Entrepreneur Specializing in Internships Shares 5 Benefits

These days, it seems as though Americans are spending more for college while getting less value in return - a trend research validates, says entrepreneur Matt Stewart.

"The average cost for an in-state public college is $22,261, and a moderate budget for a private college averaged $43,289 for the 2012-2013 academic year; for elite schools, we're talking about three times the cost of your local state school," says Stewart, a spokesperson for College Works Painting, (www.collegeworks.com), which provides practical and life-changing business experience for college students who have shown potential for success. Interns operate their own house-painting business with hands-on guidance from mentors.

Making matters worse, adults in their 30s have 21 percent less net worth than 30-somethings 30 years ago, according to a new Urban Institute report.

"More students are being saddled with long-term debt while getting less value for their education," Stewart says. "Because of the difficulty recent college grads are having finding jobs in today's tough economy; today's students may have even less worth in their 30s than 30-somethings today."

To add value to their professional career, Stewart encourages students to seek outside-the-box avenues for increasing their career stock while in college. Running a business is a great way to do that; he explains why.

• Employers love ambition. A college degree is the minimum qualification employers are seeking. What hiring managers are looking for is that something extra when reviewing a stack of qualified resumes. At the heart of the economy is innovation; it's the difference between simply existing in a market, and thriving in one. Employers know they need people with creativity and gumption for innovation.

• Real-world management of time and money. College is a time when young adults learn to live autonomously. It's the rare student, however, who learns to manage his or her own affairs and the most precious resources in the business world - time and money. Managing employees, driving sales, developing specific skills for a real market and building strong customer relationships are best learned with hands-on experience.

• Learn where they need help. What do you do well and where do you need help? The best way to know with any certainty is through experience. Running a business while attending college allows students to circle back to their education and focus on their trouble areas by adjusting their curriculum in future semester.  

• Develop meaningful bonds. One of the most meaningful aspects of the college experience is the relationships students develop with each other, which often have professional consequences after college. Enlisting the help of fellow students for a common business purpose tends to have a powerful bonding effect. 

• Immediate ROI - finding phenomenal success. Most students who run a business during college will not prove to be the next Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg or David Geffen, which is precisely why students should notdrop out of college like those pioneers did. However, a student doesn't have to be the next Zuckerburg to experience amazing success as an entrepreneur. College Hunks Moving Junk is just one recent example that began in an entrepreneurial student mind.

About Matt Stewart

Matt Stewart co-founded National Services Group, which operates College Works Painting, SMJJ Investments and Empire Community Construction. Under the executive team's leadership, NSG has grown from a small Southern California business into a national leader in two industries and has been recognized as an entrepreneurial leader by Ernst & Young, the Orange County Business Journal, Inc., Entrepreneur and hundreds of other periodicals. Stewart has received a several awards, including the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award from the Orange County Business Journal; was named "40 under 40;" and he has twice been a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year Award.

Parents and children of all ages are invited to dance along with "Pete the Cat" at a spring Hug-A-Book early learning event on Monday, April 7, at 6:00 pm, at the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street.

Based on the popular children's books about the groovy blue cat by Eric Litwin and illustrator James Dean, the Pete the Cat series includes Four Groovy Buttons, Rocking In My School Shoes, and Magic Sunglasses. "Meet Pete, the groovy blue cat. He likes movin', groovin' and schoolin.' No matter where he goes, Pete the Cat always keeps his cool!"

The party includes dancing, Pete the Cat stories, a sing-a-long and Pete the Cat crafts, including shoe decorating and making a Pete the Cat puppet. Attendees can also pick up some fun giveaways, including bags and bookmarks, and enter a random drawing for a stuffed Pete the Cat toy. To really get in the Pete the Cat spirit, guests can dress like Pete the Cat. Wear your groovy buttons or cool shoes and join the fun!

This Spring Hug-A-Book event is funded by the Merrill Harris Memorial of the Rock Island Public Library Foundation. Hug-A-Book is an early learning program designed to build a love of books and reading in children. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information about upcoming programs for children, teens and adults, visit the library's online branch at www.rockislandlibrary.org, call 309-732-READ (7323) or follow the library on Facebook or Twitter.

Founded in 1872, the Rock Island Public Library serves the area through three locations, which include the Main, 30/31 and Southwest Branches, community outreach efforts, and online opportunities that provide resources to enhance personal achievement and stimulate the imagination.

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IOWA CITY, IA (03/27/2014)(readMedia)-- Some 4,000 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa were named to the Dean's List for the 2013 fall semester.

The list below includes students from your area:

Karly Dankert of Bettendorf, IA

Melissa August of Davenport, IA

Undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the Tippie College of Business who achieve a grade point average of 3.50 or higher on 12 semester hours or more of UI graded course work during a given semester or summer session and who have no semester hours of I (incomplete) or O (no grade reported) during the same semester are recognized by inclusion on the Dean's List for that semester.

Undergraduate students in the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine may qualify for the Dean's List with fewer than 12 semester hours of graded credit if deemed appropriate by the college.

College of Nursing students participating in clinical courses must have a total of 12 semester hours of earned credit, with eight semester hours of graded credit with a grade point average of 3.50 or higher.

MOLINE, Ill. (March 27 2014) - Defenseman Nicholas Rioux has returned to the Quad City Mallards from the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League, the Mallards announced today.    

Rioux on Tuesday signed a professional tryout agreement with the Wild for the third time this season and played in Iowa's games against the Charlotte Checkers Tuesday evening and last night.  The 27-year old native of Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec has played a total of eight games for the Wild this year.  Rioux, who has scored five times and posted a plus/minus rating +8 in 55 games with the Mallards this season, ranks eighth among Central Hockey League defensemen in assists (25) and is tied for tenth in points (30).

The Mallards return to action Friday night on the road against the St. Charles Chill.  The Mallards' next home game is their regular season finale Sunday at 4:05 p.m. against the Missouri Mavericks.  Sunday is Fan Appreciation Day at the iWireless Center.  Fans can bring their skates to next Sunday's game and skate with the Mallards after that tilt.  In addition, all fans in attendance will receive a coupon good for a free bag of popcorn at iWireless Center concession stands. 

Tickets for Sunday's game can be purchased in person at the iWireless Center box office, online atticketmaster.com, at Ticketmaster outlets or through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone toll free at 1-800-745-3000.  The ticket office is open weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and on game days from 10:00 a.m. until the start of the second period.