I remember my last few semesters of college like it were yesterday. (Well, it's really only been two years, but who's counting?) Through the stress of back to back exams, projects that didn't seem to have an end, the traffic jam that was my campus's parking lot--I knew I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. 

In my daily search for supreme career advice I come across some very entertaining articles. Most of them get posted to our Delicious account or to our Daily Round-up. Today however, I came across a funny post on the College Confidential forums that truly piqued my interest.

This one thread resonated with me because my mother would have a field day with the subject matter. The question at hand was asked by user Bugmom,

What odd thing showed up when he or she was unpacking? At my house it was a half used container of plaster patch, used to remedy a hole in the wall in his room that somebody else put there.

So in tribute to all the mothers out there wearing WTF faces caused by things their children came home with, I give you the best of list that may make your son or daughter seem like an angel in comparison [sic'd]:

10. A pet goldfish.

9. Son came home with a bassoon stand. And he's a violist.

8. Daughter came home with a retired racing greyhound.

7. A VERY oversized foam cowboy hat.

6. An attitude.

5. 80 extra pounds

4. A miniature dachshund puppy named "Kahlua"

3. One of those pot-holders from the sizzling fajita platters at Chili's

2. A nerf gun bigger than any of the ones I ever allowed him to buy at Toys-R-Us when he was little [kid]

1. A traffic cone and a purple taco bell tray

I think a special thanks needs to go out to all the parents of children in college who look after their kids even when the kid acts like he doesn't need it. If your child came back with any of the items on this list and are going back to school next semester...they owe you a big hug.

Is there something missing from this list? What did you (or someone you know) come home with this semester? Let us know by adding a comment :)

On to The Links ...

Forbes Profile: Industries that are currently hiring. Today they profile Pharmacists. "The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment among pharmacists to grow by 22% between 2006 and 2016, which is much faster than most occupations. The pay is good too. The mean annual salary is $104,260, according to May 2008 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Cheezhead Lists: Background Screening trends for 2010. This is a bit extensive, so rather than inefficiently summing it up, why don't you just click through.

YouTube Launches: Reporter's Center to help independent citizen journalists. Why this matters: If you are just out of J-School and can't seem to land a job, what would be so bad about working nights at a restaurant to pay the bills and starting your own beat during the day to build your resume?

Keppie Careers Features: Some tips for planning your job search. Obviously, with the proper amount of preparation and care you can start your job search off in an effective manner and do a bit to streamline the process and maximize your results. This post serves as a good first step.

Hey ThinkTalkers! I’m the newest staff member here at ThinkTalk headquarters. I just graduated in May, and spent more than three months looking for my first job. I landed in D.C. with the rest of the ThinkTalk crew, and now I’m busy figuring out how to navigate my first job and the capitol city. Since we know that job hunts aren't all sunshine and butterflies, I hope I earned some war stories and wisdom to pass along.