Bueno Steady Key: featured blogger: nick baggett

recently, i asked for some help with blogging and who better to do it than a marketing manager of a financial institution? Nick Baggett, my "life coach/mentor" gives me the occasional life lesson and now here he is as a featured blogger for BuenoSteadyKey. some of his insight:

Top 5 things Chase makes me remember about college.

1. Money management is important…and difficult. I appreciate the opportunity to catch up with Chase at work and learn about the on-goings of one of today’s most impressive college students. Chase leads a busy life but the emphasis he places on money management is impressive. I accumulated credit card debit like it was my job. I had no idea how long it would take me to pay for all of those fast food meals, movie tickets and new shoes. Chase may not enjoy constantly refraining from impulse buys, but he’ll thank himself years from now.

"i had no idea how long it would take me to pay for all of those fast food meals, movie tickets and new shoes."

2. It’s probably a good idea to think about careers before graduating. Chase is a college freshman and already has a list of potential careers to work towards as he continues his education. I didn’t give credible thought to my career choice until well into the second semester of my senior year. Time will tell if Chase follows through with any of his aspirations but having a general idea at this early stage can’t hurt. I expect Chase to become an exclusive Spanish interpreter for high-ranking US government officials and not spending time trying to make a living by displaying his strange talents on YouTube.

"It's probably a good idea to think about careers before graduating."

3. Methods of communication are slightly different. AOL instant messenger was all the rage when I was in college – and this was a time when email was still developing a mainstream presence. I was baffled by instant messaging at first and even wrote a paper for a class that explained how instant messaging would be the downfall of all public interactions. Text messaging seems to be the preferred way of communicating by today’s youth. I have had to wait for Chase to finish texting many times before concluding a conversation or providing directions for a task. Thankfully, he’s becoming more aware of how rude this practice is and I’m confident he’ll be more aware when interacting with others in the professional world.

"AOL instant messenger was all the rage when i was in college..."

4. Music is a big part of college life. I’ll provide another hint that might help reveal my old age: Napster was just taking off when I was in college. And boy did Napster help expand my appreciation of all types of music. Looking back, that discovery couldn’t have happened at a better time in my life. I think it’s something about that age (18 to 22) in which music takes on an additional role other than entertainment. I believe that particular songs are often used to associate a party, girlfriend or other person/event and triggers memories when you hear the songs years later. Not that we ask him to perform but Chase sings a lot around the office. He has a deep appreciation of music and it will be interesting to see if that appreciation continues after college or, like me, he busies himself with other hobbies as he grows older.

"music takes on an additional role other than entertainment"

5. Class schedules are screwy. During his first semester, Chase showed up for work every day of the week. This semester, he’s only at the office a few days a week. Why? Because his class schedule changed and requires him to be on campus for longer periods of time. I remember how frustrating “long days” could be in college. If part of the college experience is meant to prepare you for the 8-hour working day, then why is it possible to have a schedule that allows you to sleep in until noon one semester and then have a schedule with all 8:00 am classes the very next semester? Where’s the structure in that?