By Clare Sherman —
What if learning to land a job and pay back student loans weren’t a grueling task but a fun game? HIRED! The Game Show visited Miami Regionals on October 22nd, giving students the chance to compete for cash prizes while learning about career and financial tips. Every attendee had the chance to play fast-paced games and put his or her knowledge to the test on topics such as resume building, interviews, credit cards, and student loans.
Event organizers welcomed students with snacks and an opportunity to enter their names into a draw box, which would be randomly selected at the start of every challenge. The thrill of entering one’s name, along with upbeat music and excited chatter, built anticipation for the afternoon’s main event.
Once attendees got settled, game show hosts Kevin and John ran out to classic game show tunes, hyping the audience up and giving an overview of how the show would unfold. Throughout the event, selected attendees would come up and compete for $10 Amazon gift cards, earning one if they won, or owing one if they lost, as Kevin joked throughout the afternoon.
In the first challenge, “The 20 Pyramid,” chosen players raced to describe career-related terms like “resume” and “LinkedIn,” an animated way to introduce the afternoon’s themes of financial literacy and career prep.
Students were then taken through a typical interview process step-by-step, from setting up a digital resume on websites like LinkedIn or Glassdoor, to dress codes, professional mannerisms, and negotiation tactics.
A sample resume was displayed during the next challenge. Players searched for mistakes ranging from wacky font choices to ridiculous “special achievements.”
The third game, “Finance Feud,” introduced financial literacy by revealing what recent college graduates spent their first paycheck on. Answers like “gas” and “rent” had the audience nodding along, while others like “puppy” earned headshakes and startled laughs.
After exploring popular spending habits, the “50/30/20” budget plan was introduced, which helps adults manage their earnings by dividing money into 50% needs, 30% wants, and 20% savings. In “Win, Lose, or Go Bankrupt,” students sorted a list of goods and services into each category, all while keeping their expenses under a reasonable $2,000 a month.
In between challenges, Kevin and John made intimidating topics light with skits, banter, and frequent audience interaction. Information that might have caused students to stress about the future felt surprisingly approachable, and attendees were fully engaged by laughing along and cheering on their classmates.
The hosts touched on the deceiving nature of credit cards next, recognizing the ease with which someone can collect burdensome fees or fall for misleading introductory offers. “Your Credit is Right” hilariously turned students into human buzzers for the main player to “ding” if a variety of credit card facts were correct, or “bzzzt,” if incorrect. Knowledge of terms like “Annual Percentage Rate” was tested, and using Apple Pay as a safe transaction option was discussed. Contactless payment, Kevin explained, reduces the chances of theft.
The final theme Kevin and John touched on was student loans. They sympathized with attendees by stating that, as of 2021, Americans accumulated a whopping $1.73 trillion in student loan debt, with Kevin himself admitting he’s a part of that crowd.
Players literally walked through the student loan repayment process in “Wheel of Misfortune.” Successful payment, deferment, bankruptcy, and income-based repayment (IBR) plans were among the random actions students landed on when spinning the wheel, determining if they moved forward in their repayment journey, stayed stagnant, or fell behind. One fact that came as a surprise to many was that filing for bankruptcy does not eliminate student loans, despite its elimination of many other forms of debt.
HIRED! The Game Show was brought to Miami Hamilton as a part of Julia Pond’s effort to increase programming at the Regional campuses. Julia Pond, the Regional Director of New Student Programs & Engagement, said the Regionals are focused on creating a fun college experience for commuter students. Campus events were more prominent before the COVID-19 pandemic, and Ms. Pond is looking to rebuild that normalcy. Looking ahead, Ms. Pond says she plans to incorporate events like this one at the Spring Fling next semester.
To learn more about HIRED! The Game Show and its mission, readers can visit the Bass Schuler Entertainment website.