Senioritis and the Graduate School Debate

I wish I had a harmonica for the college blues I've got. A harmonica or a guitar would be nice, but I guess a Dunkin Donuts coffee will suffice.

I have senioritis and it's very bad. I've had senioritis since I was a sophomore (circa 2005). That's 4 years of itchy, restless, career-focused impatience. Now that I've finally come to home stretch, I feel absolutely overcome by this disease. I find myself tossing textbooks into the black hole of my bedroom closet, kicking my feet up, and fondling for a remote I haven't seen in months.

Yes! All I want to do is nothing. I'm tired of school, I mean I'll always be an eternal student at heart, much like my father, but I need a break. I want to get my toes wet, I want to brave the big, bad world out there and take it by storm, and fight for my life. Like a baby bird itching to fly, that is me!

And all my peers are the same. I hear Traveler's this, United Health Care that, Aetna this, Stanley Group that. At least I heard these things. Now the chatter has changed to University of __(enter name here)_ instead of _(enter random major CT business)_. It seems a lot of people are beginning to gravitate to graduate school over diving into the jobless market.

I can understand this, indeed, it is frustrating. I've been applying everywhere and getting shot down like a mosquito at a picnic. However, I have to ask, is this the best path to take right now?

Everyone's saying when you get out you'll have a degree and capability to get some highly paid position you couldn't get without advancing your education anyway. I feel that's true to an extent, but what about experience? I've always been an advocate for this. I've grown up amongst people who know far more than any textbook can teach me, I've learned from and been raised by people whose knowledge has come from life, not a piece of paper.

I'm not saying a degree can't realistically advance your marketability because of course it can. That would be like saying Christmas doesn't fall in December all the time. All I'm saying is that I feel a lot of people are missing the point. If a job says "2-3 years experience" that doesn't mean "2-3 years" studying hypothetical subject matter. That means 2-3 years of hands on, live, in the field experience. Nothing can substitute for that.

So, as I struggle to find a job that will pay for my basic necessities, I considered graduate school right away, but quickly backed out. I want to give real life a chance, see what it can teach me before deciding to hit the books again. Maybe it's because I've been cranking at this Bachelor's non-stop for almost 6 years now. Maybe I just need a chance to wing it, regardless, I feel I should give myself the opportunity to figure it out along the way, don't you?

Value- Do you have it?

There's a lot of talk going around at my school, and it's all about jobs. Most of my friends have had the unfortunate luck of graduating within the past year. The market for new grads between May 2008 and May 2009 has been littered with post-grad casualties- drunk with new freedom, yet jobless and camping out in their parents basements. Needless to say, this struggle has been daunting for ALL of us. I think the question we have to ask ourselves is: How can we better use our resources to survive life after grad?

I sat in class today and pondered this, long and hard. What resources do I have that companies want? And that's when it came to me. I need to understand the importance of value. I know this is beginning to sound like a business class to all my fellow marketing majors out there but hear me out.

First, you have to understand the difference between a job and a career. What is a job? It's something you get when you need money, right? It doesn't really matter what industry or task is involved as long as you have the necessary skills and the will to show up. Generally, when we talk about job, it tends to be a "short-term" ideal, despite how long you may keep it.

A career is a little different. I would define career more as an investment. When you look for a job, you're looking anywhere that pays money (within reason). When you look to begin a career, you look for jobs that are tailored to your goals, skills, and interests. It usually entails two or more "jobs", & actually on average, it's about five or six .

Regardless of how long it takes you, realizing not only your own value but what you value can determine whether you sink or swim when you dive into the market. It sounds cheesy, but if it's helping me, then it's gotta help someone else, right? Write down your strengths, likes, dislikes, favorite things about yourself and everything else, goals, dreams, hopes, and aspirations. Pay attention to those recurring themes because those are going to be what makes up the meat and potatoes of your "resources".

Once you have that down, sit down and think about what industries or types of companies would benefit from a person like you. Be as objective as possible, and really do your research, you might be surprised at what you find!

Let's be honest, everyone can't work everywhere. There are just some areas we aren't meant to mesh with (for me it's tobacco, bleh). Once you come to accept that, your skies will become a little bit clearer, the road a bit smoother, and you should have happy(er) post-grad travels!

Dipping your hands in eight jars at once

So it's a new day. I lied. I didn't get back to you the same day, so sue me. I'm a busy woman. A lot has changed since August 13th. That was a sad day, but perhaps it'd be sadder had I not been HIRED by the company I did my internship with! (YAY) I know. It's pretty cool. It reassured me that the adage "hard work pays off" may actually carry some weight.

Speaking of weight, I lost some more. I'm at the lowest I've been in 2 years. Doesn't sound like much, but if you know about my eating habits, you'd give me a plaque.

Josh came and went, taking what little of a summer we had with him. It was fun though, it's always lovely when he visits! I was promoted to Supervisor at the Student Technology Center (DOUBLE YAY). I had an article published in The Hartford Courant that game me some unexpected 15 seconds of fame for a little while. I formed great contacts, beefed up my resume, and now I'm just beginning to apply for jobs.

Generally, things are on the up. I have a smorgasbord of classes. Six to be exact. How will I handle it? I'll keep you posted. Why so many? I got a little distracted my first year of college. I ended up spending the remaining 4 and 1/2 years making up for it. It was very, very hard work. And most of the time, I was praying that the next year would be the year I graduate.

I didn't follow the 4 year plan. But I don't think anyone does. Looking back, I prefer the route I took, 4+ majors, 5+ years, 5 million courses, over a straight and narrow education. I can school a biology major in 10 seconds about the approximate gestation period of a new virus strain's staycation in the human body. I can debate with an Astronomy major over the true properties of dark matter and its influence on the space-time continuum.

Point: I may not have a specialization, but the ability to hold my own in any conversation with any person, regardless of topic is a skill I value more highly than others. It's not only helped me in my chosen field (Public Relations/Marketing), but it's also equipped me with life skills I wouldn't have developed on my own.

Besides, have you ever had a conversation with someone who only knows/cares about one or two topics? It's more painful than the apocalypse.

Holy Smokes!

Geez Louise! I haven't posted in here in a month. Time flies when you're having fun. And BOY! Have I been having fun! Oodles and oodles of job-hunting, networking, senioritis infected fun. I'll fill you all in soon enough, but I have crazy weeks jam-packed of work and a bunch of other stuff I should pay more attention to (we all have stuff like that, though). I'll be back later in the day to share the good news!.

Salutations

I forgot to add that today is my official last day at my internship. I will keep thee posted.

UPDATE
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So I packed up all my things (probably a total of 10 items) and hauled my stuff out of the Wads for the last time. It was pretty sad, and I usually don't get that upset, especially when leaving a place of employment so that alone tells me this place has changed me.


I loved my summer there, there were definitely hard times...but most of the time, it was a wonderful experience. I can only hope in the job searches ahead, I find something even remotely close to the museum in 1) enjoyability 2) coolness 3) all around awesomeness.


And so the search continues....