My top 5 student blogs.

With only three months to go until I hand in all my final year university assignments, I feel now is the perfect time to start a blog about how I feel about leaving my student life behind and entering the world of employment. Over the past few months I have spent hours searching the internet for jobs and employment advice but I have been left feeling worse than ever as apparently there are no jobs out there!

Reading about unemployment statistics can be quite depressing, so I have decided to turn to the blogosphere in an attempt to find some inspirational, personal stories from graduates who have found their dream jobs. So far I haven't had much luck but I have found some interesting blogs about student life and finding employment that I would like to talk to you about.


GAGAGO.

When searching for advice on employment I discovered the GAGAGO blog, . GAGAGO stands for 'Give a Grad a Go' and the posts include advice and information on finding post graduate jobs. The blog home page is very basic with a white background and black text but with its blue title boxes and use of photographs, there is just enough colour for the page to be pleasing to the eye and still easy to read. Once you learn what GAGAGO stands for, it is clear the site is aimed at graduates looking for employment (exactly the sort of blog I was hoping to find!). The post headlines clearly state what the post is about and this lets readers know straight away if the post is worth reading. The GAGAGO blog is easy to navigate, loads quickly and it presents its readers with relevant information in an easy-to-read fashion.

Laura Patricia's Blog.

As this is my first blog, I have been browsing through other student blogs to see how other people like me are going about this blogging business. Laura Patricia, a English and creative writing graduate from the University of Portsmouth, has created a website showcasing her writing, which also includes a blog documenting events in her life. This blog is easy to read with black text on a white background, however, Laura does not make good use of multimedia in her blog and few posts include any pictures or photographs to support her interesting text. Laura is very conscious of her readers and often speaks directly to them in her posts and by acknowledging her followers Laura's posts feel more personal and are enjoyable to read.

The Sneaky Student Blog.

The Sneaky Student blog is a student's guide to student life. The layout of this blog is very basic, the entire page has a light green background and all the post are written in black text and the headlines in a darker green. Although there is not much to the design and there is no use of multimedia, the blog loads quickly and is very easy to navigate. As there are no advertisements, the readers are not distracted and can focus on the content of the blog posts, which is in fact very interesting and easy to read. There may be ways in which this blog could improve in terms of layout and design but I have enjoyed reading it and it has provided inspiration for some of my own future posts.

Manchester PG Careers Blog.

Graduates of Manchester University have also produced a blog with the aim of helping graduates find work. There is quite a lot happening on this blog and with all the white text boxes on a dark purple background at a first glance the page does not look very attractive. However, the blog posts are presented in an easy to read fashion and the most important information can be found 'above the fold'. This blog also uses multimedia effectively with nearly every post including at least one photograph to support the text. Although this blog is written my Manchester University graduates, the information included can be of interest and useful to graduates all over the country.

The Grad Guide Blog.

A blog which shares a similar goal to my own and is my favourite of this list is Grad Guide Blog. This is a blog written by graduates for other graduates. The Grad Guide Blog is full of multimedia with the majority of posts including video's or photographs alongside the written text. Like the others, this blog also uses black text on a white background, but there is also a pastel blue background behind the posts making the blog more eye-catching. The blog has advertisements down the right hand side, they may not be blinking animations but they may cause some confusion as they are also written in black on a white background. However, I enjoy reading this blog as the headlines clearly state what each post is about and all the information included is relevant and useful.

I have enjoyed reading all of these blogs and they have provided me with lots of useful information on employment and being a student blogger. Let me know if you have also found these blogs useful in my comments section.