I'm An Employed Woman
I wouldn't even be able to count on two hands the amount of times I was asked this summer "so what's your plan now?" "Do you know what you want to do with your degree?" or "Any perspective jobs yet?" I knew people were only asking because they truly cared about me and my future, but it definitely got repetitive and made me question what exactly I was doing with my life.
I was actually very fortunate to have a little break after college. While all my friends jumpstarted a career right after graduation, I used this break as a mini summer to travel and visit with friends, witness my sister get married and spend one last extended period of time with family. I knew, ultimately, this free time would come to an end, but instead of being stressed about finding a job, I appreciated each moment I was given.
Now, that time has indeed come to an end, and I couldn't be more excited to take on this new chapter in my life! Starting next week, I will be training to be a Guerilla Marketing Specialist with Jimmy Johns. I look forward to spending three weeks training for this position in Champaign, IL and four more weeks in either Michigan, Wisconsin or Arizona. (I'm secretly hoping for the warmer of the three!) After training, who knows where this job may take me!
What drew me to this job so much is that it is 100% travel. Call me crazy but it was something that I knew I wanted in a job after I graduated from Butler. Now, I understand some of your confusion since this isn't a entertainment/news job and I am not becoming a TV host or reporter like originally planned. But, plans change. I knew after my internship with a TV station, that reporting is something that I no longer wanted to pursue. I didn't want to sign a contract that would place me in the middle of nowhere for a minimum of two years. Now don't get me wrong, I have a huge respect for this job path and am so proud of my successful friends who went down that road. However, it just wasn't for me.
I learned through my internships and summer jobs what I liked and disliked and knew that whatever I ended up pursuing, my degree would be extremely beneficial. The biggest thing I took away from my studies in journalism/digital media was the strong oral and written communication skills that would help me in any career. When I started searching for jobs in August, I knew I wanted to travel, meet new people, be independent and work in a fast-paced environment.
I looked around at event planning jobs, PR jobs, and marketing jobs but it was this position with Jimmy Johns that I kept coming back to. I had never wanted something so badly and prayed for it to work out in my favor. I immediately applied, went in for an initial interview in August and after several weeks of interviews, tests, and worrying, I was offered the position. I honestly never thought I would get this competitve role, but everybody who I have already shared the news with feel it is a perfect fit for me. And I couldn't agree more!
I thank you for understanding that with this career path, I will not be posting to my blog quite as often. However, I am excited for my travel portion to be updated as much as I can keep up! And, I'm so thankful for friends, family members and Butler professor/staff who have believed in me and offered encouraging words. I am so ready to see new places, improve Jimmy John stores and overall work for an amazing company!
If you live in a fun state and wouldn't mind me couch surfing, comment below and I'll try to visit if I am in the area :) In addition, if you have any travel tips, please share them with me! This is an entirely new world to me, but I am so excited to start exploring!
And now, I'll leave you with some words by Sjana Earp, which truly inspired me.
"Here's to doing things you've always wanted to do. Here's to new experiences. Here's to going down the road less travelled. And venturing into unfamiliar landscapes. Here's to chasing challenges. Here's to connecting by disconnecting. To befriending new smiles. To saying "yes" to new ideas. To finding comfort in the uncomfortable. To turning every moment into an unforgettable memory. Here's to understanding that the past cannot be altered, and letting that create strength, not stress. Here's to attempting things that feel impossible. Here's to breaking old habits. And letting go of security To easing the grip on habitual control Heres to change; to an ending sometimes simply disguising a new beginning..."
