Post - Grad

A New Year, A New Attitude

2010-01-08T08:23:00.002-05:00

Well, it's a new year. I made so many resolutions I can't even remember them all but they all relate to one another so hopefully it won't be too difficult. I've decided that this will be a year of action. If you know me, you're probably wondering what year of my life ISN'T a year of action? Which, by the way, is a very good question, however, by "action" I'm getting at a different concept.

I don't mean action in the sense of just expending energy by doing something. I mean action in the sense of initiating a solid means to a uncertain end. I don't know how my life will turn out, I actually like it better NOT knowing (for one can never know anyway...). However, I do know that wherever I end up, I want to be healthy, happy, and wholesome. So by "action" I mean this is a year where I will be forcefully and passionately pursuing what I want with nothing held back. I owe myself that much after five and a half years in college. Life doesn't stop there, in fact, it's where it begins.

With that said, health encompasses a broad range of areas. It ties into who I associate with, what I eat, what I do with my free time, how I feel about others and how I choose to act on those feelings, what I put out there into the atmosphere (am I a grumpy person or positive), and more. I want to really start being what I say and saying that I do and doing what I think and living how I feel (figure that out!). There's nothing wrong with knowing you're worth something and showing up to take it, and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

I'll make a post later about those shaky resolutions I made... Until then!

<3 Erika Alana

The last 6 months of my life in a nutshell

2010-01-08T07:50:00.004-05:00

A lot has happened since I've posted in here consistently. My job search took me from August till late November with little, if any success. I did receive an offer through an internship I completed, but it wouldn't start for a while and I needed something a little more permanent. However, it was the ONLY thing I had going for a long time.

"The market is rough" is an understatement. I tell people I applied to 90+ positions (which is actually true) and only received 3 interviews over the course of 5 months. Three! I actually applied within my field, and as far outside of my field as Reception, Social Services, and Human Resources with no luck of course.

Finally, I got lucky when I scored an interview with a major company. It was a long hiring process but I finally got hired, YES, I got hired. And it's a wonderful job too, it's in my field, with a company whose values are everything I value. Perseverance works.

I graduated with over a 3.0 but not by much. A 3.08, but it was hard working, coming from a college education laden with ups and downs. When I think back to my first year (and how crappy I did), I can't help but be in shock. But I guess anything can happen when you put your mind to it, I'm really starting to believe that.

My semester GPA was 3.45, just .05 short of Dean's List. Maybe I shouldn't have skipped so many classes, haha. Seriously though, one of those six classes received a grade far higher than even I anticipated...which means I actually did better than expected. So I guess it was all meant to be...

Now I'm graduated (POST GRAD), employed, and excited for the future. It's like I want everything to happen now, now, now and I need to learn how to slow down. I don't know whats coming, but I'm loving life after college...I can't wait to see what's next.

I'm back

2009-12-16T09:46:00.001-05:00

As I posted on my other blog, I've been incredibly busy and unable to commit to anything BUT completing my education. But now that I've done thaaaat (yay graduation!!) I think this blog deserves a new name. I'm working between "Post-Grad" and "Life after College". If I think of something more creative, and hopefully I can, I'll change it to that. So don't be surprised if you check back to see this blog has an entirely different name, layout, and attitude. The most rigid and unforgiving part of my life is over and I'm ready to get down and finally enjoy what I do best. Winging it.

Until I return,

Erika Alana <3

Senioritis and the Graduate School Debate

2009-10-19T09:33:00.005-04:00

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?

2009-09-18T20:31:00.008-04:00

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

2009-09-18T10:01:00.021-04:00

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!

2009-09-17T11:21:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-13T11:21:00.000-04:00

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

UPDATE
______________

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....

And the truth is...

2009-08-13T11:05:00.002-04:00

After what feels like a million days of endless stress and terrifying soul searches, I finally realized my true potential and how I can use it to define my life. Say what? I know what I like! Finally, or at least I think I know. Can we ever really be sure of these things? People are in constant flux, constant change...even when they're the most change-resistant, stubborn creatures on earth, they ARE changing- they just don't know it yet.

My infinite amount of indecisiveness has lead me to a pool that I believe is warm enough to dip my toes in. The pool of business development. "Why that pool?" you ask, "Why not music, or finance, or something cool like monkey handling?" Because it comes naturally. See, I've been trying to find the one skill I have that trumps all other skills. The one natural talent that supercedes all talents and is the flavor that seasons my directionless life. Wanna know what it is?

I'm a visionary. Oh god, what do I mean by that? Well let's start with defining it:

Main Entry: visionary
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural visionar·ies
Date: 1702
1 : one whose ideas or projects are impractical : dreamer
2 : one who sees visions : seer
3 : one having unusual foresight and imagination

Doesn't sound good, does it? Well hold your horses. I've noticed, that with anything I pursue: work, projects, papers, friendships, relationships, shoes, hairstyles.... they are all largely impractical to the common man. I rely on my overdeveloped, highly overactive imagination to steer me through everything I encounter in life. It's as if any given situation, let's call it X has a constant factor...and that constant factor (imagination) is Y.

If X (random things in my life) + Y (imagination) = Z... it's pretty clear that Z (outcome) will always be a construct of some combination of Y (imagination) expounding upon X (random occurrence)

This is a talent of mine. It is a natural talent. I overblow anything I touch. My suggestions are far too advanced and far too complicated to work in reality. But screw reality, what is it anyway but highly subjective and solely comprised of perception?

That being said, I'm going to make this into a career. Aligning myself strongly with companies that support my beliefs, I will use my greatest weakness and skill (imagination) to spawn a massive career search.

Wish me luck.

Idle minds

2009-08-11T16:46:00.001-04:00

I've been sitting here in my little intern office for over 8.5 hours today, furiously figuring out what to do with myself. I'm graduating college in December, thank god, but now I've got the additional burden of figuring out what to do with the past 17.5 years of all nighters and DD runs. Everywhere I turn someone is shouting "Money, money, money..!" obnoxiously in my ears and I'm starting to feel that I'm the only person who's screaming "Wait a minute!! What about the happiness?"

I've never been a materialistic person. Everyone who thinks they know me would laugh at that statement, but it's true. Having "things" does not mean I'm materialistic. Wanting things now and then doesn't make me materialistic either. Materialism is when that want is suddenly manifested into an illogical "need", and proceeds to attach itself to every desire, object, and thought like a cancerous mold. That's materialism.

Me? No, I'm not materialistic at all. To be honest, if we didn't need money to maintain any kind of acceptable status in society (and I mean acceptable at the lowest level possible- just before lepers and dregs), I'd burn it and roast marshmallows. Well, if not money, then what is it that I want? What do I yearn for?

Good question. I've spent my long summer hours at moldy, congested retail shops and swanky non profits pondering this. What drives my passion for life? Is it knowledge? Sort of. I'm an advocate for human intelligence development. I've always been drawn to learning new things, usually of a useless condition. And that's all well and good, but is it my passion? Not quite.

To be honest, If I were to look back at the comical saga that is my life, I'd probably say that I've been driven by happiness. I know that's extremely cliche, but let's be honest here. I've worked in jobs that provide a pretty check at the end of the week, but they've never lasted very long. I have this built in eject button that is very sensitive to any kind of discord, real or perceived. Whenever I'd sense an inconsistency with my ability to enjoy myself, I'd either quit, become extremely miserable, stick it out for 3 months, and then quit, or do things to get myself laid off or better yet, fired.

A brilliant strategy indeed, however, you can't live that way. I'm older now and I'm seeking stability of purpose. And so I've been using all my time and brainpower to do some, dare I say it, "soul searching" and find out what really steers my ship.

My progress? Futile. But I never give up, and I never surrender. I am determined to find that something(s) that makes me tick with glee and use them to guide me through these dark, murky, economic waters.