Good link for job interview skills

I couldn't have said it better myself:
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2012/08/06/how-to-ace-a-job-interview/

Actually, that blog has a lot of good advice!

Things I wish I had know when I was twenty

MrMoneyMustache.com is one of my favorite blogs, and this list on his blog was what inspired me to pass on some of my ideas to you:
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/forum/welcome-to-the-forum/things-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-were-20/

Read it! I agree with just about everything that people posted, but in case you need the condensed version, I copied the points that I think are really important:

• When you finish school, don't reward yourself with 'adult' things like most will, such as an 'adult car' or an 'adult apartment'.  Keep your standard of living very similar to now, and save the rest of your, hopefully increased, salary.
• You will see your peers buying cars that cost 100% of their annual gross salary, etc and 5-6 years down the road they've spent a significant portion of their income on vehicles or they've even increased their spending as their incomes have increased.  It's much harder going from a 2011 mercedes benz C350 sport to a 1999 Honda Civic Cx than the other way around.
  
  It's all about conditioning yourself to stay frugal, just because you got a job right out of university doesn't mean you have to go on a 10k Europe trip or buy a 40k car because you "deserve it". 
• So long as you're pursuing a reasonably lucrative degree that'll enable you to pay off your student loans, take as much advantage of the week- and month-long breaks during college as you possibly can! Instead of putting every penny you earn into tuition, spend some of your earnings on cheap plane/train/bus tickets and hostels or a touring bike and panniers and take as many freewheeling adventures as you will. Most entry-level professional jobs only offer two or three weeks of vacation starting out, so you won't have big chunks of freetime again until you're between jobs, retired or unless you are a good enough employee to negotiate unpaid time off with your boss after a year or more. If you're changing jobs involuntarily, you probably won't be in the mood to travel either. Nor are you likely to be as free from responsibility as you are at twenty for quite some time.
• Things will happen in the future, including those you enthusiastically embrace and bring into your life (a husband with teenage kids and no savings) that you could not reasonably have anticipated or planned for.  Having some resources set aside, or not being in a hole to start out with, will make this easier.
  
  Your body (including your brain) has to last you for the rest of your life.  Treat it well. 
  
  it is so much easier and cheaper to travel when you are young, relatively unfettered by dependents (be they human, animal, or logistical), and relatively tough/carefree.  
• If it is feasible - take advantage of study abroad programs during college.  At my school it was the same cost as tuition.  In retrospect I wish I had utilized that time to go more places.
• Don't lose $2k because your friend told you about this awesome "investment" opportunity online, that suspiciously looks like a pyramid scam, but you're young and think you can get your money plus "interest" out in time before it crashes.  
• A huge chunk of your future happiness (or not) will be strongly influenced by the person you choose to partner with.
• [assuming you come from a typical middle-class family,] You cannot afford to live like your parents do.
  
  Save money. NOW. It doesn't matter how little you make; if you aren't saving money, you aren't living below your means.
• On the financial front, I never did anything terribly stupid with money, but I was sub-optimal.  Since finding MMM, I've done a lot of reading on personal finance and investing.  When I was fresh out of college, everyone said, the earlier you start saving the earlier you can retire.  I believed it: I was putting 12% of my pay into 401k.  In hindsight, I could have done better (but I also could have done a lot worse).  For example, if I knew then what I know now, I would have first done enough 401k to maximize employer match, then maxed out my RothIRA, then gone back and added as much as I could tolerate to my 401k.
  
  In general, when I was 20, I had a rough, very shallow fundamental knowledge of these personal finance and investing topics.  But in the last year or so, I've made it my new "hobby" and I know so much more (and I'm still learning).  I wish I had my current knowledge back then.  The biggest eye-opener for me has to do with how it ultimately enables retirement (or not!).  The whole notion of "passive income" is fascinating to me.  Safe withdrawal rates, tax efficiency, real rate of return, inflation, mortgages as an "investment", interest rate considerations, bonds, index funds... good stuff to know!
• I really really wish I had learned and known how to live within my means and to save.
  I wish I had traveled more. (like another poster said, before kids and pets!)
• Make sure you take the time to do stuff you've always wanted to do rather than just keep your nose to the grindstone.  You can make more money, but you can't make more time.
• More than anything: the power of compounding over time.  A few bucks a month squirreled away and never every touched from age 20 can make you wealthier than you actually think you have the power to be.  Corollary: A few expenses avoided (and not even that many) can make you rich.
• I am 23 now and this thread is quickly turning into one of my favorites. My one small piece of advise right now would be: get a degree in a SKILL (I.e., programming, accounting, engineering, etc). It may mean taking harder courses, but you will get paid better and have more options to work on your own terms. I am fortunate to have a well paying job with a very general degree, but many of my peers weren't so blessed. Given the choice again, I would major in computer science.
• A life in balance is a life indeed - Seek out and savor the meaningful stuff in life (friends, family, enjoyment, - NOT consumerism/materialism/workism) as you only get one life and without these things it is no life. 

  Not a single thing you can buy will make you as happy as creating financial stability you'll have after a little sacrifice. Be thoughtful rather than automatic about how you choose to grow in the world outside of college.

  When you make mistakes with your money, remember you started young. You have plenty of time to learn and make changes. Be gentle with yourself when you reflect. Work hard to keep your heart open when hard times will make you want to shut down and give up.
  
  You won't see that it's best for a while. It's hard to watch your friends out having fun when you've got to go home and eat your lentils. Be the ant and don't be swayed by the grasshoppers. When you're in your 30's You'll be grateful to your younger self.
  
  Chose to surround yourself with other ants. ;o)

  
  

Intro, and why I'm doing this

Hello – Momkin here. As you become young adults, and are on the brink of moving out and starting your independent lives, I have concerns that there are all sorts of financial (and other) philosophies that I haven’t ever articulated to you. So, it occurred to me that I could put these ideas into writing and put them in a blog so you can access them whenever you feel like it. I know that some of these things may not be interesting to you right now, but at some point, you might want to know what my thoughts are. This gives me a chance to write down my ideas as I am inspired to do so, and gives you a chance to read them when the time is right for you. Off the top of my head, here’s what I’m thinking I’ll cover:

1.       Things I wish I had known when I was 20:

a.       http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/forum/welcome-to-the-forum/things-you-wish-you-knew-when-you-were-20/

2.       Financial

a.       Overall philosophy

                                                               i.       spend less than you make, invest the difference; keep your life-style expectations (and financial commitments) low

b.      Checking accounts

                                                               i.      fees, overdrawn, balancing

c.       Budgeting

d.      Car/transportation

e.      Renting vs. buying

f.        Investments

                                                               i.      if it looks too good to be true, it probably is (Bernie Madoff, Facebook); don’t buy on margin

g.       Hang with people (esp. life partner) who have similar financial philosophy and goals

h.      Debt: don’t have any (especially credit card)

i.         Insurance

j.        Saving for retirement

3.       Life in general

a.       Life Partner

b.      Children

c.       Travel

4.       Resources:

a.       MrMoneyMustache.com

It will take me some time to cover each of these topics, and I may skip around, so if there’s something on the list (or an additional topic) that you’d like to take priority, just let me know.

Love,

Momkin