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business or a web site can be a great way to fill that gap.
    If you’ve got some time to spare, consider pursuing the following paths:
Launch a business. Lots of us have ideas floating around in our heads—why not pursue one of them? If you’re a coder, this is a great way to learn something beyond the relatively narrow field of your work experience. If you’re not, this can be a great way to boost your tech or field background. You can hire developers or other skilled workers to implement your project from web sites like odesk.com and elance.com .
Write a blog. Writing a blog is a great way to show that you have great writing skills, to increase your “net presence” (making it easier for recruiters to find you), and demonstrate your interest in a field such as technology, media, or gaming. Your blog should be updated at least every week or two, so be sure that you have the diligence to post regularly. This can prove much harder than many people expect.
Start a club or organization. You don’t want to form clubs just for the sake of forming a club, but if there’s a genuine gap in your area, you may want to create an organization to fill it. Doing so can build your leadership experience, expand your network, and show a proven interest in a new field.
    But, be warned: if you don’t follow through on your project, it can demonstrate flakiness and potentially burn bridges. Make sure that you are excited and committed to your plans.
    Your Questions Answered
    Well, There Go the College Hires
    Dear Gayle,
    I’m a senior in college and as such, you can find pictures on my Facebook profile dating all the way back to my junior prom. This means plenty of pictures of illegal underage drinking, keg stands, dressing in drag, toga parties, etc.
    My parents, of course, are mortified and insist that I take down these “irresponsible” pictures. Better safe than sorry, they say. And then they tell me all sorts of stories about their friend’s son or daughter who didn’t get a job because of one picture (“Just one! And you have so many!”). I’m going to get rejected by Microsoft! The world will end! Aaah!
    I think this is all crazy talk. Times have changed, right?
    ~P. L.
    Dear P. L.,
    Yes and no. But mostly yes.
    Your Facebook profile is a pretty darn good reflection of who you are, and employers want to learn about you. Drunken party pictures tell them that you drink. Will that be an issue for your employer? Unless you’re applying to the Center to Stop Binge Drinking, your employer should not care whether you drink.
    How do I know they won’t care? Because if they did, they’d never hire any college students.
    In fact (and parents everywhere will hate me for saying this), it could even help you. Look, tech companies have too many nerds, and they want people who know how to have a good time. Drinking = sociability, right?
    I should qualify my statements a bit. There is a chance that your Facebook profile will hurt you. Namely:
    1. You’re doing something offensive. Overtly racist or sexist statements are an excellent reason for a company to reject you.
    2. You’re doing something illegal, dangerous, or outright stupid. That is, really illegal—not something relatively common like underage drinking. If you’re shooting heroin, or beating someone up, that will give them a real, legitimate cause to be concerned.
    3. Your interviewers think like your parents. Your parents think drunken pictures are unprofessional. There are other people that think like your parents. Therefore, your interviewer might think drunken pictures are unprofessional. Hey, stranger things have happened. But then again, such interviewers probably aren’t going around Facebook stalking people, and if they were, they’d realize that what you’re doing is completely normal.
    That said, if you’re really concerned, you can always slap on a reasonably professional profile picture and secure your pictures so only your friends can see them. And while