take my skills and turn them into something where I can actually make money -- that's the real struggle."