Borland Educational

Sites

LinkedIn
A slick profile on networking site LinkedIn is expected of all professionals. Can also be used for career research, arranging informational interviews, much more.

Glassdoor
Excellent job/internship research site. Ratings and reviews reveal the inside scoop at various companies; industry data helps inform career and job app decisions.

Glassdoor Blog
Great site for job searching "how to" advice. Current into in several key categories, including: Companies Hiring, Career Advice, Interview Prep, Salary Negotiation."

Cities and Salaries
It's not how much you earn ... it's how much you can save. Sites compare cost of living indices and compute equivalent salaries in different cities.

College Confidential: Internships, Career, and Employment
One of the many great CC forums. Learn from the experience of others, get up-to-the-minute info, and find ready access to great resources for young job seekers.

Fast Web: Career Planning
Scholarship site also features an excellent career planning section. Subsections contain current info on: internships, interviews, networking, more.

Tips

Professional Online Presence
Google yourself. Maintain a clean cut image. Purge questionable photos, posts from social media. Use a simple, conservative email address. More here.

Learn to Code
No matter what your major, no matter what job you have in mind, project-based programming skills will get you farther, faster. It can be fun; not that hard to learn.

Know Excel
Excel is a miraculous tools for organizing and presenting information. Possession and demonstration of strong spreadsheet skills is a great way to stand out.

Be Productive
Knowing one's way around Office and/or G Suite is assumed. Proving your productivity skills with MS Office Certification is a wise extra step to consider.

Showcase Site
Don't tell ... show! Use Wordpress or another site generation tool to create your own self-promotional site so that you can showcase original content and professional info.

Personal Cards
A basic networking tool, personal cards can simply provide basic contact info or act as "mini-brochures" that convey a much more detailed message.

Resumé
Your site, personal card, and job-tailored one-page resumé need to be as picture perfect as possible. Spare no effort to make them just right. More tips here.

Curriculum Vitae
Long-form list detailing all major/minor academic or work-related achievements: what, when, who, why, etc. Helpful in customizing resumes for particular jobs.

Informational Interviews
Informational interviews are short meetings you conduct with professionals in fields of interest to assess fit, get basic info, ask questions, establish connections, etc.

Internships
High school through college till landing your first job, complete a carefully selected internship (or other meaningful work/personal experience) each summer.

Use Your Alumni Network
Others with diplomas from the same Alma Mater are often quite helpful and eager to assist fellow graduates. Make a list, plan your work, work your plan. Reach out!

Job Search and Career Development Skills
Record career-related info (contacts, ideas, meetings, opportunities, results) in a spreadsheet; follow-up with connections; practice interviewing, basic job skills; etc.

Indispensability
Do great work. Keep your word. Under-promise, over-deliver. Go the extra mile. Serve with alacrity: company and team first. Volunteer. Communicate. Contribute.

Look Good, Feel Great, Do Well
Professional clothes make the professional. Invest $$ in a business wardrobe. Wear clothes you like, look good in, feel confident wearing to all work-related activities.

Other

Berkeley Career Engagement
U.C. Berkeley site devoted to all things related to job searching and career development (preparing, opportunities, grad school, communities, recommended resources).

The Side Hustle
Often the best way to make more money at work is to start a simple but profitable part-time side business. Advantages are many. The editors of Forbes agree, here.

Learn How to Become
Great site for detailed info on various careers and career paths. Degrees, finding the right schools, occupations, salaries, job growth in each state, much more.

Top Lower-Income Students Should Aim High
While it’s normally true that elite private colleges/universities cost families far more than state schools, this isn’t always so (especially for students in poor families).

Reviews

“Standardized tests are a necessary step in applying to colleges, and, with his support, I was able to achieve the scores I needed to be competitive. I am currently finishing a degree in physics at the University of Chicago and am immensely grateful for his help four years ago. His test taking strategies have also been very useful on the GRE while applying to graduate school physics programs. Thank you again, Chris!”

Ben F. (Student: 2013)

"[Chris’s] methods are extremely effective and he is one of the kindest, most supportive men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

"Working with him has been one of my best academic experiences and I congratulate Chris on his hard work and dedication to the success of his pupils."

Harrison M. (Student: 2017)

“His competence, compassion and ethics as a tutor are exemplary.

"Chris is a wonderfully friendly, sincere and caring human being. His personality is delightful, making the sessions enjoyable.”

Judy S. (Client: 2006)

"The students benefited from [Chris's] assistance, and we found him very personable, helpful and eager to learn new teaching techniques and philosophies.

I feel he would be an excellent addition to any tutoring staff."

Linda N. (Employer: 1980)

"I enjoyed working with Chris because he could explain things I did not understand and make them clear to me. Chris was very patient when it took me a while to understand things."

Martha S. (Student: 1993)

“Chris is a phenomenal math, PSAT, and SAT tutor. I studied with him for over three years and am so grateful for all of his invaluable knowledge and the confidence that he instilled in me as a math student.

"Now, years later, the same standardized test-taking skills that he taught me for the PSAT and SAT are helping me immensely in my LSAT prep.

"Chris is patient and efficient in his teaching. I would highly recommend him to everyone!”

Gary C. (Client: 2016)

"Chris Borland tutored my son and did an excellent job. He obviously is a very well qualified teacher and I recommend him without reservation."

David C. (Client: 1980)

Chris is also incredibly supportive, and recognizes when confidence is lagging. He holds his students accountable by giving them specific work and challenges and also rewards their gains, and is able to pivot his teaching style if a certain way of explaining things isn't working.

"I highly recommend Chris to any student who is studying for a standardized test ..."

A.S.M. (Client: 2021)

Most importantly, you taught Joey to understand that hard work does reap its own rewards. Joey did well enough in school and on the SATs to gain acceptance to a number of UC Schools, of which he chose UC Davis to attend. Thanks Chris for you effort and diligent tutoring of Joey the last three years, we really appreciate all that you did for him.

Larry L. (Client: 2005)

"Chris tutored my son for the SSAT test and … it was worth every penny. My son responded very well to him and developed learning strategies that [he's] using to this day."

Michal V. (Client: 2014)

"[Chris] has a keen sense of the orderly nature of learning, and did a particularly good job of helping students with the organizational work needed to excel at math ... one of the best young teachers I've seen."

Bruce S. (Administrator: 1985)

"[Chris] is patient, understanding, enthusiastic and always guides Andrew in the learning process with a very positive attitude. If Andrew gets distracted, Chris is able to guide him back to the subject at hand by being assertive, yet respectful. His focus on Andrew's progress has resulted in a very noticeable improvement in Andrew's skill level in Algebra, his attention to detail, his neatness, and his self-esteem..."

Karen C. (Client: 1999)

"Chris Borland has provided test prep tutoring for two of our three children, one for the SSAT and then the ACT, and the other for the SSAT. They both dramatically improved their scores as a result of his tutoring and were accepted to their first-choice schools.

Jennifer C. (Client: 2020)

"Fantastic tutor. We set a goal for my SAT score, and with Chris's help I got there. Has years of experience and knows the test inside and out. Cannot recommend more highly."

Jack R. (Client: 2014)

Chris is patient, knowledgeable and was helpful in identifying my weaknesses and addressing them. My work with Chris on test prep also helped me in the classroom resulting in improved grades both my junior and senior years. He is easy to work with and never made me feel stupid. I highly recommend Chris Borland for test prep and math tutoring.”

T J (student: 2018)

"Chris Borland tutored my l4 year old twins for several weeks before they took the SSAT test for entrance into private schools. He has a very good rapport with kids and makes the sessions fun and interesting.

Chris's strategies about standardized test taking proved to be excellent. Both boys improved their scores significantly and openly attributed their success to their work with Chris..."

Anne C. (Client: 2003)

“Worth every penny!

"As the high school application process in SF is already stressful and time consuming, I was looking for an efficient strategy for my B/G twins to prepare for the SSAT. Chris has deep experience with test prep and presented a very clear, efficient, and effective strategy for the twins to follow. His approach resulted in a huge increase in test results.

"We would highly recommend him to anyone for standardized test prep!”

Irene L. (client: 2018)

Knowledge is Power