In the last couple of years, the price value equation of going to college has been called into question. Blog post after post questions whether a college degree is worth the money—and if that degree is really just for rich people or for those who can qualify for a free ride.

As my readers know I am a longtime LinkedIn fan, and have been since its inception. It’s an incredible career development, as well as networking, tool. If you look at my profile you will see I have 500+ connections – and I’m proud to say that, virtually to a person, I know every one of them. Of course I know some much better than others, but I’ve met virtually all of them by phone at least.

This is the question on everyone’s lips, and the pressure will continue to intensify as we move toward May. Despite the fact that there are myriad websites devoted to summer internships for college and grad students, there are still too few resources out there for teenagers.

I just read an excellent book called Wellbeing, by the authors of StrengthsFinder 2.0 and the Gallup Poll. These guys have written great books about identifying your strengths so you can figure out how to use them in your career and other areas of your life.

If you haven’t had work experience, can you still have job-related skills?

It’s a question that occurred to me yesterday when I was delivering a skills workshop to a group of Gen Y’s. Now this particular group represents mostly uneducated, unemployed New Yorkers who are seeking entry-level jobs, and I train them as part of my volunteer commitment to this particular organization.

My 17 year old son is looking for a summer internship, and I was able to connect him with someone who works for an environmental consulting firm—his field of interest.