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By Blake Nelson

Graduation is this weekend for many of us here at the University of Nevada, Reno, and that means facing the dreaded “real world.” As if college wasn’t real enough, with the pressure from years of schooling, thousands of dollars spent and many a sleepless night, now you have the next challenge. Arguably the hardest part about graduating, or the second birth as I like to call it, is finding a career that suits your aspirations.

Recently I received a copy of S. A. Eberwein’s book “Cash Your Investment,” a guide to getting that dream job, and I am feeling a little bit more confident as my personal graduation approaches.

Eberwein wrote this book to give a leg-up to anyone who is nearing graduation, and this sentiment is apparent in the writing. The entire book reads less as an instruction guide and more like someone trying to help you. What is particularly nice about the writing is the no-nonsense style of writing and relatable anecdotes with applicable lessons to be learned.

The book is broken up into five chapters, each crafted in a way that is cohesive and comprehensive. All of which can be read by even the busiest of prospective graduates quite easily. The work needed to apply these tips is another issue for the busy, but more on that later.

Although this may not be applicable to those immediately graduating, my favorite tip is “Master Your Mind,” or have the mindset of confidence during your last year of college. Attending your last year of college should be done with the same assurance one would have when trying to ask someone out.

Other bits of bountiful knowledge include — how to interview for the job you want, leveraging your internship into a job, and one that can be applied immediately: utilize a mentor. Anyone can get a mentor. Think about it, your respective field of study here at the university has a multitude of professionals who will readily help you not only graduate, but also land a great job.

The book does get a little wordy when discussing job searching. I think that it was a little too exhaustive, even though the title of the chapter is “Conduct an Exhaustive Job Search.”

Although all of the information is helpful, I think that if some of the information had been consolidated the book would have flowed better.

“Cash Your Investment” is a book that should be considered by students that are preparing to graduate, this is not for people that aren’t willing to prepare and actively put themselves forward. Although, a person can conceivably implement some parts of this book over others, it will still take time to actively apply the teaching of S. A. Eberwein. 

Beyond the work that you would have to put in if you followed the instruction of “Cash Your Investment,” I could foresee this book actually making a difference in your post-graduation life. I know that I will keep “Cash Your Investment” as my senior year inevitably approaches.

Blake Nelson can be reached at tbynum@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @b_e_nelson.