Changing the Direction of My Arrows

“Carla, don’t worry, you will be fine” said my friend. Fine…that’s just….fine.

Right. I know I will be fine. I know I can have a 9-5, a life and be fine. And fine is OK.

But OK is not the way I want to live. I want to live fantastically.

I want the things that really matter: a job I am passionate about, friends and family I care deeply for and a community online and off I can thrive in and make better.

Ok, Carla – cut the crap.

I’m a self-diagnosed YSWFITC. Yes, a Young Single White Female In The City. I’m 22 and I have a direction. Not a path; no defined, carved goals. I have ideas and grand schemes lined up in my head and scribbled on notebook paper stuffed into my purse. I have piles of business books, self-help books and trashy romance novels to help navigate through early-twenty something life. As much as I want the books to spell out my post-grad life, I still haven’t found the chapter entitled “Carla’s Post-Grad Life Choices Defined” (still searching, FYI).

It’s as if everyday I have arrows directing me, pushing me closer to where I want to be – my direction. I truthfully just don’t know where to start.

Lucky these arrows have already pointed me to be a part of the group blog Life Before Noon. In February 2008, when I became one of Life Before Noon’s founding team members, I didn’t realize that blogging-and the involvement in the online community-would be such a large part of who I am.

Blogging and being a part of an online community made me deeply and truthfully believe in myself. That the introverted, follow-the rule student, friend and daughter could be a little different. It made me believe that I could be an individual with valuable opinions who is an integral part of a community.

Through LBN and Brazen I have learned how to be a teammate and a leader at the same time. Blogging, and most importantly the community, has given me confidence to follow my direction. To speak up, take more risks, and be passionate. That as an individual part of a community, together we can make a difference.

Most importantly, blogging made me realize in something bigger than myself – in the value of connecting to build relationships. Blogging has given me relationship equity with some of the most intelligent people. Blogging has been such a postive influence in my life that I constantly encourage my friends to start their own blog.

But it’s not over. My blogging journey and my relationship with you, the reader, commenter, fellow blogger is just beginning. I truly believe that it is through our relationship and involvement in the community that we will be able to live fantastically.

Blogging made me realize that I can control my arrows. Let’s see where they point next.

-Carla

This post was entered in the Brazen Careerist SXSW Contest.

My College Self

I recently read the post, ˝Do You Have Regrets? What Should You Tell Your College Self?˝ by Tiffany Monhollon from Personal PR. I really enjoyed Tiffany’s ideas on what she would tell her college self. Many of her ideas are what I too would tell myself.

In particular what struck me was the section on ‘Broaden your horizons’ because it is a situation that I am in right now. No matter what happens abroad, I know that I can go back to Virginia and live with my parents and try something else if the international experience ends up not being up my alley. It’s the opportunity to try something different without too many repercussions is what makes the position that much more appealing.

Tiffany ends the post by asking what would we tell our college selves now. I would tell myself to take more chances. It’s not that I really regret anything that I’ve done or haven’t done, but if I could go back I would do so much more, whether it ended up being good or bad to just at least try it. The things that matter to me the most are what Tiffany writes about with relationships. The people I met throughout college are what I will remember the most, not the statistics test or environmental science lab. The good, bad and ugly relationships that developed during college are something that I will always keep with me.

Even though it would be fabulous to go back, it’s also good to take note and make the future that much better, knowing what we know now. I can’t go back to being 19 and terrified of what lies ahead, but I can realize what has and hasn’t worked and make my new chapter that much more memorable- and have this really be the best time of my life.

-Aida

The Big Commute

The time has come to be blunt: commuting sucks. The ridiculous cost of living combined with rising gas prices and increased summer traffic has led many workers to ask: can I afford to commute?

As a recent college grad struggling to get my foot in the door, the issue is one I’m constantly debating in my own head as I search for jobs. I’ve gone on interviews and received a few offers, but all are far away, and I’m forced to ask myself if a job is really worth the time, money and effort it will take to get there. After all, gas is now over $4 a gallon with no signs of stopping. Some offices are even shortening the workweek in order to lighten the load for commuting employees.

There is some relief in public transportation. If a job has easy access to a bus or metro station, I consider that quite a perk. Web sites such as CommuterPage.com help workers calculate how much they can save by using public transportation. I’ve found that taking a bus as little as once a week can truly increase savings and reduce stress.

I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer to the question of commuting. Each person’s drive is different, and many commuters find other job benefits that far outweigh the stress of transportation. Furthermore, there is always the possibility of moving if you plan on staying at one company for an extended period. In the end, I suppose it’s like anything else in life. There will be good days and bad days, easy drives and drives that make you want to punch the guy who just cut you off for the third time. If you arrive home at the end of the day, even when it takes you two hours to get there, and say it’s worth it, then that’s a very special job indeed.

-Haley