Late night, come home, Work sucks, I know...

ATTENTION: 20 somethings, if you are college educated and enjoy your current job more than having your mother do your laundry or happy hours, raise your hand.

I'm going to assume that those of you with your hand raise (you can put them down now) are few and far between. BUT if you did have your hand raised, I congratulate you... well more like envy you. Lucky biotches.

I came out of college waving my degree in the air and tooting my horn loudly for all to hear. I expected all employers to flock to 'us' like pigeons to bread crumbs. The crumbs I threw must have been stale or perhaps had an unsavory flavor. I went on many job interviews and was a little shocked at what employers offered, and also what they asked of me. I found that my degree did not equal experience (no matter how long it took me to complete it). To be honest, hearing that my education wasn't valid, in an interview, insulted me and my degree. Then, after belittling my education, the employer would offer me a salary that, although above minimum wage, I could not live off of while paying student loans and car payments. Who were these people who worked there now? Turns out they were all either post-grads who still lived with their parents or women who were married with grown children and just wanted an extra income. I did not fall into either of those categories.

Sweet, now what?

I have found that during this economy, a lot of post-grads choose their first full-time jobs based on a few specifics. First of those is salary. It's all about the Benjamins baby! If Diddy remade that song now, it would be titled 'All About the Jacksons'. We finally have independence, a.k.a., we finally have our own bills to pay on top of our student loans. Oh and that car mom & dad gave us for our 16th birthday/graduation/handed down, is on its last few miles. Second are benefits. Now that could either mean health benefits, or fringe benefits. These days a lot of companies offer discounts at fitness centers, and on cell phone plans which are something we look for as perks. Another big bonus is the offer of tuition assistance, which is a perk for us and the employer. Lastly, the final major reason for choosing our first grown-up job is its location. Maybe you want to move from a small town to a big city (like me), or somewhere warmer, or closer to a friend/relative/significant other? Perhaps you chose that job because it is close to home for you?

With that being said, notice that none of those top three reasons included 'because it's what I've always wanted to do' or 'this is what I have been working towards all those years in college'. I don't know about you guys, but that's what I expected to say of my first job. I hadn't thought how unrealistic my expectations were. This realization blindsided me when I read an article on Huffington Post by Christine Hassler. The article was titled "Are 20 Somethings Naively Optimistic About Their Careers?" Clearly, I figured that it was written specifically for me. To give a quick synopsis, Hassler recalls her own experiences of being unsatisfied with jobs she thought would be her career, and gives us angry 20 somethings a wake up call that your first jobs won't be your dream job. She reminded me that we will have to pay our dues, and that could mean starting at the bottom, or working entry level jobs to gain experience.

Here is a little tidbit of informatin about me, I am probably the most impatient person on earth. When I know what I want, I have to have it now! That makes this whole 'paying my dues', and 'gaining experience' thing is killing me... softly. For me, I don't know what my dream job will be, and the fact that I might have to wait 10 years to find out, well that just isn't cool. Nevertheless, I am gritting my teeth and doing the best that I can at whatever job I currently hold.

So my advice to those of you who did not raise your hand, make yourself comfortable, but be ready for what comes next. Constantly challenge yourself in your current job, even the smallest victory can make you feel better. In the meantime, I have kept myself entertained by holding a volunteer position within my sorority. This position allows me to stay close to something that I enjoyed being a part of as a collegiate. I also signed up for an improv class. I'm sure you'll be reading something about that. Fill your downtime with activities, and people that you enjoy. Like my blog! It allows me vent, and doubles as an effortless hobby. P.S. It's free.

Keep your heads up 20 somethings, our time will come.

When I grow up, I wanna have...

GROUPIES! No, what about... a road map to my goals? Is that too much to ask for?

"I can feel the Pressure, it's getting closer now..." - Paramore's Pressure


As the sands fall from the hourglass on my 25th year of life, I have been feeling some pressure to "figure things out". What I mean by that is my career, relationship, identity - basically where I'm going/plan to be in life. Even that sentence is overwhelming. For the record, I do not handle stress well at all. Although I relish the idea of following my instincts towards a life where I enjoy each new day, I'm apprehensive to embark on that journey without a solid plan for each challenge.

Maybe I'm overreacting a little? I could be overanalyzing, or trying way too hard to control the uncontrollable. This is most likely true, and to tell you the truth, this is completely out of character for me. I usually make decisions on impulse, wait until the last minute of a deadline, and buy something I don't need because it's packaged nicely. (Good marketing should always be rewarded.) However, I have always been told that in order to be successful, at anything, you need to be organized. I'm getting a bit off topic, I digress.


I believe that where we are today is a direct result of a path that we chose to take. For example, my dad had worked in the coal mines for years alongside his father. My dad chose the path to begin working right out of high school mainly because he disliked school. He was on this path for a while, and worked hard enough to become the boss underground. My father continued on this path for a while, until he came to a point where a new path had appeared. My father could decide to continue on the path he was on, following the footsteps of his father, or go down this unbeaten path that no one in his family had taken before. Eventually my dad chose to go down the new path that leads him towards a Bachelors degree in special education.

Now I am not naive enough to think that everyone will come across a shiny new path like my dad. Some are forced to stay on their current path for job security, or they choose to stay on that path because they like where it is heading.

I have thought about the paths that I have come across. I have already chosen the different paths a few times. I changed my major, altered my graduation date, and then after graduation, moved to a larger city to live on my own (against the wishes of my parents). There were both positive and negative effects to my decisions. When it comes down to it, the decisions I have made have lead me to where I am today, take it or leave it. Ha!

So, here I am. Where? Well if this was a mall directory, the star that says "You are HERE" would be at the intersection of one path meeting three new ones. I believe that the path I'm on is about to end and I need to choose which to take. None of these paths are going to be easy, and I'm pretty sure they're all uphill. I have never been a big fan of extreme exercise, but I'm still excited for what's ahead.

To Be Continued…