The 20-something Hustle

Recently graduated and realizing there's not many full-time desk job opportunities just waiting to fall into your lap? Welcome to our 20-something hustle.

With all the news about layoffs and the serious lack of companies looking to hire entry-level people, a lot of us are left wondering what we should do. And while I keep tossing around the idea of grad school, I know that I really don't want to be back in a classroom quite yet. What I've discovered instead is actually a schedule and a lifestyle (minus having to work on weekends) that works way better for me than if I had settled for a full 9-to-5 right away.

As a 20-something I have the luxury of only needing to support myself and my bills, no kids, no dog, and no ailing parents that need my care. I've always been a person who likes to keep busy and keep my options open, and working on a variety of projects has let me do just that.

My 20-something hustle line-up

• Working part-time in communications at a health care policy institute. This let's me work on another aspect of communications - mostly PR - while exploring a new industry (I was in financials before). Plus it pays the bills.
• Working part-time in retail. Again, paying the bills. But I also like the opportunity to connect with really great clients and see my friends.
  
• Consulting for a start-up. I've done a web design & usability project for them and now I'm working on teaching myself SEO stuff so I can present it to them. If they use it - great! And if they don't - well now I know SEO and have something pretty cool to add to my resume.
• Editing a book about people that are passionate about their jobs. I still owe the author my edits (which I should do this morning). This one is a great example of why I think we should go back to the barter system (more on this later). But basically I edit the book for free and get a little shoutout at the end. Plus it's a cause I totally believe in.
  
• Facilitating training for Girl Scouts. I haven't started this yet, because I still need to attend a train-the-trainer session, but I'm excited to be able to spread an organization that I believe so strongly in, especially in the inner city where it's harder to find training.

So what are you doing to keep busy post-graduation? Working on any interesting projects? Please share!

Resolution Update: The Error is Most Often Human

I didn't post a Resolution Update last week because I ended up leaving work early to meet some of the girls at Savant Project for an impromptu sex education session with Oh Megan. When I got home, after a few delicious Red Heads, I attempted to balance my checkbook as usual. However, there was some discrepency between what the bank thought I should have and what I did. After 20 minutes of struggling with my fuzzy brain, checkbook and calculator on top of the pillows, I gave up.

This week I knew I must find the error or else it would only continue to get worse. For the last half hour I've been adding and re-adding (well, mostly subtracting) the numbers. I checked to make sure each entry in my checkbook appeared in my online statement. I realized that I had written an 8 instead of a 6 at one point, which had thrown my balance off by $20. Eureka!

But it wasn't to be so. I was still off by what I thought was nearly $50 now!! After making sure I was only counting items that had cleared, I checked again. And finally - finally! - found the problem. I had recorded an entry twice - subtracting an additonal $12.33.

It's a relief to finally have it balanced and matching up to my online account again. Like my mom said when I first complained that I was off, "It's your error. The bank doesn't add wrong." As with most things, the error is usually the human.

Giddy

I am absolutely, positively giddy today. I have been bitten by Spring Fever. I know that winter will return, but for today I can pretend that this 50+ degree weather is actually going to stick around.

Our server (or something related to it) crashed at work today while I was out to lunch with my boss. That means I got leave work at 2 pm and actually have a chance to get outside while the sun was still up. So I decided to take full advantage of the opportunity and walk from Kendall Square in Cambridge to ERC in Back Bay. It was marvelous - even the breeze was warm!

And now I'm working on job apps with Maris while waiting for my pre-photoshoot meeting tonight with Cait Madden.

Beating the Career Fair Game

I don't like career fairs - they tend to be overcrowded (especially on college campuses) and full of people being overly fake. However, there are definitely benefits. In a place full of some many random people you never know what connections you could make. After attending Northeastern's Mega Career Fair yesterday I thought I might share some of my tips and tricks for standing out in the sea of "Hi, I'll be graduating in May, take my resume!"

1. Have a conversation with the recruiter, find a way to connect. I ended up talking to one guy yesterday about an ad campaign his company had worked one that is one of my favorites. After a few minutes of honest conversation, he asked me for my resume and to follow-up with him with some of my portfolio clips.
   
   
2. Be a real person, not a robot. Another recruiter and I were having a conversation about his house painting franchise business (College Pro), which had a really cool business model. Mid-conversation we got to talking about the crowd waiting to speak with recruiters at a nearby table and how so many of the students at the fair seemed to simply be repeating a memorized speech: "Hi, I'm a Northeastern student. I'm looking for xyz in a job, will you take my resume?" Here's a hint: they're just going to throw it away when they get back to the office unless they remember who you are!
   
   
3. Be selective about who you give your resume to. You might be desperate, but you don't want to seem that way. Keep in mind you're interviewing the recruiter about the company just as much as they're interviewing you. You show good judgment and you save some trees!
   
   
4. Go with a plan, then ignore it. Know who's going to be there and who you want to talk to, but don't limit yourself. Fighting the crowd sucks - let it push you around and take advantage of unforseen opportunities. But don't leave unless you've seen everyone on your list.

(This entry can now also be found on Careerealism)

Resolution Updates: One Month Down

We're one month into the year and it seems like Resolutions are quickly fading from everyone's vocabulary. I've already been less than vigilant about some of mine (especially losing weight, but eh.) I have also been working on some of my bigger life goals - like learning more about wine (check out my other blog, The Novice Palate).

So I thought the one month mark deserved a little recap of where I stand and where I can do for the next month.

2009 Resolutions: The One Month Update

1. Lose 20 lbs. by graduation (May 1) - I'm still trying to work on this, obviously. I did almost lose this month's goal, even if it was in the first week. This month I'm going to focus on strength training (muscles burn more calories than fat) by doing Vinyasa Yoga in my room 3x per week.
2. Plant a vegetable/herb garden on the deck - Still waiting for the weather to break. But I got a great email from Kathleen Banfield at the Food Project about their Build-a-Garden program.
   
3. Improve my impact on the environment - I'm OCD about recycling - paper and plastic.
   
4. Balance my checkbook! - Successful every week, right down to the penny. And I avoided a major catastrophe of overdrawing by being on top of it!
   
5. Journal everyday - I haven't written in my personal journal every day, but I have updated my blog, my journal, or written some note to myself in my mini-notebook every single day. More self communication = more reflection = less crazy, which is always a good thing.
   
6. Have more adventures - I've been doing really good on this one - the Wine Expo with my mom, wine tastings with Dana, girls night out on the cheap & visting Providence to see Mike. Maris wrote about being "Cheap and Chic in the City" and we've successfully revived the "Super Fun Things to Do in Boston" gCalendar -- we would love contributions!
   
7. Spend more time with my friends - See #6, and also the Super Bowl where we did like freshman year and crammed about 20 or so ex-Kennedy Kids plus some new friends into Tom's living room.