Patience Is A (Time-Consuming) Virtue

Think I can reach 100 by the end of the year?: Requiem for a Dream, Body of Lies, Run Fatboy Run

There have been a couple of updates since last Monday's post on the job hunt. Just to keep you abreast of the stats - since the end of April, I have submitted a total of 19 job applications, 12 of them being for full-time positions, with the other 7 being internships or other forms of temporary contract work (e.g. camp counselor, airport customer service rep, etc.)

Out of those 19 submissions, 4 of the companies had the decency to let me know that the positions had been filled by a better qualified candidate. Out of the remaining 15, I netted 3 interviews. If you've done your math right, you'll see that the majority of the companies who received résumés from me failed to send any kind of update. Tsk tsk, but c'est la vie.

I was turned down for a position after one of the interviews, the third interview was held just yesterday, so the results are pending, but the second - an advertising sales internship with an Atlanta newspaper - was successful! Eureka. I'll be working full-time for 12 weeks at the paper, which will not only keep me busy while I look for a permanent position, but it will provide me with a decent income for the summer.

I am thoroughly excited to start the internship, and yet I can't help but feel a pang of disappointment that this isn't quite the real thing. Because it's an internship (my fourth, but who's counting?), the pay is hourly, and as I am no longer a student I am not covered under my parents' health insurance. Bummer. And because the internship is in Atlanta, I'll be packing things up in Athens and moving back home, at least for the time being. Not too sure how I feel about that, especially as I won't be able to throw my sweaty gym clothes wherever I want, followed by my ritual of blasting "The Best of Sade" as I shower with the bathroom door open. But I will be living rent free, so I can't forget the principle of quid pro quo.

But as I always say, no worries. I've been getting some tips from fellow alumni on where to purchase a monthly health insurance subscription, and as the internship starts next Monday, I'll need to make a decision fast. On top of that, I finally got myself off my father's cell phone plan in an effort to transfer more responsibility for my upkeep to me. Somewhat reluctantly, I opted for a nice Samsung instead of the pricier iPhone or BlackBerry. With my new handset, I have access to a GPS service (so long Mapquest!), as well as unlimited text messaging and data transfer, to the tune of about $70/month. Getting one of the more popular AT&T phones such as the iPhone would've raised that cost by at least $30, and I have to remember to distinguish needs from wants.

Speaking of monthly expenses, I also intend to begin paying for my own automobile insurance. Depending on whether I find a full-time job after the completion of the internship, I'd also like to pay one of the household utilities, as well as half the groceries. I plan to brown-bag for lunch during the internship in an effort to save money, which will be tough, as Atlanta is a great place for eating out.

If you haven't fallen asleep on this post by now, you'll recall that I mentioned a third interview, for a full-time job position. Though I had already accepted the internship offer, I decided to go in for an interview because I figured it couldn't hurt. My soon-to-be supervisor is well aware of the fact that I will maintain the job hunt throughout the summer, and because yesterday's interview will lead to several more (if I didn't blow it), I've got time on my side. Ideally, I'd start a full-time position as soon as the internship finishes, in order to avoid having to dip into my savings. But this'll all work itself out.

Thanks for reading! And please, make good use of the comment feature. I'd love to know what you think. Is there something I could be doing better?