The Unknown

When it is officially off-season and the 9 months of competing are over, what are the track athletes supposed to do?  How do they stay in shape?  After the last meet of the season athletes typically get a couple of weeks off, which is a nice time for us to relax from traveling, competing, and studies.  But directly afterwards its right back to the pavement to prepare for the fall… Cross Country.

If you are like me you will have a summer job to make money for personal expenses, and school. You most likely live in a hot and humid climate and hate running at any time of the day because its hot no matter what! Now if you’re not from the Midwest, you might not realize the excessive heat and humidity that is a daily occurrence here in Kansas City but running past 7 a.m. is a nightmare. That’s where the dilemma shows up. Do you wake up at 5 am, knock out your 10 mile run, and make it back to shower, change, and drive thirty minutes to make your 8-5 job? Or do you bear the heat?

I have become the guy who runs directly after work, in the full 100 degree temperatures, getting my work in with the mind-set of trying not to pass out. Yeah ill end up on the treadmill a couple of times, which isn’t too bad if you’re watching the series modern family, psych, or God forbid the Royals. I have found the grind from running everyday does take a toll on my legs, so I rely on the treadmill more often than not. Which, by the way, is a great tool for picking a pace to run at and being forced to stick to it!   My old high school coach always told me that the hardest part about running  is walking out the front door. This statement could not be more true, especially when I am stuck running by myself the entire summer.  After being at work for 9 hours and having approximately an average of 5-6 hours of sleep, the only thing that gets me out the door is the “unknown”.

The “unknown” to me is a lot of things. The unknown of what kind of shape I am in, vs what I should be in. The “unknown” on what shape my teammates are in, cause everyone who is a competitor wants to be the best, same team or not.  But most of all the "unknown" of my competition. In order “to keep on keepin on”, I have to convince myself that there are other athletes working their ass off thinking the same thing.  Each day when I head home from my 8-5, I am not thinking work is over, but it has just begun.

What gets you out the front door? Do you wake up in the morning to workout or  do you value your sleep? Keep on Running!

Kyle

Running Basics and E-books here!

Major Dilemma: Entrepreneurship

 Did you know the average age of a 1^st year Entrepreneur is close to 40 years old! When I think of an Entrepreneur I normally think of a college kid that makes it big—the creator of Napster, Facebook, etc. These guys are living the american dream, created there own company, and have an easy life, right?   After reading this article, I realized you can’t plan for is immediate success creating your own business.  Entrepreneurship is almost a skill you build overtime. So the reason I wanted to write this article is to share some thoughts on why entrepreneurship seems like a smart major for the long run, and how the majority of Entrepreneurs have gone about creating their own business.


 Any college kid with large eyes and a bright future is most likely dreaming of big money, a luxurious life with not much work and a lot of play.  That is not entrepreneurship.   The key motive  current students have coming out of college is everyone wants big money ASAP.  Sure, there are the select few that have the means, idea, and capability to create a large, profitable business straight out of college, but the majority of students don’t.  So what are they supposed to do?

Getting a regular job in the field you are interested will go a long way in helping you understand how a business truly works and operates.  This base will allow you to create a business plan of your own, and keep you better prepared for the future.  Remember, the average age of an Entrepreneur is near 40, so taking your time and making sure you know what you are getting into is the common trend for the majority of successful entrepreneurs.  

So what else can someone do with a major in Entrepreneurship?  Really it depends on your Niche, how well your business plan is put together, and when you have the financial means to see it through. I am not majoring in entrepreneurship because I think I will start my own business right out of college, or even within 10 years. I think its a major that gives me a solid overall base moving  forward into the business world. I will be introduced and familiarized with a multitude of business areas such as marketing, finance, accounting, managements, and strategy. Having a background in these areas can make you a key asset to many companies and demonstrate your big goals for the future. 


Majoring in Entrepreneurship means you can start your own company, run anything from a large corporation to a small local business, or just be a regular employee. Do with it what you will, just make sure your screws aren’t loose so everything runs smoothly when you do decide to start your own business! I realize I haven't been promoting starting your own business when your young, but that is because your not likely to be prepared. However, there are plenty of instances that I don't mention where it would be a great idea to start up now. I believe online business is something anyone can do at a young age and become very successfully. The link below has great value and is inspirational in that these are some success stories that young people have had. I believe everyone wants to work for themselves, but not everyone has the right tools.

An Entrepreneurial Know-How!
- This link above will give you 25 stories and how-to's of young successful entrepreneurs!


Commence

Campus Rep Positons

Minimum hours, free swag, MONEY, and a reference letter, what more could a college kid want out of a job. This is exactly what you get if you become a campus rep. Campus reps are affiliated with many companies nation-wide. These companies, ranging from large corporations to local businesses, are trying to promote and market their products on college campuses all over the country. This job allows students the freedom to work minimum hours and on their own time, while getting free stuff! Are you interested yet!?

At Kansas State University, I personally know the Red Bull student rep. He gets cases of Red Bull each month, and a couple hundred dollars a month to go to parties and bring Red Bull and swag with him! This job requires someone who can market and promote the company's product in a positive way. Big name companies such as Red Bull, Apple, and Asus all have these student rep programs on Campuses Nationwide. You can go to www.collegehero.com to check out available rep positions.  What are you waiting for? Go to your favorite company, local business, etc and see if you can become a rep on campus. Fun, easy money for college students who get to work when they choose! Its either this or...Or Become a Mystery Shopper!

Roll Tide

Job Help

Hello Blog world,

My name is Kyle Hanson. I am currently a Junior at Kansas State and Majoring in Business. Lately there has been a lot of pressure to make money, make more money, and make money on top of that. I am blessed to have a pretty good job interning this summer, but when I head back to school, I need enough cash to last the whole school year. I wouldn't be worried about it if I could get a part time job when I am back at college but being apart of the Cross Country and Track and Field team greatly hinders my ability. So the reasons I need more money include:

1) New running shoes = $110

2) New computer= $700 dollars

3) Flight to Italy to visit the girlfriend studying abroad = $1000

That itself totals a mere $1810 dollars!

I don't know about you but that kind of money is pretty tough to come by, so for the time being I am doing what I can to improve my chances of finding a very flexible part time job/ get a job lined up for next summer.

So what can you do to improve your chances and ability? A key to getting a interview, job, etc. is to have a great error-free resume to go with an exceptional cover letter.  After visiting countless websites, job searches, and university affiliated functions I have these ideas:


1) Use your College/University's Career Employment Services,

- upload your resume/cover letter

- work with there representatives to improve said documents.

There is nothing easier to do then post these documents on their website and wait for an opportunity to fall into your lap. Many employers use these websites to find future hires, so this is a great place to start.

2) If you are looking for Internships it is never to early to start applying! There are tons of websites out there to help you!

 http://www.internships-usa.com/  is my favorite link to thousands of possible internships all over the country. It might not work for you if your school does not have access to this site.

- again check your schools CES program in step 1 for something more in your area!

3) Stay open to any learning opportunities.

Sometimes it means learning a new skill and doing something you might not be thrilled about. But having tools in your toolbox never hurts, and in today's economy opportunities are hard to come by. It is becoming less what you know but who you know. So networking is key and having many skills to offer is a huge benefit!

It is important to always be looking, always be putting yourself out there risking it! Things don't fall into people laps, unless you do the work before hand! So update your resumes! Build that cover letter! and start putting yourself out there for opportunities.

Is there any ideas, sites, part-time jobs, etc that have worked for you? pyramid/get-rich-quick schemes you can offer? Just joking, but I would love get some feedback or information you have found useful!

Cheers!

Kyle