Life in the workplace
This recent article makes me feel pretty good about what I've accomplished right out of college. It shows how recent college graduates are having trouble finding jobs. What really struck me as interesting is that the entry-level job salary is currently less than $30,000. I guess I should find myself lucky since my starting salary was much more than that, and my fiance just recently started a job where he is making even more than I am! I figured the entry level salaries were at least $35,000 but I guess I'm living in a dream world. It is a sad day when you complete 4 years of college and have nothing but a lot of debt to show for it. I was fortunate enough to receive enough scholarships to equal a full ride. Needless to say, App State has lower tuition than most places, but I actually ended up making money going to college. My scholarships gave me a large enough refund to pay for housing and any expenses I incurred. I didn't even have to work while I was in college. I would work during the summer to save up as much as I can and that would get me through the school year. I ended up working at a flower shop, a bank, and a research lab. The last two definitely helped me get my foot in the door for interviews post-college, but I still limited myself since I didn't have an internship. A lot of majors are requiring internships now, but Computer Science was not one of them. The research lab was the closest thing I had, but my fiance didn't have anything like that. Luckily, referrals go a long way in today's jobs.
Once you land a job, you then have to worry about keeping it. Ive been with my job for a year now and I am already switching positions. This is only because I was in a traveling position and I needed to have a regular life again. Now that I will be in the office I have other things to worry about. It seems that any little thing you do can come across the wrong way. I have always been notoriously bad at this. I don't mean dressing like a bum or being needy, but little things I do can really rub people the wrong way. I always have some kind of trouble with people in authority. Cops always write me tickets and I've only gotten a warning once. Teachers seems to always hate me, even though in high school I was a good student who always made As or Bs. I guess I didn't listen because I didn't need the help. In college I did pay attention, but I didn't want to build relationships with my teachers. I felt like keeping it on a professional level and I didn't like to ask a lot of questions. My grades weren't as high in college, but I will attribute that to being more concerned about a social life my first 3 years. My senior year I buckled down and brought my GPA up, but it probably helped that my then-boyfriend-now-fiance and I studied together since we had the same classes (although getting him to really study was quite a challenge)! I hate that not being a social butterfly can hurt you in the long run. I witnessed this at more than just school, but even church as well. This job has definitely helped me talk to strangers more easily, which is a good skill when dealing with business clients. I just hate that I am so quickly judged if I don't immediately act like I love everyone. Not that I am a pessimistic socially awkward person, but sometimes I just don't feel like talking.
Once you land a job, you then have to worry about keeping it. Ive been with my job for a year now and I am already switching positions. This is only because I was in a traveling position and I needed to have a regular life again. Now that I will be in the office I have other things to worry about. It seems that any little thing you do can come across the wrong way. I have always been notoriously bad at this. I don't mean dressing like a bum or being needy, but little things I do can really rub people the wrong way. I always have some kind of trouble with people in authority. Cops always write me tickets and I've only gotten a warning once. Teachers seems to always hate me, even though in high school I was a good student who always made As or Bs. I guess I didn't listen because I didn't need the help. In college I did pay attention, but I didn't want to build relationships with my teachers. I felt like keeping it on a professional level and I didn't like to ask a lot of questions. My grades weren't as high in college, but I will attribute that to being more concerned about a social life my first 3 years. My senior year I buckled down and brought my GPA up, but it probably helped that my then-boyfriend-now-fiance and I studied together since we had the same classes (although getting him to really study was quite a challenge)! I hate that not being a social butterfly can hurt you in the long run. I witnessed this at more than just school, but even church as well. This job has definitely helped me talk to strangers more easily, which is a good skill when dealing with business clients. I just hate that I am so quickly judged if I don't immediately act like I love everyone. Not that I am a pessimistic socially awkward person, but sometimes I just don't feel like talking.
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