My First-Ever Blog
Welcome to WhatCollegeForgot.com – a site dedicated to helping young professionals like you navigate real-world challenges we weren’t prepped for at college. This is my first-ever blog so feel free to give me feedback if you’re entertained, bored, confused, or otherwise.
First let me introduce the site – WhatCollegeForgot.com is a project I’ve been working on since last September. I was trying to figure out what to do with my 401K account from a previous employer. It took several days surfing the Web and a few phone calls to financial companies to track down good info about how to roll-over my 401K, what the tax implications would be, and whether I should choose an IRA or a Roth IRA account (I went with the Roth if you’re curious!) Frustration set in, as it had every time I embarked on a journey to figure out another one of life’s little challenges. I started writing my business plan for WhatCollegeForgot.com the very next day.
I read quite a few books and articles about starting a business before “finishing” my business plan in early January. I use quotes because I don’t think I’ll ever be finished with the business plan! Over the next few months, I surveyed some friends to make sure they thought this site would be a good idea (they did), hired a developer, and started writing content.
I have to give all of you writers out there credit – writing isn't as easy as it seems! After researching and writing a few articles myself, I found a handful of very talented writers to add their insights and areas of expertise to the site. This is one of the smartest things I’ve done so far (and believe me – there have been some not-so-smart things too!)
Fast forward two or three months to today, and the site has finally launched! Many props to Steve, the awesome developer that I found on Craigslist. By the way, I’m planning an article on the right way versus the wrong way to apply to a Craigslist job posting – stay tuned. Thanks to Steve for all of his hard work and late nights cranking out code. I’ve learned a ton about the back-end of a site and how much work goes into programming a site’s functionality. Who knew a marketing major could learn about CSS, CMS, PHP, and HTML code??
And now I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Gale Bowman, a 26-year old graduate of Notre Dame. I live in Chicago and work as a strategy analyst for Orbitz.com. No, you won’t upset me if you make fun of the Fighting Irish football squad, and no, I don’t have access to free flights. Those are two common questions I get, so I thought I’d go ahead and address those now.
What other fun facts can I share? I love dogs, travelling, and enjoying the summers in Chicago (although this summer is a bit lacking in good weather!) When I’m not working at my day job, I’m typically working on this site, so please send me your thoughts, ideas, or questions. I have lots more to say, but I’ll save it for my second-ever blog. Until then!
