an interesting twist in the career path

You know, it's funny how things can change at the drop of a hat.

I had recently accepted a position with a company I considered a dream company of mine. One that is a well-known and prominent fixture in the publishing world. The position itself was not quite where I wanted to be, but it would have been a foot in the door to possibly where I would want to get to. I wasn't quite sure if it would have been the best role for me, but I wanted to give it a chance, with the understanding that there would have been growth within the company.

When I first began my job search, I immediately jumped at the chance to apply for the position with my former company that stood out and made me excited and hopeful. At the time, it was a position that had not been created yet, and I wasn't sure if it would be. For months, there was no news and while budgets were still being decided upon, as it goes when companies create positions.

Once I knew things were not progressing the way I needed them to for my own personal life, I amped up my job search, my follow-up became persistent to a fault, and my phone was consistently in my hand, applying to every job I could and reaching out to as many contacts as possible. This is where my contact with the 'dream company' came into play. After months of connecting, we finally got to a point to where I was offered a role.

Literally a few days later, my former recruiter with my former company phoned, with the unbelievable offer I had been waiting for. Doing the pros and cons, I came to the difficult decision that my best choice, professionally and personally, was to accept the offer that came from my former company. It offers great work-life balance, the pay makes my life much easier and much more stable, and the job itself does offer a more independent and social aspect that I feel I will really enjoy and do well at.

Throughout my career search, I have come to the realization of the intersection of my interests and goals quite often. Part of me still dreams that one day I will be some phenomenal editor of a publishing house or magazine empire, crafting publications that impact and offers pieces that provoke conversation. And a big part of me is coming to the realization how much I love helping people, communicating with them and making them feel that they can depend on me. I ADORE that feeling. It was one of the most enjoyable parts of my last position, and I loved every time I would be reaffirmed that my work ethic was coming through.

I graduated college barely less than a year ago. I know I am still in the infancy of my career choices, and I have plenty of time to figure it all out. But right now, I'm so excited to tackle this next hurdle. It's quite a curious thing when you go to school for one thing, and once you're out in the professional world, those goals can shift. And that's perfectly ok. You never know what amazing opportunities might happen when you start looking beyond the comfort and limits of your degree. Taking that job that might not necessarily be in the field you went to school for could end up being just as much of a dream, if not, better than what you originally thought it would be.

I hope I'm not the only one who thinks this way! Let me know if anyone out there has had a situation like this!

finally, good news

I have to admit, I wasn't sure this day would come entirely, but I had hope it would work out for me.

Throughout my college career, I often was reminded of just how exclusive and uniquely selective my field can be. Never have I been more aware of the phrase, "cannot get a job without experience, but cannot obtain experience without a job," than attempting to job search in the English field. The market is saturated with writers, bloggers, editors, copywriters, and more, and few are eager to take a chance on someone fresh out of college with the right degree but lacking in years of experience. It's been trying.

However, if I have learned anything from this job search here, it has absolutely been the value of connections. Early on in my search, I connected with someone in HR at the company I dreamed to work for. I maintained contact, I followed-up, I was persistent to the point of borderline annoyance. But this all showed my determination to become part of the company. It showed my persistence to show my passion and my skills.

Lo and behold, this position did in fact come through, much to my extreme happiness, and I am now happily employed! And within my field to boot! I cannot describe how wonderful this feeling is to finally feel I have purpose here. I am beyond excited to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

I plan to update some more when I can, so please be on the lookout for more to come!

a new year in a new place

And just like that, it is almost March. It's been an interesting past two months, for sure.

We spent the holidays with our families, soaking up all the time we could with each of them before embarking on the new adventure. We spent the last 5 days before we moved quite literally in a rush. We rushed to spend time with friends and family, we rushed to pack, and we rushed to get everything in order so we could have moving day go off without a hitch. We were lucky enough to have Ashley's mom and her mom's boyfriend to help us drive the truck up and move in every single thing we crammed into the back of that Uhaul. We spent that first night pretty exhausted and thankful for the cocktails Ashley's mom brought along with her.

Following that, Ashley started her classes pretty soon after the move, and I spent my free time unpacking, decorating, and applying to jobs. When you're in a brand new place, it's very easy to get distracted by the little things because you don't have your friends, your job, and your community nearby. It's been an adjustment. I always believed I was the kind of person who, when presented with the opportunity to up and go change my life, I'd embrace it and love every minute of it. I'm sure if I had a position to move to, consistent income to continue funding life with, and friends to hang out with, things would be easier. Much easier.

When I started this blog, my primary focus was to have an area where I could be intensely honest about my thoughts, my feelings, and my life. And I won't stop now. I have to say, moving has been really, really hard. I never realized just how different things would be here. The Raleigh area we live in is suburban, which we like. Does that make us old? Say what you will, but I love being close enough to the city to where we can enjoy it without a problem, but far enough away to where we have parks, less traffic, and it's a bit more quiet. While the area is great and there's lots to do, I miss home. I miss having friends around, I miss the familiar restaurants and places, and I miss being able to have the financial perks that comes with a job.

Speaking of jobs, I'm still working on getting one. Almost all of my potential connections have either unfortunately fallen through or things just haven't worked out the way I wished. I do still have a wonderful connection at a dream company of mine I'm still interviewing with, so I am hoping and praying for a wonderful outcome. It would absolutely help me break into my field and would be a position that I would just adore and excel at. At this point, I'm just ready for some good news. I've reworked my resume so many times the past two months and I've spent countless hours searching, applying, following up, and waiting. This job market is the worst. It is incredibly difficult to get into.

Otherwise, it's pretty quiet over here for us. Ashley's Spring Break starts this weekend, so hopefully we are going to try to get a visit home in, since I'm still unemployed and Ashley finally has a well-deserved break. Her program is really intense, so I'm really excited for her to finally have a little bit of time to sleep in and not have to study every free moment of the day.

While it sounds like things aren't sunshine and butterflies, I do have to say there are some positive things that have been happening. We have finally been able to put the deposit down for our wedding venue, so we can check that huge item off our list. Our wedding is in less than eight months, so it has been such a relief to finally be able to really plan it and pay for it. Also, my sister's baby shower is coming up soon in April, and it has been so much fun to have the time to make her baby shower presents and plan it with my mom. It's going to be great!

I plan on posting some more things soon, hopefully with some great news coming!

the big news...

So after months and months of not really telling a soul on social media what my plans are for the upcoming year, it's finally time. A lot of thought has gone into this, and this is going to be a really great thing for both Ashley and I. The big news is....

We are moving to North Carolina!

Ashley has been accepted into the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at Campbell University! After working incredibly hard over the last 6 years to apply, she has finally been granted the opportunity she deserves. I cannot tell you how excited I am for her to embark on this. If ever my amazing partner had a passion, working in the physical therapy field would be it. She is perfectly suited for the job; she loves working with people, helping people, and she definitely finds purpose in the career. I am so proud of how hard she has worked to get to this point in her life, and I cannot wait to support her as she goes through this journey.

With her acceptance into Campbell, we are officially moving to the Raleigh area mid December, and then coming back down to Georgia to enjoy the holidays and finish out work before returning to North Carolina for the new year. We already have our apartment signed off on and ready to go, and now comes the difficult part.

I currently am trying to find a new position in NC, since my position in Atlanta stays at the corporate office only here. I am looking at this at the new opportunity for us both to start anew and on a fresh blank page, so I am solely looking into my field of publishing, editing, and writing for a new career move. I have a couple of leads towards some great things, just hoping for one big opportunity to pan out for me, so stay tuned for that. I'm hopeful and optimistic, even if secretly I'm scared shitless at the idea of not quite having the job I desire when we move. Having any job would make me feel much more comfortable, but being offered a position with a company that fuels my creative desires and plays on my passions for publishing? That's the dream.

Ever since I was a little girl, the publishing process has fascinated me. I was the kid reading more books than I required to in school, absorbing them the way a starved individual does with seeing food for the first time. In high school, I worked on the staff for our literary magazine as a senior editor, putting together layouts, designing documents, and editing our manuscript. I always told myself if I could find a job that let me do that, I would be happy for the rest of my days. It's that kind of career I so desperately am searching for. Not only would something like that make me feel like I am valued and I have a purpose, but I get to be creative and actually utilize the degree I spent so long obtaining and working towards. It would validate every section of my heart that all of that hard work was not in vain, and that in fact, I could really have a career that makes getting up for work everyday a pleasure and a joy. I want that for myself, for my family, and for my future. I don't want to settle for anything less than, but it's hard.

Thankfully, I have some solid contacts with a few places in the area that I am maintaining communication with in hopes I can reach my goal. It's not without it's frustrations, of course. I think the hardest part of job searching is the feeling that me on paper does not accurately reflect me in person and I hate feeling judged before I get a chance or opportunity to show who I really am to someone. Sometimes I just want to scream, "I can do anything if you just give me the chance!" I'm hoping soon I will have some good news in that area.

Otherwise, we are pressing forward the best way we can. I am continuing my search in hopes of that magical someone to take a chance and give me the opportunity I deserve, and we are looking into furnishing an apartment all over again. There is still lots to come, and lots to decide, but hopefully, things will settle down into something wonderful before too long. This move does not come without its' challenges for sure, but I am positive we will weather whatever storm comes our way.