If you work for a decent size company, chances are that there are many corporate benefits at your disposal. I try to make the most of everything available and I bet there are still some things I haven’t discovered yet Here are some of the perks that I do take advantage of:

- 401k Match: Most companies have some form of this. At my company they match the first 4% of contribution. The nice thing is that I am vested immediately and I can invest in whatever I want.
- Health Savings Account: My company started offering the Health Savings Account last year along with a high-deductible health plan. I actually get $750 contributed into my HSA each year for free!
- Cell Phone Discount: Before I was with Verizon getting 19% off my service and now I am with Cingular getting 22% off my service.
- Discount Tickets: At our company store you can purchase a variety of tickets for 10-15% off. Tickets such as for Disneyland, Seaworld, Universal Studios, AMC movies, etc.
- Subsidized Public Transportation: My bus rides are subsidized by 50%. Read here for more.
- Paid-Time Off: The nice things for us is that all my paid-time-off is available immediately at the beginning of the year. I get three weeks each year.
- Adoption Assistance Reimburse Up To $4,000: My future wife and I are thinking about adopting in addition to having children. This will be a nice help in the adoption process.
- Free Flu Shots: I just got mine yesterday. I walked into a conference room and walked out in two minutes. So easy.

Take a look at what’s available at your company and you might be surprised at what new benefits you may find.

I just finished listening to an interview of Larry Burkett on Focus on the Family and it was very inspiring. Take a listen to today’s broadcast. According to Burkett, 80% of college grads don’t know what their career should be. Many people get into careers where they might be proficient in but feel no sense of fulfillment or enjoyment. Is that you? Personally I know many college friends who dislike their job / career but are continuing to work simply for financial reasons. I also know a few college friends who have quit their job and are now pursuing a different field or vocation. Especially for Asian Americans, parents push their kids so hard to become Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers, etc. Its sad to find out one day in the middle of your career that this really wasn’t what you wanted to do. During my 2.5 year stint as an engineer I’ve been realizing that I get the greatest sense of purpose when I am interacting and engaging people, and not so much when I’m sitting in front of a computer and playing with numbers. I’m learning a lot here and think that one day I’ll make a pretty decent engineer but in the back of my mind there is a yearning to explore other possibilities while I’m still young. These past few months I’ve been thinking a lot about becoming a teacher or doing something with languages. I have a friend who teaches ESL at a community college and I think the idea of teaching students and being in a cross-cultural setting is fascinating. I think I could start taking night classes at first and test the waters to see if I’d like it or not. Of course I’d have to start saving money for more schooling =Þ.