(ARA) - If you are present shopping for a soon-to-be college graduate, have no fear -- stick with gadgets and you pretty much can't go wrong. And you don't have to be a 20-something techie to know how to pick out the right gadget gift. Interactive media design instructors from The Art Institutes have some insider's tips that will make gift-buying for the grad on your list a breeze.
“ A phone/PDA is the perfect tool for keeping job contacts straight, and a great way for prospective employers to reach you at any hou... ”
Max Kelly, an interactive media design instructor with The Art Institute of California - San Francisco, says "give a gift that can double for both work and play." For example, students graduating with degrees in design, marketing or advertising can document their work to show potential employees with a great digital camera.
Even if they don't need a visual record of their work, many students use photography in final projects to document experiences like student teaching, volunteer work or study in foreign countries. After all that work is over though, "a grad has a great camera to snap photos at the big graduation day ceremony, or when they head off on a cross country adventure or trip abroad," says Kelly.
For Jason Sack, interactive media design instructor at The Art Institutes International Minnesota, a must-have gadget gift for this year's graduate is a phone/PDA. "A phone/PDA is the perfect tool for keeping job contacts straight, and a great way for prospective employers to reach you at any hour," he says. Sack likes the Palm TREO 700. "It's smart, just like a new grad, and it's got everything a soon-to-be-professional needs," he says. "You can SMS friends, check email, or call Mom to tell her you got that second interview."
Other gift-buying tips include:
* For work and play, an SP PlayStation Portable, or the new video iPod. PlayStations are not just for games. They can be used to store digital files, video, and access the Internet.
* If your budget is small, USB sticks for memory storage can be a good gift. If your soon-to-be grad already has an iPod, there are some great smaller gift items to complement it, like an FM radio transmitter.
* If your grad already has a PDA, consider a Bluetooth headset. A nice little Bluetooth headset like the Plantronics Discovery 640 looks more like a pocket calculator than cell phone from 1984.
* If your grad doesn't have one, now is the time for a laptop. They can't be beat for flexibility and portability. A laptop makes updating resumes, emailing potential employers and staying in touch with friends much easier. For pure wow, nothing beats the high-end Apple MacBook Pro, but a utilitarian Acer TravelMate, 4000 series can also get the job done.
* To store all these great gadgets, you need a great bag. Crumpler is an Australian company that makes super high quality bags for computers, cameras, and stuff in general. They are indestructible, and come with great names like "Considerable Embarassment," "Barny Rustle Blanket" or "Wonder Weenie."
The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) is a system of 32 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
Courtesy of ARA Content
