As members of the Class of 2002 rush to finish their theses and wait for job responses from companies, they must also prepare to face the "real world" beyond the gates of the University campus.
Cap and Compass, a small Connecticut-based company, aims to prepare college students for the transition from the classroom and dormitories to the workplace and independent living.
According to Cap and Compass — founded in 2000 by two recent graduates of Duke University — 73 percent of students do not feel prepared for the transition from college to life as a young professional.
The statistic is based on responses to a questionnaire given to college students attending the company's seminars, which discuss important skills needed for various job fields and within everyday working life.
Cap and Compass has created five humorous seminars to be conducted on college campuses at the request of students, alumni or campus career services representatives. Seminar titles include "Avoid Looking Stupid at Dinner" and "The Least You Need to Know About Taxes."
Husband and wife co-founders Jesse and Nicole Vickey realized from their personal experience that there is a gap between the academic skills learned in the classroom and the practical skills needed in the workplace and in living independently.
"Once they started trying to adjust to the first day on the job, the confusion of it all made them think, 'Shouldn't someone sew in this void [between college and the workplace]?' " company member Andy Ferguson said.
The trio has traveled to college campuses on the eastern half of the country, but has not visited Ivy League schools.
Princeton's Career Services does not offer any specific services like post-graduation preparation seminars, but it offered a senior seminar a few years ago on such concerns as managing a budget and finding an apartment, said Beverly Hamilton-Chandler, director of Career Services .
The seminar "didn't seem to resonate well with the students at that time," Hamilton-Chandler said, and current students have not requested a similar seminar when asked the type of programs in which they would be interested.
But Hamilton-Chandler said Career Services is always open to questions.
"We are always available to talk to current students and alums about a variety of topics if they have concerns about their job," she said.
Senior class president Spence Miller '02 said members of his class feel equipped to make the transition into the workplace.
"A Princeton education teaches you to work hard," he said. "So even if you don't have the technical expertise in a particular field, you're able to adapt well."
But Miller said he and his classmates will have to face responsibilities that they have not yet had to deal with on their own.
"Going away so far to school has definitely prepared me to living on my own," he said. "But it's true we've had the luxury of our parents helping us out and not having to deal with paying taxes."
Miller said as far as he knows, many more of his peers have applied to graduate school than in previous years.
While graduate school provides further preparation for students before starting their careers, Ferguson said graduate students would still benefit from the company's services.
"Graduate students may have less trouble adjusting because age gives them experience, but the trial-and-error process is still tough," he said.
Miller said he views graduating and moving into the job market as "another step in the road."
"In the real world it'll be a big change," he said, "but it's just another stage in our lives."
Read More
Princeton endowment up 11% in rebound in hot market year, but low among peers
Coco GongThe return marks a rebound in a hot year for markets compared to last year’s historically low return of 3.9 percent and the losses of 1.7 percent and 1.5 percent in FY 2023 and 2022, respectively.
The return marks a rebound in a hot year for markets compared to last year’s historically low return of 3.9 percent and the losses of 1.7 percent and 1.5 percent in FY 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Professor Michael Skinnider awarded 2025 Packard Fellowship for research on metabolites
Julie KimMichael Skinnider, an associate professor at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, has been awarded a 2025 Packard Fellowship for his research on metabolites, small molecules inside the human body that play key roles in metabolism and disease.
Michael Skinnider, an associate professor at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, has been awarded a 2025 Packard Fellowship for his research on metabolites, small molecules inside the human body that play key roles in metabolism and disease.
Alumni celebrate Princeton’s 279th birthday at Orange and Black Day 2025
Aitana CamponovoOn Wednesday, Oct. 22, alumni returned to celebrate Princeton's 279th birthday on the fifth annual Orange and Black Day.
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, alumni returned to celebrate Princeton's 279th birthday on the fifth annual Orange and Black Day.