What I need . . .
Friday, March 5th, 2010Is to plan a vacation. A real get away from it all vacation! I’m going to be working my bum off every day for at least a year and a half, plus going to school starting this summer. I need something to look forward to after that.
Somewhere tropical. Yes, that’s the ticket!
Finding My Job in the Lab
Friday, January 8th, 2010
Graduates of the Class of 2009, which includes myself, enter the job market at a rough time. Positions are few, and competition is fierce. Though there are blips of hope that the economy may be turning around, I think maybe the Class of 2010 will likely be in the same boat. Everybody needs as much help as they can get, and if you’re like me, you are scouring the internet for as many tips to get that edge. So I thought I’d share my strategy for landing a job. I’ve not reinvented the wheel here, just customized it for my needs. It may or may not work for you; some of my techniques may even backfire horribly for another person, I have no idea. This was my first real job search after college. That said, I found a job less than two months after beginning to look for one – use my tips as they suit you.
- Try to ride out the bad season, if you can. Getting a job was actually not my original plan. I was going to live abroad with my sister for a while and come back into a hopefully more new graduate-friendly job market. That plan blew up in my face due to some differences between us, and I was put in the position of having to find a job. You may find that staying in school and going for a Masters or even straight to your PhD may suit you.
- Choose your city. Or at least a range of cities/regions. If you find a job in a place that you hate, then what’s the point? Money? We’re much too young to settle like that. In my case, the majority of my classmates chose NYC, Boston, Chicago, DC, etc., as their post-graduate homes. After spending 4 years in the northeast US, I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I know I could have found a fabulous laboratory job there, including even my alma mater, but my quality of life would not be up to snuff. Remember, work is not all that life is about.
- Move in with your parents. As new graduates, many of our parents are glad to have us back home for a while, after only seeing us on holidays and breaks for 4+ years. Use that! Being able to live at home for free alleviates the stress of finding a place to stay/crash while looking for work. You can now put most of your focus on finding a job. Of course, living with parents will slowly drive you out of your mind, which brings me to my next point:
- Have some savings. After a while, I could not take living with my parents, as much as I love them, so I had to move. I wasn’t even looking for jobs in the city where they live, and after some time, I realized that not being in the city where I was looking for work was a hindrance, so I moved. I had enough in the bank for about three months of being on my own. I consider that a minimum to have. I know it is hard to save money while in college, but it is not impossible, and the vast majority of college students can save, even if it is a little bit.
- Keep yourself occupied during the search. I got a dog. You can also work on losing some of those college pounds, if they are a bother to you. The point is to have something going on in your life so that the eventual rejections won’t hurt so much.
- Apply for jobs that fit your skills. Or in other words, Be Qualified. I’ve heard it said that you should apply for any job even tangentially related to your skills, but I believe that in this economy, that is a waste of time. Hiring managers will throw out your application if you don’t meet the minimum qualifications, and sometimes even if you do.
- Update your resume/CV. This should go without saying, but maybe not. Make sure your resume or CV is clear, and describes your skills and accomplishments accurately. As a new graduate, it may not be very long, so make every word count. There are tons of resources online that will help you to create a great resume, so I won’t go into much detail, but the one thing I kept in mind when making my resume was to use action words. For example, instead of saying you were responsible for your club’s website, say you created/designed the website for your club, which now boasts 1 million hits per day.
- Customize your cover letters. This may also go without saying, but maybe not. When applying for many jobs, it’s very easy to use one template letter and send it to everyone. Do not do this! Every job you apply to is different, so take the time in your cover letter to show why you are the best choice for that particular job. These reasons are most likely a little different for each place.
- Apply for jobs as if it is your job. Every day Monday through Friday, I had a specific number of jobs to apply to. I usually ‘went to work’ in the early afternoon, but you may choose to do it early in the morning. I had to apply to that many jobs, even if it took the rest of the day. Chance has a definite part to play when finding a job, but it will not happen if you are not doing your part. I personally believe that it takes a lot of work to be lucky, and I haven’t been proven wrong yet.
- Keep track of your job search. I used excel to list what jobs I applied for, where, when, etc. With this kind of list, you can avoid applying to a job more than once. You can also keep track of when and to whom you send follow up notes.
- Send follow up notes. After applying for a job, wait a week or so, then email the company to confirm that they got your application. After interviewing, the very next day, send a note to every person you interviewed with thanking them for their time. Each of these is a chance to assert why you are the best choice for the position, because you are, right?
- Try to find rapport with your interviewers. I’m not saying to try to find out if they could become your best friends, but if you cannot find rapport on some level, then it’s likely that the work environment wouldn’t be the best for you. Remember, you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you.
- Finally, don’t give up! This was the hardest part for me. After about two weeks, I was beginning to get a little down about the process (what can I say, I’m impatient!). But I persevered, and landed the perfect job. I’m now a lab tech, and while it doesn’t pay the big bucks, it’s in the field that I intend to pursue when I finally decide to go on to graduate school. The perfect stepping stone, so to speak.
That’s it. That’s how I found my job. It basically boils down to this: Work hard, follow your intuition, and you will eventually find the job that is just right for you.
New Year, New Theme
Thursday, December 31st, 2009Happy New Year everyone!
From time to time I get the urge to change things up a bit. I found this awesome theme, but I’m still tweaking the header image. I’m also finally coming to some decisions about what I want to focus on. I doubt that there will be any big changes, just more regular posting of things I enjoy writing about most.
Stay tuned!
New Beginnings
Thursday, December 31st, 2009
It’s that time of year when everyone decides to stop smoking, or to lose weight, etc. As a rule, I don’t make resolutions. They just don’t work for me. I am, however, constantly making goals for myself. I am a planner by nature, so I derive lots of joy from thinking about the future. I have some very specific goals for the upcoming year. They are in four categories:
Work and Career
· Go to at least 2 lectures per month. I work at a university, and there is a different lecture just about every day on something interesting. Going to these will broaden my knowledge and allow me to think about things outside my field, which brings me to the next goal:
· Read enough relevant background and research literature to be able to propose an independent project. I have the technical skills to be able to do a project, but I am new to the field. Through the university, I have access to a great many journals, books, and as stated above, lectures. Even if my project is not selected or funded, getting to the point of being able to propose one is the real goal here.
· Make career contacts. I’m going to have to do some informational interviews. I’ve known what I wanted my career to be since I was 14, but I honestly haven’t sought out real people who are doing this work. I’ve mostly read about them. It’s time for that to change. I need to get as complete a picture as I can before committing myself to over $100k of debt.
· Classes. I changed my major a couple of times in college, and as a result some (er . . many) of my prerequisites fell through the cracks. I have to take these before I apply to grad school.
Health
· Transition into clean, organic eating. The documentary Food, Inc really jolted me into wanting to be much more conscious of the things I consume. I also know that I can’t do it overnight, so by the end of the year I want to be mostly if not completely organic and sustainable in my food (as well as other areas of life).
· Complete the Couch to 5K program. I started it sometime last spring, but never got past week 3. I never liked running or jogging, but I now realize that it was because I was always one of the slowest people in gym class and the teachers always blatantly favored the more naturally gifted students. I realized about two years ago that when I can go at my own pace, I really enjoy the act of running. There’s a connection I make with my body that is just sublime. This has to wait until it gets a bit warmer, though. I may like jogging now, but I hate cold much more, and the roads/sidewalks around here are basically iced over.
· Spend time outdoors hiking/trail walking. There are so many options here it’s crazy. I’ve already found some beginner trails and I’m totally excited for it.
· Lose 35 out of the total 50 pounds I want to lose. Notice how this is the last bullet point. I don’t want to do the top three things so I can lose weight. I want to lose weight so that I can do those things and more. I’ll have to do a separate post detailing my weight loss plan.
Money
· Streamline my banking accounts. I’ve already done most of this. I’m transitioning to using the credit union affiliated with my employer. I also am using Mint to sort of track everything in one place.
· Commit to saving at least $350 every month. That’s the bare minimum, but since my expenses are low and I’m not all that spendy, I’ll probably save more. I need to rebuild my emergency fund and then start saving for a fabulous trip somewhere warm in 2011.
Extracurricular
· This blog, of course! So far it’s been more of a personal diary, but I think I now want to reach out to the online community. To do so, I’ll have to have a bit more focus and spend a little more time crafting each post. I do look forward to doing it, though. Also, I’m toying with the idea of doing a vlog once in a while later in the year. I really think it’ll be fun.
· Volunteer. I have to find a clinic to volunteer in. I totally miss it.
· Write a short story or two. The only reason I haven’t done this yet is fear. Not skills or lack thereof. Just confidence. I can write a research paper (or blog post!) like no one’s business, but when it comes to fiction, there is a mental block so solid that it might as well be a physical one. I’m dismantling it once and for all this year. I am fully aware that my first story is most likely going to be just dreadful, but the great thing is that no one else has to see it! J
So that’s my to-do list for 2010. Looking at it all together like this, it seems like I’m heaping way too much onto my plate. However, a year is longer than it seems. Each of the items is more like a baby step in becoming a better Tazmaniantigress. I know from past experience that trying to do everything at once will only end in disaster, so I’m coming at this at a more measured pace. I’ll update periodically on my progress.
What are your goals for the upcoming year?
eh.
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009I’m kind of in a rut right now. I have lots of ideas of things to write about,but absolutely no motivation to write it. Basically my brain has been mush.
I have to go in to work tomorrow to receive some packages, but I can leave right after that. Hopefully it’s on the morning delivery and I can come back home before lunchtime. woo hoo long weekend!
An Addendum
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009I wrote about having internet free at my apartment, and how that was going to help me save some money. Well, not a day after I wrote that, the internet began crapping out. It’s been slow and inconsistent ever since. I thought it was just a weekend thing; maybe more people were using the wi-fi than usual. Now I realize that using the free internet was never going to be super fast, but the slowness of the past few days is just not acceptable.
Actually, I think I’d much rather have my own internet connection anyway. It’s much more secure, even though the free wi-fi is password protected, It’s still being shared by an apartment building. Now I won’t have to worry as much about people hacking into my life. I can afford it without worrying, also. My expenses are seriously low.
I still won’t have cable, though. I’ve only been cable-less for a couple of months, and I can’t imagine paying for it again, with all the options out there for me.
Sunday Scale
Sunday, December 6th, 2009202.4
Once again I’m on the right track, and it feels good! This week I started Level 1 of the 30 Day Shred. Man it was tough! I had to stop and catch my breath several times, though I know that I will only improve from here.
One thing I’ve realized is that I tend to get complacent after reaching milestones. For example, when I began to drink water, I hit my goal, stayed there for a week, then slowly started slacking off my water intake. That mindset is going to prevent me from getting to my goal and probably already has, if I think about it.
So that’s it.
New Goals: 1. Continue with 30DS, trying my hardest to get through one workout without having to take a break.
2. Onederland by Christmas!
NaBloPoMo: Lessons Learned
Monday, November 30th, 2009I totally meant to write this earlier, but I’ve been bent double with a stomachache for the past couple of hours. It flares up horribly, then subsides, and then just when I think the worst is over, another bout of pain ensues. Anyway, I think it really is over now, and I want to share some of the things I learned this month of posting every day.
On to it then:
1. Themes are essential. I would not have been able to do this unless I had a blueprint, so to speak. Without my themes, I would have probably subjected you to daily updates of my dog. Think “Took doggy for a walk. He pooped, then we came home”
2. Planning is crucial. I would have had more info/longer posts if I could just have decided on a specific time of day to write. As it stands, I still haven’t settled on a time to write, though I’m honing in on my most creative times of day.
3. Writing regularly takes serious dedication. It’s not easy either. I know that I was extremely motivated to complete this project, and even then there were some days that I just didn’t want to do it. My themes helped immensely in this, since I had already decided on my topic.
4. I really do enjoy blogging! Even though I think my only reader is a Google bot, that’s alright. I like to write, and I’m excited to develop my skills. I’m actually thinking of going a step further, and doing the photo a day challenge for a year, so keep an eye out for that.
Moving forward: while I’m not going to post every day, I do intend to post several times a week. Not sure what days, yet, but there will be a schedule, so you know what to expect.
And that’s that.
More Non-posting awesomeness
Saturday, November 28th, 2009I am so terribly sorry that content filled posts have been so sparse this week. I’m disappointed because this was the topic I was most excited to post about. This week has found me a little down in the dumps most days. I can’t explain it . . . well yes I can, it was PMS, but that’s another post. I have three worldly posts to make up. I think I’ll add them to the roster in the next few weeks. Maybe I’ll make it a regular feature.
Speaking of regular features, I have so many things I want to write about, I hope the blog doesn’t veer into schizophrenic territory. On the other hand, the point of the blog is to share the jungle that is my mind, and if I’m interested in many, many things, each of those things belongs here. I suppose I’ll not suffer a dearth of content then. 
Enough rambling. I’ll leave you with a pic of my doggy.
Where (I’ve Been) in the World: Peruvian Amazon
Friday, November 27th, 2009I have been on exactly one international trip in my 22 years. It was part of a class whose sole purpose was to take students to the rainforest.
There are some things that have such a big impact on a person, so that they are fundamentally changed forever. This class, and this trip is one of those things for me. So, I want to share some of the pictures I took on the trip:
It took place over Spring Break, which was two weeks for my college. Not all of that time was spent in the jungle, of course. We spent some time in the capital, Lima.
In the city, one thing I noticed was that just about everybody that was wandering around was part of a couple.
There were plenty of churches, and we visited more than I would have liked.
This is the final resting place of a famous Conquistador. Pizarro, I think, but don’t quote me on this. I found it quite interesting that our tour guide seemed . . . proud . . . of that part of Peru’s history. Honestly, I think she was supposed to seem that way for the Americans.
Anyway, the cities were wonderful, but we were there to visit the rainforest! I was more excited than even I knew, but I wasn’t prepared for what it took to get to the jungle. We stayed at two different places, and to get to the first, we had to take another plane down from Lima to where the rainforest begins, then drive about an hour and a half to the Manú River. After that, we had to travel via motorboat 5 hours upriver, the entirety of which looked something like this:
And this:
When we finally get to the first lounge (I regret that I have completely forgotten where we stayed and lost wherever I had it written down) our task was to collect plants. 
They pretty much looked alike to me, but our expert guide, Percy was able to identify each plant to the genus level! He is quite an amazing person.
We spent a few days at the first stop, then we traveled by motorboat 4 hours back downriver and another hour and a half up a tributary to our next stop. There, we had to hike up a hill for about two miles in the rain, where the path had turned into a mudpit. Once up there, we crossed a lake in rowboats, and we were there.
I absolutely adored this lounge on Lake Sandoval. I saw caiman just about every time I looked out over the lake. There was a family of otters that lived on the lake, and we got to see them hunt one day while out on a boat (sadly, no pics). Speaking of animals, I saw plenty of monkeys, bats, caimans, a strange mammal called a tayra, macaws, snakes, and too many bugs to mention. I don’t have pictures of any of them because I wasn’t quick enough, but mostly because my camera at the time was crap.
All told, we were in the rainforest for a little over a week. One thing I learned, though it should have been obvious to me, was that being so close to the equator, the sun rises and sets every 12 hours, exactly. So it was dark around 5 every night. It wasn’t so bad, because the nighttime sky was breathtaking. It was as if the whole galaxy opened up at night.
Near the end of the whole trip, we spent some time in Cuzco. It’s a rather beautiful mountain city high in the Andes. They give coca leaves and coca tea for people to chew on/drink to combat altitude sickness. It works, too. I liked the city a lot, even though my friend, who is more of a wanderer than me, wandered us into the more seedy parts of the city. 
Finally, what trip to Peru would be complete without a visit to Machu Picchu?
I can’t adequately describe my time there. Suffice it to say that it was the closest I’ve come to having a spiritual experience in my life. It was as if there was a portal just out of sight into the lives of the people that lived there thousands of years ago. I swear there were times during my visit that I could almost hear or touch someone from the past. Like I said, I can’t describe my experience very well, so here are some more photos:
I did get a little annoyed with my travelmates/classmates because as soon as the formal tour was over, they all wanted to climb the mountain you can see in the top picture there. It was something I could not understand at all; we only had a limited amount of time to explore those amazing ruins, and they wanted to waste it climbing a mountain? Obviously I spent my time at Machu Picchu exploring by myself, which turned out to be the most wonderful thing.
There is a small herd of llamas that live in the ruins. I really enjoyed watching them graze peacefully, ignoring all of the many, many tourists swarming the place.
And that was it. After Machu Picchu, we went back to Lima to catch our flight to the states.
The trip, my only one outside of the US is one that I couldn’t appreciate fully then, and indeed, I did not appreciate it completely until sometime after graduation. I am very fortunate to have be a part of it. I have more than pictures and memories to remember it by, however. During one of the riverboat trips, we stopped at an indigenous village where some of the women were selling crafts. I bought this necklace:
It’s made of seeds and wood, and the pendant has a jaguar painted on it.
This necklace is my prized piece of jewelry. I wear it when I need a little confidence boost.
And that’s it. I know that I am a different person than I would have been if I did not go on this trip. While I’m not sure if not going would have made for a less turbulent college tenure, I would go again and again, if I were given the choice.