It's happened to the best of us. We're at an important job interview or another professional setting and someone brings up a current event. Your heart drops when you realize you have no idea what everyone is talking about. They say, "Did you see that the Dow was down 500 points today?" You think, How many dollars are in one point? They say, "I can't believe that Walker dropped out of the race." You think, What race?
Although some professors emphasize the importance of real-world knowledge, the majority of my courses have failed to address what's going on outside of Georgia Tech; reading or watching the news every day is time-consuming and not exactly enjoyable for everyone. However, a couple of years ago, my sister told me about theSkimm and I was able to break out of my college bubble once and for all.
In case you're not one of the millions of subscribers already, let me take a moment to "skimm" you on theSkimm.
TheSkimm is a blog started by two friends who met studying abroad in college. Working in D.C. together and sharing a passion for news, the women wanted a way to make current events easy and fun to read. Readers subscribe to the blog and receive a free, daily email with everything they need to know in order to sound informed in a professional or social setting.
In a handful of paragraph-long blurbs, the daily email provides information on anything and everything going on in the world. From sports, to politics, to business, it covers a wide variety of topics and doesn't let any important event go unmentioned. Each news story is covered in an entertaining and relevant way, and important parts are hyperlinked so you can click on them for more details. In addition to the daily newsletters, theSkimm creates infographics and charts that summarize ongoing issues such as foreign policy, the upcoming election and more.
Finally, the email is only Monday-Friday (because everyone needs a break on the weekends), the entire thing can be read while brushing your teeth (which you should already be doing every morning), and they're constantly recommending new books and wines (the important things in life).
Check out their past newsletters and subscribe here.
Your morning routine will thank you.
