Il Dolce Far Niente http://sweetlydoingnothing.posterous.com the sweetness of doing nothing posterous.com Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:41:00 -0700 Yay I graduated! Now what? http://sweetlydoingnothing.posterous.com/yay-i-graduated-now-what http://sweetlydoingnothing.posterous.com/yay-i-graduated-now-what

Grad

At 8am last Sunday morning, I was lined up in a tunnel under the parking lot of the Allstate Arena, waiting with hundreds of other DePaul students prepared to graduate.  I was surprised both at how many familiar faces I recognized from classes and even more so, at how many I had somehow never crossed paths with in four years.

One universal characteristic of graduation ceremonies is that they are painfully boring.  It probably isn't safe to trust speakers who promise to be brief, or those who begin any statement with "we all have experienced..." Because the fact of the matter is that each college experience is unique and each person leaves having learned completely different lessons.  As I stood in line, and later sat in my chair while hundreds of my peers accepted their degrees, I found my thoughts drifting to a questions that have become all too familiar recently: What am I going to do after college and how will I apply the knowledge that I have learned to the rest of my life?

I started reflecting on my college experience before college was over.  In fact, the past year has actually been pretty difficult as I have been forced to ask myself tough questions like "Who am I?" and "What kind of work will make me happy?" Through a lot of self-reflection (and through the results of my StrengthFinder test) I have been able to determine my five themes, which I eagerly share with anyone that I can get to listen:

1. Responsibility: "People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty."

2. Significance: "People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized."

3. Individualization: "People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person. They have a gift for figuring out how people who are different can work together productively."

4. Adaptability: "People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time."

5. Belief: "People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life."

Knowing my five themes has helped me better understand my past and what might make me happy in the future.  I was raised by parents who were committed to teaching their five children ethical and moral behavior.  As the oldest child, I took these lessons to heart and as an adult, I feel that often I am my biggest critic and judge. 

So as I navigate my job search, which has been constant since the beginning of April, I struggle to find jobs which fit into my belief theme (jobs which contribute to my overall purpose in life) and are also paid. Meanwhile, my psychological need to take responsibility for my life and a personal need to feel significant often get me feeling frustrated and disappointed that getting a job is taking so long!  I know that many recent graduates are in my same shoes right now, so the best advice that I can give myself and other job seekers is to have a positive attitude and remain vigilant. 

 

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Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:02:00 -0700 A Classic Case of Senioritis http://sweetlydoingnothing.posterous.com/a-classic-case-of-senioritis-44908 http://sweetlydoingnothing.posterous.com/a-classic-case-of-senioritis-44908

Senioritis

This morning one of my professors forwarded this PR Daily article warning students to not become seduced by the ailment known as Senioritis.  Senioritis – otherwise known as slacking off during your senior year of high school or college – is not something I would typically identify with, so I was surprised to find that some of the “symptoms” mirror my current feelings towards college.  I have reached the point where I am not exactly jumping up and down with excitement about the idea of going to class or purchasing what feels like the millionth overpriced textbook.  In my final weeks at DePaul, I have been spending nearly every waking moment anxiously wondering where I am going to find employment come June 10th, so the idea of arguing with bossy overzealous group members or filling out tedious lab reports sounds downright exhausting.

There’s something about the American educational system that makes you feel like you haven’t succeeded quite as much as you should have.  As a History of Art and Architecture major, I have learned that the general knowledge of art that I have painfully consumed over the past four years is worth practically nothing without a Masters or Ph.D.  I have spent many hours wondering how I am going to market my so-called “soft-skills,” which I have acquired after too many hours of paper writing and exam taking over the past 3 2/3 years.  The system has the unique ability to make me question my preparedness for the “real world”, cringe when I hear the words “group project,” and second guess my decision to trade sleep for some of those book chapters I was assigned. 

The PR Daily article fails to congratulate students for making it this far.  After all, one way or another, all of us students have managed to get through (and pay for) the past three years of college.  Rather, the article uses the typical scare tactics: warning students about slacking off, having an aloof attitude, or god forbid enjoying the last couple weeks of college too much.  The article plays off of the (somewhat) irrational fear of American society: that it’s never too late to mess everything up.

At my old age of (almost) twenty-two, I feel that it’s getting a little ridiculous to live in fear.  Of course that doesn’t mean I am going to start getting C’s and D’s or ditching class (while thinking I can later ask that professor for a recommendation).  However, I definitely will be focusing my attention on things that really matter, like finding a really great job (that hopefully meets all of my idealistic requirements.)

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Tue, 04 Oct 2011 17:45:00 -0700 My Dream Job http://sweetlydoingnothing.posterous.com/my-dream-job http://sweetlydoingnothing.posterous.com/my-dream-job

A few weeks a go, actually I know the specific date --it was September 4th--  I had a profound realization. On that morning I emailed my friend: "I don't want to grow up anymore. I know that may sound immature, but I feel like I have been trying to grow up my whole life, and I have just now reached the perfect point."

That "perfect point," was almost immediately followed by the anxiety of the reality that this year is my last year in college.  Sometimes I feel like I spend every other second of my day either trying to prepare for my imminent role as Adult, Full-Member of Society or trying to hold on to my current role as College Girl - Still trying to discover what she wants.  In the past month I have found myself staying home a lot more, only leaving for class, work, meetings, and of course when my friends occasionally convince me to go out and do that thing called "having fun."  And when I do go out, whether it is to work, or to some kind of networking event, or even just out for drinks with friends I always do feel better, knowing that I have taken a tiny step towards (maybe) preparing for the great unknown that will be my life.

I usually love to talk about my ideas and plans for the future, but recently I have found myself dreading conversations where the question "What are you going to DO after college?" may come up.  I wouldn't say that this question stresses me out as much as it just annoys me (sorry relatives who have asked me this!)  I have no clue what I am going to do and the ideas I do have seem to change based on the day.  My mind is constantly revising what the grand plan is and so far it seems the only things I know for certain are what I don't want to do.

Criteria for my perfect job:

1.  I don't want to be a teacher, or a job where I have to work with children in any capacity. I am, however, open to the idea of teaching and sharing information with my colleagues.

2. I don't want to have the kind of 9-5 job where you drag out 3.5 hours of work over the course of the whole day.  I want a job where I have so much work to do, preferably something that I am passionate about, as opposed to tedious meaningless tasks, that at the end of the day I feel invigorated and excited to come back and tackle it the next day.

3.  I don't want to work in a sterile, boring environment; I do want to work in a place that is full of all different kinds of creativity and exchange of ideas is encouraged all day long (both through the atmosphere and the physical arrangement of the space).

4.  I don't want to work at a job where you eat lunch alone at your desk everyday.  I know that I need to get outside once in a while and take a break ("hit the reset button," as my friend would say) so that when I return, I can look at projects with a fresh perspective.

5.  I want to do work that is meaningful and important to me.  I have always wanted to change the world (for the better) and I don't want to have to waste too much time working on things that are not productive.

6.  I want a job where I can write (in various forms) and learn how to express my ideas and other people's ideas in the best possible way.

7.  I would love to be paid to travel.

8.  Oddly, I am also interested in doing a very mechanical type job where I would be able to build things (like furniture) or fix up old houses. (This may be more of a hobby than a career interest).

9.  I am most interested in working the Public Relations (PR) industry because I have found that kind of work (thus far) to be the most exciting and fulfilling.

In this economy, I know that my list is a lot to ask, and as my grandpa pointed out, I should be thankful to have a job at all.  I certainly am thankful and I definitely know that before anyone gets their dream job, they have to pay their dues.  I am not hoping for some kind of fairy tale life -- at least not right away :) -- but I hope that when it is time for me to enter the job market I will be able to find an employer that will help me channel all of my passion.

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