Tag: career

Life Update

I relaunched this blog at the end of March and talked about how I really had no idea what I was going to do with my life, but I wanted to do a little update now that I have a true direction!

I am going to graduate school! For those of you who didn’t see my Barbie-movie-themed announcement on social media, I officially got into Pace University starting later this summer. I will be getting my Master’s in Communications and Digital Media. The one thing I have always been passionate about is storytelling. Both consuming it through books, movies, TV shows, or music, and creating stories myself. I love seeing someone’s imagination come to life on screen or in the pages of a novel and I want to be a part of that moving forward in my life. This online Master’s program will help me do that. I start on July 13th and will be taking Creative Writing for Media Professionals and Communication Research and I am so excited to dive in! Getting back into the swing of schoolwork will be a challenge but because these are subjects I am very interested in, I genuinely can’t wait to get started. I’ll keep you updated on my graduate school journey throughout my time there, but for now, everyone wish me luck as I jump into a sea of papers and projects!

I am going to be an online literacy tutor! When I was starting to think about the kinds of jobs I wanted to do while in grad school, I was looking for flexible part-time work and BookNook fell into that category. I was actually a literacy tutor at the YMCA in college for a couple of years, so it is something I already knew I loved doing. Watching kids make progress in their reading skills and helping foster a love of reading at a young age are two of the most fulfilling things I have been a part of and I look forward to doing it again. It is online and I set my own hours, so it is a perfect side hustle to have. It also keeps me working in the book world from a different angle. Looking forward to starting this month!

I am going to be working at a local store part-time! While literacy tutoring is a fun way to earn extra money, my other source of income while I am in school will be working at Abode Mercantile, an incredibly welcoming home decor, gourmet food, and gift shop right down the road from my house in East Nashville. It is a part of a street of stores called The Shoppes on Fatherland which are some of my favorite places to support local artists and businesses. Some things I love about the store I will be working at: the support they show local artisans by selling their products, the ability to meet all sorts of interesting people who come into the shop, the fact that they are dog friendly, and the ability they have to make you feel welcome the moment you walk in. I start training this week and I can’t wait to get started. Having this steady source of income along with tutoring gives me the flexibility I need to complete my schoolwork and also still have a life outside of all of those things. I didn’t want to look for another more corporate, stressful 9-5, 5-day-a-week job that left me nights to do schoolwork and then absolutely nothing else. Being able to do school and tutoring on days when I’m not at the shop, will leave some nights still free to hang out with my friends and maintain some work/school/life balance that I’ve realized is so important.

@pastedonsmiles

Nashville Night 1 was everything I ever dreamed of! Will remember this concert forever and always! ✨💜#taylorswift #erastour #taylorswifterastour #taylorswifterastouroutfits #taylorswifterastournashville #nashvillenight1erastour #nashvillenight1 #nashvilletn #taylornation #swifttok #sparksfly #swiftie #speaknowtaylorsversion #foryou #fyp #taylorsversion #dropeverythingnow

♬ Sparks Fly – Taylor Swift

I saw Taylor Swift! This is not really the same kind of life update about my new path, but it is something that just happened that I will never forget so I must share haha! My brother who came down from Maryland, one of my best friends who came over from Utah, my roommate, and I all went to The Eras Tour for Nashville Night 1, and boy was it everything I ever dreamed of. How Taylor Swift has the stamina to do a 3 and a half hour show with almost no breaks I will never understand, but I’m so grateful for it. We got to scream the lyrics to all our favorite songs and witness the surprise announcement of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). And if that wasn’t enough we also got surprise songs from the two eras I wanted them from: Sparks Fly and Teardrops on my Guitar. Truly a perfect evening! If you want to see us all experience the day check out this TikTok I made!

Life this year has been full of ups and downs, but I’m excited about the path that has started to form for me. Anxiety surrounding change still hangs around every day, but an underlying feeling of contentment and gratitude is there as well. I appreciate you going on this journey with me. If you would have asked me at the end of last year, where I’d be now, I wouldn’t have said any of the things I just listed, but that’s what makes life so interesting. Looking forward to seeing how the rollercoaster twists next.

What have you been up to? Anything in your life you are excited or nervous about? How do you handle change? I love hearing other people’s stories so let me know!

Rachel (:

Twenties and Trying #1

As a 25-year-old woman who has absolutely no clue how her life will turn out, but is trying her best to weave her way through her twenties, I wanted to share my journey. But I also wanted to share some stories of other people trying through their twenties, so I decided to interview my peers. I wanted this to be a safe space where we can talk about our failures, our triumphs, and our anxieties as we learn to be full-fledged adults in an ever-changing society. I hope these honest conversations will help you feel a little less alone. We’re all doing our best.

To kick it off, I wanted to share my answers. Vulnerability invites vulnerability, so it’s only fair.

A conversation with Me, Age 25

Profession and Place of Residence

Freelancer and Upcoming Graduate Student living in Nashville, TN

Are you where you pictured yourself at age 25?

Not even close lol! I think when I was younger I figured I’d be married or in a serious relationship at this point and would have a better idea of what I’m doing with my life. I also don’t think I would have pictured myself living in a city.

What has been the biggest triumph of your twenties so far?

Getting a job straight out of college in the field I went to school for. Especially graduating during a pandemic, options were limited so I was so glad that my work ethic shined through during my internship and they were willing to hire me full-time. Being able to be financially independent living in the city I wanted to be in was a great feeling and something I am definitely proud of.

What has been something that didn’t quite work out in your twenties so far?

Getting laid off at the beginning of the year. It was completely unexpected and threw me for a loop. I think I wasn’t really dealing with all my emotions surrounding being let go and it caused me to kind of lose who I was and wanted to be for a little over a month. I’m now turning that disappointment into an opportunity but it definitely took some time to get to a better headspace.

Are you in the industry/job you pictured yourself in? Where do you ultimately see yourself in your career?

I was in the industry I pictured myself in before getting laid off but as I mentioned in my first post back my idea of where I’m going is a little unknown. I just found out I was accepted to grad school at Pace University and will be diving into learning more about film/TV production and writing. Making an industry switch is honestly a little terrifying but I think it would be a fulfilling change. My dream job would be to write or produce book adaptations so that I could combine my love of all the storytelling mediums and hopefully help make book adaptions that fans of the novels can love instead of cringe at, which I feel happens most of the time haha! For now, I’m hoping to freelance in digital marketing for the book industry or do remote literacy tutoring to make money while I go to school.

Relationship Status? Biggest dating dos and don’ts for you in this phase of your life?

Status: Very single

DO: Only date if you are ready to date. It wastes your time and their time if you aren’t in a place mentally or emotionally to put effort into it. I haven’t actively dated for about a year because I wanted to work on my own self-esteem/mindset before actively trying again. I am feeling like I’m ready now so who knows maybe I’ll start swiping haha! Ideally, I’ll just bump into the love of my life at a bookstore or something though.

DON’T: Ignore red flags. I feel like a lot of times we watch our friends in relationships and want to experience that as well, so we brush past the couple of red flags we see in order to have someone. The issue with that is those red flags will always cause more issues down the road. So don’t waste your time. Also, don’t be afraid to have standards, even ones that seem ridiculous to others. It’s your life, so you get to decide what you are looking for. An example of mine: If I see Kanye West in your top artists on your profile or your entire personality is hiking, I will swipe left lol.

What is an adulting anxiety you’ve had in your twenties?

Making appointments. I HATE phone calls and I have social anxiety so the act of making appointments for all the adult things like the dentist, doctor, hair appointments, insurance, etc, is the worst. It’s a small thing and I do accomplish the task but man do I wish I didn’t have to do that. Also, the constant fear that I’ve forgotten to pay for something. I haven’t ever actually missed a payment on anything important, but I’m always anxious about it anyway haha!

If you could invite five fictional characters to a dinner party who would they be and why?

  1. Pippi Longstocking from Pippi Longstocking: She would 100% liven things up
  2. Ove from A Man Called Ove: I’d love to see the dynamic between a grouchy old man with a heart of gold and an off the wall, independent, pig-tailed little girl
  3. Celia from The Night Circus: She could bring a little magic to the party and I think she would enjoy a night away from the circus she is tied to
  4. Daisy Jones from Daisy Jones and The Six: She could provide musical entertainment and bring countless stories (although we may have to cover Pippi’s ears for some of them lol)
  5. Veronica from How the Penguins Saved Veronica: An older woman who makes me laugh and who I might be able to play matchmaker with between her and Ove

If aliens came down to earth and you could only use three objects you possessed to describe your life to them, what would you show them?

  1. A book (Maybe Phantom Tollbooth which kind of explores the English language and how wacky it can be, plus it is one of my all-time favorites)
  2. A coffee mug (one with a little personality or a pun so it gives them a sense of who I am, but also just denotes my love of a comforting cup of coffee)
  3. My car key (And I would relay to them my love of driving and listening to music, the love of having the freedom to visit family, all of the memories that are forever kept inside the confines of Bailey-my car’s name haha! If you don’t name your car, what are you even doing?)

What obscure TV show or movie instantly brings you back to your childhood?

Ok, the two that come to mind immediately in terms of “obscure” would be The Big Comfy Couch and Strawberry Shortcake. I was obsessed with those shows when I was little haha! The clock exercise on Big Comfy Couch was everything. I was so obsessed with Strawberry Shortcake that my first usernames for things was “strawberryrachh.” They’ve changed the look of Strawberry Shortcake over the years but I will always see her in the animation style of my time. Her hat is simply iconic.

If you could see five years into the future would you do it or would you rather not know what’s coming?

I think I want to be surprised. Hopefully the next five years are filled with good things, and I want to be able to experience that growth and those moments for the first time as they happen. But man would I be tempted!

I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little bit better and I look forward to you getting to know all of our upcoming interviewees! I’d love to talk with you about your answers so let us know what your life looks like in the comments below.

Rachel (:

Losing My Job and Finding My Path

This year is not going how I envisioned and I realized that writing and sharing my journey may help me feel less alone and encourage others who have no idea where their life is heading that it’s okay. Five days into 2023 I was laid off from my job with literally no warning. I got an email the day before asking if I could meet with my two bosses the next morning and got a bad feeling, but there had been no indication previously that I was going to lose my job so I was trying to convince myself that my gut must be wrong. But turns out my gut knows what’s up, unfortunately. I went through all the stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) and have come out the other side almost three months later, still jobless but with the knowledge that the world is literally wide open to me at the moment. That thought is both exciting and terrifying but I figure laying it all out in words on this blog may also help me make some decisions.

Let’s take it all step by step in my job finding/path finding process:

Part 1- Depression and Desperation

For the first couple of weeks after being laid off, I was grieving the loss of the job that I loved and applying to literally any job that I saw completely out of fear that I would never work again. Turns out that is not the best reason to apply for things. Ideally, your job is at least somewhat enjoyable or interesting to you. I know that doesn’t always happen, but you should at least try to reach out to companies that you actually want to be a part of. But when you are blinded by the new reality of being unemployed, it is easy to lose sight of that. So I was stuck in a cycle of scrolling through job sites and clicking “apply” on anything that was even remotely associated with my skill set. The moment I started to reset and realize that might not be the best approach was when I got an interview for a company and realized mid-interview that none of me wanted to work there. So when they said they wanted a second interview, I said no. At that moment I realized that I needed to figure out what I wanted and actively give myself grace as I grieved the loss of my previous job.

Part 2- Therapy and Acceptance

The fun thing about losing my job was that it happened literally two days after my last session with my therapist, Susan. I only see her every two weeks so that means during that two-week depressive, anxiety-ridden spiral, my therapist had no idea what was going on and I really needed to talk to her. I could have emailed or texted her but my brain was not at full capacity so I didn’t think about that until after the fact (of course lol.) Susan has always been good at keeping a straight face and being calm whenever I tell her things, as therapists do, but I’ve never seen her as shocked as when I said I lost my job. But almost immediately after she said, “Well now the world is wide open and you’ll find the place you were meant to be.” Throughout our conversation, I realized that even though I felt without control, in some ways I was more in control than I have ever been because I get to decide what my next step is. Reframing the situation put things into a new perspective that calmed me down some and made me really look at what I wanted my life to look like.

Part 3- Applying When Inspired

This started my journey of only applying to jobs that excited me when I saw them come up. I want to make it clear that I acknowledge the privilege I have to have savings and get support from my parents right now which allows me the opportunity to have the time to make decisions like this. Part of this was scrolling through LinkedIn and Indeed and some of it was actually thinking of companies I might want to work for and going directly to their sites to see if they were hiring for any positions. I felt more in control because I was picking the things that actually inspired me. It also wasn’t all jobs in my previous field. I was branching out and really taking stock of what my skills were. I got some responses for interviews and there were two jobs during this time that I was really hoping for. I got to the second round on both and the job ultimately went elsewhere, which does set you back a little bit mentally. This is when it was helpful to talk to family and Susan and reframe my thoughts again knowing that all of these interviews are great experiences and it just means these jobs weren’t the right fit right now. The job I’m meant to have will come. But all of this applying, interviewing, waiting, and waiting some more gave me a chance to realize that there were other paths to think about taking as well.

Part 4- Realizing There are Other Routes

As I was talking to Susan about things that relieve my anxiety, I was realizing that it mostly revolved around storytelling: reading, watching movies, listening to great songs, and watching TV shows. Watching other people’s creativity inspires my own creativity and being unemployed is the perfect time to lean into that. So I figured I’d restart my blog. And work on my novel idea. Flex my creative muscles that I felt like I was too tired to work on after a full day of work. Get reinspired and get back to doing the things I am passionate about. And then one day I thought “What if I go back to school? Is there a way to further my career in the world of telling stories?” After some intense googling, I found two graduate programs for “digital storytelling” which basically means learning how to write and produce stories for movies, TV, or even just for marketing purposes. All things that interest me. Susan also brought up the fact that she thinks I could make a good therapist and asked if I had ever considered it. As a psychology minor, someone who has a blog about her own mental health journey, and someone who has benefitted greatly from therapy, I have had that thought. Then I was googling masters programs for counseling. Suddenly new paths that I never would have considered while moving along in my last job emerged and got me excited about what my future could look like.

Part 5- Choosing Where I Go Next

Now it just comes down to what I decide to do. But while I’m figuring it out, I am taking all the little steps along the way so that I can make the big decisions down the road. Still applying for jobs. Applying for freelance jobs. Submitting the FAFSA. Filling out grad school applications. Doing all those things in stages makes it seem less scary and overwhelming and allows me time to really consider what I want my life to look like in the coming years. I’m just having to take it day by day, be kind to myself, and be patient. All easier said than done, but I am excited to share my journey with you.

So what will the rest of my year look like? I don’t know. But I’m 25 and maybe that’s okay.

Anyone else feeling like they don’t know what’s next? Tell me about it in the comments and let’s commiserate together!

Rachel (: