It’s been a little over three months since I graduated college and left my position at the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce to begin my job as a market analyst in Northern Virginia. If somebody had told me prior to graduation that I would become a market analyst in the government-procurement market-intelligence sector, I would have told them that they were crazy. I have since been exposed to an industry that I barely knew existed, and frankly, the experience has been more than fantastic. I’ve never had so much confidence in myself and in the future.
As a Hire Education alumnus and a recent college graduate who is doing fairly well for himself, I would like to think that I have a pretty good grasp on what it takes to become successful. I’m not saying that I have all the answers, but I do have my fair share of experience and knowledge that may help some of you and I would like to take this opportunity to share some of the things that I have learned along the way.
Hear me out on what I’m about to say: Landing a job after college is not rocket science. You can
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Tags: Job, Job Rocket
If you had asked me as little as three months ago where I wanted to live after college, I’d have instantly replied Florida—the epitome of warm sunshine weather and cool breezes as far away from Michigan winters as humanly possible, ignoring last year’s snowfall of course.
When I began my job search in September, I tried at first to filter first on places with warm, temperate climates that I knew would be a big change from the blizzard-filled winters I’ve lived with since age 8. However, as the process of looking at the actual job description begins to weigh more heavily in my application decisions, I’m realizing that geography is not and should not be an important deciding factor.
So, after much internal grumbling, I’ve stopped graphing the average December temperature of every city I look at, focusing instead on what it is I will actually be doing in these jobs that I write cover letters and primp resumes for. And imagine
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Tags: Florida, Moving Florida
During the holiday break, away from the stresses of college, I have learned firsthand about the stresses of real life. I have mourned over the fact that I will never again get a full five-week break for the holidays and I have learned the difficulty of balancing a relationship during this intense time of stress and anxiety in searching for a job. I have also applied for jobs and in doing so had to complete numerous online applications and submit hospital-specific recommendation forms, all of which has been a stressful experience, but not unexpected.
What I did find unexpected however was my realization that in my quest to find the “best” hospital in the perfect location in my dream unit, I have severely limited myself. I have limited myself by not being open to other possibilities. While I acknowledge that I should never settle for less than the “best,” sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing until it arrives, and in order for it to arrive you need to be open and welcoming of new possibilities.
I learned this the hard way by being so obsessed with finding my “dream job” that I alienated myself from those I love most. I was so preocc
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As I look back at 2010, it was an overall successful year in my work and academics. I had many achievements, and I give myself many pats on the back for them. But I realized this was due to long library hours, long office hours, sacrificing time with friends, and constant stress. Therefore, I am using the New Year as an excuse to force myself to take time to relax.
Resolutions are not usually easy. Relaxing is definitely not easy for me. I have “relaxation jitters.” Trying to relax has always made me very anxious. I remember during a summer internship interview I stated that I never leave my desk to eat lunch somewhere else or take breaks. I didn’t get the job.
Starting this new school quarter, I will take a few seconds throughout my day and just concentrate on taking some deep breaths, and also try to do fun activities with friends and family.
My usual remedy for an overload of work and stress is to keep working or go to the gym. But there is something that is always on my agenda, and temporary tasks cannot fix them in the long-run. Somet
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Standing on the field as the final whistle blew, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of failure. Losing can be harsh and unfair, particularly in the NCAA tournament where one loss means a crushing end to your season. As a captain you feel responsible and I couldn’t help replaying moments of the season in my mind, wondering what I could have done differently. So it has taken me a while to reflect on the season, the game of soccer, and all it has given me over the years.
I began playing in schoolyards with nothing more than a ball. Over the years I have won championships and scored the winning goal, I have been cut from teams, told I was too short, and sat on the bench. The game is your best friend, and your worst enemy, but that is the beauty. You learn to overcome the fear of failure and each hard tackle makes you stronger, dares you to dig deeper to find your second wind.
It takes courage to put your entire heart into something greater than you; this season we did that and much more. All
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