...Here I am instead.
Hello. I am a fresh-faced blogger with an impressive track record of failing to obtain full-time employment even though I graduated from college twice (once in 2009 with a BA in Journalism and again in 2011 with a BA in Psychology) and lassoed together a string of practicums, field studies, and internships. I know, I know...networking is the key to landing a job, especially these days.
Unfortunately, that really only registered with me this past April, when I was at the career services center at my university pestering the staff.
Me: I'm graduating (again) at the end of the month and would like to hear your opinion on how effective my network will be in helping me find a job.
Annoyed Lady: Uh...sure, but please keep it short...I'm very busy, you know...
Me: Okay, here is my list.
*hands her a list of past supervisors from 2008 and 2009*
Annoyed Lady: *brow furrows* Is this it?
Me: I take it that's insufficient?
Annoyed Lady: There are only two people on here, from two and three years ago. Do you keep in contact with them?
Me: I'm fairly certain I sent them Christmas e-cards this past December.
Annoyed Lady: Would they even remember you?
Me: To be perfectly honest...probably not.
Annoyed Lady: ...
Needless to say, I was
ordered told to schedule an appointment with another staff member at a later date. And to get back into contact with my supervisors.
It is now one month later. I have graduated and relocated an hour and a half away, working on my network and sending my resume out to HR offices that didn't immediately bite my head off as soon as I uttered the words "looking for employment" on the phone.
My friends from college haven't really been much help since they are all 2nd Lieutenants in the Air Force (my AFROTC days will be discussed in a future post) and are stingy about referring me for civilian positions because they're concerned about conflict of interests. Which is understandable. I think.
And so, with all this extra time on my hands, I decided to give blogging a try and figure out what I want to share with the world besides my works of fiction and pursuit for white collar glory. It is my dream to pursue a dual career as a novelist and a(n) [insert respectable profession here], but right now my prospects are leaning more toward permanent apartment (read:
cave) dweller.
Also, regarding the title of this blog, I wanted to work on a side project. If there is one thing I have absolute faith in, it's my writing. I'm attempting to cultivate a reader base by offering samples of my work online, and for this blog I will be posting stages of a story idea I came up with while lamenting to my sister on the phone about the seemingly dismal future of my career.
I live in a tourist town in panhandle Florida, and amidst the generic ice cream parlors and souvenir shops, the opening of a tea cafe would be a most interesting event. I began to seriously consider the possibility, but no one on my Facebook friends list with a business degree was interested in partnering with me to make it happen. Jerks.
Fine, I'll just write a story about it instead!
I'm a big tea fan and somewhat of a health nut (i.e. I flee from fast food like it's the devil and I cook my own meals from white meat, fresh produce, and other quality products). Yes,
somewhat of a health nut. I don't always eat organic, I consume alcoholic beverages every other weekend, and I love desserts.
...Moving on...
In any case, I wanted to leisurely work on a story about a tea cafe that specially offers
Whiskey Tea (primarily because it's my favorite drink), and how its business fares during recession. I will probably be uploading the story itself onto a fiction website, but its planning phase will be discussed here.
Anyway, if you have reached this point without skipping any of my paragraphs, I applaud you on staying with me for this long-winded introductory post. And yes, I drew all the pictures myself using the Paint.NET program.
-J. S. Blancarte
