Selling your soul to "the man"...for FREE!

Student loan debt, rising unemployment rates, #occupywallst. These are words that are becoming all too common. As a recent college graduate, I know these words well. When I first entered college, I was unsure as to what I wanted to do with my life. People kept insisting that a business degree was the best option because “you could do anything with a business degree.” This sounded great to me, so I enrolled in the school of business and graduated with a BA in Business Administration. Senior year rolls around, I just completed an internship for a company the summer before and now I’m ready for a real life job. As it turns out, 2009 was a horrible year to graduate with a business degree. No one was hiring! The only jobs (if you can even call them that) to be found were unpaid internships. The catch, these unpaid internships are actually entry-level positions, disguised as internships so that the companies no longer have to pay anyone to do the job…In the last few years, paying jobs have become a luxury rather than a fact of life. College graduates are forced to take unpaid internships as a last resort to stay competitive in the job market. Don’t get me wrong, internships are extremely valuable and essential for work experience, but when companies are taking advantage of this fact and abusing the system, it becomes degrading. When I was growing up, it was instilled into my head that you go to college, graduate, and get a good job. A college degree was the difference. Now it seems that you go to college, go into debt, and hope that you can find a job that pays more than your monthly student loan bills. For those fortunate enough to have the means to take an unpaid internship in the job market, I salute you. But for the majority of us who need an income to survive, it’s a dark and dreary world out there. In 2010, there were 2.4 million unemployed people with bachelor’s degrees and higher. 2.4 MILLION!! That is our competition. Companies aren’t getting 30-50 applications anymore; they are getting hundreds and sometimes thousands. The hardest part isn’t comprehending that the economy is horrible right now. The more difficult part is the bombardment of being told no. Even if you know that you have a great resume and great credentials, after a while, being turned down over and over again, mentally gets to you. There is no guarantee that unemployed or underemployed college grads will move into much better jobs as conditions improve. Starting in a lower-level job with lower pay can mean lower levels of career attainment and earnings. Graduates who have been out of work or underemployed in the downturn may also find themselves at a competitive disadvantage with fresh new college graduates as the economy improves. So where do we go from here? What now? It’s a long road ahead and who knows what the future may bring. For now all we can do is keep working hard and hope that someday these college degrees will be used for something.

Now Playing: Young the Giant "My Body"

Starry Night

Staring up at a starry night, into this vast space that goes on forever. It makes me feel so small and powerless. When it's just me, the sky, and these billions of stars. I begin to feel alone and in turn start to delve deep into myself. At this exact moment, all scars are open and all insecurities become alive and loud. At this point, I go deeper into my being, somewhere never gone before. Nothing makes sense, but yet I begin to understand everything. I am fully exposed to myself. Under this blanket of stars, I feel safe and alone at the same time. Is that possible? I begin to question anything and everything. Clarity doesn't come the first time, or even the second. But it does open up something deep down inside. Something inside is awoken and I begin to feel. Feeling everything. Raw emotion. Maybe tonight it's anger, or happiness, or love. Emotions so strong, they could only be found in a place so personal, yet so open. My very own starry night. Staring off into a space that is never-ending. In this vast never-ending space, I find myself. I am forced to face my fears, and doubts, and confusion. Everything begins to come together. Like the billions of masses in space coming together and forming this amazing and unbelievable sky. Clarity. Content. Calm.

Amidst the chaos, there is peace.

Take Every Moment

I was talking to a friend today about adventures and living up life. We’re given this opportunity to live and we can either choose to do something with it or just let it pass us by. Why wouldn’t you live up every moment and take advantage of this opportunity we’ve been given? Say “yes” instead of “no.” Why not? This whole idea reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Garden State. Towards the end of the movie, the characters go on this wild and completely random search for this gift. Throughout the trip, there are many points in which any of the characters could just go home and be done, but instead they continue to roll with it and end up on this adventure. If they would have stopped, they could have missed out on an amazing experience. While I love a good adventure, I am not completely delirious either. I understand that not every “yes” will lead to some fantastic adventure, but how will you know, if you don’t try. A great moment is well worth a few dull ones.

I have been making a conscious effort lately at being less negative and taking things as they come. It is much easier being happy and rolling with the punches, rather than letting things bog me down. I am learning to take things for what they are and trying to find a positive, rather than a negative in everything. Just by doing this, I am so much happier. Buddha said, “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” Some people choose to dwell on the negative things in their life. A bad day at work, a bad day in general, an argument or fight, and even jealousy. When I started paying attention to myself, I began to notice others that were doing the same. These people were emotionally draining because everything was negative. Was I really like that? Well, unfortunately yes. But now that I’ve realized how I was, I’ve made an effort to change. And while others may have noticed this or not, I personally feel better and I think more people would as well if they took a second to take in the beautiful things about life and these moments. I’ve learned that if you’re not happy, you can change it. If you’re having a bad day at work, there is still more time in the day to make it better. You shouldn’t let one moment determine your entire day. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “you become what you think about most of the time.” Happiness is an inside job. If you’re tired of waiting for something to happen, get out there and make something happen.

We are defined by the experiences and the actions of our lifetime. We are defined by years of fun and boredom, of excitement and terror, of pleasure and pain, of love and loathing. We are a product of the things we controlled as well as stuff that land on our laps courtesy of fate, chance, bad luck, or destiny. It’s up to us how we choose to take each situation and handle it. When you think positively or find the good, you are able to live life up. When you say you are going to go on an adventure, stop talking about it, go out and do it. If you focus on having fun and not taking yourself that seriously, everything falls into place. And to end this little spiel, I’ve added my favorite all time quote below:
NEVER SETTLE FOR ANYTHING LESS THAN AN UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE.

Listening to: Lenka - Live Like You're Dying

The ABC's of Growing Up

I was watching the movie “Post Grad” today and couldn’t help but see myself in the character Ryden. As a recent college graduate, she is excited to see what the real world has for her. Ryden goes to her first interview with high hopes, only to be disappointed when the job is offered to her college rival (who worth mentioning is a snotty biatch. Why does this always happen?) Ryden is forced to move back home with her parents and continue the job hunt day in and day out. This is MY story! Besides the completely predictable and over done love story, this movie is about me. At one point in the movie Ryden gets in an argument with her father. He says that she is not trying hard enough and that her expectations are too high. He suggests that she needs to work harder and try settling for a less glamorous job. I could not portray how many times I’ve had this same exact conversation with my parents.

It’s hard for an older generation to understand the scope and extremely vast job market that now exists. I mean, we are going up against thousands of other applicants who have the same degree and credentials. It doesn’t even matter what makes you stand out amongst the rest, because in reality,nothing makes you stand out when there are thousand of others. What does matter is who you know. I was unemployed for over six months after I graduated. And it wasn’t because I wasn’t trying hard enough or had too high of expectations. It was because every other kid that just graduated from college (and basically every person in the United States) was applying for the job as well. I was frustrated. The thought of it now, is still frustrating. After 150 applications and cover letters I have a job now. Granted it doesn’t have anything at all to do with what I went to school for, it’s a decent job to sit on until I can find something in my field.

My point is, it may be hard, but I wish more people could understand the frustration and disappointment that not only me, but millions of people are feeling. I feel betrayed and abandoned by this country. We have these expectations put on us as kids to go to college and “become something. “ But the government isn’t willing to lend a hand in getting there. They want you to better the country, but don’t want to help you get there. In fact, they really hinder you, expecting you to pay obscene amounts of money to “further your education.” I am coming out of college almost $100,000 in debt. And here’s the icing on the cake…I can’t even find a job in my field. YOU told me to get an education to better my future. YOU are the reason I am a 23 year old with a debt the size of Texas. And now, YOU won’t even help me out. What is wrong with this country? A friend recently asked me why the US doesn’t do college funding like most European countries. That’s a good freaking question. In Europe, the government pays for the college education. In Europe, they want to better their countries by educating their people and in turn building a stronger community. In the US, they want to better their country by encouraging people to go to college and taking all their money. What is that?

In the end, it’s exasperating and confusing.It’s done now and I guess we can only hope for a better future. Sooner or later, we’ve got to get it right, right? Really, I loved college and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. I made friends I never would have made and learned things I wouldn’t have learned. I expanded my horizons and had my eyes opened. I just think that there are some changes that could be made. A more affordable education possibly? College to work transitions? Something. Anything. Anyways, you have to keep trucking. Some say, good things come to those who wait, you’ve got to take the highs with the lows, no regrets, and everything will work out in the end. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s how to be strong. I’m not giving up. I’ve worked this hard until now and I will continue to work hard. I’ll end this long, daunting, but very releasing blog post with my favorite quote by Rainer Maria Rilke.

“Let life happen to you.” – R.M.Rilke

Listening to: "Take What You Take” – Lily Allen, "Speeding Cars" - Imogen Heap, "Let Go" - Frou Frou

New Shoes

Random thought: Do you put your left shoe or your right shoe on first? I put my left shoe on first. Does this have a deeper meaning than simply just repetition and muscle memory? Further more, what about putting one sock and shoe on before putting the other sock and shoe on? Weird!


Listening to: "New Shoes" - Paolo Nutini

This Woman's Work

If there’s one thing I’ve learned that I carry with me every day, it’s that you should constantly surround yourself with positive people. Genuine friendship for women is a rarity. Nowadays, girls are almost always viewing each other as competition or a threat. What happened to working together and bettering each other? Why are women constantly knocking each other down? And where are all the strong female role models? We should be united. Young girls have very few women to look up to, who hold strong positive characteristics such as respect, honesty, and compassion. What happened to women like Susan B. Anthony and Eleanor Roosevelt? These women fought, sweat and tears, so that women would be created equally. The problem: how are others supposed to take women seriously and treat us equally, when as women we are constantly knocking each other down? Now, I’m not trying to be some crazy feminist man-hater or a member of the he-man woman haters club either. But the way women treat each other nowadays is disgusting. Women are catty, judgmental, and insecure. In return, we always have our guard up and constantly believe that there is an underlying intention behind kind gestures. Is it impossible to consider that someone is just trying to be nice, just because? Unfortunately, yes.

Women need to stop breaking each other down. Instead, why not build each other up? It’s not about giving in to everyone and letting people walk all over you. It’s not about being dominant or superior either. What it is about is allowing each other to grow. What happened to support and understanding? Aren’t we all in this together? We are adults now and we don’t need and/or want people telling us what to do. But what we do need is to have people support us when we’re making big decisions, build us up when we’re at the bottom and even help us become more aware when we may be acting poorly. Support. Honesty. Trust. It takes far less energy to be nice than to create hate and animosity. As women and in general as part of a community/society, maybe we should try to be a little bit more compassionate, try understanding the other side, and try supporting one another. I mean, it’s worth a shot right?

My role models: Mother, my mom who would drop everything and do anything for me, in a second. A friend, a mother who is completely unselfish and puts her needs aside in order to ensure that her kids will have the best possible childhood. Friends, sisters who are hard working and dedicated in order to become successful business women. Friends, that are passionate, loving, and courageous and who make it possible that through them I become passionate, loving, and courageous as well. This world needs more women like these women, my role models.

Listening to: "They" - Jem