Editor’s Note: This is the second story in a two-part series on being prepared for college and life after college. Today’s story explores whether graduating seniors will feel prepared for “the real world.”

Preparing for the future can be mind-boggling, but some recent graduates of Iowa State said their college educations have helped them both in their careers and in their lives.

“My education prepared me well,” said Erin Payne, who graduated from ISU in May with degrees in journalism and mass communication and political science.

Payne currently works as a reporter for KELO-TV in Sioux Falls, S.D, and she said getting hands-on experience while in college helped her to be prepared for her future career.

“My education was a complement to [real-life experiences],” Payne said.

Kirk Gammon graduated from ISU in 1997 with a degree in management information systems. He currently is employed as the associate programmer for Cargill in Minnetonka, Minn.

Gammon said a college education does give the graduate a solid foundation, but he added that “a classroom cannot prepare a student for everything they will experience starting out in their new job.”

Payne said college not only prepares students for finding a job, but also for coping with everyday challenges.

“When it comes to basic life experiences, college helped me to become a more organized person, taught me to interact with people, and I learned a lot about life, culture and the world,” Payne said.

Recent graduates also recommended that students get involved early in their college career and start looking for jobs as soon as possible.

“I unfortunately didn’t take advantage of too many services from Iowa State,” Gammon said. “Their career services are excellent, and I feel every student should utilize this great resource.”

Michael Boyle, who graduated from ISU in 1997 in management and information systems, said students also should get involved in extra-curricular activities. Boyle currently works as a business analyst for Cargill in Minnetonka, Minn.

“Get an internship or part-time job while in school,” Boyle said. “It’ll help you get a job or increase your starting salary, not to mention give you something to talk about during an interview.”

Gammon said keeping “your options open” is important during the job hunt.

“I feel the job I have is not the ‘right’ job for me,” Gammon said. “[Students should] investigate companies thoroughly and really think about what kind of company they want to work for.

“They should realize that they don’t have the skills to demand big money and should look for a job that will increase their skills and, in turn, increase their value,” he said.

Payne also said there are things that often get overlooked by graduating seniors. She said she knew finding a job would be tough in the competitive field of broadcast journalism, but she did not know it would be so emotionally taxing.

“I knew it would be difficult in my major, but looking can be a hard blow to one’s self-esteem and can [cause self-doubt],” she said.

Barton said investing for the future is another important element.

“What [the university] could provide is ‘Introduction to Insurance 101,'” she said. “How to invest for my future is not something that I learned, yet everyone needs to know. I could have used some guidance here.”