A follow up

My last post posed the following question: For all of you generation Y working folk, how many of you would say you are in a job or career that you see yourself in long term? How many think your current gig is just a means to an end?


I find this question interesting because I am a twenty something, now 3 years out of school and feel that all the jobs that I have had since graduation have only been jobs, not careers. I’ve been on a path of a means to an end and haven’t yet found that comfortable place where I can see myself for several years or more.


I’m sure this path is not atypical for a twenty something, but I must admit I find it frustrating! Not to mention, some of my loved ones get frustrated with me as well sometimes. I am just now beginning to see the light of exactly what field I want to be in, but haven’t arrived yet. I love writing and being creative. I would be a journalist but I don’t want that intense lifestyle. I want to work in Marketing, but not sure how I feel about corporate lifestyle. Also, within marketing / advertising / public relations, there are so many options! I think I’ve been thinking to much about it all!


My solution? I am taking the next several months to network like crazy and conduct informational interviews with people in my field of interest. Since I don’t want my next move to be another means to an end, I’m planning accordingly. Or so I hope!

My own curiosity....

Hello all twenty and thirty something readers!

For this post, since my blog is meant to be about the life of working twenty and thirty somethings, I decided to post a question and see what kind of turn out I get. So here it goes:

For all of you generation Y working folk, how many of you would say you are in a job or career you see yourself staying in long term? How many think your current gig is just a means to an end?

Depending on responses, I may follow up on this question next post. I hope everyone is having a great weekend and relaxing from their normal weeks of crazy work!

Does your blog mean business?

Having a blog is harder and more fun than I thought it might be. People blog for a wealth of different reasons these days. Some people blog to have a place to share their random thoughts on the day and many blog on more of a professional platform.

It seems to me, a brand new blogger, that if you’re interested in attracting an audience of readers, a personal business is exactly what your blog can become. If you want readers, you’ll have to figure out exactly what you want your blog identity to be, promote it and brand yourself and your blog. I’m still struggling with all these issues, although I have a general idea of how I’ll go about them. I want to attract the generation Y’s who are interested in reading advice and stories centered on the work place and careers. My blog is currently called “The Roaring Twenties” which I think is a cute name. However, I’m a bit concerned that I’ll rule out the thirty somethings who many of my posts will apply to as well. Should I change the name to something more attractive to both the 20 and 30 somethings crowd? I have been grappling with that question the last few days. Also, how important is the name of my URL in relation to the name of my blog? I couldn’t find an available URL related enough so my URL is fairly different from my blog name. How will this effect who I attract as readers?

There is also the issue of networking. I’m currently investigating all the networking blogs out there to try and get my name on the table, so people can find my blog. Networking for your blog can be a job in itself, but it’s been a lot of fun meeting all these new people on the same adventures as me. I’ve recently joined or already belonged to “Twenty Something Bloggers”, “Linked In”, “Facebook” and now “Tweeter” (this one I only joined with hopes of promoting my blog and meeting other bloggers)

My final piece of advice to both myself and others is this: Go with it! See where it takes you and depending on how popular or not popular your blog becomes, you can alter things at that time. If anyone has suggestions for my blog, throw them at me!

-Twenty Something

A dear friend lost her job today...

You never can be to sure of your own job security. I realize the bleak outlook of this post and my goal certainly isn’t to be a Debbie downer. I don’t view myself as a pessimist, especially regarding careers. Yet sometimes, when the market takes a turn, and it’s you or a loved one in the way, it’s natural to want to throw on your cynical hat and go hide.

She had no idea it was coming. It was a sunny, Monday afternoon and a team of supervisors gently brought her into their office to break the news they were letting her go. She had been working there for about a year and a half. She started as a temp and was welcomed as a full time employee just a few months later. She loved her job, her colleagues and felt a good deal of pride regarding her work. To make the situation worse, she has a husband who just recently started working again after being laid off 8 months ago. They were just starting to catch up on bills again and look toward the bright financial future.

Back to my earlier point, it’s so easy to bury yourself in sorrow when something like this happens, but as I was thinking last night, we don’t have a choice but to take things as they come and do what we can. On the brighter side, unemployment is available and the governor of this great commonwealth of MA has recently extended unemployment for an additional 13 weeks. Her two children have finally entered school full time so there is no longer the worry of what to do with them during they day, and how to pay for it, should a job opportunity suddenly pop up.

So things will be ok. They have to be, right? During times like these, we can only take things day by day, use the free time to network and find our true passions in life. Perhaps we can hope for a blessing in disguise. Things do usually happen for a reason, even if you don’t find that reason until a great deal of time has passed. Best of luck to everyone out there and never take your job for granted!

Can you have your cake and eat it too?

There are plenty of people in the world, myself included, who want everything when it comes to a great job and career. They want to have their cake and eat it too, grumbling when they can’t. In the world of work, especially when starting out in your twenties, few have the luxury of having it all. I took the stance for my first year being happy to have a job at all and not expecting to like much of it. Trust me, I didn’t. So today, I’m in a comfortable job that allows me a nice flexible schedule, a great boss who doesn’t micro manage and a laid back culture. Yet there are many things left to be desired. I work in the non-profit world at a University so there are several perks of which I prefer to never leave behind. These include week long breaks at Christmas (that don’t count against my vacation days), shorter summer hours and no corporate hoo-ha. But ultimately, I find myself under achieving and almost envying the corporate minds who use their brains all day and deep in the work I wish I were doing.

So I say to myself, I’m not interested in working for corporate America where my schedule includes 60 hour weeks filled with stressful days and nights. I love working at a University where the culture is laid back and continually thirsty for knowledge. Yet I’m not doing what I might love and certainly know I can be doing more with the mind I spent 4 years working on developing in College. I might be having a little bit of cake, but I certainly can’t eat it.

What’s a twenty something to do? Let’s first realize that you’ll never be able to have it all. Yet if you feel mostly content about your career, that could be enough. Take some time to think about the pieces that are missing and fill them elsewhere. If you’re not allowed to be as creative as you’d hope, propose a new idea to your boss that would fit into your job description and help fill the gap. Or, if that clearly isn’t an option, take a look at your local Adult Education centers and sign up for a night class that will fill your void. You may even meet someone with similar interests and who’s there for the exact reason you are.

How many blogs are out there?

Cover of Life, 2/18/1926 illustration by John Held.

Welcome to viente vous! Since this is my very first blog ever, I couldn't help but wonder exactly how many blogs are there? How can I make mine different from everyone else blogging about life in their 20's? The short answer is, I don't know. But we'll certainly find out!

So, as I mentioned, these blogs will be about life and specifically work in your "roaring twenties" as my good friend Miriam suggested I call it when I was trying to think of a good name for my baby blog. Of course, that URL was taken, so Viente Vous it is! Why, you ask? Well, the word viente means "twenty" is Spanish, and vous is "you" in French. Why not put them together? Obviously! Seriously though, if anyone feels this is the worst name ever and thinks it will have no appeal to twenty somethings wanting to read, please tell me.

I've wanted to start this blog for a while now, so I am happy to make today the day of my first post, followed my many more. I know at this point, my dear friends and family are the only people reading this, but my hope is to someday soon, spread it towards a wider audience. I'm always taking suggestions and constructive criticism, so go nuts. Thanks for reading my first blog ever and see you again REAL soon. (maybe even this afternoon) Wow, I guess I am a poet now too.

xoxo
Amy