North Texas Daily

Money is always a problem for college students. Often people rely too heavily on their refunds, or they have to take on jobs. UNT feels it’s important students know how to manage money, and that’s exactly what uPrepare did Oct. 5 in Chestnut Hall.

“Students felt that they got some great information and resources to start understanding how much they could potentially earn after graduation,”said Rebecca Boyle, peer mentor at the UNT Student Money Management Center. “One student felt that the workshop prepared them to start building a resume to increase their earning potential.”

Boyle explained how to break a salary offer down into a  monthly income, building a budget and retirement savings. Wayne Campbell, career development specialist at UNT’s Career Center, focused on how to build a strong resume, identify average salaries and salary negotiation. But the event was not all teaching, Boyle discussed ways in which students are prevented from financial success.

“College is the first time that a lot of students have to pay for things themselves, and no one’s here to tell them what to spend money on,” Boyle said. “It’s so easy to go spend, and a lot less fun to sit down and actually keep track of where the money is going. Since many student can only work part-time, there’s not always a lot of money left over after paying for necessities.”

Boyle said not having financial goals can prevent students from being financially successful and having a plan allows you to make sure your money is working for you, and not the other way around. MRTS senior Nicole Ayala said being responsible with money is essential to student life.

“It’s super important for students to get their finances down now because the decisions we make now will affect us later,” Ayala said. “It’s really good to get a handle on it now to teach you how to be responsible in general.”

Part of responsibility is budgeting, something Boyle spoke on also. She said to use a budget to know where your money is going, and told students to prioritize saving.

“Take advantage of the fact that you’re young and have plenty of time for your savings to grow,” Boyle said. “Even a contribution as low as $100 a month can add up to over $300,000 when you retire.”

International studies junior Lizzy Fisher said being careful with finances is a sign of discipline and a sure way to be successful.

“I think having a budget is something you need to be strict about,” Fisher said. “Just like in school you have to really be strict if you want to see results.”

Boyle and Campbell discussed finding the right company to work for, the interview process and writing resumes. Boyle said O*NET OnLine can be a helpful too for finding lists of the traits and responsibilities involved in different careers. Students can use this information to build a resume that emphasizes matches employers looking for in a new-hires.

“Do your research, know the company, know yourself and know why the two fit together,” Boyle said. “The Career Center has several events each semester where you can bring your resumé and have it reviewed for changes.”

Campbell said the main point of a resume is to show the employer that you have what it takes to do the job.  He said the best way to determine what it takes to do the job is read the job description first and then write the resume.

“As a career development specialist, I take every opportunity given to me to help students get the careers they desire when they graduate,” Campbell said.

He said the best way to write a resume is to start off with a professional profile paragraph that summarizes your best traits. It must be written in a way as to make the employer want to hire you from just the the profile paragraph.

“The best way to write a professional paragraph is to answer these four questions: Who are you professionally?  What can you do?  What career/internship experiences do you have or what course have you taken?  What are your career goals?  Use one sentence per question,” Campbell said.

For more information on the career center and money management visit the career center’s website here.