I have to admit I do not really have anything tremendously interesting to add to this blog as of yet, but I thought I would do a little catching up. Owen and I have just recently returned from a short trip back to Minnesota for Mel’s wedding. I was home from wednesday to monday morning so that I could be there for all of the pre-wedding festivities. Time flew by so fast that I did not really have time to take a chance to think about the fact that I was actually back.
After my whirl wind of a weekend I had expected to return home to my usual routine of laundry, dishes, job search, and pool- however, that was not the case. At about 5 pm on Monday I got a call about an interview (finally!) for an entry-level marketing position for the next morning at 8 am (eww and yikes!). When I hung up the phone my initial reaction was “holy shit I have a job interview tomorrow morning!” and the second thought was “damn…I don’t have anything to wear!”. So I dragged Owen out on the town to find me something suitable to wear for my first ever professional interview.
The interview was short and sweet. I felt pretty good about it. I was obviously one of the youngest applicants but the company is more hip and modern so I felt that my age would not be a hinderance. At about 4 pm today I got a call back for a second interview tomorrow at 10…so cross your fingers for me.
To be honest, up until now I had never seen myself doing anything related to marketing. I thought that my years working with stubborn customers in the food and beverage industry had ruined any appreciation I might have had for working with people. However, I have really come to realize that I miss it- not so much the crabby guy who, because his drink was not poured to his satisfaction, decides that you are the one responsible for everything that has gone wrong with his life up until that point- but I do miss the simple everyday communication with people. I think that that is what drew me to this job.
It has been tough to try and find a job down here. I realize that it is this way for a lot of people all over and of all ages so I have learned to accept that things will happen the way they were intended to. As a recent college graduate with no professional work experience and a degree in a somewhat obscure area of study, I sometimes wonder what I was thinking when I switched from the sciences to the arts. Art history was something that came easily to me and was something that I had always had an interest in. However, because it is a much more narrow field many people and employers do not fully understand the skills that art historians possess. Many people think that art history means you are going to be either a) Indiana Jones b) a teacher or c) museum curator- which are all awesome career choices if I do say so myself. In reality, the skills obtained in an art history program can be applied to many other fields, many of which are completely unrelated to the arts, but this is not well advertised. The down side to this is that when an employer sees a resume, you have a very small window of opportunity in which to make a first impression and so if they see something that maybe seems too focused, vague, or perplexing, they are probably not going to look too much into it. My biggest obstacle is getting an interview because I am not able to fully explain the advantages of my studies in art history and philosophy, and so I have just been hoping that some company will take a chance on me.
So I am interviewing for a marketing position…with no marketing experience. Marketing companies are hired by other companies to help promote their products. So in a way, I have to think of myself as my own marketing company and go in their and market myself. Even if this job does not work out, I am atleast grateful for the opportunity to go through the interviewing process. However, even if the job is something I have no experience in, I feel if I am able to market myself to a marketing company I might just have landed myself where I am supposed to be right now.
p.s. other interesting fact…first scorpion encounter occurred today while I was home alone…after a brief panic attack I delt with the little bugger…I might as well get used to it…welcome to Tucson!
