The Formula for Success Pt. 1

Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that's where you will find success.
- Thomas J. Watson

Good morning, my three fearless followers. I have a great success to impart to you… I got the job!!! I've gotten one of the (many) jobs that I applied for an am now employed at a luggage store in the Flint mall. This means that I am officially working 45 hours a week or thereabouts. The mall job is (a shock to no one) minimum wage, but every little bit helps and I'm grateful to have it.

On Tuesday (after a very lovely weekend at The Lake with Mike and his family, and after getting poison ivy or oak or something on my legs) I have approximately 6 job interviews. I say approximately because, well, I'm approximating. I had a few "half interviews" and such; I'll explain… I originally had 2 interviews planned for Tuesday (and so I took the day off Lansing) Mongolian BBQ (as a kitchen person) at 11AM and Hollister (yuck) in the mall for an "impact" position at 4PM. On my way to the 11AM interview I got a call about a job I'd applied for as an Ad Sales Rep for a community newspaper based in Lapeer (they do several communities papers) and set the interview for 1PM. Mongo went well, on my way to the paper I stopped at rite aid (to pick something up… I think?) and picked up an app which I returned after my interview. The paper interview went very well, it lasted about 30 minutes, she loved my resume and what I had to say, I asked ALL the right questions, etc. After that when I returned my rite aid app I got an on the spot interview with the manager on duty who happened to be the pharmacist, which also went well (his boss called me this morning). After all that I headed back to flint and briefly saw my friend Colette (happy birthday beautiful!!!!!!) I then went to the mall (it was about 3pm and my interview was at 4). I dropped off my apps for New York & Co. and another mall clothing store and spoke to supervisors briefly while I was there and then I dropped off an app for a jeweler - then I went to my Hollister interview (which was a group interview); I said all the right things, thought through my answers, and by my judgment I was clearly in the top two. The weird part was that you cannot wear any makeup, you can't wear clothes other than Hollister clothes or clothes that look exactly like Hollister clothes (down to the color of jeans) and unless you are a "model" you are not allowed to talk to customers. I then went back to the jeweler where I spoke briefly to the manager and he said he'd like to set up an interview.

Crazy day right?

Friday (today) I have 2 interviews set and possibly a third. My issue is now - I'd like to get the ad sales job in Lapeer; it is 25-30 hours a week, day time only, no weekends, and $8 base per hour plus commission (6%). If I had Lansing, the Luggage store, and Lapeer I'd be set most likely and happy. Unless I find another job to take the hours of the luggage store (afternoon/evenings & weekends) that pays more than minimum wage I think that I will stay with the luggage store (I can really only have one job with those hours, although rite aid may pay my $8 but that is in lapeer and possibly worse hours). If I got my 3 Ls (I'm already 2/3 of the way there) the only other job I could really have would be a 3rd shift job that was only 2 or 3 nights a week. If I get my 3 Ls I would be working 9am-4pm every day (between lansing and lapeer) and then 4-9pm 2 or 3 times a week + weekends.

Well, now that I've bored you with my proposed work schedule… I'm very excited about going to Indiana this week and seeing my family! I don't get to see them often and I took off work (new job, my boss wasn't very happy) and everything! I'm excited to see Justine again - I miss her!!! And my aunts and cousins J it's sure to be a wonderful weekend; there may be a little fighting, a lot of curling irons and primping, and some craziness, but there will also be good food, family that loves each other, and fun times. I'm excited about my trip… especially because this will be my first time bringing Mike! I've often felt like I needed to brag, or be someone I'm not - someone I wished I was - when I saw my family, not because they don't love me just the way I am, but because I loved who they were (yes, I idolized my aunts). I am happy with who I am and I feel that I am a little bit less… awkward… in my own skin than when I was younger and I'm excited to see how this weekend goes and if I can relax and just be while I am there. As Hecato (a Greek philosopher) said "What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself."

In the past when we've gone to Indiana for our yearly thing it's been referred to as a "sister reunion" or something and when we've done pictures (my family ALWAYS does pictures) we did only "sisters" (my aunts) and then separate "cousins" pictures. These things (once I got a bit older, about 14 maybe?) always upset me. I spoke (without any whining or bitchyness) to my aunt and my mom simply requesting we do "mixed" pictures because (as Mike is well aware) "I have EMPTY frames on my wall!!! I NEED PICTURES!!!!" J I think that this weekend will prove that simple solutions (simply asking for something else - without emotion, or simply changing your attitude) are the most powerful.

The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can.
Robert Cushing

Keep on Keepin On.

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."  ~Henry Ford

"Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."  ~Les Brown

My first July post, oh how exciting! I believe that I have found an answer to at least part of my problem (of not being able to attend classes this fall), the answer is to use some of my fafsa allocated student loan money to pay for Winter -- I didn't think that the financial aid dept would allow that but because of my circumstances they have stated that they most likely will. I'm lucky because it is very close to them not letting me do it and I need a few hundred paid off my bill from winter for them to allow it, but it is still hopefully going to work (ready 3 followers - fingers crossed). This gives me more time to come up with the money ($3,000 in two months was pretty crazy) and allows me a little breathing room (I'll still probably have to work 80 hour weeks, but that's a lot better than 100 hour weeks…). (WOW that was a lot of information for one paragraph, or at least that's how it feels…)

I'm working on getting an internship with my Congressman in his Flint office, they don't offer paid internship so it would have to either be unpaid or campaign volunteer. The issue with an unpaid internship in his office is that there is an ethics committee and for some reason they have an issue with slave labor. To get an unpaid internship with the Congressman you have to receive academic credit for it - now to most people this would be like "awesome! I get credit for this? Sweet!" or "I'm not doing it unless I get credit for it". Well, I clearly am not most people. I would not like to receive credit for this internship as I want to receive credit for next summer's internship and if I receive credit now I cannot get it later.

Now, certain people with whom I am acquainted have expressed concern about my desire to do all I can to change the world; their concern is that I should "find myself" before I teach others and that I do not know enough about the world yet to change it and that I should take time away from my dreams in order to learn about the world. To them I respond below.

I believe that Thomas Szasz said it best in "Personal Conduct," The Second Sin, 1973, when he said "People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself.  But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates." I have found my path, that path my change, but I have a passion for that path. I am not in need of finding myself, I am - through every move I make, every choice, creating who I am. It is this path that I am on through which I will see the world - I am in Lansing now, is that not part of the world? I will hopefully be in DC next summer, I plan to travel abroad, and I have been to roughly a third of the states (a number I plan to increase). I'm on the debate team, is that not a life experience?  I'm in the economics club.

I believe that these people must not see my plan to its full extent, the plan is this: a stepwise motion towards a goal in my life with the understanding that goals change and the wisdom to know that these steps will better me as a person, increase my knowledge, and help me in any career I choose. I understand that there are unknowns in life and (much different than when I was young) I can handle changes very easily. I find though, that when a person does not have a goal that they are working towards - when they are just floating - they do not work to better themselves, they do not increase their knowledge (very much), and they do not achieve greatness. They sit at home and play on facebook or some such thing and accomplish very little. I find this lifestyle quite depressing and do not wish to partake in it. But, to each his own. I find my lifestyle (although sometimes stressful), full of hard work and full of relaxation and exploration. I've never learned or seen so many things as I have in the past year and I do not wish to end that or to choose one life over the other. I feel that my life incorporates freedom and adventure while including hard work and learning, and that is exactly what I want with my life.

Robert Brault said, "Never mind searching for who you are.  Search for the person you aspire to be." I aspire to be great, and because of that I will search for greatness within myself.

Flora Whittemore said "The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live." I want to decide my life, through the hard work I put in now and through the decisions I will make in the future. But it is my life to choose.

Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

- Martin Luther King, Jr. I make a point of relaxing every evening; I cannot sleep unless I have. I take holiday weekend at the Lake with Mike and I forget everything that has to do with work and I just am and I am happy. I take days or hours to myself to relax and I enjoy them, but I never stop bettering myself. It has been said that we should "Let loose of what you can't control. Serenity will be yours." I repeat the serenity prayer every day as I leave my house and every time that I face a difficult situation because I deeply believe that we should strive to have the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can, and the wisdom to know the difference; and that is how I life my life.

En Breve:

I am becoming who I am to be through the things that I am doing currently. I am relaxing, I am exploring, and I am learning. And that is what I want. Thank you to those who have expressed concern.

Closing:

I had a wonderful time at debate practice last night, I had a very strong opening and closing and my content was pretty good too (I think I'm getting better! And I'm definitely getting better style). Mike went to a job fair today, not exactly everything we had hoped it would be but it was still worth the experience (of course with almost every job in this age, you HAVE to apply online, but he learned some more about the agencies and he's well prepared for future interviews). Again, classical music is keeping me sane and relaxed at the moment and keeps me smiling all the time. Life is hard, but life is also beautiful - if at first you don’t succeed, or if one door closes… just keep on keepin on. 

I'll be brief: Monday's Quick Loan Update

I attempted to apply for a loan stating that I made $24,000 per year to see if (once I get - hopefully - these other jobs) I will be able to get a loan by myself. I tried a small amount with two different types of loan and got denied immediately on both - not even a "we'll think about it"... Well, that's out I guess. 

I'm still working on figuring this one out. As a friend said "There is always a solution to a problem, (you) just have to think about it long enough."  And that is what I plan to do... 

Well, back to that. 

My first Sunday Post - Mission Impossible

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.” – Brian Tracy

Well it’s Sunday June 27, 2010 and I skipped any writing on Wednesday. I’ve basically gotten to the point where I’m not sure what my next move will be; I spent five hours at the mall on Wednesday applying for jobs and picking up apps – I had a stack of resumes that got me a lot of funny looks. I have gotten five calls after that day for interviews (most of which are on Tuesday) and hopefully that will lead to a second (and maybe third) job. This will hopefully mean that I can pay all my bills and slowly (I reiterate – slowly) pay off the small but crushing debt I have (an overdue credit card, electric bills, phone bills, $500 in fees from my ex-bank, and Winter’s tuition). I have tuition mostly covered for fall semester (thank you Government loans, finally), but I have an issue… I still haven’t paid off my tuition from winter 2010 semester; I owe about $3,000 in tuition that my parents were going to pay… but they can’t. Part of the reason that they can’t is because I was unemployed for about 3 weeks. During that time I got behind on bills and now I have to beg them for some assistance. This means that neither me nor my parents are able to pay any of this tuition, something that is going to hurt my credit (like my ex-bank is doing) and inhibit me from attending school this fall (the part that is covered).

What happens if I can’t go to school is devastating (to me); I can’t be the President of the Economics Club (a position I’ve been dreaming of and finally attained), I won’t be able to get my internships next summer (will hurt my career), I won’t be able to be on the debate team (no free trips with my good friends… plus it’s really good experience), and I get behind on my education (I’m already going to be in school for a long time with my masters and Ph. D.). The thought behind dropping a semester is this: I could work full time during that semester and save up enough money to pay for winter and be good then… right? Well here’s the catch: I already plan to be working 40+ hours while in school to cover expenses, if I don’t go to school I will only be able to work slightly more hours and will be able to more almost nothing to save to pay off winter – winter’s tuition is just too high a dollar amount after taxes and bills hit my income. The issue is then that I won’t be able to go back after skipping fall because I will be stuck with bad credit (already happening) and with bills and no way to pay off winter – this means I will probably spend the rest of my life making minimum wage or just above and not accomplish any of my goals. This thought sends me into tears.

I have uncovered one possible solution: get a private loan to cover winter and some other expenses. This means that I could go to school and support myself (through my employment), I wouldn’t be asking anyone for money and I could push forward with my life. I applied for a loan by myself, but I do not have enough credit or enough income to get a loan by myself. Federal loans will only cover future semesters and not past (which is what I need), so that is out, but a private loan could be “for fall” and be used for last winter without issue. My only option left: get a cosigner to help me get the loan. My issues: since my dad lost his job he is not an ok cosigner, none of my family members who are capable of being cosigners would and none of them who would are capable. I thought about friends… same issue. I even kind of asked my boyfriend’s mom… no go there too.

So now I’m stuck wondering what I am going to do next, how I can possibly continue school and pay bills. The thought arises: would I have been better off staying at home? The response: living at home was physically and emotionally stressful, it was also hurting my relationship with my parents (we talk so much more now), and I was never home (I’d come home at 2 am after school and work and friends and leave at 6 or 7 am), and it was an hour long drive (plus it is an extra half an hour drive from my parents house to my job in Lansing which means extra money and time). A downside to moving back: my apartment complex will charge me some serious money if I break my lease.

Again, back to my question, what do I do now? Some thoughts: join the military. Not really what I wanted to do, but it would fix my problems. Downside: I may have to skip fall semester + time commitment and possibility of being sent overseas. Upside: I would definitely be able to come back to school & it doesn’t look bad on a resume.

Long shot: if I do get one or more of the jobs I’ve applied for I will be working 40+ hours and then can possibly get a private loan on my own. Downside: with my declining credit score and the debt I have already this will be unlikely.

I am looking into Angel Investing for Education and trying to find out if I could start an Angel Investing company that focuses on education for people who are crazy ambitious but for some reason can’t pay for school. Just curious... I’d love to start that business.

I hate to end this with myself in such a situation, but that is where I am at. I’ve applied for more jobs and will keep doing so until I am making enough money, I will attempt to apply for more loans and if I think of anyone who could cosign I will try to put aside my pride and I will ask them. I will approach this situation with a positive attitude always knowing that no matter what, I will survive. I will achieve my goals because I cannot see my life any other way; it may be hard, but I will have to do it, because that is who I am. I may feel desperate, this situation may seem like there is no way out, but I promise myself and my two blog followers that I will never ever give up. I’m not sure how I will do it, but I will, and through my attitude I will master change. 

-       --    Jessica

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A day in Lansing, Jessica style.

Everyone has the initial desire, when something bad happens, to crawl up in bed and beg "someone, please come take care of me". It is that moment when we need to stand up and say "I will take care of myself"; only then can we realize that we have people all around us who are actively looking for an opportunity to comfort or help us. As with anything worthwhile; we must make the first move towards our future.

It is Wednesday again, I guess I get around to writing every Wednesday… this wasn’t planned! I have more interesting news of my life for my now 2 followers! (Wow, I am getting hugely popular!) Well, yesterday was crazy, to say the least. On Tuesday I had my first day as an intern in Lansing, I am finally in politics. My first day mainly consisted of being shown how things work and where things are; I got a tour of the building (it looks like… a building), ate free lunch in the State Capitol building, and saw my soon-to-be desk area. During my first day there the State Rep I work for and his Chief of Staff asked if I’d like a paid position, I tried not to show how terribly relieved and excited I was (I assume I’m good at this because I’ve been told I’m “hard to read”), the Rep had to go see if he could get approval to pay me and I didn’t find out until the end of the day if they would let him – I found out just before I left that they could and would pay me for 20 hours a week at $10 per hour! I was so excited; I had to wait about 20 minutes (till I finally left the building and got to my car) to scream, but when I did, I screamed. You see, I went to see my mom Tuesday to talk to her; I have been trying so hard to be strong but I spent several hours just talking, and crying, to my mom because I was scared – scared that I wouldn’t find a job or couldn’t pay my rent. My mom had told me to relax, she helped me with my car payment for the month, and said to focus on my internship the next day and things would be fine. Ironic, just how right she was.

In my car in the parking garage I called and paid my car payment (already late), then I left to go home (long drive!), and was so happy. On my way home as I was merging from 496 to 127 a large white truck got behind me and neglected to pay attention to my brake lights, he then proceeded to ram his Silverado into the back of my 2002 Buick Century, causing me to hit the (also white) Colorado in front of me. I believe that somehow I hit the car in front of me more than once; it happened so quickly (I didn’t know he was going to hit me until he hit me) that I screamed, not really knowing what was happening. I walked away with a bruise and some painful whiplash (redundant?). As soon as we stopped moving I had 911 on the phone (before anyone had even gotten out of their cars), then before anything else I took pictures of everything (below). The guy in front of me was quite nice, he agreed that I was not to blame and we sat for a bit waiting for the police to come. I relaxed a bit, knowing it wasn’t my fault and that I would be ok, the guy behind me got a ticket and I was free to go. My car still drives (I drove home after) but is pretty dented. I found out today (after filing a claim with my insurance and relaxing because it would be taken care of) that my insurance ($200 a month with my 25 year old boyfriend on the policy - $400 if I’m alone, thank you) does not cover any damages to my car. I understand that I got the cheapest coverage possible, but really, can nothing work out? Sigh. It will be fine, but understandably, that was a very upsetting realization.

Pictures : (

 Back of my car - See the denting?

Now you see it better? 

Trunk lid isn't looking to good...

 The guy that hit me... 

The front of my car 

The guy in front of me 

 The inside of mine, I hit my leg and knocked this off... 

Well, Now here’s where I’m at, I am making ALMOST enough to cover my bills (this relaxes me a lot because I’m close); I now need to find a part-time job to cover the rest of my expenses (and possibly more). I have an interview tomorrow for the Caretel job in Linden; I know that there are a lot of applicants for this position, so I don’t know my chances, but I am hopeful (an interview is a good thing no matter what, this is the second interview I’ve had out of probably 200 applications, so yay). This would be a part time (weekend) job, but that is all I need now! I am not too keen on giving up all my weekends (I love going away for the weekend) but if that’s what I need to do to pay my rent, then by god I will give up my weekends. I’m considering (per the suggestions of my father and Jon) texting my ex-boss (whose kids I watched) and asking her if she hasn’t found anyone if she wants/needs me to watch the kids 2 days per week. I don’t know what her reaction will be; she let me go after all, but it is worth a shot. I’m trying to apply at stores and such, but sadly the internet connection here at Tim Hortons is somewhat lacking today (this is unusual).

Last night Mike (the boyfriend) took me to a Japanese Steak House for dinner (yum!) and we had a great time; the food was delicious!

Today my plans are; laundry (finally…), applying for a few jobs, and buying some business clothes (hopefully cheap…) for my new job!! Tomorrow is my interview and possibly some more errands and applying. I’m hoping to hear back from some of the jobs I’ve applied to soon also. After my day yesterday (crazy huh?) I am assured that anything can happen, and knowing that the possibilities are limitless… well, that is pretty inspiring.

Jessica 

Wednesday's Update; the tenacious resume submitter.

Well, it’s Wednesday and I’ve spent the last week applying for as many jobs and internships as is humanly possible and re-doing my resume to the brink of insanity. The result? Multiple job offers from well known “scam” companies (I’m not stupid, I know that cashing a check and then transferring the funds is code for money laundering and I can smell a pyramid scam from 100 miles away), one call from what I believe is a retirement community asking me to fill out their application and come in and see them, and two offers for internships (unpaid, of course).

Now the point of the internship is to help me to have the contacts and experience necessary to get my desired internship next summer. Here’s who I’ve been contacting regarding internships: All the Congressmen and State Reps in Michigan and all of the Michigan State Senators. Basically, I have been sending out emails saying “I’d like to work for you, totally free; I don’t need school credit or money I simply want to work for you. Oh, and I’m awesome”.  I have the skills, and for the low cost of nothing I am totally worth the risk; it’s the perfect economic offer. And of course I do get some benefit, the benefit of saying that I worked for XYZ Congressman/State Rep/Senator and the possible letter of recommendation… Oh how I love letters of recommendation. I’ve applied also for an internship at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy for the fall semester, it’s a bit of a drive but if it helps me to get my dream internship then I am all for it.

On an interesting and mostly unrelated note; my boyfriend now knows the full potential of my… insanity? I came over to see him and didn’t leave until he had a resume (his first ever), a cover letter, and a list of police departments and other agencies to take these items to. This took several hours…  But now he is well on his way to finding an internship, which puts him still behind in his job hunt (he graduates in December and in his field applying to the jobs he wants is competitive and the process takes 6-9 months). I find it somewhat amusing when I think about it; my boyfriend who is 6 years older than me is only just beginning his first resume and I’ve had probably 12 (I change them around a lot to keep them relevant and professional). I’ve moved out and he hasn’t (he’s not too far from school, his parents are very nice; it’s a good decision, speaking as an economist, to stay there until he gets a “real” job). I chalk all this up to our personality differences, which is good, I might go insane if I were dating myself. Some say it’s a “birth order” thing, I’m a first born and he’s the baby, I don’t know for sure what it is, but I am the way I am and he is much more laid back. I think we’re good for each other, I help him get moving and he helps me relax… which I need… often.

Quote of the day: from Socrates “I believe that we cannot live better than in seeking to become still better than we are.” I believe that I am trying to become better, by finding a new job and through these internships, and so this quote made me smile. Yes, there are several times every day that I want to quit and just curl up into a ball in my apartment until they kick me out, but I can’t do that, because I know that with just a little effort I can become something amazing and put myself in a better position. I know that with hard work and determination I can accomplish all my goals, be it getting a job, changing the world, or paying my rent.

Now the good stuff; tomorrow my day will be spent driving around, first off is the interview with the State Rep’s Chief of Staff, after that is dropping by that business in Linden that called me (I’ll bring my resume and references and a cover letter even though all they require is an application), after that I may go see my friend Jon for a bit, and I will be calling the administrative staffing agency that I am trying to join to set up a time to do some testing. It makes me happy to see that my hard work has paid off, albeit only slightly, but this is still a start. Of course I’ll spend some time applying for jobs tomorrow; I spent today applying for jobs and for internships with Congressmen. I have some printing to do tonight (here I come UPS Store, get ready) and some faxing/shipping, but otherwise I think I’m done for the night. I got a twitter account, I suppose as part of my job hunt… I posted my quote of the day on there; otherwise I’m not a big twitter person. I’ve been editing my linkedin account as well; I had a professor look it over for me and I changed a bunch of stuff.

So where am I on my mission? Well, I still don’t have a job (I have till the end of June to get one), I have 2 potential internships and I’ve applied for many more, and I have one potential job lead. That is after one week on the hunt; I think I’m doing well. You’ve got to stay positive in life; it’s not “Oh, this terrible thing happened, crap” it’s “Oh look, now it’s time for some life changes, this could be good! Let’s get moving!” attitude has a lot to do with how your life ends up, and I’d like my life to be looking up. So I sit at Panera or Tim Horton’s for between 7 and 12 hours per day applying for jobs and bettering myself, I see no problem with that. 

The New Old Jessica

I was sitting at the bar with some random people I had just met drinking my iced tea and eating desert (I had gone into Applebees alone, deeply in need of chocolate) when it happened, I said it and it reminded me of everything I had forgotten. Here is some context, we were laughing and talking about religious schools and how many of them focus on getting women married, not educated (a horrible over generalization... or is it?) and I said "I didn't go to school to get married, I went to school to make more money than most men I know". Suddenly, after saying it, I remembered how much power I used to feel-and more importantly, the passion I had to change the world.

The last few months had gotten me down, I felt as though the world was too hard and I’d never catch a break. I laugh when I think about how silly and simple a sentence it was, it wasn’t even a particularly important conversation, but it brought back the real Jessica. So here I am, and I’m ready to take over (err, fix?) the world. I’m on a mission, and my zero blog followers will be here with me as I take my journey.

My mission:

• · Get a job (I’ve got to pay my rent!)
• · Get my internship (I’ll tell you which ones I want later)
• · Get into Government (I don’t want to be a politician; I just want to change things and get paid for it).
• · Change the school system (people should be able to learn easier and be more employable upon graduation from high school)
• · Change the financial aid system (currently, unless your parents have money, it is terribly hard to get aid).
• · Fix the Economy (or at least do my part… Flint, here I come).

How will I achieve this? That’s the work in progress. Currently, if you are a Michigan State Senator, one of your interns or assistants may have received an interesting email on your behalf. If you are wondering who the crazy econ student is who wants to work for you for free is, well that would be me. The point of this is, I want to get real world work experience so that I can get a job, and working in government would also help me to get any of the internships I want. Funny story; I’ve managed my own business, cleaned houses and been a nanny, worked for the Census, and sold ads… I’m more than proficient in Microsoft Office programs, can type 70 wpm, and am an excellent communicator… and yet I don’t have enough experience to be a bank teller. I’m an economics major. I’m certain that people less qualified than I are hired as bank tellers. This job hunt is confusing.

How to get a job:

I plan to get certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist (I’ve taken the first steps, now it’s about practicing and getting the money), it seems that employers prefer certifications to simply stating that you are proficient (at least that will help). I’m considering getting other certifications as well (computer based) to prove my proficiency, again it’s a money thing. Otherwise, I’ve applied for at least 50 jobs a day every day since I lost my job (Wednesday). It’s funny that there are more than 200 jobs and yet none of them want me. I’ve worked on my resume constantly, trying to make it more appealing (I found a typo! Oh my!), I’ve found temp companies and more job search engines (sorry, if you are an employer, and I’ve applied for your job more than once). Besides that, I’m not sure what else I can do? I’ll be talking to friends and professors for help… I really need to pay my rent.

Next steps for the internship:

As for my internship (I’m talking about summer of 2011 here people)… I’m interested in a few, my top 2 being:

• · CEA (Council of Economic Advisors, unpaid – in DC)
• · CIA (they offer internships for many different majors, this type is more of an investment in your future as some of their internships are fully paid and include a requirement that you work for the CIA summers and then 1.5x the years they paid you – they pay you all year and pay for school!)

Both seem VERY competitive! But both would be a great way to start my Economic/Government (Political) career. If I want to change the world, these internships will help me do that. So how do I get them? Per the advice of a professor of mine I’m considering writing economic articles for the school’s paper (I’m going to write up some articles, publish them in a different blog, and then submit my “portfolio” to the school paper in July to see if I can get a very low paying gig as a writer). If I were to get a job working for any type of government (local, state, federal) that would help me get these internships, also if I get some sort of administrative job that would help, those are skills that make a desirable intern (of course, certification and no job history is still pretty good). I’ve been a research assistant on a paper two of my professors wrote, but that was a small-time gig, I need to be the absolute best candidate for these positions.

Well, my plans for the next day or so (until I write again) are to look up more programs, classes, or certifications that I can get to help me get these internships (and possibly a job in the mean time). I also plan to unveil my drastic hair change (yes, I drastically changed my hair today) to friends and family!

That’s all for now!

Jess