Thread: Questions for a young professional.

Sounds like you're off to a good start. As a fit 24 year old, I am in much the same boat as far as finding clothes that don't hang on me like a parachute. As long as you know your neck and sleeve measurements, you can get a lot of mileage out of places like JC Penny and Marshalls. A good tailor can take in the sides of a shirt or pants and get them to fit well. That would my best advice; get a good tailor and build a solid relationship with him or her. Even "slim fit" shirts are too big in the waist these days. I live in a fairly wealthy area and therefore have great luck at local thrift stores as well, might be worth a look if there is an expensive neighborhood around where you are. Rich people throw away stuff like you wouldn't believe.

The Golden Nib. You can kill two addictions in one shot, fountain pens and some shaving stuff. I am not much into fountain pens but it seems he has a lot of parts for them.

Originally Posted by Fbones24

For dress shirts, try Land's End. They make what is in my opinion, the best true fitted off the rack shirt you will get. A lot of fitted shirts are still too wide, but the Land's End shirts are truly fitted and stay tucked. They are relatively inexpensive (under $50) and they have a "no iron" shirt that I love.

As far as pens, go for a Lamy Al-Star or Safari to get started and make sure you get a converter so you can fill the ink from the jar.

+1 on lands' end.. most of their clothing is very high quality.. also.. it should be noted that the company was purchased by sears awhile back and is often found on sale in stores.. much better than ordering online.

I love the way fountain pens write, plus, if you go piston fill, the ink is really cheap, even for the best inks. I am still on my original bottle for over a year now; I use my pen every day yo do at least a couple of NYT crosswords. I highly recommend Pelikan, they invented the original piston mechanism. You can get good ones for anywhere from 20 to several hundred bucks. Mine is the basic 200 that cost around 110. Look for a fine or extra fine point. Check Coloradopen.com online. They have an excellent selection from many brands. I personally recommend you stay away from Mont Blanc. You will pay extra just for the name, and several friends have reported problems with them.

I was a young professional once. I outgrew it. But I am still a professional and carry a fountain pen, drink scotch, shave with a straight, and do the things that young professionals like to do....some things maybe not as often!

I still do not use a fountain pen when trying a case before a jury. But I am confident enough in my straight razor shaving to do that each day of my trial. Never tried a case earless or bleeding.

Very truly yours,
An Old Professional

Go Tigers

There are plenty of jobs to be had in Columbia. IBM is getting ready to open a place there so check their website for jobs.

If you do end up there go to the Cherry Street Wine Cellar as often as you can, its a great place to eat. One of the place I miss most.

It's a little early to be worrying about good clothes isn't it? Well, anyway, business dress isn't very formal these days, so I'd say for now go easy on the formal clothes. Find your job first and see what the environment is like. My work takes me to places that require a 3 piece suit to places that anything more than a tie gets you laughed at, all in the same day.

If you do go into an area that is formal business attire oriented, stay with light shirts and black pants and only a few brown outfits. Don't go too colorful. Don't go bland either.

Take the time to figure out what kind of shirt you really like and seek them out. French cuffs for example are everywhere. If you don't like them, don't buy them. Button down collars, pockets, etc. Every shirt has a different design. If you aren't careful you can end up with a bunch of shirts without pockets. It's crazy how many types/styles of shirts are out there. Down right annoying.

The Tie Bar is great.

I think you have plenty of time to look for clothes that are on sale. I would get in the habit of buying a little bit of stuff as you go.

I recommend the Rockport "Sneaker" sole shoe. Buy one in Black and one in Brown. Only shoe I will ever wear.

Get a least one bow tie, dark and conservative. Get one dark vest too. Learn how to tie at least three tie knots and the "Four in Hand" doesn't count. You'll likely need various knot sizes for different collars.

Education wise I'd plan on getting a highly valuable degree or not bother at all. Carefully consider how much degree you really need. In my line of work an MA is an entry requirement and a PhD is recommended. Luckily I knew that going in.

I wouldn't recommend any kind of sales job and if I did wouldn't bother with a 4 year degree, stick with 2 years only.

I would go for an IT degree, maybe some Information Assurance or Systems Engineering. My company hires 10 of those guys a week. There are lots of options, but consider seriously the need to make money back in order to make the degree worthwhile.

You have to do something that you are interested in, but, work is work. Don't demand that your job be fun. Work isn't usually very fun. If it was, people would probably be doing it for free. I'd be nice to find a job that you think you might enjoy that either 1) helps people or 2) works with something you find interesting. Do your best to end up in a line of work that your values line up with.

Once again thank you all. I sent my deposit to mizzou to hold my spot today. I am planning on a duel major in history and bussness managment in which I would prefer to put emphasis on sales and marketing. I currently work retail and have realized that I have a flair for sales. I am also participating in NROTC with the Marines. In which I plan on making a career 20+ years. Once I retire I would like to teach history at a college level but also realize that bussness management is a very versatile degree.

Cool, for teaching I can recommend an MA and several bow ties!