Hey everybody,

Don’t you miss the days when you never had to worry about money? School was the only thing we had to deal with and that was enough. Summers were filled with fun and laughter, and not once did we ever think to ourselves, “Ugh, I gotta go to work at 7am everyday.”

Well that’s what stinks about getting older, summer jobs. In order to do things or pay for things you have to have one. With that being said, if you look hard enough and just get lucky enough, you can find a fun job out there.

Everyone talks about how it is to first, find a job and apply, but the next biggest thing you can’t overlook is having a successful interview. Some people are naturals at having good interviews, but for many people, it can be a nerve-wracking and awkward experience.

If you’re one of those people, or it’s your first time, here are a few tips that can help you nail the interview:

#1
Get there early! If you come to an interview late, you’re already giving the company a reason not to hire you.

#2
Turn off your electronic devices! That includes cell phones, mp3 players, pagers (if your reading this in 1995). Nothing says, “I’m obnoxious” better than picking up a cell phone or listening to music during an interview.

#3
Keep eye contact! Don’t overdue this and creep the interviewer out with a death stare though.

#4
Be honest! Lying will get you no where, but don’t be too honest and throw out information that doesn’t need to be shared. For instance, there’s no need to tell them that you named your dog Luke Skywalker (that is an awesome name though).

#5
Avoid using slang or foul language! Words or phrases like, “Yeaaa Boi!!”, “$%&*”, and especially, “$%^&$$*” will get you back on the street looking for another job.

#6
Do a little research on the company you are interviewing with. It’s good to know something about them in case they ask, and with web sites nowadays, research is a cinch!

Most importantly just try to remain calm and confident and you should be well on your way to a new job.

For more tips check out these web sites:

http://www.quintcareers.com/interviewing-dos-donts.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4847256_have-a-successful-job-interview.html

Hey everybody!!

I really love a good old fashion baseball game. The beautiful stadiums with an entire field of the greenest grass and best dirt you’ll ever see. It just makes you wanna jump on the field and frolic in the dirt like a kid again. The aroma of mouthwatering hot dogs and toasted peanuts tickling your nose until you can’t resist yelling the words, “HEY, HOT DOG GUY!! TOSS ONE OVER HERE!!” And did I mention the atmosphere? Oh well it’s to die for, really, I mean imagine being surrounded by hundreds of like-minded people all cheering together in celebration, after your favorite player hits another homerun. And being able to sing and dance along to your favorite song that’s being played over the loud speakers, without fear of ridicule and shame!! Ok, well maybe a little ridiculous, but still baseball games are great.

Did I mention GTE Federal Credit Union has been reading my mind lately?

If you are a baseball enthusiast too, you should checkout www.U224U.com, U22 Takes Over the Trop. Four 12 to 22 year olds will be selected to fill exclusive roles in the Rays versus New York game on July 31st! Can you believe it? It doesn’t get any better than that! Rivals, playing at home, in a sell out game, and you could be right in the thick of it. The winners will also receive 4 FREE tickets to the game. Whoa!

Here’s what ya do:

* Grab a parent and go online at www.U224U.com
* Register for the contest and submit a video or photo – depending on what position you want to fill
* GTE Federal Credit Union will select their favorite entry for each category

Also, open a U22 Account at GTE Federal Credit Union before July 14, 2010 and you could meet a Rays player before the July 31st game! Complete an entry form at a branch. We will select 1 winner from the pool of collected entry forms. See www.U224U.com for details.

So, if you’re looking for something to do this Summer, go online and order some tickets to see a Rays game at Tropicana Field. They are doing really well this year, and they need our support!! And with tickets as cheap as 15 dollars, we can still keep saving up for our dream cars. So remember to use your U22 card to buy the ticket, and who knows, maybe I’ll see you there!!

PS – Vote for Evan Longoria, U22 Spokesperson, in the MLB All-Star Race!

Recently, I have been working on a play called Eurydice. It is the re-telling of an old Greek play of the same name. It’s a very interesting play about love, loss and adventure. I play Little Stone who is one of three stones that live in the Underworld. The stones are weird creatures that love to tease and play with Eurydice as she struggles to regain her memory and leave the Underworld. We’ve all been working really hard on this play and it has been a lot of fun to work on. Everyone should come check it out! It opens May 14th at 8pm, and runs every Thursday to Sunday through May 31st. It’s at the Shimberg Playhouse in Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. I hope everyone comes out to see it and if you do come remember to use your GTE Federal Credit Union U22 account to buy the tickets!

Hey everybody!

This year I was in a show at the University of South Florida called The Shaughraun. It’s an Irish comedy that was written almost 150 years ago. I had a ton of fun working on the play, and although it was not easy, I learned so much from the experience. What’s pretty interesting is how much money and effort goes into making a production like this. First, the school picks a play they would like to see put on. Then they have to hire a set of people to be in charge of overseeing its production. So they hire a director, designer, and a technical crew. The director and his staff are usually in charge of choosing actors and is in charge of the overall vision of the play. The designer comes up with the overall look of the play from costumes to the set of the play. The tech crew are responsible for actually creating the set from the designs that the designer made. Just to hire these people can cost quite a bit of money for a company, or in this case USF, especially if you are using highly trained professionals.

Also, depending on what the play is, a lot of money needs to be spent on the materials used to make the costumes and the set. In this play, the school spent a ton of money on a giant fiber glass cow that was to be the main piece of the set. Publicity and advertising of a play is extremely important, but can also cost a fortune.

USF spent thousands of dollars on putting this play together, but after knowing that many people laughed and enjoyed it, I’ve realized that it was well worth the money. Because money isn’t everything and having memorable experiences are priceless. That’s what the arts are all about, so go out and see a play at USF or any other theater!

Winning the GTE Federal Credit Union U22 Open Casting Call has really motivated me to become a better actor. I know this is what I’m supposed to do in life. I like to think I’m on my way!!!

Hey Ya’ll,

Alex here! Well it’s that time again – Final Exams. For us students, this can be one of the most stressful times of the year. Why? These exams are usually worth a HUGE percentage of our total grade and will make or break our overall success in the class – eh, no pressure. Every semester it’s the same thing, sweaty palms, restless nights, and stomachaches. What’s worse is that because we get so stressed out our immune system is weakened and we get sick, and if the stress is bad enough, it could lead to ulcers. Getting sick means spending money on medicine or taking time off of work, and we broke college students can’t afford that. So this semester I’ve come up with some things to help me avoid most of the stress. Hopefully, it will help you save some energy, time, and money.

1. NO PROCRASTINATION!!!
This is a big one for me because I love waiting until the last minute. But if I can just study a little bit each day ahead of time, I can avoid the ulcers.

2. Get plenty of sleep
A big reason why we get sick is because of lack of good sleep. Getting a good night’s sleep really does help you focus better. And, I don’t know if you’ve checked out the prices on over-the-counter medicines for cold symptoms lately – but whoa!

Cold Medicine – $5.49
Nasal Decongestant – $8.49
Cough Drops – $1.99
“Decent” Tissues – $2.29
Gotta have Chicken Noodle – $1.59
Grand total = $19.85 + tax
A cold could cost you like $20.00 – That’s almost 2+ hours of work!
ps – got my pricing from www.walgreens.com

3. Make sacrifices
This is another big one. I love to hang out with friends, party, and all that fun stuff, but my grades will suffer if I don’t sacrifice a few parties for studying.

4. Eat breakfast!
This might sound like a stupid one, but you’d be surprised what a good hearty breakfast will do for your body and mind. Toast, cereal, waffles, eggs – these are all pretty inexpensive.

5. Prepare the night before
I can’t recall how many times I woke up to go to an exam and I couldn’t find anything I needed. I’ve been late to tests because I couldn’t find my calculator or keys.

Good luck to my fellow hard-working students!!! May good grades and good habits be in your future!

Hello All,

Spring Break! Finally, time off from all of the chaos and hard work us students have been dealing with. During spring break, many people spend obscene amounts of money just to have a nice time. Well this year’s gonna be different. Because Alex is here to help save you money. Here are few tips that will help you have a great spring break without ending up in debt.

1. Road Trip!! – Everyone loves a good road trip with friends. Instead of spending tons of money on a flight, why not split up gas money and motel costs and travel around the country. There are so many places you can go to in a week and so many interesting things to see.

2. Camping – If you like the outdoors, find a nice camp ground in Florida and spend a few nights with nature and friends. It’s cheap, and many camp grounds have alot of stuff to do like tubing down a river or fishing.

3. Volunteering – If you like doing things for the community and you don’t have a job, there are plenty of places that are looking for help in your neighborhood. This can be a very rewarding and fun experience. Check out this website to find out more!!

http://studenttravel.about.com/od/springbreakvolunteers/qt/alternate_sprin.htm

4. Student tickets – If you do decide you want to fly somewhere new and exciting, remember to compare prices to find the lowest rates, and if you look hard enough, sometimes you’ll be able to find super cheap student tickets! You can read this website to learn more about student tickets.

http://collegeuniversity.suite101.com/article.cfm/cheap_student_airline_tickets?CFID=37846821&CFTOKEN=44493631

Well whatever you end up doing, remember to be safe and smart with money!

Hello everyone!!

I am starting realize more and more how important building credit is, even though I’m still in college. Did you know that not having any credit record at all can be bad too? Having good credit is one way people review how responsible you are, for example. But before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s very important that we understand how credit works. Credit cards act as a sort of small loan that can be paid back in whole or in smaller payments. Not only do you have to pay the money you loan back, but you have to pay interest on the loan, which is like a payment to the credit card company for letting you use their money. Now you may be saying to yourself, “Sheesh! so what’s so good about using a credit card when I have my debit card?” Well first off, you can have access to money you don’t necessarily have immediately, and secondly, you build up your credit score. If you want to buy anything bigger than an mp3 player, like a house or a car, you have to have good credit. Your credit score is a summation of your bill paying habits. If you pay your bills late and find yourself getting into serious debt, you probably have a bad credit score. Which means when you go to a financial institution and ask for a loan they will look at your credit history and say, “Sorry we can’t help you, your credit is bad”. Because after all why would anyone want to loan you money if they’re not sure you can pay it back. Well anyway, if you want to learn more about how credit works check out this website or ask your local GTE branch member. http://www.youngmoney.com/creditreport/

Have you all checked out the U22 credit card? That’s right, with U22 you can have your very own credit card with a $500 maximum limit.

Also if you want to see if you know your stuff check out this U22 Credit Card Quiz to see if you’re ready for a U22 credit card. http://www.proprofs.com/quiz-school/story.php?title=u22-credit-card-quiz

Hey everyone! I was reading this article on CNNMoney.com that I found very startling. While it seems that the nation as a whole is dealing with a 10.2% jobless rate, teens are suffering a record unemployment rate of 27.6%. What’s happening is that people between the ages of 16 to 19 are having a hard time finding jobs because of the surplus of older, more experienced workers who are also having trouble finding jobs. Our parents are filling positions like being a waiter in restaurants or a cashier in a super market – jobs usually filled by teenagers like you and me. What makes the unemployment rate for young adults even worse is that because it is more difficult to find jobs, many teens give up and don’t bother to look. It’s a very vicious circle that is taking a heavy toll on the nation’s economy. Lawmakers are becoming very concerned about this growing problem and are attempting to make changes, but until then, we teens and young adults have to continue to seek out jobs and get experience, even if it’s unpaid. You’d be hard-pressed to find a business turning down free work or an internship. Now is actually a great time to find your dream job or your dream company and ask to intern, just for the experience and to put on your resume for future! There are paying jobs to be had out there, we just have to try harder and get inventive, like blogging for example. If you’re a good writer, a lot of companies are looking for blog-savvy teenagers who are reliable and excited to work. Put your name out there on Twitter or even on your Facebook page advertising your awesome blogging abilities for example. And who knows, maybe when we get a little older, we will be able to affect large enough change preventing economic turmoil like what we’re experiencing today!

Look into a GTE Federal Credit Union U22 checking account for teenagers 12 to 22 in Tampa Bay. Because learning and managing money right is important no matter what your age.

Hello All,

Alex here! So, I’m not very good at math and I try to avoid doing it whenever humanly possible, but when it comes to saving for my car, I have no choice. Before I got my U22 account, I had to start writing down how much I was making and how much I would be spending each week so that I could avoid wasting money. I had to save receipts just to record all of the money I was spending. And at the end of each month, I’d tally up all of the money I’d spent. From that list, I came up with things I could cut back on, so I had an estimate on how much I could spend once I got my pay checks. But now that I have my U22 account, I have replaced all of those tedious chores with the GTE FCU Money Tracker!! It’s free for U22 members and extremely easy to use. The Money Tracker informs you of exactly where you’re spending your money and what you’re spending it on. You can even create a budget plan, so all of that hard work I was doing is over!! It also gives you a monthly report on what your spending habits are. I never realized how much money I was spending each month, and since I found out, I was able to make huge cutbacks. One of the biggest areas of overspending for me was food. I usually resort to eating whatever my stomach craves, instead of cooking and buying groceries, which not only leads to me overspending, but also eating unhealthy foods. So now that I’m changing that I guess you can say that saving with the Money Tracker has been good for my health.

Check out the U22 checking account at GTE Federal Credit Union, www.U224U.com. Because learning about money is important no matter what your age!

Hey Hey,

Did you know GTE FCU is giving away Howl-o-scream tickets at Busch Gardens? Only 2 more weekends left!

Go on to your Facebook or MySpace page and become a friend of GTE FCU to enter. See our pages for details. You could win FREE Tickets, and at $50, $60 a pop, that’s an awesome giveaway!

Become a Fan:
GTE U22 Account: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GTE-U22-Account/141512079625
GTE FCU: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GTE-Federal-Credit-Union/11031481521?v=box_3#/pages/GTE-Federal-Credit-Union/11031481521?v=wall
MySpace: www.myspace.com/MyU22

Here is my insider’s scoop:
Howl-o-scream is back in action this year as they celebrate their 10th year of scaring the pants off of everyone. This year is supposed to be pretty cool too. They have a huge fashion show as you walk into the park, which seems not really that scary, until they show you their true form. There are seven haunted houses this year and if they’re anything like last year, then make sure you pack a change of underwear with you. If you’ve been to Howl-o-scream within the past 2 or 3 years then you’ll be able to recognize some of the returning houses, but the new ones are supposed to be really awesome. There is an evil toy factory this year. So if your frightened by small children, dolls, or clowns, then I would cruelly recommend this house for you. There are also 4 scare zones this year which means, “get ready to close your eyes and run”. There is also a magic show and a show called Fiends (aka a show with nurses in pink wigs). So if you’re ready to rest your heart from the scary madness, the nurses show is more entertaining than terrifying. Well I think I’ll leave the rest of Howl-o-scream up to your exploration. Your gonna have a blast! Just remember to spend your money wisely and stay away from those extremely large stuffed animals. They may be exciting to win, but they are a pain to carry around. And hey, maybe I’ll see some of you there… you’ll know it’s me by the really girly screaming…