Underemployment

So today marks exactly 6 months since graduation day. I just sent in my first payment for my loans. It is ironic that I have received this college education, that thus far, has me asking people if they want anything to drink. I do not say that because I think I am better than the job I currently have, because I do not. I do know that this position is not what I want to do and as I continue to spend my days reading articles and watching TED videos, I realize how much I enjoy becoming more informed.

I recently looked through my cover letters that I have sent out for about 6 months now. They have definitely improved. There are some that seem more generic and then there are some where I have exaggerated more than I probably should have. Some cover letters have resulted in phone interviews and some have responded in form emails telling that while I have an excellent background or a phenomenal amount of passion, they have found someone with more experience or something of that sort. The problem is that all I have to offer is my passion and willingness to learn.

Six months of apply for jobs and at a very slim estimate of 50 jobs with people I really want to work for, not to mention the random jobs that I find on Craiglist have led me to very little. It is a state of rejection that I have never known before. I have been able to read blogs and talk to friends about how I am not unique. I am competing with people who have graduated this year, last year, and people who are graduating in December at a time where the unemployment rate is higher than it has been in decades. Yet, this information is not always comforting.

Writing a cover letter for a job where the requirements are that I can use a computer, fax machine, and answer phones is challenging. I have to convince people that I am capable of using equipment that I have grown up using. I trying to get people to let me do basic office tasks while making it seem like I will be honored to make them copies and make their travel arrangements. Yet, nothing.

The degree I received in May was worth it. I have friends to commiserate with about being unemployed. I have pictures to fill my room with and I have memories that I will cherish for as long as I live. But as I mark the six month point, I remain underemployed. I am being denied the ability to use my degree and my passion.

I will continue to write the cover letters and send them out. I will contact random people who might be able to help me out. Until I get my chance, I will continue to smile at my customers and tell them how to get water from the Coke machine.

I read a blog recently that mentioned how TV has ruined us! It was quite funny but very true. Shows like Seinfeld and Friends have groups of people who never seem to work and yet live fabulous lives in fabulous apartments. I, too, want to live in New York and go out all the time, live in a beautifully furnished apartment, and never go to work! So if you know how this works, please let me know ASAP! Until then, I will continue to write cover letters.

A Life Update

So as pointed out by Chrissy, I have not written anything in a month! So here is a short update on my life working backwards.

This past weekend was a blast! Alyssa and Amy, two friends from Chapman, came to visit me. It was so nice to have two of my best friends in DC.

We got to go out a little, did some sight-seeing, took an amazing number of pictures, and laughed a lot! It was a good weekend for all of us! The weather was perfect! This is us at the WWII Memorial.

I learned that I have adapted to the cold weather! I didn't think it was cold out, while Alyssa (also from San Diego), told me that it was, in fact, cold. I am still not sure that I will survive the winter.

I am still working at the pizza restaurant. It has been very busy there since Obama mentioned the restaurant in a speech about small businesses. It makes it all the more fun at work. I really like the people I work with. I have been able to go out with one of the woman I work with. She took me to a place with live music in Adams Morgan. It is really nice to be making friends. I ran into an old friend on a bus a couple of weeks ago so that has been nice. I have also met a few customers at work and through some of these people. Unfortunately, I work mostly nights so it has made it difficult to make plans with people. I have also been invited to a few holiday parties, which is exciting!

I am heading to Boston next Wednesday for Thanksgiving. I am so excited to see my brother, Stephen, as well as the rest of the family. It is going to weird to not be with Anthony and my parents but I am happy to be able to see everyone else! I also bought my ticket home for Christmas. I will be home for a week so that will be really nice. When I get back I am going to Philly with another friend from Chapman and then we are going to go to New York City for New Year's Eve, where we will meet up with Craig and few others from Chapman. I am really excited for this!

While I continue the job search, I am taking advantage of being able to take time off from work. Financially, it may not make the most sense, but I am doing just fine there so 2 weeks off around Christmas will be just fine. I have a few leads for openings after the holiday season.

I have also started looking into teaching English abroad next year. I would love to go Africa, but Asian countries have more benefits so I will most likely go there. I am doing my research and looking at Thailand at the moment. =) Studying for the GRE has not been very successful lately, but I am going to set a schedule for myself.

I slipped twice last week calling DC "home" which I think is a good thing. I am feeling good about life!

Love you all!

House Hearing

I have been volunteering with the Hemophilia Federation of America. This week I went to a hearing on the Hill. I really enjoyed it. I have also had the opportunity to meet a few people my age that work on the Hill and have started re-thinking my interest in working on the Hill. Anyway, I was asked to write about the event for the Advocacy Blog. Here is the link to my article. There were also two other people who testified about being under-insured. Their stories were heart-breaking. Luckily the three people affected by their lack of insurance have survived their diseases and difficulties. I am sure that this is not always the case so let’s hope that there will be some reform soon.

http://hemophiliafed.org/2009/10/16/reflections-of-nathan-wilkes’-testimony-before-the-house-subcommittee-on-oversight-and-investigations/

Pictures!

Hello!!! Here's a little photo blog of my time in DC so far. Nothing really exciting but pictures are always fun! I will take pictures of my room/apartment soon too!

National Sculpture Garden fountain

This was the bus stop outside my

house in Maryland.

The Capitol Building on a beautiful day in the city!

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My day at the National Zoo was wonderful. Beautiful animals on a beautiful day!

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I was able to show my Mom around on her first trip to D.C. This is the slightly blurry picture that I got of my parents in front of the White House as they were closing the road so someone important could get in!

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These are just a few pictures from my first march to the Capitol. It was truly an amazing day! I was one of hundreds of thousands of people marching for equality. Among the crowd was Lady GaGa, Cynthia Nixon, who gave an absolutely amazing and inspiring speech, Kristen Chenoweth, and my wonderful friend Craig.

Another one of the signs that was in this group of women said "Jesus had two Dads and he turned out ok." It was one of my favorites of the day. I was pleasantly surprised by the very few anti-equality protesters I saw throughout the day.

We made it to the capitol after a 2 mile march around DC. There were many creative cheers and signs along the way. One of the cheers was 2, 4, 6, 8 Equality in every state!

That is a quick photo summary of my time in DC. I am still looking for jobs and have some networking opportunities this month. I am not sure if I have already said this but one woman I met in September told me that contacts and relationships is the currency of DC so that is what I am doing. I went to a coffee talk on Sunday evening with a group that is interested in international affairs and I met a few people there who had some good pointers.

Love you all and thanks for reading!

New Housing, New Outlook

Hello Everyone! This one is going to be kind of short but here are a few updates on what is going on in DC.

I moved this weekend to the city. I found a place last week and made the decision to move. I am living with two women who also recently graduated from college. They went to Smith in Massachusetts. One is working for the State Department on the envoy for Middle Eastern Peace and the other is temping with a Law Firm. They are very sweet girls and I look forward to getting to know them better. This will be my new home until next September! I have my own room and basically my own bathroom. My room is huge and lacking furniture at the moment, but there is a mattress on the way! The kitchen is large and the living room came furnished which is really nice.

The neighborhood is also really nice. I went for a lovely run to the Farmer's Market and then walked to a grocery store. It was a perfect day. As I wandered I found lots of restaurants, shops, and a park. I am excited for the leaves to start changing because the walk is going to get even prettier.

It is really nice to have my housing squared away. I am going to be able to make this into a home for the next year and now I just need the job to go along with it!

I am excited for this month though! I have a few networking events with a non-profit group in the area. I am going to a coffee talk with an International Affairs group. I am going to have dinner with some relatives that I haven't seen in a long time and another few that I have only met through email. It is exciting to have plans and have the prospects of meeting new people and making new connections, both socially and (hopefully) career-wise.

I reached a lull and lacked some motivation for a little while and now I am getting excited again. I know that I can do this and it just takes time for things to come together and work out! There is just something about wandering around and looking up to see the Capitol building in the distance that is just a great feeling to have!

I hope all is well and I love you all! Thanks for reading!