untilgradschool

Today I realized that I need to get up before the dawn shows its face in order to get to work at a reasonable hour. I got up at 6am and was out the door by 7:15am. I got to work around 8:15am and was able to sit in the car and read for half an hour, which was nice. I don’t particularly like getting up so early, but I feel going to bed earlier and the benefits of not being late for work will make up for this adjustment. I can’t really be much closer to the highway so I consider myself lucky at the moment. If I do wind up doing this commute long term I feel like it’s something I can live with.

It took almost two hours to get to work today. Two traffic accidents and one breakdown causes a bulk of the slow moving, I think. I’m wondering how I can avoid some of this? Tomorrow I plan on leaving at 7AM to see what the traffic is like before the 9-5 crowd is on the road. It could be just as bad, which would suck, but if it is much lighter, waking up at 6AM will be worth it as I’ll have less stress on my car and myself during the ride. If I find I get to work way too early, I’ll just stop off at a coffee shop and read until I feel like coming in. I hate being late and today was tough. I didn’t freak out like I used to a year ago commuting, but it definitely wasn’t pleasant.

Back in Worcester. Typing this blog in Worcester. The move went smoothly as far as logistics go. I did a lot of sweating and my knee was sore when finished, but I managed to get all of my loose items out of the house leaving behind only bulk items such as my mattress and shelves. It’s a good thing that I have everything that I need at my mom’s place until the apartment upstairs is vacated or I get my job offer in Chicago. I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying with my mother as the people in the apartment upstairs have decided to extend their lease one month. WTF. I live with my mom!!! Big loser I am. Either way, I’ll slowly unpack and sort out things that I don’t want any longer. So I have even less stuff to move next time (usually every six months or so).

I really dislike moving.

I can’t believe WAMU just collapsed today. I considered opening a checking account with them about a year ago because they were so highly regarded on Consumer Reports. What’s next? I hope my issues are resolved with Bank of American soon. I may just close that account and go to a local credit union if the dominoes keep falling. If BofA fails, the country is really screwed.

So, update on the “matter” that is affecting my future. I let my boss in on my little secret and she was okay with it. That being said, I still have no guarantees that this will go anywhere. I have major hopes and confidence though. I know what I bring to the table and how hard I’ll work if given this chance.

Worst case scenario; I don’t get it. Do I give up? Hell no! I’ll never give up chasing what I’m passionate about. Ever.

College contacts, Midwest contacts, international contacts. They’re all relative! I never would have thought this kind of call would have came and as excited as I am about it, I’m not sure what to do. I feel somewhat of an obligation to people who have helped me out, but my sense of obligation could turn out to be a liability. Do I want to be left so vulnerable as to potentially be left unemployed? I have an hour and a half to decide what is going to be done. I cannot turn away from this opportunity, but as I’ve learned in the past I have no guarantees of what is to come for me.

Deep breathes.

In the past few years I have had rough luck finding jobs and opportunities through friends and family. This time around I have friends who are in grad school, family members who have graduated from grad school and people have shifted careers since I last was in “who’s hiring” mode.

I really want to network through certain friends at schools in Worcester so I can get back to school and take some classes for a cheaper rate. I could potentially get part time jobs or other employment opportunities if I just ask the right people the right questions. I’ve just got to get my foot in the door then I’m set for a degree! A free degree!

Worcester has 7 big hills and 11 official institutions of higher learning. Worcester is where I am moving to this weekend. I certainly have many more connections in Worcester than I do in Boston. Just goes to show you what 18 years of passive existence as an adolescent can do compared to 5 hard years of serious networking and resume building. Ah well, classes could potentially be in my future. There are always going to be time issues of getting back to Worcester in time for an evening class if I am forced to stay at my desk until 6PM during the week. I haven’t figured out how flexible I could be with my work schedule yet. I plan on seeing what price points I could get into a class at and then take it from there.

I went into Barnes & Noble this weekend when Caitlin was shopping at Old Navy. I really wanted to read a book or two on Green Business. Not a single damned book in that store on the matter. I suppose if I want anything progressive or useful I’ll need to go the Harvard COOP. Instead I bought a book on grant writing. I’ve read on so many job listings that experienced grant writers are always in demand. While I continue to search for the niche job that I can fill with my skills, I’ve always known that grant writing would be a good idea to study. So, if you need any grants written, give me a few months and I’ll get on that for you!

Okay, assuming I get a decent standardized test score, get accepted to a decent grad school, what’s next? Assuming I do not get much financial aid. Can I even borrow anymore? I wonder what the cap of student loan lending is with the credit crisis going on? I’ve borrowed well over 100k and would need another 60k at least for grad school if I didn’t get some sort of scholarship. I’d be at almost 200k when it’s all said and done with! Wow! If I can get a great job afterward that pays big bucks, the ROI is worth it, but if I can’t break 100k in salary close to the time I graduate, I’ll be hurting even more than I am already!

I cannot talk too negatively of my housemate as I narcissistically believe he reads my blog every once in a while. But, my jealousy consumes me as he is in New York City right now on a business account soaking up the fun and Fall sun at the Digital Media Conference.

New Media, Web 2.0, Social Media and all of the other new age advertising, marketing and PR techniques seem to harbor some of the most intelligent and talented business minds today. Plus it’s a fairly young crowd. People my age and younger will be especially apt to this field due to our life long immersion in electronic and internet technology. I personally didn’t get a computer until high school, but I learned the basics at a young age and learn almost anything thrown at me. I suppose the missing link between Nu Marketers and yr. average techie addict tweenie is the business psychology targeting the tweenie as a consumer and not a fellow social network member.

As stated previously, I was so against embracing the Internets breed of social communities as I wanted to maintain my individuality. As reach my mid-twenties (eek-err), I feel that I’m missing out on a lot of opportunities if I don’t embrace this culture.

Then there’s this voice inside of me. It’s my literary resonance. This is where I innovate. I articulate the human experience through non-organic mediums.