Hi, Yes, Hello: Have You Signed Up for Emma Roberts' (!) ExtraCurrricular by Cosmo Class Yet?

From Cosmopolitan

Congrats! You’ve made past midterms the halfway mark of the first-ever semester of ExtraCurricular by Cosmo. And we're celebrating with...another class! And your professors are Emma Roberts—yep, that Emma Roberts—and her best friend Karah Preiss.

Here’s the deal: You know those times when you’re hanging with your crew and you’re like, why can’t spending time together, doing this thing that we love, actually be a job? Well, why can’t it? Emma and Karah Priess did just that, turning their shared love of reading into Belletrist, a wildly popular online community of book lovers.

And in this recently added ExtraCurricular by Cosmo session, happening November 19 at 7 p.m. ET, they are going to give you the inside story of how they made that happen and how you can too. So sign up for How to Turn Your Passion into a Legit Business right here, because hobbies are more fun when they’re more than just “hobbies,” right?

Oh, and if you need a refresher on the semester, we created ExtraCurricular because 2020 is, um, weird. Especially for students. We hear from you that the “college experience” right now is a hot mess of WiFi failures and unflattering video chats. And the job market is tougher than ever, and even in *normal* times, Art History 101 doesn’t exactly help you get your foot in the door of your dream career.

Presented by Dell XPS, think of this as a new kind of college. And class is already in session! We’re rolling out a series of classes, that’ll teach you what you *actually* need to know at this exact moment we're in (how to find the job, land it, not hate it, etc.), created by your crew at Cosmo, alongside Plan B One-Step, and taught by an exclusive team of just-for-you mentors—entrepreneurs, celebs, influencers, and editors. Oh, and did we mention these classes are free?! Yep. And you can re-watch them all through the end of the semester—unless you join Cosmo Unlocked, in which case you can keep the vids forever. (Better than taking notes, TBH.)

(Check out the below schedule of weekly classes, held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. ET, and sign up for as many as your Google Cal can handle.)

We kicked the semester off with Bea Arthur, a licensed mental health counselor, award-winning entrepreneur, and CEO of The Difference (which provides on-demand access to therapy as Amazon's first mental health Alexa Skill), schooling us on burnout. She defined it as “when your spirit does on strike,” which happens when we’re not protecting our energy (aka living that excess life and not doing what we need to feel good). Bea broke down the ways burnout manifests—feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, and/or depressed—and the most common (but not good-for-you) coping mechanisms we use, like withdrawal and numbing behaviors. With all that info, we’re able to recognize burnout when it shows up and use the tools that Bea laid out for us to combat it (i.e., recognize, rest, restore, restructure, reset, and recover). If you missed it, sign up to watch it, and get ready to do an audit on your life and make the changes that you need to keep chill—even when you’re hustling 24/7. watch now

Next up was Maxie McCoy, host and executive producer of Woman On (a new digital experience “that feels like talk show meets Sunday School—except not religious”) and author of You're Not Lost: An Inspired Action Plan for Finding Your Own Way, taught us how to build a website as fancy as your résumé—no graphic design degree required, promise! No, really. Here’s the thing: before Maxie got to the boss level status she’s at now, she did it all herself for years, so she knows that 1) it can totally be done and 2) how to do it. Presented by Dell XPS, Maxie started with her “fancy five” questions everyone should ask themselves before they start building, including who is your target audience? What do you want them to take away? And what’s your vibe? It’s all about deciding where you want to go, and curating your experiences and skills for the people who’ll get you there. Maxie also ran through a bunch of resources for site-building, tips for deciding on a domain, and where to start on design. watch now

During week two, we learned how to get over that whole impostor syndrome thing thanks to Lauren Chan, model and founder of Henning. Lauren shared her top-secret trick to keeping her confidence level high: stepping away from social media as needed. Okay, not that top-secret, but it works. Sure, not being on social media isn’t an option for most of us, Lauren included, but that doesn’t mean infinite-scrolling is a good thing. So Lauren sets a timer on her apps, unfollows and mutes accounts that make her feel unconfident or comparative, and uses platforms that allow her to schedule posts ahead of time to give herself the freedom of not having to actual be on to be on. Being a founder has taught her how to ask for help and the importance of being flexible to pivot and adapt—all essential elements to maintaining her I-can-totally-do-this vibe. And the most comforting lesson of all from the Tuesday talk? We’re supposed to feel this way. Impostor syndrome is a sign that we’re growing, excited, and committed, and anyone who doesn’t feel growing pains along the way? They’re lying. And that feeling doesn’t have to hold you back—it can be your fuel. watch now

Cosmo’s very own Carina Hsieh closed out the week with some real-talk. Carina, Sex & Relationships Editor at Cosmopolitan, schooled us everything you didn’t learn in sex ed. Because this is pretty much where adulting starts, you know? It’s about knowing your body so well that you’re fully comfortable and confident in making the right choices for you. (Hint: that includes understanding the difference between “vagina” and “vulva.”) We picked up tips on what to do (100 percent cotton undies always) and what not to do (like douche or assume you can cure a UTI with OTC treatments bc you can’t). And finally, an answer to that age ol’ question: WTF is a menstrual cup?? Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as you think. Sort of like, well, everything else here. watch now

The third week of the semester started with Tosh Ernest—an Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase and the Head of Wealth for Advancing Black Pathways, where she provides a holistic view towards building wealth and managing money for the Black community—went over the most important money stuff you wish you already knew. Stuff like *pause for horror movie screams* budgeting! Relax—turns out, it’s not that scary (or hard, even). First thing you need to do, Tosh says, is calculate money you spend: reeeeeally study that bank statement and assess what you’re unavoidable expenses are (i.e., rent, student loan bills, etc.) and everything else you spend that paycheck on. Self-assessment is sooo important because you legit might not realize you spend so much money on something until you look, and that knowledge will help you pinpoint habits you want to change. Another lesson from Tosh: spend less than you have, never go over or up to, because if you don’t save you won’t have funds stored for emergencies or fun, you-deserve-it $plurges like a vacay. Tosh also spilled some *write-this-down* fund-saving advice like enrolling in easy tech-based saving solutions, setting a cap on entertainment expenses, and using your money mistakes to do better moving forward. 🤑 = you rn. watch now

And we closed out the week with Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski and her Earn It co-author Daniela Pierre-Bravo who made us cry-laugh our way through their session on nailing that Zoom job interview. Mika and Daniela kicked things off with a lil role play of all things you shouldn’t do if you actually want that job. (We’re talking Oscar award-worthy performances, people!!)

Like, say, wearing the hoodie you slept in while sitting in front of your messy bed (is that a bra next to your cat?), screaming at your gamer boyfriend to STFU, calling your former boss a bitch, taking a call from your bestie Paige, answering questions without reeeeeally answering them…whew! That’s not even all of it. Of course Mika and Daniela also went over what you should do. Their 🔥tips include:

• Frame yourself! Sit in front of a background, and pick an outfit, that doesn’t distract from you. And two words: ring light.

• Show up to your screen 15 minutes early. Spend that time writing notes and getting your head in the game, so you’re ready to go when your interviewer signs on. Bonus: you won’t be late!

• Practice not being on your phone so you can actually be unplugged and present during the call without thinking about all the texts and push notis you’re missing.

• Make eye contact by talking to the camera on your computer. Looking into that lil dot can help you stay chill if the person is making you nervous since your eyes are off your own screen.

• Oh, yeah, and be specific about why you want the job.

So good, right? watch now for even more. (Srsly!)

This past week, after a quick pause for Election Day, ExtraCurricular returned with a lil not-so-secret: the best jobs are never listed. They’re word-of-mouth, on-the-ground, 100-percent-hustle. And Lauren McGoodwin, founder and CEO of Career Contessa, aka the largest online career resource for women, and the author of Power Moves: How Women Can Pivot, Reboot, and Build a Career of Purpose, schooled everyone on how to get to ‘em through networking. Formerly, Lauren was a talent recruiter at Hulu. Before that, she was networking her way *into* that job from an administrative assistant role. I mean!! Lauren broke down how she used LinkedIn to network when she was just starting out—pro tip: if you’re not sure where to start, look for people with job titles you hope to have one day—and how she took those connections from DMs (try to stick with LinkedIn, BTW! Twitter and Insta are social networks, not professional ones) to IRL coffees and convos. Want to network at work? Lauren has some step-by-step directions for how to just that, too. (From exactly how to reach out, to how to impress them, to knowing when to give up if they’re ghosting you.) There was even more, too: like how to kill it in an interview, what your headshot on LinkedIn should look like, and what to do after you’ve applied for a job online (hint: you’re not done after you hit “submit”). This is the sort of real-talk that’ll get you ahead, ppl! watch now

What else is still left on the curriculum? You know, the important stuff: how to get as good at your resume as you are at your dating profile, everything you need to know about launching a startup, the tricks to making a viral YouTube Video, and so much more. This isn’t regular school. This is us giving you the real-talk intel no one else will…which is kinda what we here at Cosmo do.

P.S. If you're the extra credit type—I mean, who isn't??—check out our two-week crash course on all things Team Cosmo. It's called the Cosmo Shadowship (yeah, okay, we made up a word). Shadowees will spend one-on-one time with our crew to learn firsthand what it takes to, well, do what we do. Wanna learn more and get deets on how to apply? Click here once you're done building your ExtraCurricular class schedule.

• October 13: How to avoid burnout when you’re hustling 24/7—deep breaths, bb. Taught by Bea Arthur, therapist, entrepreneur, and advocate for accessible mental health care.

• October 15: Build yourself a fancy website to match your fancy résumé (presented by Dell XPS)—we’ve seen your Instagram grids. You can do this. Taught by Maxie McCoy, host and executive producer of WomanOn.

• October 20: How to get over that whole imposter syndrome thing—confidence is something you learn. Like math, but better. Taught by Lauren Chan, CEO and founder of Henning.

• October 22: Everything you didn’t learn in Sex Ed—because adulting kind of starts here? Taught by Carina Hsieh, sex and relationships editor at Cosmopolitan.

• October 27: All the stuff about money you wish you knew by now—like how to make it and save it. No MLM scheme required. Taught by Tosh ETosh Ernest, head of wealth/Advancing Black Pathways at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

• October 29: How to survive a job interview (and all things office life) on Zoom—ten percent lighting, 40 percent unmuting your mic before speaking, 50 percent doing your homework. (Don’t worry, we won’t give you homework.) Taught by Mika Brzezinski + Daniela Pierre Bravo, MSNBC anchor and booking producer, co-authors of Earn It!: Know Your Value and Grow Your Career, in Your 20s and Beyond.

• November 5: The best jobs are never listed: How to network your way up—and how to make that “virtual coffee date” not painfully awkward in the process. Taught by Lauren McGoodwin, founder of Career Contessa.

• November 10: What you need to know to launch a startup (presented by Dell XPS)—from nailing the pitch to avoiding the pitfalls. Taught by Jasmine Crowe, social entrepreneur, TED speaker, CEO of GoodrCo.

• November 12: How to be as good at your résumé as you are at your dating profile—and how to avoid all the mistakes that’ll get you that left-swipe from HR. Taught by Kathryn Minshew, founder of The Muse and author of The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating Your Career.

• November 17: How to edit the sort of videos that actually go viral on YouTube (presented by Dell XPS)—you know, the good kind of viral. Taught by Sam Feher, editorial assistant at Cosmopolitan and influencer.

• November 19: How to turn your passion into a legit business—because hobbies are more fun when they’re more than just “hobbies.” Taught by Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss, founders of Belletrist
  

Can't wait? Drop a comment below with any Qs you have for our professors as they prepare for their sessions. See you in class!

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