One year ago today, I signed with my current employer. Oh how time flies! I now have the fear that I will wake up one day and be 30 and not know where all the time went!! I do have to say, that I am still on track with my education plans. I have been in the work force for a year, and I am already back in school.
One piece of advice I can give you all is, find someone else to fund your education (not your parents!) It’s great to have a company pay for you to go to school. I am currently in a certification program…at Mason of course! However, I am at the Prince William campus for my classes. I do have to say, for someone who never had a reason to go to the PW campus, it’s pretty nice.
I am getting into the routine of paying my bills, and seeing how much money gets taken out of my paycheck for taxes..wait, I still haven’t gotten used to that. Either way, life is good. I have learned more than I ever thought I could outside of school.
But, I do enjoy being in school, and I love being back in the classroom. No matter what campus I’m at, Mason will always be home for me, and for those of you who know me, you know that is a true statement!
Posted in Uncategorized July 30, 2010
It’s amazing everything a person can learn in a year. In this post I want to share what people don’t tell you happens after graduation..
• Getting up before the sun never gets easier
• You are constantly updating and reformatting your resume
• Your social life takes a plunge, since you now get up at 5am, it’s harder to stay up late to go out..unless you take a nap
• You’re not out of school that long before you realize that it’s not really over, and you make plans to go back ASAP
However, there are good lessons learned too, don’t think I am just some bitter person working in Corporate America.
• Once you are set up in your job, it’s a great feeling to be able to help your friends get interviews
• Putting yourself out there, can indeed get you ahead
• Having complete independence from your parents is a great feeling
Learning never stops, but how you look at the world changes. When you’re in school everyone tells you that you have the world at your fingertips. Even though that is true, when you start working, your world can shrink to whatever company you may be working for..but try not to let that happen, no one likes a person that gets absorbed completely by work.
Having friends that are still in school can be hard at first, to see everyone else still partying and not having a worry in the world besides finals. It does get better, it gets better when your friends realize that you are no longer up until 3am and they now stop texting you around midnight.
When you look back, you realize how fast time goes. This time last year I was unemployed and hanging out at the pool waiting for someone to call me for an interview. It’s nice to have a job that I like..but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss waking up at noon and winter break..spring break..summer break..
Posted in Uncategorized June 19, 2010
I attended the School of Management graduation at the Patriot Center on Friday. Sitting in the Patriot Center, watching my friends walk across the stage, reminded me of this time last year. I remember the feeling of walking across stage and hearing your name called. The feeling of spending 4 years at Mason and now it’s all over, and looking back on everything you accomplished.
When I walked across the stage last year, I didn’t have my final grades, I had just moved into my first apartment the night before, and I didn’t have a job. But that didn’t stop me from living in the moment. That’s what I saw on Friday, the graduates were all living in the moment, some were taking in word for word of all the speeches, and others were tossing around a beach ball..and yet I expected it all.
While I was looking out into the sea of green gowns trying to pick out my friends, I thought back on all the late nights of studying, the late nights at Ike’s when we were supposed to be studying and the never ending nights at Broadside. At the time some of it seemed awful, depending on what you got at Ike’s. I often look back and remember the good and not so great times at Mason. One of my last memories was studying 15 hours straight for my last exam..I will never forgive Econ 101 for stressing me out!
And now as I look back at the transition I made over the past year. Waking up at 5am, instead of noon..having to get dressed up to go to work, instead of just wearing my Ambassador polo and khaki’s.
I have learned that coffee is still my best friend, and not everyone (hardly anyone) drinks red bull in the work world. I found out that classes never stop, there will always be more. And I have learned that no matter what you do, keep in touch with your friends, because you’ll need them more once you leave Mason.
The last thing I have learned, is that I am not ready to leave Mason forever..In July I will be starting my Professional Certificate in Geographic Information Sciences held at the Prince William campus. I guess what I learned was, you couldn’t keep me away for long!
Posted in Uncategorized May 16, 2010
I had a realization the other day. This is the first time in 4 years I have not had to move at the end of the year. Even my Junior year at Mason living in Potomac I had to move from the 4th floor to the 3rd floor before my Senior year. To be honest the end of the year really snuck up on me. I have been so busy with work, and yes I know that sounds cliche, but it’s totally true.
There have been a lot of changes going on at work, and I have turned in my forms to go back to school. So, I am just waiting to see what happens with everything. Hopefully, I will be returning to Mason in July for a certificate program, and then when that’s done I want to return to Mason for my Masters. However, one thing at a time.
Either way, it has been almost a year since graduation, and time flew by. Time really does fly by when you’re busy, but this year has been a good type of busy. Breaking into the real world and work world, I can honestly say that I have learned a lot.
I have not forgotten the quote that was said at graduation (maybe because it was from one of my favorite movies) but, even though this year has flown by, I have not forgotten that, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller
Posted in Uncategorized April 18, 2010
So, since my last post a lot has happened. My best friend got married. Thankfully everything went pretty smooth. I for one am happy it’s all over..planning 2 parties for her was enough for me. The worst part was writing out the invites to everyone. For my wedding, I will make everyone get a facebook account so I can just make it an event. lol
Homecoming at Mason as come and gone, and I attended a bunch of events. I went to the Alumni Student Leader Reception, The Mason Squires event, and of course the Homecoming basketball game. It was so good to see everyone again, I had a lot to catch up on with all of my friends. It was also good to see my friends that are still at Mason, and the tailgate was the place to do that. Speaking of the tailgate, the best place to be was in the Alumni tent, because it had the best food AND it was heated. I know I paid all the money to go to Mason, so that when I was an alumn I would be able to have a heated tent!
Lastly, this blizzard was crazy! Or, should I say these 2 blizzards? The federal government was closed for just about a week, which meant I didn’t have to go to work. That was good, because after I graduated I was afraid I wouldn’t get a winter break again. The only thing that was bad about the blizzard (besides being snowed in) was that it was really hard to go back to work. I had gotten used to staying up late and getting up whenever, so when I had to get up at 5am to go to work, needless to say it was painful.
But, it seems like the snow is almost gone, which is nice. I am ready for spring time to come and some warmer weather!
Posted in Uncategorized February 28, 2010
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