I am a university-educated North American in my late twenties.

So I love and value three things over anything else:

• My iPad

• Hip coffee shops

• Instagram

I also spend an inordinate amount of time taking photos of my coffee with said iPad to post on Instagram. Don’t judge me — choosing a filter that makes my image look cool-for-school is how I justify my arts “education”!

Okay, now before this turns into a gen-Y bashing session, let’s talk about something us gen-Yers love that is actually super useful. Some might even say makes the world a better place.

Podcasts.

If you are not yet on the podcast train, get on now! There’s no better way to get a free education. Seriously, you can get a free education. Check out iTunes University. This podcast from Cornell is life-changing, and Harvard shares business lectures. Bet you never thought you could get a Harvard education via your iPhone!

Getting your info from (reliable) podcasts is more efficient than from journals and newspapers, as you can listen to them while doing other things. You can listen to then while commuting, cooking, and exercising (although I still think for the weight room, you can’t beat rap).

Recently Suzanne Lucas, The Evil HR Lady herself, interviewed Steve Montako of the Boss Show. Don’t let the title fool you, the show isn’t just from the employer-perspective. It cover tons of different topics related to HR like productivity, working from home, and job interview screw-ups. The shows are nice and short and the two hosts have an obvious rapport. It’s no This American Life, but out of all of the HR podcasts I’ve heard so far, the Boss Show is hands down the most enjoyable.

Another popular HR podcast is the CYA report put out by Fistful of Talent. I’ll be honest and say it’s not my favorite. But, having worked for several years as a college radio jockey, I’m quite picky. I urge you to check it out for yourselves.

My personal favorite business-related podcast is Planet Money. They always manage to be engaging, even when covering ridiculous topics. Their explanation of the Motza Economy is fantastic, although I still think the best episode is the one on lard.

As far as non-business / non-HR Podcasts go, RadioLab is Amazing. I have actually cried while listening to episodes of RadioLab on the Subway, and was too captivated by the storytelling to even care.

Do you listen to podcasts? If so please, please, please share them in the comments.