Inaugural Post

Today is the day before Obama is sworn in as the first African American president, and I'm aching inside because I'm in Minneapolis and no longer in D.C. So, I graduated from GW a year too early. And not only because I've moved away from my prime location 5 blocks west of the White House and 4 blocks north of the Lincoln Memorial. I graduated a year too early (or, really, too late) because the economy is in the slumps and I'm unemployed.

A couple years ago, I remember reading an article that forecasted 2008 would be a wonderful time for college graduates to enter the workforce: the babyboomers would be retiring and everyone else would move up the ladder, providing ample opportunity for entry level jobs. Instead, my parents' generation's savings recently got wiped out and now they may never afford to leave their middle management jobs. Across the country, and including Minneapolis, there's a hiring freeze (MN pun intended), and no one in the creative field is creating jobs.

I have been in Minneapolis now for two weeks, and I comb the Internet for job openings daily. Already, I had an interview at a magazine, where I applied for an editorial internship. I felt confident, but unfortunately, the company decided to suspend their internship program as a way to cut costs. I was disappointed--mostly because I felt it predicated the outlook for the rest of my job search. "Sorry, we aren't hiring right now."

Yeah, yeah, boo hoo. Well, I didn't get a college degree to become a barista, but I'm realizing I must ride this out like everyone else. Nationwide unemployment numbers are on the rise, which sounds scary and yet reassuring: I'm not alone. Being an English major never guaranteed a dream job immediately following college, and so here I am. Swallowing my pride, eager to earn money any way possible, and not taking for granted all the free time I have to write.

Afterall, just yesterday, my mom thanked me for not turning to acts of immorality or criminality as a way to get by. She heard this horrific story of a man attempting to carjack a couple, who got pumped with bullets by the carjacking "victim" who happened to have a gun. Times are tough, but I'm not willing to risk getting shot.

So, to conclude today's rant, I am pledging to myself to report on my Minneapolis discoveries as I plug away at job applications. I'm living in a new city, and I'm determined to have an adventure as I make the most out of my unemployment/vacation. While I must be diligent about looking for new job opportunities, maybe a job will find me once I stop trying too hard. (Or is that love?)