Posts in Career
The Road Paved with Disappointment
The Road Paved with Disappointment

About a month ago, I was driving to downtown Franklin, Tennessee with a friend and spilling my fearful, panicking guts from the passenger’s seat. I had just received news that I would not be getting a job I had spent three interviews preparing to accept. I was rundown and disappointed, feeling lost in the jungle of post-graduation.

“You should just drive across the country,” she said lightheartedly, and laughter ensued. Drive across the country, what an absurd idea. But then the joke got taken one step too far and all of a sudden we were plotting about who would pay my rent for a month and where I could stop to stay the night in Oklahoma and Arizona and California. Suddenly, I was calling my parents and asking if I would still be allowed to come home for Christmas if I made a rather (arguably) reckless decision and drove my tired, thirteen-year-old car across the country. (It took some negotiation but I am, indeed, still allowed to come home.) We sat in a coffee shop for an hour and hammered out the plan and concluded that there really wouldn’t be one, that sometimes you have to take a leap, whether or not it looks like a promising landing, and whether or not people are going to speculate about where your mind might have run off to.

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Dreams, Life, CareerChelsey SatterleeFeatured, Archive 16Comment
The Year of No
The Year of No

Shonda Rhimes wrote a book called The Year of Yes and while she is my spirit animal, and I agree with the motivation behind the book, I want 2016 to be my year of no.

Why, you ask? Because I've always said yes. To everything that I don't want to say yes to, I've said yes. I have done so much damage to myself from saying yes to appease everyone in my life that it actually feels good to say no.

In early December I had a series of interviews for a job I didn't actually want; I just wanted a full time job. When it got to the point where they wanted me to talk to the HR department, I said no. The job wasn't a good fit for me, and I didn't want to put myself in a position where I'd have to move and not know anyone and be miserable at a job that wasn't right for me. I am not opposed to moving to the other side of the country - heck I'm not opposed to moving out of the country - but for a job that wasn't going to be a good fit for me? It wouldn't be worth it.

Saying no felt great.

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Career, Life, RelationshipsJackie MundryComment
Make Believe
Make Believe

I was recently babysitting a 7 year-old girl and her two older brothers. While her brothers played video games (which in my tomboy heart I secretly wanted to play instead), we played everything from doll house, hide-and-seek to beauty salon.

I fondly remember all throughout my childhood the majority of playing I did by myself and with my friends was playing make-believe. We would play house, doctor’s office and my personal favorite: school. The world of make-believe as a kid is a magical place with no ceilings or walls to stop you. You can literally be whatever you want to be with no limits to your imagination.

Now my make-believe skills were a touch rusty as Danielle and I played; I found myself having a hard time seeing all the things that she was seeing. She would be adding to the story and I was left fumbling with my words just trying to keep up with her. “When did this happen…?” I wondered. I used to be able to play make-believe with the best of ‘em. No storyline was too unbelievable for me. Yet here I was wondering why the dragon was in the garage or why the fairies would have their own pets.

I’d like to call this my Peter Pan moment. Without even noticing it, I had grown up, never to return to Neverland. My imagination is a more cynical, rational, shriveled up version of what it once was. In Polar Express, on Christmas morning when the parents jingle the bell Santa gave the little boy and can’t hear a sound at all… that is me! When did I stop believing in “childish things"?

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Dreams, CareerAlyssa RichardsonComment
We Are Not Trained to Stand Still
We Are Not Trained to Stand Still

If 17 was one of my favorite years so far, 22 was its sorrowful counterpart. That year was a year of distance for me, distance between who I was and who I wanted to be. It was the year I moved 3,000 miles for love, leaving behind nearly every place and person I ever knew. I went into this year with a bachelor’s degree and no plan other than taking six months off from even thinking about what my next step should be.

Even though I needed that time, it was the year my life stood still.

In retrospect, I know things happened during that year. I know the world didn’t stop. But it sure felt like it did. Days blended together, weeks stretched out into months, and eventually the year came to an end. 

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Dreams, Life, CareerNicole BoozFeaturedComment
It's Okay
It's Okay

I’ve cried more in the past few months than I probably ever have in my entire life, throughout this huge blur of confusion and aimless direction and anxiety. And although I was extremely fortunate to find a job soon after we graduated, it was far from what I wanted to be doing in the long run. It was a temp position, and that’s all I ever wanted it to be: temporary.

I have this tendency to be self-doubtful, to over-analyze every little thing to every little core, pick it apart, over-analyze it some more. And I have no idea why. So from when I first sat down at my desk up until now, I constantly apologized for all of the countless (countless…) mistakes I made, the appointments that I booked incorrectly, the money I added wrong; the list goes on.

“I’m sorry,” I would shriek. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

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Dreams, Career, LifeAlyssa VottoFeatured, Archive 16Comment
The Elusive Idea of Proving Oneself
The Elusive Idea of Proving Oneself

What it boils down to essentially is this pressure to prove myself. But prove what? I’m not even totally sure. This pressure is entirely self-created; I’m lucky to have family and friends who support and believe in me despite my wishy-washiness. Sometimes I feel like they trust me too much. I realize this is a good problem to have.

Since graduating, I’ve taken some time figuring out which direction to go. I’ve done the nannying thing, then the traveling thing and now the retail thing. None of which are relevant to my major (which I’ve learned is in itself, irrelevant), but I can also say with 1000% confidence that my interest no longer even lies in that field. I’ve criticized myself every step of the way, but it is comforting to know just how many people are in that same boat.

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Career, LifeLane SasserFeatured, Archive 16Comment
What to Expect When You're Expecting (to Graduate), Part II
What to Expect When You're Expecting (to Graduate), Part II

In the first post I wrote for this series I talked about not wanting to leave Nashville after I graduated at the end of this semester. I talked about my fear of losing comfort and the home that I have built in a city I didn’t have to be convinced into adoring. I even emphasized the point by writing three times in italics—I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to leave. When I went back to read this post five minutes ago, I almost laughed out loud into my mocha.

Since I wrote that post I have decided to stay in Nashville and the voice of fear that screamed loud about not wanting to leave screams even louder about not wanting to stay.

I don’t want to stay. I don’t want to stay. I don’t want to stay.

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Dreams, Life, Graduation, CareerChelsey SatterleeFeatured, ArchiveComment
10 Tips to Nail Your Big Kid Job Interview
10 Tips to Nail Your Big Kid Job Interview

I once heard that job interviews are like first dates: good impressions count, awkwardness can occur and outcomes are unpredictable. After recently going through a 2 ½ month long application and interview process for a full-time position, I’m here to attest to that statement and offer you some tips that I found to be helpful along the way.

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CareerAlyssa RichardsonComment
Being the Only Woman on a Team of Men
Being the Only Woman on a Team of Men

“What’s for lunch today?”

“Let’s go to that place with the blonde chick.”

Really? Again? Sigh. 

It’s nothing new: Women are a rare species in technology companies; only 30% of the tech workforce is female. Now multiply this number by 0.1 and you know how many managers are female. Right… not too many. 

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CareerViviane Schmidt Comment
One Year Later: A Reflection
One Year Later: A Reflection

It’s been a year since That First Year was launched. 365 days. And in those 365 days, more than 30 people (33, to be exact!) have contributed 131 posts to this li’l blog; more than 30 people have willingly put figurative pen to figurative paper to write about just how messy and confusing, yet oh-so-beautiful that first year after college can be. We’ve had posts covering the gamut of topics: from life to love to friends to travel to dreams to some of our favorite things.

“These posts are getting too relatable now.”

Someone said this about a post recently and I wanted to give ‘em a big ‘ole hug through the computer because that’s exactly what I was hoping this blog would be: a place where people can relate to the stories this community has shared. 

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Travel, Style, Money, Life, Health, Graduation, Dreams, Career, RelationshipsAlly WillisFeaturedComment
365 Days of Being My Own Worst Critic
365 Days of Being My Own Worst Critic

It’s been almost a year to the day that I walked across that stage, shook hands with a bunch of university higher ups, followed by six to eight weeks of waiting for that thick, expensive piece of paper proving I did actually earn a degree; it wasn’t all some strange, sleep deprivation dream.

“So what are you doing now?” they ask innocently, not understanding the onslaught of fear and frustration that question brings with it.

I have the same job I had before I graduated college, and while it doesn’t leave me satisfied career wise, it does pay those bills. So I’ve spent my first year outside academia learning to be okay with that. For now. It’s been no simple task, especially when I notoriously push myself too hard to ridiculous goals that I know are out of reach at the moment, but yet I expect them of myself anyway. I came out of college as the worst kind of critic: a perfectionist.

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Career, DreamsAnna SpleanFeaturedComment
Real World 2.0
Real World 2.0

A lot has changed over the past few months. I moved into an apartment, and I have a job where people continue to congratulate me on having a job. (Is it written on my face that I’m an English major, I don’t know…).

It wasn’t a huge, sweeping move. But it takes great courage, I think, to go anywhere new, to separate yourself from what you’ve once known and who you once were.

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Dreams, Life, CareerAlyssa VottoFeaturedComment
We're All Doing Alright
We're All Doing Alright

In high school, I wanted to make my school’s cheerleading team. I cheered for my town’s pop warner teams but hadn’t cheered in years, but I went to tryouts my freshman year anyway.

I didn’t make it. I then went to tryouts for the winter season, and still, I didn’t make it.

My sophomore year I tried out in the fall again. Again, I didn’t make it. I went back in the winter and finally made the team. Fourth time’s the charm, right?

I practiced and became a member of the team but was only on the JV team. I honestly didn’t even care that I was on JV. I was just excited that I had finally made it.

Trying out for a team doesn’t seem like an incredibly courageous thing, and I never thought of it as that. To me, it didn’t seem like I had another option but to continue to try out because it was something that I wanted, and it never crossed my mind to give up.

I’m in a similar situation now. I’ve learned that waiting around for things to happen to you isn’t how you become successful.

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CareerJackie MundryComment
Sometimes, It Ain't Pretty
Sometimes, It Ain't Pretty

A few weeks ago I had a co-worker kindly mention, “You only have a month or so left ‘til you are unemployed right?” My initial reaction was an eye roll and, “Gee, thanks for the reminder; it must have slipped my mind…” but what he said resonated within me and slowly the uncomfortable twinge from deep inside me started to sound the sirens.

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Career, LifeAlyssa RichardsonComment
Isolation Is More Powerful Than Community
Isolation Is More Powerful Than Community

If you would have told me a year ago that for my first job I would get to travel all across the United States for an organization I care so deeply about, I wouldn’t believe you. I desperately wanted to travel for a living, and I’m actually doing it! 

I travel with one suitcase and one carry on and visit a new city about every week. My elevator speech actually includes the line, “My office is my suitcase.” As I write, I’m realizing that my job is the real deal and I absolutely love it.

I also want to acknowledge that it’s a lonely job.

I get to meet absolutely amazing, inspiring women every day, but I only have one week to get to know them, then I’m off to a new city. I am around people all the time, but I am hardly, if ever, around people who know me... people who know my habits, my past and my passions--the friends who know that I am not a morning person and never will be and the mentors who see my strengths and appreciate that I am a competitive person.  

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Career, Life, RelationshipsArielle SchraderFeaturedComment