Weekly Round-Up: October Challenges

Ah, October.  My favorite month of the year.  It has my favorite holiday (Halloween), consists of the most fun season (Fall), and happens to contain one of the greatest birthdays in the year (mine, in case you hadn’t guessed already).  In short, one of the best months in the year.

Of course, this year the month of October takes on some special challenges.  There is still a thesis to finish (admittedly, not too much more to do), a thesis to defend (probably not that tough, as I am pretty good at public speaking and have a pretty good presentation I’m finishing up), and a job to find (that’s where things will really get tricky…).  It’s a busy month, and that’s not even counting the numerous preparations I have to make for my upcoming little baby, for whom I have just over two months in which to prepare.  I’ll have to do my best to keep up (and on the baby front, at least, I’ll have my wife to help, although before much longer, she’ll likely need plenty of help from me just to make it through the typical day).

While I’m working to get all this in order, I’m also trying to keep up with the other great blogs out there, for sharing among other purposes.  On that note, let’s review some of those great blog entries from this past week:

Great Yakezie Posts

How to Take Advantage of the Hidden Job Market – In spite of how many job listings you can find, both in the local press and online, many (and perhaps most) people obtain their jobs not through posted job offers, but by taking the back way to a job.  Miss T. of Prairie Eco-Thrifter shares some of the means of getting your name in front of a hiring manager that don’t involve responding to a job posting.

What You Need to Know About Creating Your Brand – You might not think that you need to create a brand, but in these days when anyone can use Google to learn everything about you, you already have.  If you’re looking to ensure that your brand is a solid one, you can take advantage of some techniques suggested here by Robert The College Investor.

Am I On Track For Retirement? – A good question to ask yourself every decade or so, at minimum.  Tim of Faith and Finance shares some of the benchmarks that Fidelity recommends for your savings at various point in your life.  Personally, I’ve frequently heard much higher levels, but if you aren’t at least at these levels at these ages, increasing your investment levels should be a high priority.

4 Smart Reasons Why College Isn’t for Everyone – It seems to contradict almost everyone’s suggestions, but Len Penzo has a point (or rather, four of them): not every college degree proves worthwhile and not everyone truly needs one.  It’s a requirement for many jobs, but with the price as high as it is (and student loan terms as rough), considering trying to do without it isn’t a bad idea.

How to Become a Virtual Assistant-Part I – With some many places suggesting virtual assistant (VA) work as a possible way to earn money without leaving your home, and even more suggesting VAs as useful for everyone, it’s good to get a better idea of what exactly VAs do.  This set of articles from Barbara Friedberg attempts to do just that, sharing VA work requirements and other requirments.

How Not To Lose Money in Peer to Peer Lending – It’s easy, when looking at things like Prosper and Lending Club, to consider stories more than facts.  Wealth Informatics shares some of the problems he ran into doing just that, and the resulting lessons he learned about peer to peer lending (complete with fun illustrations to prove each of the points).

Why a Wagon is Better than SUV – It’s hard to think of too many people in their 20s who’d rather have a station wagon than an SUV, but apparently Corey of 20s Finances is one of them.  Given how much I love my own station wagon, I’m definitely in the same boat as Corey, but still, I’m not sure how many fellow twenty-somethings will join us anytime soon.

Where The Amateur Financier Was Featured

My World Domination 101 article was included in the Yakezie Carnival – The Less Than Graceful Exit Edition from Earth and Money (nice to see some focus on environmentalism mixed in with our financial blogging), the Carnival of Financial Camaraderie #49 from My University Money, and the Carnival of Money Pros from Master the Art of Saving.

That’s not all; this article was also included in Wealth Artisan’s celebration of small living spaces, 120 Square Foot Home, 480 Square Foot Homes and a Carnival and Young and Thrifty’s Weekend Ramblings for September 22.

Alright, that’s all the blog posts to share for this edition of my Weekly Round-Up.  Here’s hoping everyone reading has a good and productive October, accomplishing as much as I hope to achieve.  Have a great week, filled with plenty of productivity on everything you need to get done between now and Halloween (and beyond)!