SoFi Blog

A year ago, SoFi member Elena Foukes Lucas was the lowest-level analyst at a Fortune 200 company. Today she’s a co-founder and CEO of a renewable energy startup. Elena’s adventurous path to a more fulfilling life and career, including her experience with SoFi Career Strategy, is an inspiring story for anyone who’s pondered the pros and cons of starting a business while repaying student loan debt.

Read the full post about Elena’s experience over on Women 2.0.

In today’s digital world, it’s easier than ever to find and cultivate the contacts you need to bolster your job search and career growth – and networking-focused apps can help. Check out these three great tools — Charlie, Conspire and Contactually — that the SoFi Career Coaching team regularly shares with members.

Last month you may have seen the proposal to end federal tax benefits for 529 college savings plans, which sparked intense backlash and was withdrawn quickly. Even if you haven’t been following that news, or aren’t yet saving for your children’s education, 529 plans are an interesting example of how the wealth-minded manage their finances.

Got big plans for your career in 2015? The good news is there should be plenty of opportunity – if you know where to look and how to position yourself accordingly. That’s what the latest SoFi Quarterly Employment Trends report revealed when we released it at the end of last year (the full report is available to SoFi members – contact me for details).

It’s been another big year for student loans. As the $1.2 trillion in outstanding education debt continues to grow, the Class of 2014 became the most indebted ever, with recent college grads owing $33,000 on average and the number for graduate/professional degree borrowers often closer to the six-figure range.