Life After Vassar. What is that?

So I suppose I haven't been as true to my promise to keep this thing updated as often as I should. Real life hasn't really provided much by way of entertainment, so I haven't been as motivated to write as I should have been.

My most recent stint starts five weeks ago: I landed in New York with a duffel and high hopes (no, my tale doesn't start on Ellis Island, although that could have been easier) in a dismal economy. Like many of my classmates, I was looking for a job after summer turned up nothing but open-ended "We'll be in touch" or "We'll call you" responses and a pessimistic outlook. "We went to Vassar, for crying out loud," we told ourselves. People should recognize the name of our school. And they did. The problem is, we're not alone. Cue alien film creepy music. Honestly, it took me a while to figure that out, even though I knew it in the back of my head. My reckless optimism told me to disregard the naysayers, forge on ahead, and the rest of all that blah-blah. I did, and came across countless folks in my exact same situation. After a week back on the ground here, I packed away my optimism like my interview suit, only to come out occasionally and when I absolutely needed it.

I decided to get in touch with my old supervisor at the China Institute about volunteering there. I've been in touch with her since leaving the Institute after the Annual Gala in May. She's helped me revise cover letters, made sure my resume reflects exactly what an employer wants to see, and has given me plenty of suggestions for staying afloat. She and the rest of the Development staff welcomed me back with open arms, eager for somebody to do the grunt work. I wasn't complaining, it was helping me fill my days instead of sitting in Central Park and building miniature log cabins out of twigs, or something. I've been helping organize materials for the upcoming summit at the end of October, after which, I'll be heading home again.

To quote a friend of mine, a fellow Bahamian who just happens to be the Chair of UNESCO, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Being in New York has made it a lot easier to respond to calls for meetings on short notice, link with Vassar alums and my general exposure to a wide array of professional options. At the same time, being international and not having applied for Optional Practical Training, or OPT (if you're an international and reading this, APPLY FOR OPT, THERE IS NO OPTION), it makes life a lot harder to attract a company that will gladly spent a few thousand dollars sponsoring your work visa. I really should have applied for it, I thought there was a larger window than two months after graduation, but the emotional smoothie that gets served to you after graduation can easily mess with your perception of time, as well as with what you can and can't do. Anyway, that being said, despite whatever perception this blog gives you of myself, I haven't quite figured out all there is to figure out about being successful yet. I've made mistakes, and my butt is probably sore from my kicking it, but I'm limping my way back to making something of myself.

Other than kicking myself for not planning for work, I'm now kicking myself for not planning for the weather. It got cold! The only outerwear I brought with me in August was my Vassar Rowing jacket. It only blocks out the wind. It will not keep you warm. I finally gave in to my island sensibilities and bought some sweaters and a light Autumn jacket. I'm much happier for it now.

Anyway, now that I've given you an insight into the last five weeks in a nutshell, here are my plans for the rest of the year: get a job. That's really it. More specifically, I've got a few things lined up for some stints in Beijing, plans to be disclosed when they come. My supervisor imparted a great piece of wisdom to me that I'm sure she wouldn't mind me sharing with my fellow jobless 2010 graduates: don't get excited about a job until they give you an offer. We can argue grammar later, but it's true. These days, everything can be so up in the air, it doesn't make sense wasting energy on something that may not even come close to following through for you.

This job hunting experience has been very formative for me, and I want to put out a very large public vote of thanks for my friends in New York who have been so gracious as to let me warm their couches at night. I've even stayed on a whole air mattress once! It's taught me humility, patience, perseverance and that blind optimism to the point of sheer foolishness can sometimes lead you across an opportunity you may never have known existed. The adjustment from college has been huge, and dealing with the adjustment still is, as it has been, something I'm trying to get a grip on. From living in relative popularity on a small campus into absolute obscurity in a big city, staying in bed to avoid all the work to be done to getting out of bed to find work, among others, is still very tough. I congratulate my classmates who had the luck, foresight or both to be working right now, and I can only pray that you won't see me on the subway singing a song and asking you for a dollar. Not that it's a bad thing to do, just that you don't want to hear me sing.

Until next time, perhaps in a warmer clime!