Thursday, May 29, 2008

One Year Together

Happy Anniversary to me and my working life! We've been together for a year now and we couldn't be more in love.

Ok, so we aren't in love but we're in like. Like, in that I like having a place to go everyday; I like getting a paycheck; I like the (most of) the people I work with; I like some of the projects that I manage.

We'd be in love if I loved more of what I was doing; if I didn't feel like I was doing (almost) everything wrong; if I got paid just a little bit more; if I wasn't still an assistant.

I started working as a sales assistant a week after college graduation. The last thing I wanted to do was move back home and putz around northern New Jersey, so I jumped right into work world. Last year, I didn't have a summer and I didn't mind. It was exciting to have a new job, move into a new apartment and be an adult in the real world. A year later, all I want is summer and a better idea of what I'm doing with my life. I'm in a newer job, but the excitement of being employed has worn off. My cool and (at one point) new apartment isn't as cool or new as I thought it was and I'm counting the days until our lease is up. And the whole being an adult thing is overrated.

In the past year, I've learned a lot about what I want from my career. Or, what I don't want from my career. I don't want to sit in an office all day, everyday. I don't want to be an assistant forever. I don't want to work excruciatingly long hours. I don't want to be at the mercy of bosses and clients. And yes, there are a few wants. I want to work for myself one day. I want to make a decent amount of money. I want to be passionate about what I'm doing. I want to be creative. I want to help other Working Girl's find their passions, once I find my own.

This year has felt like it's been the longest year of my life but at the same time, it feels like the shortest. I've gone from crying in the bathroom to enjoying the new department I'm in with a business trip to South Africa. I do enjoy my job but this one-year milestone has made me start thinking about the years ahead, what they will bring and how my career desires will affect them.

8 comments:

Yvonne said...

one year down...many many more to go.

adulthood stinks!

Lauren said...

adulthood does stink! I was so excited to get out of college and into the "real world" and now all I want is to go back to class and worry about tests, not taxes.

The year milestone is great because you can start really deciding where you want to head.

Unknown said...

i am so with you! i just passed my one year mark last week and i can't believe how quickly it went!

but i definitely know what i want in a future career and what i don't want.

Britney said...

wow, totally understand how you feel. I have definitely realized that 40+ hour week in the office is NOT my thing. Just don't know what my THING is.

Kt said...

congrats on your work-iversary!

Anonymous said...

oooh i'm with you on the majority of this post. i've not too long ago hit the 2 year mark at my job and i'm starting to think...is this it? is this what i want to do for the rest of my career?

Emily said...

I just stumbled across your blog, and I'm sure I'll be visiting more often!

Congrats on finishing your first year! I'm sure you'll start to fall in love with work soon- it'll just take a little bit of time to find exactly what your niche is. :)

margot said...

this sounds like meee a year from now!! please tell me it gets better and you have a revolution that you're in the best point of your life!? right!?