I was chatting with a friend recently about our after-graduation plans, and she said, “Who has a job right after graduation, anyway?”

Me, actually. Every single time, and this is my second master’s degree.

I’m far from perfect, but like everyone, I have my talents. Being a strategic planner is one of them, and it is a learned skill that is extremely helpful when it comes to getting through a university program (graduate or undergraduate) and finding “what comes next.” Not everyone will see things my way, but I believe I can offer some basic tips on how to successfully navigate higher education to find a safe harbor in a good first working position.

Over 30 Seattle area K-12 teachers learned the latest on “Global Asia: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” this year thanks to a unique, decade-long collaboration between The Seattle Times and the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies.

Chess has trained people to think strategically for centuries, and in former Soviet nations, chess is still considered a sport. The game originated on the Asian subcontinent and eventually made its way to Persia. The term “checkmate” comes from the words shah mat, “the king is dead,” and the Russian word for chess is essentially the same, shakhmati. Power and risk, intrinsic aspects of politics, are fundamental concepts of chess as well. Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson, UW alumnus and former UW student-body president, became fascinated with the game as a child. It was through this driving interest that he became a pupil of Bulgarian chess master Nikolay Minev. What he learned from Minev would help shape his future endeavors.

Considering the controversy surrounding some recent ambassadorial appointments, it is encouraging to see that UW alumnus Allan Mustard has become the new Ambassador to Turkmenistan. A native of Brady, Washington, Mustard earned B.A. in political science and Slavic languages and literature in 1978 from the University of Washington. Of Ambassador Mustard’s 29 years in the Foreign Service, 20 of those years were spent at U.S. missions abroad. He began his foreign service career as a member of the Foreign Agricultural Service through the USDA. He speaks Russian, German, and basic Spanish.

Thanksgiving holiday is a time of gratitude, family feasts, cozy nights and no-holds-barred shopping. Unless you are a graduate student or college senior. For us, it is a time for studying, writing, researching and worrying. There are many applications for internships, government programs and graduate schools to manage on top of our academic load just prior to dead week. You may be eating turkey at the table, watching football in the den, or waiting in line for a Hollywood blockbuster, but the question will inevitably come up — “So, what are your plans after graduation?”

by Jack Coombes After graduating from the University of Washington in 2011 with an MAIS in REECAS, I accepted a position as resident director of American Councils’ Russian language program in Vladimir, Russia. I still remember how excited I was on my first day of work. It felt like two years of intensive graduate study