Let the Networking Begin...

I didn't have class yesterday, so I took the opportunity to meet up with one of my former supervisors, who I'll just refer to as J. J managed my first internship back in 2006, and we've since stayed in touch. Unfortunately for her, she was laid off in February 2007, a few months after I returned to school. After going through the motions for a bit, she found a managerial position at a modeling agency. As it turned out, she hated that job, and found a better one as an Account Manager for a well-known coffee company. In the interim between July '06 and yesterday, she and I kept in touch via e-mail and Google chat (important later).

After a few failed attempts at meeting up, she and I met at Ria's Bluebird, one of Atlanta's many independently-owned restaurants. She and I spent a good hour catching up, and as I was telling her about my current job hunt, she advised me to maintain a standard. What I mean by this is to say that she recommended I continue to look for a position that would be a good fit for me, while working odd jobs in between to keep the bills paid. Admittedly, I'm relieved. Given the current state of the economy, the average emerging professional would probably be advised to hop on the first offer that came along, but J's advice has always been sound, and I felt even better after our meeting because holding out for a good position is exactly what I had intended to do.

A month or so ago, I was entirely gung ho about shipping off to Japan or Korea to put the real world on the back burner and play around a bit. I still think that's a great opportunity, and while I haven't completely closed the door on it, I've been cogitating (SAT words, yeah!) on several factors. The truth is that I think a great deal on where I see myself in five years. By that time, I want to be in a challenging and rewarding job position that makes the most out of me and I continue to make the most out of. And as the days pass, every lucrative job offer that I see in some grand city like New York, Chicago, or Miami mandates at least several years of experience. Bustling off to teach English in Saigon would be a hell of a good time, but when I eventually returned, I know I'd find myself well behind my peers, already engrossed in getting their feet wet with entry level positions in smaller markets in order to pave their way towards better cities and better pay. I don't consider myself a rat in the system, but the hard truth is that anyone looking to excel in any field needs to put in the work, point blank. The thought of earning $28,000 after the age of 25 doesn't really appeal to me.

I just made a "tsk tsk" clicking sound with my tongue after a brief pause in writing this. Do I really want to turn down the possibility of more traveling? No, but I am an adult, and as such I have to be aware that every action has a consequence. Case in point: depleting my savings account to study in Paris in 2007, working my butt off to replenish my funds, and then depleting it again to fly back for a low-paid internship in 2008. I had best make that experience count towards a good job. Perhaps I'll be able to find a way to marry my love of new places and my desire for a job in my field by landing some cool gig outside of the US. We'll see what happens.

I alluded to e-mail and Google chat earlier in this post, and I'll elaborate on why. Networking is crucial to staying afloat in your industry, and with electronic media, networking has never been easier. No, I'm not on MySpace, and I don't know if I'll be Tweeting anytime soon, but I try to make the most of my e-mail by constantly staying in touch with former employers, as well as those who I've interviewed with, only to be passed over. Yeah, most e-mails sent to those in the latter category end up unanswered, but it's important to try.

Site of the moment: Meet Up. I just joined, and already, I've found a French speaking culture club that meets on a monthly basis. I think it'll be a good way to keep the creative juices flowing. I met with a former French teacher today at the coffee shop on campus to have a chat in French, and boy am I rusty.