Handshakes and high fives. There's so many different kinds...

You're going to meet many, many different people on your job search. And each one may have a different kind of handshake/ high-five. Be it a simple high-five finger snap, or a flip-flop pop it back to fist pump, you should know them all. Few moments can be as awkward as a botched high-five. So, here's a few things I've learned about adapting to any high-five/handshake.

1) This may seem obvious, but it wasn't obvious to me. A first meeting always ends with a handshake. Always.

2) So maybe you went out for beers with a few agency peeps. The night was awesome. You've been firing out one liners that had them thinking you're the second coming of Richard Pryor and you're feeling pretty good. You part ways and someone offers out their hand. For what, you don't know. High-five? Hand-shake? Stay calm. Here's what you do:

Go in for a routine high-five. Not the lame "up-top" high-five (Those died in the eighties, along with the "thumbs-up") But a handshake-like, "bring it in for the real thing," high five. Relax your hand and let them lead this dance. Chances are it will be a simple high-five to finger snap. But if it's something more, you're hand will be relaxed and ready.

The simple high-five to finger snap is pretty universal. It's my go-to.

Another trick is just go strait to fist-pump. It's easy, universal, but most importantly, it's clear from the get go. When you stick out your fist there won't be any confusion about your intentions.

Trains are awesome! (And cheap)

I took the train down to Portland last weekend. Wow. So much leg room. So comfortable. So relaxing. So refreshing. So... awesome. Here's why:

1) Show up 5 minutes before the train leaves. (There's virtually no security)

2) Feel free to move about the cabin the entire trip (There's no seat-belts)

3) In fact, move about the cabin all the way to the restaurant car. Order yourself a drink. Or 5.

4) Go back to your seat and drunk dial your ex-girlfriend (You can use cell phones on trains)

5) Should you get in a fight with your ex, talk as loud as you want. Chances are you're the only person in that car.

6) Afterwards, put the arm rest up and pass out. You're wasted and need some rest. I guarantee no one's sitting next to you.

7) Smile. This trip costs less than driving, and WAY less than flying.

8) Trains are awesome.

Bring Running Shoes

If you don't want to get huge, this is huge. I went from eating peanut butter for dinner to having three free meals a day. All my years as a broke student have me programed to eat as much as possible whenever it's free. I just can't help it. At this point it's primal. I won't even know I'm eating till I've scarfed down 3 cream filled Bavarian donuts and a delicious strudel. And then one day you blink and you're 40 pounds heavier than when you arrived at said agency. How do I know this? it happened to me.

One minute you look like this:

And then, 3 months later, you look like this:

Yea, it's real. So if you're a nomAD student traveling around trying to find a job, bring running shoes. It's easy and you can run anywhere. There's also a cool "gravitas" that comes with being a runner. For some reason it kind of makes you a bad ass when you answer questions like "what are you doing tonight" with "running 6 miles." Hope this helps. I'm going for a run.