That about sums up my week.
Interviews
I conducted 7 informational interviews this week with Taylor alumnae, and it was a pretty interesting experience. I actually emailed about 20 Taylor alums, in fields like Broadcast Media, Publishing, and Journalism, and shamelessly asked them if I could interview them about their job and the industry so I could gain insight to what it's really like in the real world before I enter it. And I got about 10 replies, which surprised me; I thought most of them would probably brush me off as an annoying senior hunting for a job. So I'm really grateful they took the time to talk to me.
I got to speak with people who work as publicists in book publishing companies, writers in non-profit organizations, editors in lifestyle magazines, writers in fashion magazines, and all that kind of stuff. It was truly eye-opening, and I received a lot of good advice from them. They told me to get as much experience as I could in writing, research companies before I apply to make sure I know what I'm getting myself into, and do something I'm passionate about, so that it will reflect in my work.
It was really helpful listening to what they had to say about their responsibilities, the people they worked with, and all that. Obviously those who worked for Christian companies had 'easier' experiences, because people were nicer and friendlier, but after interviewing all these people, I think I really do want to go into magazine writing for travel/entertainment/lifestyle/fashion. It just makes me excited thinking about it :)
The Flower - "That one piece of paper"
We're reading this book for Senior Capstone called What Color is Your Parachute 2010 by Richard Bolles, and it's a pretty awesome job-hunting/self-discovery book. We have to complete our Flower Diagram, which basically helps us decide what our life calling is. It took several hours to complete, because it consisted of taking tests and thinking about who I really am and what I really want, but it was well worth it. So here are the results.
My top transferable skills:
1. Writing/communicating
2. Researching/information gathering
3. Showing foresight
4. Adapting/improving
5. Helping/being of service
6. Listening
7. Developing rapport
8. Following through on plans/instructions
9. Observing/surveying
10. Imagining
I think the first one is pretty redundant. Of course I would hope to be good at writing, it's what I want to do with my life! But I think overall it's pretty accurate. I realize I'm scarily deadline-oriented. I like to accomplish tasks WAY ahead of the deadline. It just gives me a thrill of excitement to cross off an assignment on my planner. I know, I'm such a nerd, but I just like to work ahead. I also like to be prepared and research things before I get into them. And I like listening to people's stories, helping them in any way I can, and I think I'm pretty good at following through on what I commit myself to do. I feel like I've developed most of these skills at college, because I definitely didn't research Taylor before I came here, and circumstances here have definitely forced me to come out of my shell.
My top people-enrivonments:
1. Artistic
2. Social
3. Enterprising
I like to work in unstructured, flexible environments, using my creative writing ability, and working with all sorts of people. The other people-environments were boring, for math, science and technology people - aka - not me.
My top goals/purposes/values:
1. Entertainment
2. Human Spirit
3. Heart
4. Mind
5. Eyes and Senses
Again, I felt a tinge of shame when everyone else had human spirit/heart as their top, and mine was entertainment. But whatever. So basically I want to bring joy and laughter to people's lives via entertainment; establish more spirituality, faith, compassion, forgiveness and love in the world; inspire greater love for the poor and needy, increase knowledge of truth and God in the world, and create more beautiful things to fill our senses. The other purposes included possessions and the earth, which I realize I don't care much about. I guess living in simplicity and saving the earth aren't my top priorities... but I promise I'm not superficial!
Top special knowledges:
1. Magazine writing
2. Entertainment (movies, music)
3. Travel places
4. Fashion/Beauty
5. Culture
6. Food
I love to travel. My dream job would allow me to travel to every place in the world and write about it. But I've recently realized I like to write and read about fashion and beauty too. There's just so much to learn, but it's all so interesting.
Top working conditions:
1. Laidback/casual atmosphere
2. Good rapport with co-workers
3. Close proximity to where I live
4. Good office space/location
5. Flexible dress code
I think I would also work fine in high-stress environments, as long as I am not intimidated by my bosses, so I can ask questions and make mistakes (but learn from them).
Top factors geography-wise:
1. In a major city
2. Good range of entertainment options
3. Change of seasons
4. Easy accessibility
5. Diverse culture
In other words, goodbye forever, Upland, Indiana.
That's basically it. There's also level of responsibility and salary, but I wasn't too sure about that. Interesting huh. Although... while researching for possible places to stay, I realized all my top choices like NYC, LA, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, were all way above the national average in terms of cost of living. Just my luck. So I've now branched out to Minneapolis, Pittsburgh... basically anywhere that will take me!
Friends and Food
This week was good in terms of spending time with friends (instead of rushing about trying to do everything I need to in 24 hours).
We went to Ivanhoe's (the ice cream place) for senior class on Monday, where we shared about our Flower Diagrams and supported one another. It was so encouraging to hear people affirm my gifts and my direction in life. I also enjoyed learning about others' gifts and talents; I love how we're all so diverse. Some people want to go into non-profit writing, others newspaper writing, international news reporting, sports coaching, PR writing... the possibilities are simply endless.
The entire day Tuesday was spent in the Dining Commons' kitchen cooking for our Asian Wok Night! Affectionately termed 'Super Curry Wok Night,' we slaved away in the kitchen making Japanese, Middle Eastern, and Indian curry for the entire campus. It was incredibly fun though, my very last wok night! The food was delicious, and everyone appreciated a nice change from DC food. I just love serving people. Maybe I should be a waitress instead - my new life goal... Or maybe not.
The rest of the week was spent watching movies with friends while attempting to do homework, having ramen parties, and dance parties. I really can't believe it's the middle of March already. I kind of want time to slow down now that I realize graduation is approaching so speedily.
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