A few months ago I landed a job in the wedding industry. The job would be selling bridal gowns and the only thing I could think of was, “Oh my God, I’m going to be like one of those people on Say Yes To The Dress!” I had retail experience in the past and dreams of being a wedding planner so this job was a perfect fit. But the funny thing about dreams and plans for the future is that they can change on a dime.
In the fall I became an intern on an event production team. This meant committing to one sleepless, stressful, hectic weekend of the month- but it was worth it. I got to see the ins and outs of putting on an event. I learned about troubleshooting when technology malfunctioned and witnessed how a deserted parking lot can turn into food festival in a matter of hours. While food festivals and wine tastings aren’t exactly what I would hope to plan in the future, the set up is the same. This experience taught me that I don’t have to be so narrow minded when searching for jobs or internships.
I work about 30 hours a week so the time I have to simply relax, hang out with my friends and go the gym (ha!) is pretty limited. I’m also taking classes, so I have to schedule specific times to do my weekly assignments as opposed to “getting to them when I get to them.” Sounds awful, I know, but I think working the amount I do has made me more productive in the classroom and taught me to value the time I have left with my friends. Being a senior is an emotional time in your life. You have no idea where you or your closest friends will be in the next three months. I wish I had realized just how hard it was going to be and how many tough decisions I was going to have to make earlier. I’ve never lived more than three hours from my family, all of whom I am very close to, but I’m currently in the process of applying to jobs all over the country.
Being a second-semester senior is terrifying, but it’s also kind of exhilirating. For the first time in my life, everything is up in the air. I’ve never operated like that before and somedays it makes me want to pull my hair out and other days it makes me feel like I could do anything. And the thing is–I absolutely can. So don’t be afraid to work outside of your comfort zone. I never thought I would want to sell wedding dresses, but I can say without a doubt that it’s the best job I have ever had, but I’m also considering careers that are outside of the wedding planning industry after my experience on the event production team. So remember that when you find a job that is close to what you want to do, but isn’t exact. Experience is experience.
To those of you who maybe aren’t so far ahead in your college career: apply, apply, apply! I can’t stress that enough. The only regret I have from these past four years is not getting involved earlier. Start small if you have to; find a club on campus that you’re intersted in and join! Even something as tiny as that will expand your friend (and networking!) group. Also, treasure your time in college. Because before you know it, you’ll be picking up your cap and gown and sending out graduation announcements.