Ask the Experts

I need some advice for one of my more challenging classes. I’m an undergrad studying business administration, and this one digital marketing class is a real struggle. The assignments have us cite at least three references, but more are encouraged.

I’m been invited to go skiing with a friend of mine over break. That’s pretty cool, but there’s a problem: I have no idea how to ski. I’ve never been skiing in my life.

I have a friend who graduated a few years ago and works in marketing. He knows a bit about my interests and how I’m doing in school, and--at my request--he talked me up to a few people around his office. One of those people suggested that I would be a good fit for “digital marketing” and offered to get on a phone call with me to discuss it. But I’m not really sure what digital marketing actually is, and, to be honest, my friend was not the most helpful in explaining it. I think my friend doesn’t entirely know the ins and outs of it, either, and I’d hate to get on a call with this coworker of his and find out that I’m not interested in this stuff at all. Can the experts provide me with some background?

At the end of this past season, I took over a fantasy football team in a league that my friends run. Someone had quit on them, and they were desperate to get someone to fill the void, so they asked me--even though I’m not exactly a sports expert!

I have a bit of a weird fear that’s been bothering me. I worry about fires. I guess that’s not a weird thing to worry about, exactly, but I think it’s weird how much I think about it lately. In particular, I think about fires in tall buildings like dorms and apartment buildings. I know there was a bad fire in New York City last year, and it made me freak out a bit about how people get out of buildings like that when they’re on fire. If you’re at the top, aren’t you just trapped?

I’m graduating this year and, if all goes well, moving to a new city to work. I’ll have to a rent an apartment there on my own, and I’m feeling a little unprepared about that. I know there are fees and things to worry about when you rent, but I don’t know which fees to expect, and I don’t want to end up getting scammed by someone who takes advantage of my ignorance. What can the experts tell me about what to expect in the rental process?

I’m going to graduate this year, and I have a job offer in a suburban area. That means it will be time for me to buy my first car. I’m a little nervous about that.

I’m trying to help my roommate’s sister understand her options. Earlier this week, she decided to visit a former high school friend at UC Irvine for a few days. She had been planning the trip for several months and was extremely excited about it. Things were going well until last night, when she called my roommate from a hospital.

Recently, my family dog has been really sick. It’s been really rough on everyone. This was the dog that my siblings and I grew up with, and he was a real comfort for everyone when my dad passed away years ago. My dad was always kind of the one in charge of dog-related stuff (my mom never had a dog growing up), but we all got really close to the dog after he passed.

I could use a second opinion. I’m a college senior expected to graduate in May with a degree in nursing. I’ve been accepted into graduate school in New Jersey for my Master of Science in Nursing. I plan to become a nurse practitioner immediately after that.

Where the heck did Bitcoin come from? I had never heard of it, and then suddenly it was everywhere. I read about it going through the roof and then crashing down again--and then going back up again, of course. It seems really exciting, and I don’t want to miss the boat on some huge investment opportunity, but I am a little concerned that I don’t understand it well enough to invest wisely. Can the experts tell me a little bit about how Bitcoin works, and whether or not it’s a good idea to invest in it right now?

When I’m home on break or a long weekend and working on stuff for school, my family seems impressed by how much we do online these days. My parents are a bit older, and while they’re good with computers, they say they didn’t do nearly so much on them in college as we do now. And my grandfather, a retired college professor, is totally blown away.

I’m not particularly tech-savvy, but I do spend a lot of time on the internet. I think everyone does, these days. But it freaks me out a little bit that I’m always on the internet and always giving out my personal information--my name, my credit card information, etc. I don’t like that when other people use my computer, my browser suggests the sites I visit. And I worry about hackers and viruses and other dangers getting into my computer and into my files. How can I be safer on the internet?

When I look at the richest people in the country, I see one thing that they all have in common: they make a lot of money off of their investments. I’m a big believer in hard work, don’t get me wrong, but it seems to me that the best way to get really rich is to invest wisely.

I have a girlfriend here at school that I really love. She’s amazing in so many ways. She’s nearly flawless--but she’s not completely flawless.

I’m planning a trip with some friends, and I think it’s kind of amazing how much it can be done (or even has to be done) online. I grew up with the internet, of course, but I have to think that this must be weird to people like my parents, who must remember calling to make reservations and stuff. I’m curious about this change and what it has really meant to travel and the tourism industry. What can the experts tell me about the way travel and tech have become intertwined?

My grandmother passed away a few days ago. She had been on the fringe with a terminal illness for months. The best we could do was ease her pain and spend as much time with her as possible. That she was able to enjoy the holidays with us by her side was truly a gift and a blessing.

I have a friend who--to put it delicately--is an awful driver. He’s reckless and drives too quickly, he takes turns too sharply, he accelerates as fast as possible when traffic lights turn green, and he just generally makes me worry when I’m in the car with him.