I mean I know working at the Bagel Basement for 3 years is pretty impressive buuuttt.......
So, I started furiously applying for internships and getting involved in as many "resume-worthy" activities as possible.
By the end of my senior year, I was relatively satisfied with what I had accomplished and was ready to take the "real-world" by storm.
However, the ego of a senior in college can be quickly beaten down when humbled by aforementioned "real world."
So, terrified by my independence, lack of structure, and freedom to do what I wanted, I forewent all of my original plans and ran away to North Carolina, where I knew virtually no one and was able to escape the society and self-induced pressure to "succeed."
Shortly before my big move, I became aware of a job opening in my new city and began to pursue it, said pursuit ending in ultimate success. While the job was nothing related to what had been my area of study in New York, it was a full-time, Monday-Friday, 9-5, administrative office job. As a first job out of college, I thought I'd done pretty well; even if I didn't enjoy it, even if I didn't stay at the job or in the industry, "...I could still put it on my resume."
I stayed at there for the better part of 9 months and, off the record, I can safely say that, with the exception of some truly phenomenal co-workers, it was one of the least-enjoyable professional experiences of my life.
The owner of the corporation had very questionable ethics, there was no sense of job-security, the inter-department relationships were often very tense and catty, and the tasks designated to the person in my position were only able to fill an 8-hour workday, if the hotel was busy, often leaving me spinning in my desk chair, trying to hide how much time I was spending on Facebook.
After leaving the job, as many of you know, I returned to work at Buck's Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp for a second summer after which I moved back to my parents' house in Vermont to get a little grounded, save some money, and figure out what the next step is for me.
While I'm here, I've been working at a Umpleby's Bakery & Cafe, a small locally owned business in a town nearby.
Sure, the food service industry has its miserable moments (Public Service Announcement: if you come in to order lunch after 1:45pm, you need to re-evaluate your life), but compared with the office job I held in Asheville, I may as well be sitting on a chocolate throne in diamond studded shoes drinking cocktails and getting paid $87(billion?)/hr.
So why is it that, typically speaking, a job in a cafe is not considered "resume-worthy"?
I work harder, I make a comparable amount of money, I feel that I am making a larger contribution to the business as well as to the general public (enjoy your sandwiches, folks), but would this job ever help me in obtaining my dream job (if I ever decide what that would be)? Probably not.
This is a realization that has been slightly troubling to me in the last month or so.
I am not sure what I want to do, ultimately. For the time being, I have a job for the sole purpose of making money.
But when the time comes for me to, once again, start looking for "real jobs," will the last job that goes on my resume be: Administrative Assistant at the I Don't Want to Name Names Corporation?
Who knows. Probably. I guess that just how the world works these days.
I guess the best thing that people in my position can do is just focus on their short-term plan and do what makes them happy and what makes sense for now.
Maybe, down the line, it will be harder to get the job you want, maybe your resume won't compare with those currently suffering through entry-level office jobs, but, hopefully, you'll be able to look back and say: "Worth it."
