FOR THOSE JUST TUNING IN: I’m spending the next few days discussing my successes and failures and stereotypical misadventures as a member of Generation Y. Catch up by reading part one, part two and part three first. And make sure to catch tomorrow’s post for some exciting news!
As I boarded the plane, I kept thinking of that phrase, “If you can make it in New York City, you can make it anywhere.” So now it was time to face facts: I couldn’t make it anywhere.
Things hadn’t exactly panned out for me in New York. After sending out applications to 150 different advertising, public relations and marketing agencies, I found that I couldn’t get even one interview. Sure, it was nice to walk around Manhattan sometimes and desperately cling to the hope that work would turn up, but nothing materialized. So after the self-imposed deadline of two months had passed, I packed up again and flew off to Phoenix.
“We’re happy to see you,” my dad said in the car ride home from the airport. ”Well, we’re not happy that you’re here. But we’re happy to see you. You understand what I mean.”
My mom echoed his statements. ”I’m sorry that you couldn’t get work over there, but it’ll be nice to have you home for longer than a couple of weeks to visit.”
So I set up in my old bedroom and began the process of rebuilding my professional life. But I didn’t have to look far.
About a week in to my newfound “Boomerang” status, I met up with an old friend from high school. It turned out that he had started an internet marketing company, but needed help expanding it. Specifically, he needed someone to write emails, develop site content and take care of customer issues. And with that, I was once again employed.
Which leads us to now. Unlike the last time I worked on a business with a friend, this time, I knew what I was getting myself into. We had discussed (and corrected) many of the problems that had plagued our business lives in the past, and have been able to move forward much more successfully.
This might not have been the life I planned on, but it’s taught me a lot more about myself and my professional abilities than I could have imagined.
