Some Things Never Change

My dad has a habit of telling stories over and over again. And then one more time. One such story is how my dad found his first job.

Both of my parents attended San Jose State and graduated in 1984. It was a year of economic downturn, and while my mom had a nice job lined up teaching pre-school, my dad, armed with a mechanical engineering degree, had sent out resume after resume with no avail. My mom still talks about laying them all out on their apartment floor and licking the envelopes - ah, the prehistoric days before e-mail.

Anyway, days were ticking down before graduation and my dad was convinced that all of his hard work was only going to earn him a position as a french fry roaster, and he had already filled out an application to Togos.

However, lo and behold, the next day he received three offers.

Now, what does this have to do with me 24 years later?

Well, as I'm graduating in exactly a month, I too am applying for jobs. Let me rephrase that - have been applying for jobs and, surprise surprise, to no avail.

However, just as I was considering picking up an application to Togos for my own, I got a call for my "dream job"... in Chicago.

More details to follow...

What kind of car could your tuition buy you?

Could the economy be affecting students' choice in college? Seems like it. According to an article by neighbor school San Jose State's newspaper, the California State University system has already received approx. 50,000 applications thus far, a 21% increase from last year. According to the CSU website, in-state tuition for SJSU, including all fees, room & boards, books, etc. is roughly $20,000, while the cost to attend Santa Clara University is roughly $50,000.

Update with Santa Clara application numbers to follow soon...