In life, when we think about love we think of God, our families, our significant others, even our clothes and our cars. But too often, we neglect the one thing that monopolizes a majority of our lives --our jobs. Think about it. Eight hours a day, five days a week, for forty-five years. If not more. You spend more time at work than with your family (especially in America where vacation is not part of our vocabulary). So why wait till the weekend or retirement to do what you truly love?
While in college, I was given some valuable piece of advice, "Do what you love and the money will come". (But of course, I didn't heed this advice while IN college.) I didn't truly understand the magnitude of this statement until I was unemployed after graduation...trying to figure out my next move and the rest of my life.
Back then, I was a bonafide overachiever. My major and career choices often centered on prestige and salary. When researching colleges, my major was Computer Science. When I applied to college, my major was History (Pre-Law). When I enrolled in college, it was Business Administration. (I actually wanted Fashion Merchandising, but was afraid of the stigma.)
Freshman year, I set foot in the Career Services Center to begin working on my resume. (I am now a resume expert due to the amount of time I spent tweaking mine.) With a goal of working in the Fashion Industry, I worked in retail for over two years. I became a tour guide to improve my communication skills and a campus leader to strengthen my leadership skills. Then came the culmination of my college experiences. The summer before senior year, I landed a Store Management Internship and loved loathed it. (What an anti-climax.) As much as I loved clothes, I didn't love them enough to deal with the bureocracy of management (you will find that in any job) and the audacity of some customers. I needed something more to get me through the eight hour day. But what?
My senior year became a year of self-discovery. And while I tried to figure things out...I applied:
-To entry-level Marketing jobs. (That I had absolutely no interest.)
-To graduate school. (After speaking with the Human Resources Recruiter at my store, I thought I would love that career. An HR internship that Spring taught me that HR Personnel are buried in paperwork and don't really deal with Humans.)
I was offered jobs.
I was accepted to grad schools.
And I turned them all down.
I was accepted to grad schools.
And I turned them all down.
Why... you ask?
I'll let you know tomorrow. (I didn't realize this would be so long.)
