Graduation is upon you and the real world looms. Don't freak out. You'll be fine. We've got a ton of links for you further down the page about finding that perfect career ... and we're confident you'll find it. Once you start making money, you have to be careful about how you're spending it, how to make it last and how to plan for your future. So, to start us off today, here's some advice from the sage of personal finance Ramit Sethi, who was out promoting his new book I Will Teach You To Be Rich (side note: That's our Nation's Capitol behind Ramit, where he did his live shot for G4 in the ThinkTalk studios ... maybe we'll try to get him on our show next time he's in town. For some more personal finance info, check out our interview with Larry Winget.)

In America, first you get the job, then you get the money, then you get the women ... don't worry, we've got all the advice you need in The Links ...

Modite Investigates: What type of companies are hiring during a recession. Rebecca Thurman is one smart cookie and she does a great job of rounding up a number of different sources on what type of companies you should be targeting with your resumes in this tough job market.

The Wall Street Journal Explores: The benefits of the Post Graduate Internship. "In this tepid economy, taking an internship when a full-time job can't be found may be a new grad's best option. "There has never been such a high level of graduates taking internships," says Donald Asher a career expert and author of "Who Gets Promoted and Why." While many of the more-formal internship programs geared toward undergrads may already be filled, soon-to-be grads can still find them if they're resourceful, target their efforts and are willing to work to convince a company to create one for them."

Allison's Job Search Blog Has: Info on managing your job search applications. Alison Doyle has some good resources for tracking your applications so that you can keep an organized handle on what jobs you are applying for and where they are in the app process. Plus, they're free!

College Finance 101 Shows: The basics of paying back your student loans. This goes along with keeping your personal finances in order, and after you graduate, keeping track of loan repayment is an important part of this process. CF101 has a good roundup of the resources you need to keep organized.

One thing that I'm sure is always on your mind as a college student is how to save money. We know all the cliches; Ramen Noodles, Easy Mac and having you friends sneak you in the rear-entrance of the dining hall. Well, these are cliches for a reason - they are absolutely true. One summer I worked on campus for $7 per hour and free room and board. And if you think I didn't eat two meals a day of McDonald's Dollar Menu, then you don't know me very well.

Now, speaking of working on campus for free room and board, this weekend's New York Times reports on the growing competition for Resident Adviser positions.

168 Seton Hall students applied this spring for 30 spots, up from 104 applicants two years ago. At New York University, where they use the more common term of resident adviser, the number of graduate students interested in a position jumped to 246 last year from 148. At Clemson University in South Carolina, applications more than doubled in the last year, to 240, while at the University of Virginia, 390 students submitted applications, nearly 100 more than usual.

Being a R.A. certainly isn't the easiest job in the world. As a student, I'm sure your quite aware of the challenges of exerting authority over your peers. It's a fine line to walk between acting as an authority figure and expressing the friendship and compassion an R.A. must posses for fellow students.

But there are benefits beyond the economic stability the position affords.

“These kids learn problem-solving, conflict resolution, crisis management, communication skills and programming,” said Mr. Dunkel, director of housing at the University of Florida. “You can translate that skill set to any career. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a teacher in a classroom or an accountant.”

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, I suggest reading the entire Times article and consulting with either your own R.A. or a member of the Housing Department staff.

A new week means a new batch of The Links ...

Cheezhead Explains: How colleges are using Twitter for recruitment. "There are over fifty active colleges and universities that are engaging with potential students, active students and alumni on Twitter. For the full list, there is a wiki document that lists the schools in alphabetical order."

Secrets of the Job Hunt Features: A breakdown of how companies filled empty jobs in 2008. Take note: 27% of jobs were filled through referrals, while 12% through job boards. This proves the increased importance of networking - both in person and online.

CareerHub Offers: Advice on maximizing the effect of your resume through the "file name." "The report advises that your first and last name always be included in the file name. It is also a good idea to include a word or short keyword phrase that describes your main skill set or industry (for example, CFO, Marketing Executive, etc.). It is important to keep the keyword phrase fairly short, so as not to create an unwieldy file name that extends beyond fields in a database or beyond the edge of the reader's window or screen (such as on a Blackberry)."

Brazen Careerist Lauren Friese Suggests: Volunteering to boost you resume (and,eventually, your wallet). "Volunteering is a great way to meet people and show them what you’re capable of at the same time. It can offer amazing learning opportunities that will pay off large in the long run, a little later in your career."

Welcome to the Daily Roundup. Each day at the ThinkTalk Blog we will post some links that we find informative, interesting, or just plain funny. The goal is to let you know what else is going on out there, and ultimately help you with the development of your career.

Spring Break is next week for most of you. Spring Break! So where is everyone going? Not Mexico, I hope. Well have fun, because for all you seniors, once you get back it's time to gear up for finals ... and then, The World . . .

That's why today's post over at Lifehacker couldn't have been more appropriate. There are a ton of commercials and ads out there warning you about your credit score and how to get a free one. Once you graduate and enter the real world, you'll find out just how important your credit score is. Here's some advice from a former FICO executive on what your credit score is and how it is used. Learn and enjoy.

Welcome to the Daily Roundup. Each day at the ThinkTalk Blog we will post some links that we find informative, interesting, or just plain funny. The goal is to let you know what else is going on out there, and ultimately help you with the development of your career.

If it's February one thing is certain. For the past few weeks you have probably been receiving mail regarding taxes. As a student maybe this is your first time filing taxes. It can be a harrowing process. So on that note, here is a great post from College Finance 101 on which forms to look out for and what exactly they mean. Good luck with your filing. (And take it from me . . . don't wait until April 14th to open up your mail).

I may have been late with my tax filing, but we'll never be late with The Links . . .

Brazen Careerist's David Spinks Gives: Tips on how to handle your first networking event. You are no doubt coming to a point in your life where you will be attending some sort of networking event. The first step, according to David, is getting over whatever doubts or concerns you have about the process. He then offers 13 useful tips to maximize the event.

ere.net Explores: Why unemployment is so high and what you can do to rise above it. One key point Kevin Wheeler brings up is the role of panic during a recession. One company sees another is firing and figures it should be doing the same. But there is more to it, Wheeler says. "Most of us do not understand how deeply the job market is changing. We are in the midst of a global redefinition of what a job is and how it should be performed." A good read . . . go check out the rest.

CIO Provides: Secrets to help the job search in a recession (via @danschawbel). Like the above post says, there is a redefinition of what a job is and if you want to find a job and be successful you are going to have to think outside the box and get creative. Here are some good tips to help you with your search.

Lindsey Pollack Suggests: How to use twitter to get free advice from career advisers. Basically, if you aren't using twitter your aren't fully utilizing all the career advice that's out there. So get on it. And follow ThinkTalk while you're at it.

Cheezhead Talks To: The COO of GettiingHired.com, a job portal that helps working-age people with disabilities to job opportunities. In it's first 8 weeks over" 8,000 job seekers with disabilities have registered. About 1,000 new users are added per week. The site has also secured partnerships with 21 employers, who are adding new opportunities daily to the 15,000 jobs already posted." A great idea for a site and a helpful resource. Good work.

"Taxes" Photo courtesy Mat Honan, via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Welcome to the Daily Roundup. Each day at the ThinkTalk Blog we will post some links that we find informative, interesting, or just plain funny. The goal is to let you know what else is going on out there, and ultimately help you with the development of your career.

I have a confession to make. I am a Lost fanatic. I love this show. I came to it about 4 eps in and was instantly hooked. It completely shattered my preconceived notions of the hour-long TV drama. I think the only network drama I watched until that point was Law and Order (man oh man, Angie Harmon . . . you're gonna need to gimme a sec).

I'm at the point now where they could do anything, literally anything, and I would keep watching the show. If the cast woke up next week and everything was a dream and they all went back to their mundane lives and the camera just followed Hurley driving around LA eating Mr. Cluck's with the guy from Road Trip who slayed the cheetah and playing 4 8 15 16 23 42 on the lottery I would still watch it. Simply because, at this point the show has been so amazing and has earned my trust and viewership.

This really struck me last night. I'm sitting in class (currently in Grad School) listening to a lecture about the rise of 19th Century communications technology. The professor makes an off-the-cuff reference while discussing Edison and the early stages of lighting systems to an English physicist named Michael Faraday. Well, if you've watched the last 2 seasons of LOST this name is clearly going to ring a bell. So, this obviously caught my attention. Then the professor mentions that Faraday was a leading developer in electromagnetism. Blew. My. Mind.

Next thing I knew I'm writing down "Faraday - magnetism - time travel." These are not the notes one should be taking in a graduate level course. Then I realized that those damn sneaky LOST creators, always one step ahead of us, had penetrated my mind. And that is when I realized that I am truly, deeply, utterly addicted to LOST.*

Welcome to the Daily Roundup. Each day at the ThinkTalk Blog we will post some links that we find informative, interesting, or just plain funny. The goal is to let you know what else is going on out there, and ultimately help you with the development of your career.

Hey ThinkTalkers, do you remember when director Danny Boyle said on our show something along the lines of how it would be interesting to see a star bridge the cultural gap between Asia’s film industry and the dominant Western film culture? Well, guess what?