To better understand this blog and its purpose, let's talk a little about me. I am a 23-year-old college graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and theater trying to find her place in the world. I live in a small town about 75 miles away from the largest metropolitan area in my state. And, for the last year and a half, I've been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life.
Now, when I tell some people my chosen majors, they question why I was so crazy or stupid because they don't lead to steady careers. I'm never quite sure how to respond. I'm not stupid. I was valedictorian of my high school class graduating with a 4.0 GPA, 21 college credits already under my belt, and a strong high school resume including plenty of extracurricular and volunteer activities. Going into college, I thought I knew what I wanted: to go into advertising. I decided a communication degree would get me there. However, I also had a theater scholarship, meaning I had to remain active in the theater department. So I did...probably a little too much because I eventually added it as a second major instead of choosing something more "practical."
But I loved my college career. I was insanely busy with theater. But I also found time to be a resident assistant for three years, study abroad in Europe for a semester, work in the communication and marketing office on campus, conduct research abroad one summer, and serve on the executive board of the drama club. It was a lot. But I embraced it, graduating magna cum laude, with all college honors, and with a senior honors thesis earning me departmental distinction in theater.
Advertising was no longer an interest of mine career-wise. But I couldn't tell you what was.
After graduating, I ran theater camps for kids over the summer, started dating my boyfriend, and applied for countless jobs in the big city, anticipating a September move with two of my friends. But that didn't happen. Instead, I ended up getting a job in retail to have some means of income to keep up with my student loan payments, continued to live at home with my parents, and kept applying for jobs without a clear life objective.
And I've been a bit stuck ever since. I found that even though I had a lot of great experiences, I wasn't qualified for entry level positions because there were too many people with three to five years of "real" experience applying for the same jobs. Rejections piled in. I was overwhelmed and was losing hope. And to top it all off, I felt extremely disconnected from all my close friends from college. The distances between us was hard for me to remain connected. However, my relationship with my boyfriend kept blossoming, even though there were 95 miles separating us.
So, a year or so after graduating, I decided to apply for some directing internships with prestigious theater companies in the big city. And I finally got some letters of acceptance after these applications and interviews. I have already completed one at a children's theater and will be completing one early next year with the biggest theater company in the state. I'm excited!
However, I know professional theater is not where I'm going to end up making my career. The hours don't exactly lend well to raising a family, which I eventually want to do. But these are experiences I cannot do later, so I'm taking advantage of them now when I'm young so I don't regret not doing them later. I know I have and will continue to learn a lot from them. Directing was my passion in my undergrad career, and I'm overwhelmed that I have such an opportunity to study it further at some of my state's (and the country's) most well-known theater companies.
But where does this leave me? What is my true life goal?
Well, honestly, it's not defined. But I've decided to look into working with educational opportunities for children. After my upcoming directing internship, I will be completing a theater education internship with another theater in the big city. And I'm also interviewing for a position with a science museum running educational programming for toddlers and for volunteer work with a children's museum.
And I'm hoping all these experiences will lead to an answer of where I want to be career-wise.
The trouble is, the more I think about it, the more I don't want to work, at least not in a typical job. I want to help people. I don't like working for corporations who suck the souls out of their employees. And maybe not all corporations do that, but it seems that for most of them, a majority of the profit goes to the top of the corporate ladder instead of directly to those interacting with the consumers the company serves. Maybe I'm biased because I've been working for one of the largest retailers in the United States as a sales associate, but I'm sick of seeing the little guy get walked all over by company policy and not making enough to pay for their children's food and clothing, let alone life's luxuries that most Americans take for granted.
So I'm at a point in my life where I have some big decisions and goals to make. How do I help people, but still make enough money for me to live? I have plenty of student loans used to fund my private college education that are now quickly diminishing my bank account. And my new job as an optician isn't paying me much more than selling cheap apparel, shoes, accessories, and jewelry did.
I need to find something where I can make an impact and use my talents to make a difference. There are plenty of areas where I could make a difference to our country and the world, whether they include serving disadvantaged youth, teaching through theater experiences, helping abroad, crafting homemade and personalized gifts that people could purchase over cheap consumer goods, or something entirely different. I just have to figure out what would be the best fit for me.
We all can make a difference. As cliché as that sounds, I know it's true. It's just getting off my butt and finding my place in the world that's the hard part. As an American, I have so many privileges and opportunities that most people in the rest of the world do not. Even though I come for a lower income family, my trials are nowhere near where others' are. I need to remember this. And I need to embrace this. We all do.
Welcome to my journey. (And while reading about mine, never forget about your own.)
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