Our roaring twenties (and beyond...)

The Trials and Tribulations of Looking Younger than Your Actual Age

2010-03-01T11:35:00.000-08:00

I'm no stranger to dealing with surprised people who find out that I'm about 5-10 years older than I look. I'm pretty used to it, but every once in a while, it gets under my skin when people react strangely.

This afternoon, I walked into a Verizon Store to check out some new phones and I asked if I could look at the BlackBerry and the Palm Pre. Instead of cordially walking me over to the section with those on display, he reached behind his desk and gave me 2 phones that looked as if they'd been collecting dust for a few days. I was surprised by this, but took a quick look and asked him to tell me when I'm eligible for an upgrade. He asked for my phone # and my ID. (not sure why he needed my ID)

He then looked at my ID, looked up at me, looked at the ID and looked back up at me as if I had 3 heads. He had a look on his face as if he couldn't believe his eyes. I asked him what was wrong and he replied "You were born in 1981? I thought you were about 18 or 19 years old. I can't believe it."

Ya, Ya, thanks. Can I have my ID back now? It's no surprise that he thought I looked younger, but did he really have to look at me as if I'd just pulled a monkey out of my pocket? I mean, really! Not to mention, if he knew my real age, would I have received better customer service? Perhaps I would have received an actual sales pitch to buy a new phone rather than the lame attempt to reach into his desk for them?

Kell on Earth: Where Production Meets Reality

2010-02-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of bravo.com

Kelly Cutrone, owner of People's Revolution, has just launched the newest phase of her reality tv career with Kell On Earth, a reality show on the ins and outs of a typical day at her hectic firm. Kelly is by no means new to the cameras, as her firm's also appeared on MTV's The Hills and The City. Yet now the show is focusing on her firm alone and there seems to be no end to the drama, the tears and the stress. (Would BRAVO have it any other way?)

Yet, even in reality television, there has to be some element of production. So, I wonder how much is (I don't want to use the words not real, as I do think there is a lot of reality here) but "highlighted" or "exaggerated"? More importantly, from personal curiosity and for the other twenty somethings out there, do you think you could survive in this office, with Kelly as your boss? My answer is yes and no.

From the Kell on Earth view of the world, there is never ever enough time, some last minute disaster always happens and no matter what you do, you'll probably get screamed at for it. Not to mention, spoken to in a very "valley girl" sort of voice about how you aren't pulling your weight. "I mean, oh my god, like, this is, like, ridiculous, like I can't believe you aren't like doing your job." Can you guess who this is? ALL the girls at the firm...

I'm actually trying to get a job at a PR agency right now, and I'm well versed from previous PR experiences that the job can get pretty out of control, hectic and overwhelming. It comes in waves depending on launches and events etc. However, I can't help but think that if your firm is run well, you are good with time management and your firm isn't short-staffed, you should be able to sleep at night and complete daily cleansing activities etc. I know they started the filming during fashion week, so that's probably why we're seeing the sleep deprived train wrecks with dark circles. (and dare I say it, No make-up! Oh snap!) But there is a fashion week is many cities and they seem to cover all of them. We'll see what else Kelly's got in store this season!

All in all, it's exciting to watch, yet also stressful. Kelly is portrayed as a horrible boss, but a great mentor at the same time. The girls who work at her firm have to be thick skinned and not take anything personally. AND most importantly, as Kelly always says "If you have to cry, go outside!"

What you do all think?

Happy HAPPO Day!!!

2010-02-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

Good Morning PR Professionals! I feel that today will be a great day. Why? Because thanks to HAPPO (Help a PR Pro Out) many PR Pros across the country will be getting connected with great jobs or finding great talent for their open positions.

I was lucky enough to connect with HAPPO's Boston Coordinator, Doug Haslam, (@DougH) on Twitter and be invited to be a part of this movement. I was then asked by HAPPO to write a creative blog post about my job search for prospective employers. I've been searching for a PR job for a little while, so being asked to write a "pitch" about my search should seem easier to me, but it's actually a bit daunting. So, here we go.

I'm a very eager, young professional in Boston, MA who is hoping to find a great career in PR and really "hit the ground running" once I find it. I've always been a very creative, big-picture thinker and I want to become part of a team full of smart, passionate people. I've held several positions and internships where I've proven my PR and Marketing skills. These have included being the Marketing Assistant for a local children's theater, heading up the PR Campaign for a non-profit breast cancer organization and currently working as the Administrative Assistant for an Educational Non-Profit. I have a good non-profit background, but am not necessarily looking for this field specifically. I have very transferable skills and can take them anywhere. My hope is to find a position where I can devote 100% of my time to this and be surrounded by the best in the business so I can learn as much as possible. Please take a look at my LinkedIn profile to view more on my background.

You can connect with me here on my blog or:

Email:Aberns24@yahoo.com
Twitter: abernst
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/amyebernstein

Don't let your job / lack of job determine your happiness

2010-02-12T10:15:00.000-08:00

With the number of people lately who have been laid off, or who are simply in jobs that don't give them the satisfaction they desire, it leads me to wonder if our happiness is purely dependent on the jobs given to us, or if we can somehow create our own sense of happiness in this arena regardless of the actual conditions.

I was reading this article on the Careeralism website and it helped to affirm my thoughts that no matter what, we are in control of at least a bit of our career happiness. If you're unhappy between 9 and 5, there may be other opportunities to fill in the gaps of disappointment. Take a class in your field of interest, network, volunteer. But don't let others bring you down. Don't let job rejections make you feel that you can't be happy. As this article states, you CAN have your cake and eat it too. See link to article below.

5 Ways to Take Control of a Job That's Not Working
By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Tai Goodwin

I'm afraid of getting old

2010-02-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Pic courtesy of clipart.com

I don't know why, but the thought of aging really freaks me out. I know it effects everyone and it's just the natural progression of life, but I can't bear the thought of someday turning into a frail, wrinkly old woman who can't see well.

This isn't to say that I would rather not live until I get there. I certainly want to experience everything that life has to offer, but I enjoy doing it as a young person and I don't want to give that up.

Perhaps it's because I've just entered my late twenties and before I know it, I'll have hit the big 30. Wow, just saying that is scary. As a kid, I thought I'd always be a kid and an adult life was a far-away place that wouldn't effect me.

When I hit my thirties and forties, will I have to stop dressing young and start wearing mommy jeans? No way. I know plenty of thirty, forty and even fifty-somethings who still dress like they're 25. Phew. At least I can hold on to that. When I'm 80 will I have to give up tennis for cards and start complaining with the other little old ladies about our latest medical grievances? I hope not.

And having kids? That's a entire other story that I'm terrified of. I know there are many wonderful things that lay ahead and some say the best times in life are yet to come. I'm excited, but still a little terrified.

Decorating your apartment

2010-01-31T16:00:00.001-08:00

Photo courtesy of ikea.com

This morning I attempted to do some much needed decorating in our apt, specifically in the bedroom. Since we moved in this past September, the bedroom has left much to be desired or lacked some "flare" as some said. I used to think I had an eye for interior design. Well, I do not. I also have no skills whatsoever in hanging things on the walls or putting up curtains.

When I tried to put up the curtain rods, I was pretty set on doing it myself and not asking my boyfriend for help. Especially since he was sitting at his desk with his head buried in work. I thought I could seamlessly and quietly put them up without a problem. Ha. I may lack the skills, but more importantly I lack the height. Within 30 seconds, I managed to almost fall off the chair and the hardware went flying. So my boyfriend had to intervene. Since he was busy and had to interrupt his work to put up curtain rods, he joked that he'd do it for $30. I hope he was joking, because I'm not handing over that money.....

Ok, so the curtain rods were up and I was able to easily slide on the curtains. Presto, our room was transformed. Now for a few pieces of artwork. I know how to put some nails in the wall and hang up frames, no problem. Pat saw what I was about to embark on and he skeptically began asking me how I'm going to go about the process. "Well, I'm going to nail the picture hanger into the wall and then proceed to hang the frame on it."
"Ok, but you need to find a stud first or the nail will fall out. The stud finder is over there."

Long story short it was an hour later and I was using every other method I'd read about to find the stud, other than using the malfunctioning stud finder. I was about to give up when I called a trusted friend on the situation. They informed me, that you don't necessarily need to hang a frame right on a stud, only if it's very very heavy.
Thank goodness and with that the pictures were up. Only time will tell if they stay. And by the way, if anyone is interested in some interesting facts about wall studs, give me a call. I spent an hour researching them. grrr..

Next up, my dream is to go to IKEA and buy all the pieces in the HEMNES series...in white. SO pretty....

Working with recruiters on the job search

2010-01-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

Have you ever worked with a recruiter or "head hunter" as they're sometimes called, while on the job search? Have you found them helpful?

I've been on the job search 2-3 times since college and my overall consensus is that they can be good for temporary work, but when it comes down to needing that full time placement, they're not exactly the best.

During my latest job search, I consulted several recruiters in my desired field of work with the thought that it couldn't hurt. It didn't hurt, but it did waste my time. Of the 3-4 recruiters that I contacted, 2 of them actually got back to me and they seemed to bark opposite opinions at me.

One told me I don't exactly have the skills that a marketing professional would look for in a candidate, the other said I did have the right skills yet suggested that I fabricate my title. "Now wait a minute, I don't think you can do that" I exclaimed as she stood very seriously in front of me. "Oh, sure you can. People do it all the time. You have to spin your resume." Somehow, her suggestion didn't strike me as spinning, but more like lying. So, after that appointment, I gave up. I decided that in a semi-healthy to healthy economy, recruiters may be able to help you with temporary work. Yet if you're looking for someone reliable to find you the permanent job of your dreams, you're better off on your own. Anyone agree or disagree?

What’s a “Tweet-Up”?

2010-01-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

This is the response I’m likely to receive upon telling anyone who doesn’t actively use Twitter that I’m here to attend a tweet-up. (a meet-up of those who converse on Twitter) Luckily, I actively use Twitter so if there’s ever a situation when someone drops the lingo on me, I’m good to go and don’t run the risk of looking foolish.
This past Thursday evening, I attended a tweet-up that wasn’t my first, but it was the first where I had a hand in organizing the event. Back in December, I attended the Mass Conference for Women where 6,000 area women came to hear career speakers and network with each other. Being that there were so many women there, I didn’t feel that I networked in the ways I had hoped and didn’t make nearly the number of connections I was hoping for. Yet right after the event, some women started to converse on Twitter and I wrote a blog post on the event. This blog post was re-tweeted out to other users and before I knew it, I had several friends from the event that I hadn’t actually met there. I wanted to continue riding this momentum, so I suggested that we hold a post-conference tweet-up to give us a chance to meet in person and rehash the conference. A handful of women were interested and I found myself helping to plan the event and brainstorm future events for Mass Women.
Not only was I able to work with great women to make this event happen, but I also worked closely with the brains behind “Boston Tweet-Up” (@bostontweetup) a man by the name of Joselin Man who keeps an online calendar that lists Boston area tweet-ups and promotes them. When we asked him to post our event on his calendar, he gave us invaluable information on the best ways to create and promote our event. I cannot thank @JoselineMane enough!
I’m very excited to plan the next and continue to meet wonderful, smart women in the Boston area!

Change with the times or they'll change without you

2009-12-15T15:24:00.000-08:00

A perk for being a Boston College employee allows me the opportunity to take free classes. I'm taking a Marketing course right now and I'm in the midst of writing a paper on a case study of the Levi Strauss Co. Baby boomers: remember them? They were the super cool jeans you wore out on the town when you were a kid. Well, after researching this case study, I found out why the cool factor didn't stick with the jeans through the 90's and into the 21st century. The Levi Strauss company didn't change with the times. Therefore, the times up and changed without them. The baby boomers became parents and "mommy jeans" were about as cool as hangin' with your mom on a Friday night. Secondly, the level of variety that Levi's offered was slim. The new generation wanted choices. What did all this mean for Levi's? Their branding took a turn for the worst and so did their sales.

History does tend to repeat itself as today there are similarities with companies who aren't changing with the times, the social media times that is. If you're reading this blog, you're most likely in the know of the social media world and it's aggressive impact on business today. Yet we live with such a span of generations, the social media knowledge can be far different between the 20 somethings and the 50 somethings in the work force. So what's the consequence of someone who's out of the loop on social media yet trying to market their business effectively? Well, for all intensive purposes, the consequence is most likely lower visibility and lower profits. We need to go where the customers are, and they aren't the eyes in front of a magazine or ears next to a radio. Chances are, they are at a computer screen on Facebook, YouTube or Twitter. The many companies who have been able to embrace this fact have done well and will continue to do well. Those who refuse to get on board may face an imminent downfall. (unless of course their only clientele also refuses social media) What are some of your favorite brands and products out there? Try googling them and see where they come up. Do they have a facebook page and a twitter account? If the answer is yes, you can bet they'll be sticking around for a while! Ahh, back to paper writing I go, but thank you for allowing me to think out loud.

How many contacts on LinkedIn do you have?

2009-12-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

I was reading a post on Graduated Learning's blog the other day regarding LinkedIn contacts and how many is too many. So, how many is too many or is there such a thing?

It all depends on how you use LinkedIn and how you benefit from your contacts. I'm of the school of thought that says you should only connect with people with whom you've had enough correspondence with that should your name be dropped, they would know who you are. I have a handful of contacts who I barely know and haven't actually had a real conversation with. While it's rude to turn down a connection invite, is there a point to connecting with people you hardly know? For instance, several weeks ago I was researching a company I was interested in applying to for a job. I noticed a friend of mine is connected to an employee there so I asked for an introduction. My friend's response was that she doesn't really know this person and they probably wouldn't remember her should she contact her. So, I can't help but wonder how that's helpful.

Insight?

My day at The Mass Conference for Women

2009-12-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of Mass Conference for Women

I'm home from the Mass Conference for Women which was held at the Convention Center today in downtown Boston. I went in early this morning, as many mass women did, not knowing exactly what I would get out of it. I left satisfied and with a renewed sense of optimism and confidence in myself, my life and my career. Now I just hope that elated feeling lasts!

The Highlights from my point of view:

1) Tory Johnson: A NYT best-selling author, CEO and GAM contributor, her career advice is up there with Oprah in my opinion. I found her inspirational, yet down to earth and reachable at the same time. When she was done speaking, she wasn't whisked away in some limo, but I was actually able to talk with Tory at her booth later on in the day, letting her know how in awe she left me. She asked her audience "When was the last time you felt like a rock star?" You can do what you love and you should. So many women, myself included, get down and out about our achievements and feel that we'll never make our dreams come true. If anything, we'll settle for a life that is just ok. But we don't have to. Find what makes you happy and go do it! If you don't know of her or her organization Women for Hire, go look her up! She is a great motivator.

2) Suze Orman: I didn't go in being a huge fan of the financial genius, and to be honest, all I could think of when her name was thrown out was the SNL parody they do on her (which is quite funny) I must say I was a bit star struck when she spoke and I found her to be quite inspirational as well. Not just in the money field, but she encouraged us as women to reach for our dreams and told us the "only thing stopping you is you".

3) Marcus Buckingham: Oprah's career guru was only so many feet from me today as I listened to his awesome speech on life and "living your strongest life" He's got great data to back up his claims, so definitely check him out and his book!

4) Brittany Bergquist: Haven't heard of her? That's probably because she's only 19 years old yet has done more for the world than most women twice her age. When she was 13, she and her younger brother saw a news segment about a solider in Afghanistan who rang up a cell phone bill that equaled about $18,000. He was trying to keep in touch with his family and lent his phone to fellow soldiers for the same reason. She felt for the soldier and consequently created the non-profit Cell Phones for Soldiers which has now received over $2 million dollars in donations and over 500,000 prepaid calling cards to soldiers overseas. You go girl!

All in all, I may not have left with good concrete job interviews or contacts, but I feel inspired and sometimes that's all you need. Looking forward to next year!

Are you ever done working on your resume?

2009-12-02T12:10:00.000-08:00

How many of you would say you are continually working on perfecting your resume? Do you ever find a point where you think it's perfect?

I've found in the last few years that while looking for a job, my resume goes through so many revisions and not only do I end up with several different versions, but after sending it to employers, I continually update and re-work. The work of making it better is never done!

I've also found that asking for help from family, friends and professionals can sometimes be more than I hoped for. In the end, even if it's perfect, there will always be someone who has a different idea of how it should look. The same is true with employers. No matter how hard you work, there will always be some hiring manager who feels it isn't presented in the way they'd like.

To prevent yourself from over-dosing on resume advice, start with a few people, maybe one friend and one professional. Then put it down for a few days and look back when you have a fresh set of eyes. You can only work so hard, and if you allow an opinion from everyone, you will be glued to your desk forever!

What do we think about this?

Oprah's leaving us!

2009-11-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

Photo above courtesy of Harpo Inc.

I came home last night and upon checking my email, I noticed the headline "Oprah Ending her Talk Show"....whaaaaat? I immediately clicked on the link with the sub-caption "see her end date". Ugh, my heart sank.

Yup, it looks like she will make the big announcement on today's show at 4 p.m. Man, only Oprah needs to make an announcement that she's going to make an announcement. Who else can do that?

What is she going to do next? Where will her loyal viewers of 25 years go? Is there truth to the rumor that she is starting her own network called "The Oprah Winfrey Network". What would that be like? Ok, obviously we all have burning questions, but we can only hope that whatever her decision to do next may be, she'll continue her wonderful work of helping so many people every day and inspiring them to live better lives.

As a twenty-something, I know that her advice is wonderful and inspiring. She's always encouraging us to live our best lives, and that's so pertinent to us twenty-something's who are looking to make our way in the world, make a living and enjoy it at the same time. Seriously, if you don't currently follow her advice, you should start!

Well, I suppose if anyone knows what they're doing, it's Oprah. For more info, go to www.oprah.com

Let's chat after the show today and share thoughts!

How I use Facebook

2009-11-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

Above image courtesy of instructional.com

With the ever evolving use of social media platforms for business and personal, I find the two ways to use them are overlapping and becoming more blurred. When I started out with Facebook how ever many years ago, it was strictly for myself and my friends to connect. I don't think I was even out of college, so using it for business contacts, wasn't my main goal at that point. I continue to use facebook to keep up with my personal friends, but as my professional life is becoming more marketing oriented, I'm finding the pull to start using it for professional networking as well. I wouldn't normally have a problem with this, but there really are some areas that I want to keep "for friends only". I typically use LinkedIn and Twitter for my professional networking. Can I keep it this way? If I want to evolve with social media (as it's evolving every few hours practically)should I ditch the media platform as a "friends only" form? Social media experts, what do you think?

Hey Ladies!

2009-11-02T10:47:00.000-08:00

I just stumbled across a cool career website, targeted just for women! I found it while I was "googling" career fairs in Boston. It's a cool site with great resources and there are some great career fairs (a bit pricey but check them out!)

http://www.womenforhire.com

Is it wrong to ask for feedback?

2009-10-30T11:52:00.001-07:00

When you get a job rejection (which are a plenty right now if you can even get an interview)do you ever want to flat out ask "So what did I do wrong?" Of course! However, there are usually more diplomatic ways of approaching this. Hiring Managers would much rather give you the blanket answer that you were not chosen and move on. However for me, I always feel I could learn from the process and want to know why I wasn't picked, mainly so I can either work on the skills I don't have or stop blaming myself when I find out it had nothing to do with my qualifications. Maybe the manager would say "well, you had great experience but we found someone who had more." Or, they could say "you really didn't match our qualifications, here's what we're looking for" That would be great! If Hiring Managers gave that kind of feedback, I feel that I'd be all the more knowledgeable to go into the next interview. So, what's the best way to approach this? Thoughts? Best of luck to all those out there looking....

In need of some clarity...

2009-08-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I’ve been away a long time. I know, I know. Trust me, I feel badly about it. Why did I leave for so long you ask? Well, there may not be an easy answer. I could say that between April and the present, things have been crazy. Sure, that could be true. But, is it? In a way, yes. There have been circumstances in my life recently that have made it a tough time. Maybe I’ll decide to write about this in a future post. Mostly, I have been confused. I have been confused about what I want to continue writing about, what I want to do with my own career, hence have good material with which to write and whether or not this blog will help me get anywhere I want to be. In the midst of this befuddlement I have decided to put it on hold. As any blogger knows, it takes a great amount of time and effort to keep a blog successful. We all know that actual posting is only half of the work needed to keep up a great blog. Unfortunately too many new bloggers decide to abandon their baby blogs on this reasoning. I certainly don’t want to be one of those people. This is why I have decided to return today, maybe in hopes that my readers can help me find some clarity. Maybe they can help me find a path to continue writing that will both satisfy my needs and the needs of the readers.

I have been writing about careers and life during our twenties. It isn’t that I have completely lost material. I mean, I live life every day as a twenty something and there is always something that could be interesting. Maybe the problem is that I don’t think it’s interesting, so I doubt my readers will think so either. Maybe I have to make it interesting no matter what. I have always known that I do my best writing when I am writing from my heart. Perhaps I feel I haven’t been writing from my heart here, thus not keeping myself engaged.

I don’t think I want to change the topic of my blog. I just want to figure out the best way to keep writing and keep both myself and readers engaged. I’ll keep thinking and be sure to get back to you. In the mean time, let me know your thoughts as well.

xoxo
Roaring Twenty Something

Thanks for the feedback!

2009-04-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to thank all of you who responded to my last blog with wonderful feedback. Many of you alerted me to the fact that, not everyone's success is well received, even www.dooce.com had some serious repercussions initially! I guess it's safe to say that it's all ok because she is now doing wonderfully.

As for me, I am going to continue to plug away at my fine line between honesty and necessary constrictions in the blogosphere. With time, I'm sure I'll be able to come into my own and be very happy / hopefully successful!

Hope you all are having fabulous days, thanks again for reading and Happy Tuesday!

Do you want your blog to be completely honest?

2009-04-13T07:56:00.000-07:00

I know that people have blogs for several different reasons and some use the blogs on a professional platform, while others type in brutally honest opinions on life that may or may not be the best idea if they don't want to anger any of their loved ones, or work colleagues. Yet, I'm starting to think these are the blogs that become successful.

I've been studying some successful blogs lately to figure out which traits make them so popular. I think that many personal blogs, which may inevitably become business blogs as well, hold very authentic material where readers appreciate the brutal honesty and relate to it. For example, a wildly popular mommy blog, www.dooce.com was featured recently on Oprah and tells the tales of the REAL sides to being a mom. She isn't afraid to let loose and say it like it really is. Now, here is the thing. Who does she have to worry about angering? Probably no one. What if, like me, you want to have a blog about life and work in your twenties. I'll inevitably be dying to tell some great stories about some jerk at work one day. Would that be a good idea? Probably not. I know it's always possible they could read the post and well, then I'd be in trouble.

So, if I want to be honest in my posts, to attract readers, yet I have to remain very constricted as those readers may not like what they see, I think I'm in a bind.

I can still write on millions of topics, but if the reader doesn't feel I am coming across as genuine, is it worth it?

Thoughts?

7 ways to position yourself now for the upturn

2009-04-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

It feels a bit pointless to be sending out resumes right now and hoping for many signs of hope, simply because so many companies are not hiring. Is there anything you can do instead of sit around and wait? Yes!

Work on ways to position yourself now, so when the inevitable upturn does come around, you are ready to go. Here are 7 things to work on right now:

1) Network, network, network. Did I mention network? Economy good or bad, it's the single most effective way of getting a job. Join networking groups and go to as many networking events as possible.

2)Market yourself on the internet via facebook, twitter, linked in and blogs now and brand yourself (see previous post about Personal Branding with Dan Schawbel)

3) Do your research and target specific companies so you know who you are looking for at these networking events. Research them and be ready to talk about why you want to work for them, on a moment's notice.

4)Update your resume and have it critiqued to make sure it's perfect.

5)Seek out volunteer opportunities in your area as a resume builder. Try to volunteer in the field you are hoping to work. You never know, they may keep you as a full time employee!

6)When the time comes for you to answer why you are interested in working for this company etc, be ready with a sharp and articulate answer. It sounds easy, but practice now so you don't stumble around when the time comes.

7)When a job opens up, find ways to get there first. DON'T wait for the job to be posted on monster.com. Do you know how many resumes they are going to get? Most likely in the thousands. This can easily be accomplished though networking and that way you'll hopefully have the direct email of the hiring manager.

Good luck and let's hope companies start to hire again soon!

Re-inventing yourself as an adult

2009-04-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

How many of you longingly hold onto your childhood, teenage and early twenties years for as long as you can? How many feel that you have truly come into your own as an adult and only look back occasionally at those effervescent past times? Do any of you think you know exactly who you are as a child, yet you have no idea who you are as an adult? Welcome to my world. I'd say for the past 5 years or so, I have essentially been in a quarter life crisis that I can't work my way out of.

On this blog, I write about life and careers of our fellow twenty somethings. I can spit out a load of things about my career aspirations, yet I have no idea what type of person I want to become, what kind of mother I'll be and most importantly for me, which friends I'll have by my side throughout.

See, I grew up with the best friends a girl could ever ask for. I didn't exactly live with the Partridge family, so my best friends were very important to me and they truly were like family. Growing up, I always thought these brothers and sisters of mine, would stay that way forever. We'd be at each other's weddings, we'd have babies together and while the babies would go to the same play groups, us moms would sip tea somewhere on a patio and chat. Everything felt this way until the time we were were graduating from college. (5 or so years ago) As people moved to all sides of the country, things began to change. Phone calls happened less often and life became routine without these people in my life. It has always made me sad, but I didn't realize the true heartbreak of it until some of us started getting married. I haven't been invited to some weddings that I always thought I'd be at for sure. I understand, we simply don't keep in touch enough and weddings can get very expensive. But it hurts. So, I have attempted to keep in better touch. I will send emails and call and do my best, sometimes with success and sometimes without. What can you do if it just doesn't work? Should you keep trying or just focus on the few that really matter and who do make an effort to stay in touch?

Maybe, I just need to focus on creating more exciting and happy things in my adult life, instead of wishing for the past. Perhaps my adult life isn't getting as much attention, and it's waiting for me to do something amazing with it, while always having those past memories. Can anyone relate?

Self-Analysis tests: friends or foes?

2009-04-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of ehow.com

Have you ever taken a personality or career test? What did you think? Odds are the test didn’t exactly give you a miracle. Yet, it didn’t hurt right? For the past year, I have been taking classes in the Communications Dept, working to obtain a post-graduate certificate in Communications Studies. Unfortunately, the school doesn’t offer any grad programs in Communications. I am currently taking a course called Organizational Behavior. As a piece of the course, we are instructed to take several Self-Analysis tests that help us to determine our working and learning styles. They’re strikingly similar to personality tests you may be acquainted with.

Upon starting the first test, I couldn’t be convinced I would learn a thing from it that I didn’t already know. I was mostly right; however it did get me thinking more about what I want out of a work environment and helped me to conceptualize my thoughts in a more organized manner. If I ever need to come up with an on the spot speech of what my basic needs for a work environment are, I am all set. I suppose that’s always better than stumbling around, trying to articulate them in a manner that makes sense to others. So, here we go. I have a high level of need for achievement. This I know. I always want to appear in the best light possible and hope my supervisors and colleagues sing my praises as long as I am here. I don’t know if I a perfectionist, but I may be more of one than I thought.

I have a very high need for affiliation and work best in a group setting. I think this is attributed to being a part of many groups growing up. It’s where I am happiest, and thus when I am most productive. Sure, everyone needs their independent times to focus and get things done, but generally I am a people person.

Since I am young, I haven’t been in to many situations where I have most of the power, but the few times I was, I loved it. I love supervising others and feel I am a great listener, honest and fair. This will be good for my future, I hope. What does everyone else think of these and what do you think about your own basic needs in a work environment?

Are you mad, but left with no choices?

2009-04-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

So, my sister, just returned from a "job interview" which she started to tell me about, by saying that it would be good material for my blog. Well, hey, I never leave good material in the dust, so shoot. Yet this made me very curious to find out how it went! Quite the opener.

Laid off a few months ago, she clearly is in no position to be picky about possible interviews or jobs at this time, plus this possibility sounded like a good one. So, after driving about an hour into Boston and arriving 15 minutes ahead of her "scheduled" interview time, she was ready to go. A lovely HR woman came out and met with her, had a great conversation and then instructed my sister to wait while she went to get the other woman whom she would be meeting with.

10 minutes and 2 magazine flip through's later, the same woman arrived looking very flustered. "I am SO sorry, but it looks like she is caught in a meeting and she cannot meet with you right now; we'll have to re-schedule. So sorry to make you come all the way out here."

Wow. Now, if this were to happen to you, would you even want to go back? It would clearly leave an awful taste in any one's mouth, but when you are unemployed in this economy, what choice may you have?

Personal Branding with Dan Schawbel

2009-03-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last Monday evening, I attended an area networking event where I had the good fortune to hear Dan Schawbel as the keynote speaker and his expertise on personal branding. What is this “personal branding” you ask? Well, it’s something any job seeker, or success seeker for that matter, should be aware of. It mostly applies to folks well attuned to the social media world, but can be used for almost any field. As he put it, it is the way in which you market yourself to others. It greatly increases your chances of standing out in a crowd and bringing in new opportunities, whatever those may be.

For those who are job searching: personal branding, when done correctly, will keep you consistent and creative, help you stand out and hopefully the hiring managers will already have heard your name around from your blog or twitter. These seem to be the keys! Network yourself and keep yourself consistent so people get to know you!

As I said earlier, it applies very strongly to those in the blogosphere who will most likely be on twitter and other social media sites. If you have a blog, keep the design and the content consistent. Put links everywhere so people can find you no matter which site they are on. AND most importantly, decide which avenue your strengths belong to and play up to them. If you’re a writer, start a blog, if you are a photographer, snap away and post them on flicker. Get people to know you!

Dan Schawbel’s website contains a ton of great resources and he even has a book out on the subject. All this and he’s in his twenties! Good for this twenty something that’s showing everyone that you can become anyone you want, and personal branding can definitely help you along the way. Check him out!

New IT / Network Management business based in Boston, MA

2009-03-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

My brother-in-law, Nick Sanderson is building his own IT consulting business based in Boston, but operating remotely as well. Here is his website. Check him out!

www.sandersonnetworks.com

You can also follow the business on twitter at SandersNetwork

Have a great day everyone!!!

The value of Twitter

2009-03-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

How many of you use Twitter? What do you primarily use it for? How often do you "tweet"?

I have been on twitter for a few months now, and I'm finding it an interesting way to connect with those you never would normally connect with. It's also a great way to hook up with some people who currently work at companies you are interested in working for. I'm still trying to figure out what my best use of twitter is, however. It's a great place to post thoughts, news articles etc and get feedback and or comments. I also find it amazing how quickly some people get back to you, it's practically like instant messenger.

Yet, how often is to often? I mean, with the speed that people respond, I sometimes wonder if anyone does anything else all day. To be truthful, it started to make me a bit crazy, thinking I had to check it every 2 seconds! I have to work as well! Hmm, I'm sure with time I'll settle into my own twitter routine. Perhaps I'll use it to my advantage and post some career questions and see which experts respond. All in all, it's a great way to become a social media maven! Not to mention a great way to promote your blog!

What do Friday's mean to you?

2009-02-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

Question for the day:

As Thursday draws to a close, what do Friday's mean to you? Excitement? Relief? Anyone not like Fridays?

Guest Post on "Blogging as a Business"

2009-02-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

Please check out my guest post today, on "blogging as a business" on www.urbanmusewriter.com!

Do you feel badly when you "call in sick"?

2009-02-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

Whenever I am sick, I always feel really badly about it. Now, granted I have a bit of an anxiety issue about work to begin with, but I am always worried that my boss is thinking something like "She's not really sick...I bet she's pulling a Ferries Bueller." Why do I think that? I know that rationally, she believes that I am sick and hopes I get better soon. But for some crazy reason, I get it into my head, that I am a lazy person, just because I got sick for a day. I know, I know what you're all thinking. I understand rational thoughts on the outside, they just don't always exist in my head. Am I crazy?

Do you like home design and decor?

2009-02-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

This is just a personal plug to get you to check out my sister's blog at http://mooninthetenthhouse.blogspot.com/

Check it out!

Office Vibes: good, bad and what to make of them

2009-01-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

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Photo courtesy of tv.com

Happy Friday! So, we all know how the melting pot of different personalities in one office can make way for interesting dynamics. If you’re office is comprised of several type A’s who have to work together on a daily basis, well, duck and cover. On the other hand, an overwhelming amount of type B’s could be a dream or a disaster. What do you do when you and another personality just don’t click? You think you’re receiving negative vibes, yet you don’t feel obliged to do much about it, and really, what can you do?

Take the scenario of you and Jane “Attitude” Anderson. Her emails are short; she doesn’t say much to you other than hi and bye. You even think you may have caught an eye roll the other day when you dropped something on her desk. Is there anything you can do? Probably not. As long as you’re doing your job to the best of your ability, take it with a grain of salt. This however, is much easier to say than do. I’m the type of person who takes most things rather personally, even if they are not directed that way in the least. Or, sometimes I’d like to give them a sign stating “I hate my life, don’t take it personally.” For me, I know I need to work on separating myself more from other people’s issues. They have nothing to do with me!

Then, there is you and your office BFF who seem to work together and play together seamlessly. You agree on most things, you get things done and you laugh while doing it. How does this work? It’s so interesting, because sometimes when personalities come together just right, it makes for such a pleasant work environment. It’s too bad we can’t administer personality tests for the office upon accepting positions, especially tests on your boss!

Find your passion: Even if you can’t engage in it between 9 and 5

2009-01-27T12:34:00.000-08:00

What’s your passion? A friend asked me over dinner the other night. I immediately assumed they were referring to what my passion would be in the work world, to which I immediately starting muttering that I am not exactly sure and then began listing my hopes and dreams for work while gesturing my hands rapidly. Amidst my blabbering that I was rolling off the tongue as I had so many times, they stopped me and clarified. Shaking their hands, trying to get me to slow down, No, not necessarily for a career, but do you have any other passions that make you happy in life?

I replied that I like to write. Yet, thinking to myself, I was wondering if that is a passion or a semi-passion. My inner thoughts began listing yoga, dancing, tennis…But are any of these my passions? Do I do or play them enough to be considered passions? Hmmm. Maybe I need to pick a real passion so I can be prepared for that type of question.

My friend told me all about their passion for volleyball and running; that obviously doesn’t include their career. They happen to be a teacher, so of course their career is one of their passions, but they were making the point that it’s important to find other passions to complete your life.

So you can’t fulfill your hopes and dreams between the hours of 9 and 5 right now. That doesn’t mean you’re off the list to fulfill other hopes and dreams outside of work. Or, you love your job. Either way, join a hockey league, a dance group or anything that makes you happy. Hopefully you’ll find it fills a hole you have in another way. I can’t speak from direct experience, as I’m exploring what my true passion could be, but last night I took the first ballet class I’ve taken in years. You never know where your passions could lead you. Good luck!

P.S. If anyone knows exactly how to make block quoting work in blogger, let me know. I can't get it to work!

Oprah talks careers with Marcus Buckingham

2009-01-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of O Magazine

Oprah Winfrey, the world-wide queen of talk shows, knows what she’s talking about! Recently, if you at all follow Oprah, she has been doing something that she calls her “Best Life Series” where she focuses on helping people all over the world live the best lives they can live. She believes everyone should awaken to their higher purpose in life, especially in careers, since work takes up 1/3 of our entire life!

I happened to be browsing I-Tunes the other day, looking for some good music to buy, and to my delight, I came across some free podcasts from the Oprah Show! Marcus Buckingham, a British career guy, or “Strength Coach” as he calls himself, does a whole series of workshops to help people find guidance in their careers and in life. He also happens to be Oprah’s main career guy these days. His website offers even more information on his work.

He focuses on the fact that everyone should continually find ways to highlight their strengths, not their weaknesses. He says that only 12 % of people actually work on their strengths as opposed to their weaknesses, since our culture deems that more appropriate. According to Buckingham, people who find ways to continually build on their strengths are happier and far most successful than those who don’t. Unfortunately, many people are unhappy at work. Much of this unhappiness can be accounted for because people are drowning in their weaknesses. I know I feel like I am sometimes. Yet, is it really that easy? Probably not, as these days most people simply need a paycheck to get by, no room to worry about whether or not they like their jobs. Listening to this podcast, has reaffirmed for me that we all need to set aside some time in our lives, to figure out what it is we want and where we excel. Who else agrees?

Sorry!

2009-01-20T11:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry fellow readers! I must say that I am embarrassed not to have posted in 2 weeks. I guess I have been a bit caught up with classes starting (I'm taking 2 classes free in addition to working full time) AND good news I have offered to do a guest blog for a friend who is taking a vacation in Feb. Her blog is www.urbanmusewriter.com and she blogs all about writing etc. I just sent her my guest post so I'm hoping she publishes it in Jan. I'll keep everyone updated!

The only good thing about Mondays

2009-01-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

Above photo courtesy of tv.com

My favorite thing about yesterday was coming home from the gym at 7:45 (yes I actually went!) and slipping into my pj’s just in time for a whole new year of Gossip Girl. Twisted girl drama definitely lived up to my expectations, but oddly; sometimes I just want Dan and Serena, and Chuck and Blair to stay together happily for at least a minute. Is that so much to ask? I guess there wouldn’t be a show….but arrggh….I love the couple’s and secretly just want them to live happily ever after.

Now, as far as Lily and Rufus go, can you say baby mama drama? I have to admit, at the end of last season when I heard Rufus utter the question “Was it a girl or a boy” I was totally convinced that we would soon find out Serena and Dan were brother and sister unbeknownst to them and Rufus was a father to both of them. Now that would have been somethin’. Sharing a sibling? Meh. At least they aren’t related.

As far as the dying hero Chuck goes, what will become of this train wreck? I certainly don’t foresee him ever chumming happily at home with the Vanderwoodsen’s. His sorry excuse for an Uncle, introduced last night, seems like nothing but trouble. Who will take on this lost puppy?

As soon as the show ends, I always google the blogs to see what people are saying about next week. I think there should be more gossip girl bloggers out there! I probably won’t spend every tues morning depicting last night’s episode, but I think someone should.

xoxo
Gossip Girl Forever!

What is the best way to keep new years resolutions?

2009-01-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the real world everyone! Today is my first day back at work, which means no more lounging for me and no more sleeping in. (boooo) Since I’ve returned from vacation, I’ve had a powerful surge of new year energy that has allowed me to clean and organize my apartment, and hopefully my life. I cleaned off and organized my desk so I’ll want to actually do work there, thus fending off the possibility of procrastination.
The other aspect I dove right into is the gym. Yet, here is the funny part. I was rather determined to get back to the gym and burn off all those holiday calories. I decided a tough cardio kickboxing class would be a great start, or so I thought. I ended up pulling a muscle in my leg and have a hard time moving it! Wow, go me. Will I ever learn to take it easy? I really want to keep my new years resolutions that include self organization, self discipline and a good workout schedule. I am going to try something here. I will list my first few criteria for keeping new years resolutions. For the rest of the list, I need your help! Please help me finish my list by leaving great tips on how to keep a routine going and not cutting those resolutions short! I hope you all have some great resolutions and are sticking to them as well!

Tips to help stick with your new years resolutions:

1) Write down all your goals and how you’ll achieve them so you don’t forget anything. (believe me I do this often as I have the shortest term memory ever) Look back at them periodically until you get into a routine without needing to look.
2) Crack the whip on yourself at first. Don’t allow yourself to skip out the first few times or you’ll never get into a routine. I hear that it takes 2 weeks to establish a routine that feels normal.
3) Find ways to keep yourself motivated. No matter what works for you, do it. Motivation is key.

What else?!

Just like old times...

2008-12-29T12:10:00.001-08:00

Greetings from Upstate NY!
I am currently spending a few days in my old hometown, seeing friends and family with my boyfriend. Christmas was wonderful and now we are hanging here until Thursday. I love to visit this place, but the thought of moving back here makes me rather depressed. I look at all the old hangouts that still look the same and are in need of a makeover. Now more than ever, there are many buildings that look as if they are on their last legs. This town is quite nice in many ways, but I suppose in comparison to Boston, there is much left to be desired. Especially the job situation. I told you all in an an earlier post about how my boyfriend wants to ultimately move back here and teach at his old high school. The last few days have given me a realistic glimpse as to what a life would look like here. I can't even give you a description because it would be to sad for me. I'd be very lucky to have a job, or any job for that matter that actually made me feel worthwhile. I would probably have to work at restaurant to make ends meet. There is a good chance that I'd be one of those women who hated her job but was stuck there until who knows when...I don't want that kind of life! No!! I say no! Ahhh...that felt good. Anyways, this vacation is nice, but I'm thinking that I'll need a vacation when I get home because we are so busy! Anyways, I hope everyone had a great holiday and has a wonderful new years!!!!

Waiting to recover in more ways than one

2008-12-21T10:32:00.000-08:00

I just realized that the next few weeks will be necessary for a recovery in more ways than one. First off, I'm having a minor eye surgery tomorrow. Yesterday, I was getting really nervous, but today I am more anxious to just get it over with! Also, I am officially out of money for christmas presents. Yup, I'm done. Hopefullly the next few weeks will also provide recovery to my bank account as well. Oh, and did I mention that my boyfriend, who makes far less money than me, somehow has much more money for christmas presents? I don't get it. How does he do it? Grrr. Not to mention that our city needs to recover from 2 consecutive snowstorms that have left things less than fun outside. On Wednesday I'm headed out of town for about a week so I will post when I get back! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and a good recovery for everyone's bank accounts!!!

2 weeks vacation

2008-12-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

So I am about one day away from a full 2 weeks of Holiday vacation. Since I work at a Catholic University, its a bonified Christmas VK. But for me, its just a VK with a dash o' holiday. However, this Monday, the first official day of my VK, I will be undergoing a minor eye surgery. YIKES! I recently found out that I have a condition called strabismus which basically means that both my eyes don't work together because one of my eyes has a muscle that is weak or paralyzed. (sounds worse than it is) When I look in certain angles, some objects become double and it's hard to focus. Contrary to popular belief, its different than a lazy eye, although if you catch me at the right time, it can look like one. I've heard and read that it's a minor procedure and the recovery time is just a day or two. So hopefully by Wednesday, when we leave for my boyfriends parent's house, I will back to my old self. Other than my wisdom teeth, I've never undergone surgery, but I am trying to stay positive! If anyone has ever undergone this surgery, let me know what it was like! I try and update after wards to let you all know how it went. For now, Happy Holidays and enjoy some well deserved time off from work!

Up in the air

2008-12-16T07:02:00.000-08:00

Do you hate when pieces of your life are up in the air? My lovely boyfriend will be graduating from a master’s program this May which means he’ll start looking for big boy jobs as he calls them. We’ve been talking about this on and off for several months. Where will he get this big boy job? Good question. We live in Boston and there are plenty of opportunities here for him, but that doesn’t mean we will ultimately end up staying here. It all depends. So here is his big dream: He wants to move back to our home town and teach at his old high school. If that sounds great to him, it sounds awful to me. Our home town is a fairly economically depressed place which is lovely to visit, but there are very few jobs. I highly doubt I would find a decent job there and as far as a career, I can basically forget about it. Plus, I have no friends there anymore. So, sounds like someone will have to make a sacrifice. I trust that we’ll work it out together but I’d rather not have to go through a battle in the process. The irritating part is, its all hypothetical right now, there isn’t a point in getting worked up about a possibility that hasn’t even come to fruition. So, for now we’ll just wait and hope that things work out for both of us.

Secrets at work

2008-12-12T09:14:00.000-08:00

If you’ve always thought of your office as a fairly professional place, but lately you feel there may be a secret or two going around, what are you to think of it? I am certainly not one to engage in secrets (unless it’s a really good one) Just kidding…

I especially don’t feel that I have too many comrades with whom I would indulge in such scandalous behavior, so I think that my best place in this potential mess is to be a fly on the wall. It’s sort of fun that way. You don’t have to be involved. You just sit at your desk and pretend to be deep in work and not at all listening to the whispers around you, but you can go home and giggle about how silly other people are acting when they’re suppose to be professional. It’s always surprising when you find someone who has been in the working world for so long, closing there door and whispering. I mean, really?

When people begin to whisper and then close their doors right in front of me, I always wonder what it is they are thinking. Clearly, I know something strange is going on…oh well!

If Santa Claus is coming to town this year, he’s not coming to my office!

2008-11-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

The Holiday season is on its way...which usually means that you can expect a myriad of Holiday parties in the office. I work at a University, so not only does my specific building usually do a Holiday party, but the President of the University has one, in addition to my specific program’s annual party. That’s 3 parties right there, in addition to other dept’s parties, which if you want, you can crash. Well, bad news came via email this morning. It went something like this.

“As a result of the current financial turmoil, the University is cancelling all Holiday Parties that involve University Funds.”

Buuuummer. Last year, I went to the President’s annual Holiday Luncheon which included foods such as Chicken Cordon Bleu, Filet Mignon and everything else that spells A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Oh well, I’ll have to make my own this year and pretend that I got it for free, along with a half-day. Maybe they’ll still give us the half-day? I’m not trying to be a complainer; I understand the reasoning behind this. Not to mention, that while I can’t enjoy the phenomenal display of food fare, I realize there are many families who are struggling to figure out how they’ll be able to celebrate anything this year. This is definitely the year for people to give anything they can to the needy. Hope all those who will enjoy office parties this year, have a good time!

A dream office...

2008-11-20T11:05:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of potterybarn.com

Pamela, from Pamela's Pink Pencil (http://pamelaspinkpencil.blogspot.com/) gave me the idea of writing about and displaying my dream office.

I want an office where I love to stay from 8 a.m. until late afternoons when the sun goes down. I would love to watch the sun go down through my big windows, beaming off my white office furniture. Ahhh..doesn't it sound so relaxing? I couldn't find a picture of exactly what I would dream of, but I found something fairly close. Don't blame me for liking Pottery Barn, it's good stuff! What do other dream offices look like?

Pacing yourself on the job hunt

2008-11-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

Everyone approaches the job hunt differently. I tend to get really excited at the thought of a new and exciting career so my energy level is at its highest when I first start out. I spend hours doing Internet searches, writing cover letters and signing up for networking events all over. Pretty soon, I realize I don’t have time to take a shower. I thought I was having fun! Well, it is usually fun, but if I don’t pace myself, I get burnt out rather quickly.

Even when I’m not actively looking for a job, I try to spend as much time networking as I can. You never know who you could meet and where. It’s important to never close any doors, even when you’re not actively searching. I live in Boston and there are opportunities for networking events practically every night of the week. While it sounds fun and exciting, having to be “on” all the time can get very tiring. Realize that you can’t do it all and pick and choose which events will best suit your career pursuits and your personal schedule. Some events are free, while other can cost upwards of $100 or anywhere in between. Make sure you’re spending your money for the right reasons.

When actively on the quest for a new job, it’s important to create a strategic plan before you begin. Perhaps even a schedule of when you’ll spend a few hours applying, so you don’t get distracted. If you happen to come across an open position, but don’t have time to start applying, send the link to your email and deal with it later. It’s important to prioritize! An organized and conscientious candidate always comes across more appealing than one who is scattered and can’t remember which company to address the cover letter to.

Leave it up to the Obamas...

2008-11-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

Above courtesy of Reuters.com, showing the puppy that Peru has so graciously offered to the Obamas...

Hi all roaring twenty something fans,

I know my blog is focused on careers, so my apologies for digressing to the election jargon for the last few posts. I will come back with better than ever info on all your career needs and desires!

For today, I thought I would just touch on something I think the media and society is spending to much time thinking about. Who cares what kind of dog the Obama's choose as the first dog? It shouldn't be up to anyone except for his family. The Obama family will have plenty of decisions to make in the next 4 years that need to involve the good citizens of the United States. So, please let them have one thing they can choose on their own! Let them choose a puppy they will love and remind them that they are also a happy American family, just like the rest of us.

P.S. The above picture is sickening. I think the girls will pass on this one...Thanks Peru.

A historic day for America...

2008-11-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

As I sat in the comfort of my own home last evening, I was grateful to be a part of history in the making. I knew that staying up just a little bit later would be worth it, for it wouldn't have been the same to simply watch the re-play the next morning. I will always remember the evening when I watched the first African-American man become elected President of the United States. His victorious speech on America and the change to come was inspiring to all, red or blue. As Barack Obama has said himself, "We are not red states, we are not blue states, but the United States of America."

God Bless America!!!!

Free Starbucks today!!!

2008-11-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

Image courtesy of Starbucks, inc.

Starbucks is giving out free cups of coffee today to anyone who voted. Awesome! But how do they know if you voted? I didn't get a sticker...did you?

We can’t always do it all

2008-11-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

A huge piece of information I have learned about myself in the past few years, is that I really do want to do it all sometimes and I can’t. I want to work full time, be a part of every organization, take classes, and take on a part time job to supplement my income and resume…and have a life without going insane. Believe me, I’ve actually tried it. It doesn’t work.

Perhaps this is my twenty-something, vigorous mind talking, perhaps I don’t feel satisfied, and want to find my way into a new situation. Whatever the reason, it’s a blessing and a curse! Funny thing is I wasn’t always like this. I wasn’t overly involved in high school or college. It wasn’t until I entered the work force that I realized, I’m on my own and don’t have anything to fall back on except myself.

Right now I work full time; I am doing my best to network as much as I can, so I get my name out there and hopefully land my dream job sometime soon. Oh, I’m also taking a class. Did I mention that? I know, I’ve learned my lesson so I am trying to take it easy. I’m not super woman, but I want to feel like it.

Roaring Twenties Writer

Big News: I'm a published writer!

2008-10-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Simon and Schuster

As an aspiring writer, (of some kind or another) I can officially say my first piece of work has been published! Yes, I wrote a non-fiction story (although it’s been fairly fictionalized) for the Chicken Soup Books, submitted the story and they actually accepted it! I have been overjoyed that I will see my name in print, but have been so busy the last few months that I have actually forgotten for a while. I didn’t have a clue what the big box from Simon and Schuster was when I got home yesterday, but upon opening I saw the 10 free copies of the book they said I’d receive. Happy early birthday to me! It was exciting and now I’m giving out my free copies to friends and family. If you would like to read my lovely story about the times and trials of adolescents purchase Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teen’s Talk Middle School edition now! (see pic)This is a big accomplishment for me and I hope it opens new doors in the world of writing.

Job rejection blues

2008-10-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you’ll wait just a few days after an interview to find out if you got the job. Sometimes you’ll have to wait weeks. Either way, that period of anxiety where you just want an answer can be a grueling one. I have several friends on the job hunt right now, and I hear many stories about their wonderful or not so wonderful interviews. I know how these interviews can leave you feeling excited or totally bummed. However, if you get turned down your day can go from bad to worse, fast. It’s easy for your confidence to plummet and you to agonize over what you did wrong. Truth is, much of the time it has nothing to do with you. I realized this as I talked through a rejection with a friend of mine. Office politics or bad timing can turn into a rejection. I think it’s important to remember this and not put yourself down. After all, you should be judging them just as much as they’re judging you. A new position should be a good match for both parties involved. A rejection can even be a blessing in disguise, and I think that everything always happens for a reason!

The lure of Graduate School

2008-10-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

While dining with friends the other night, the topic of the current state of the economy came up. (Whoa big surprise) We rambled how it’s a tough time for anyone looking for a job right at the moment or in the near future. One of the women at the table interjected

"Well, this is probably a good time to go back to school then".

This does have some merit. But is it always the best idea to use Graduate School as an easy out? What if we don’t know what we want to go to graduate school for? Would spending between $50,000 and $100,000 make sense unless we knew for certain what we would do with the extra degree? Many careers don’t even need an extra degree. It’s important to do your research. Winding up with a whole bunch of debt you can’t pay off, because no company cares if you have this degree, will be a sad situation.
The idea of Graduate School has been pretty appealing to me at times. The thoughts of leaving my work responsibilities and office politics behind for a while to bask in intellectual stimulation sound great. Who doesn’t love being a student? It can be a lot more fun than working.
It also seems like it could be an easy out for many people who don’t know what their next step is. I’m surprised to meet so many people these days who are in graduate school that don’t actually know what they want to do afterward. My initial inclination is

“Um, why did you start a program if you still don’t know what you want to do?”

When I ask that question a lot more diplomatically, their answer is usually something along the lines of

“I’m just avoiding the real world for now.”

Well, good luck with that.

Am I a good mentee candidate?

2008-10-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

My local vocational services organization has a great mentoring program. You speak with the Mentor Coordinator about your interests and she matches you up with a mentor who works in your field of interest. The point is to meet with your mentor monthly, to discuss career goals and how to obtain those goals. When I heard about the program, I immediately signed up with enthusiasm.

I was matched with a woman who has worked in the marketing industry for over 30 years. We had a very nice dinner and talked about many different things related to my current and hopeful career. She gave me some good advice and pointers. When dinner was over, I didn’t feel like she had anything more to tell me, and didn’t see a point in meeting again. I thought to myself, “What more could she tell me that she hasn’t already?” Maybe it wasn’t the greatest match. So I got re matched and met with a woman who is the Public Relations Director for a local non-profit organization. She was great. She had many interesting things to tell me about the industry. I told her about my interests, my goals and what I’m doing to obtain them. She seemed to think I had everything planned out well. Perhaps so well that she couldn’t tell me anything else that I didn’t know already?

Am I a bad mentee candidate? Or am I just not meeting the correct mentor? Perhaps I simply don’t know what I want out of a mentor, and therefore not finding a good match. I’m hesitant to ask for a 3rd match for fear the match maker will confirm my thoughts that I’m not a good mentee candidate. Or maybe she’ll just think I’m extremely picky.

I don't wear my political heart on my sleeve, especially at work.

2008-10-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

We all know the hot topics at the water cooler these days: Politics this, politics that, John “Maverick” McCain, Obama, Palin Schmalin. I’ve found the continual conversation at work and home very stimulating the last few months, but at work I don’t show my cards very often. I’m a twenty something living in Massachusetts, so it would be extremely fitting for me to jump on the liberal bandwagon with my Obama flag in hand. On the job, I don’t feel it’s appropriate or professional. Sure, it’s fun to take a break and gather round to watch Tina Fey’s latest installment of the Sarah Palin chronicles, but keep it professional. You never know who you could be offending and then you may be writing your judgment ticket. What if it’s your boss that you offend? It’s a sensitive topic that I feel should be left at home. If you do decide to run the risk, be prepared to back yourself up. I see far too many people who are more than willing to stick a political sticker on themselves, without actually knowing why they believe in their candidate. This is another reason I don’t always voice my opinion. If I’m going to voice it, I better know what I’m talking about. In the end, I think everyone will value your even-keeled, professional manner.

I survived my first networking event

2008-10-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

On Thursday evening I nervously wandered my way into M.J. O’Connor’s Bar for my first networking event. I couldn’t find a friend to accompany me, so I went solo. I’d say this was for the better in the end, as I didn’t have anyone to hide behind.

I wouldn’t say that my jitters and I were off to a fantastic start when I arrived. Now to some, my whimpering may sound silly and juvenile, but I was nervous! The first gathering of people I saw included 4 or 5 tall men who would probably have nothing to do with me, except perhaps mistake me for their intern. Yet here I was. There was no turning back now and I took a deep breath and smiled.

After I shook hands with the men, I stood there feeling like I was shrinking and hoped I would make it 5 minutes before fading into the background. They spoke of mergers and CEO’s and I thought to myself “oh boy”. Yet after a few minutes and some women joined the group, I was at ease. These older business suits were actually interested in hearing what I do and were able to give me valuable feedback on my questions regarding careers. We talked about the difference between marketing departments in companies and agencies, the era of the blog and the rise of social media. By the end of the evening, I had met interesting people, exchanged business cards and set up a possible informational interview. Sweet! My work here is done. Until the next event…which I am rather excited about now.

xoxo
Roaring Twenties

Just believe in yourself: More than a saying?

2008-10-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

We all know that attitude is everything. If we have a bad attitude and believe we won’t get the job we want or the raise we asked for, we certainly won’t. Our sour mindset will somehow seethe out, onto the object of our affection. It always does, right?

I’ve been doing some reading the last few days, on the power of our subconscious minds. (Powerful stuff!)According to my research our subconscious minds, better known as our ships of which our conscious minds are the captains, stores all of our behaviors and experiences. These behaviors, experiences and emotions are apparently directly responsible for every course we take in life and the outcome. Our subconscious is under direct orders from our conscious minds. Even though we do not realize it, our conscious attitudes truly do matter in what the outcomes of our hopes and dreams are. If we think that we won’t make the next round of interviews, our subconscious minds listen and we do not make it. So, with this knowledge of the power of our subconscious, evidently we can become masters of our own universe.

Now this makes a lot of sense. A book by Dr. Joseph Murphy, entitled The power of your subconscious mind says “When your mind thinks correctly, when you understand the truth, when the thoughts deposited in your subconscious mind are constructive, harmonious and peaceful, the magic working of your subconscious will respond and bring about harmonious conditions, agreeable surroundings and the best of everything.” This author and others I’ve researched have continually suggested that we all consciously convince ourselves of what we want, and poof there it will be. Now I don’t know if it will really be that simple, but I’m sure going to try. Maybe we can all try consciously convincing ourselves of one little thing this week that we want to change in our lives and careers and see what happens. It will be a great experiment!

A follow up

2008-09-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

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....

2008-09-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-09-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-09-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-09-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-09-12T07:04:00.000-07:00

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