Quick updates!

(June 17 means nothing)

INTERNSHIPS
- I'm getting a lot of good experience at Do Something & Gulf Coast Fund in a lot of different areas - marketing, grant making, social media, research, and other fun things
- I'm getting more responsibilities at both (please follow GCF on twitter)
- However, someone called me "Ricardo" today at the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors office

SCHOOL
- Hey FINALS, Jamaican me CRAZY!
- Omigod, school is over...

WORK
- I got to the second round of interviews for Harlem Children's Zone (Tuesday)
- I have a phone interview with Acumen Fund (Friday)
- I heard back from the Success Charter School Network for a phone interview (TBA)
- That one application a day thing really worked
- I think the next job hunt strategy should be more networking-based... I'll let you now what I come up with.

LIFE
- I'm feeling overwhelmed, but I've got things under control... for now at least.
- I'm pumped to go to NOLA in May with GCF, and to BONNAROO (probs defs) in June.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
- Word on the street is that my blog makes me sound depressed.
- However, nothing could be further from the truth! While I am very worried about my future and while I am under a lot of stress, I'm really excited about all the opportunities that I have available to me.
- It's hard for me to deal with rejection, and so those first few NOs got me kind of down. But after hearing back from all of these great companies in the last few weeks, I feel like I've gotten a second wind.
- I know that I still need to keep applying/networking/interviewing to find the best possible job for me, and I'm looking forward to what is going to happen next.

Waitlisted... yet again

So I heard back from TFA yesterday, and even after expanding my preferences to include NY and NOLA, I am still on the waitlist. I got the e-mail in class (Management and Organizational Analysis), and when I read it, I shut down. I felt frustrated and hopeless. I turned off Gchat, and stopped raising my hand. I had been so sure that I was going to get in again, and I was shocked to find out that my status update was merely the SAME waitlist message I had received twice before.

I felt a similar feeling today, too. It was in Spanish class. We just finished reading a book called "Réquiem por un campesino español," and I just wasn't accepting the explanation that profesora was offering. I found the main character's actions completely irrational, and I kept on insisting that my explanation was the right one. I e-mailed profesora later, and she helped me to see (in English) that I was just being stubborn. I was trying too hard to impose my own interpretation that I was unable to see things from another perspective.

As graduation and real life gets ever closer, I'm realizing that I don't have as much control over everything as I would like. It's not all going to work out sometimes. There are going to be things that I can change, and then there are going to be things that I can't, and the most anyone can try to do is know the difference. For example, one thing that I cannot change is using clichés.

Tomorrow, I have an interview at the Harlem Children's Zone. (TLA on HCZ - http://bit.ly/bPsSgL)

I've done my research. I've planned out how to get there. I've shaved, set my alarm, and laid out my suit. All I can do now is ace the interview. I just have to go in there, tell them who I am and why I want the job, and see what happens.

I'm not going to waste any more time doubting myself or being hard on myself. And if I do fall back into a rut, I'll just turn on HOT 97, and (apparently no matter what time it is) I'll hear these encouraging words from my friend Drake:

What am I doin? What am I doin?
Oh, yeah, thats right, Im doin me
Im doin me
Im livin life right now, mayne

And this what Ima do til its over
Til its over
But its far from over...

Progress Report #2

Things are going better! I am sticking to my commitment of 2 applications per day, and I've sent out four more applications since last post. They've all been development positions in nonprofits: Institute of International Education, United Negro College Fund (NOLA!), Jewish Funds for Justice, and Cinereach. Seeing them all in a list now, it seems pretty random, but all the job descriptions were very similar, and I think I would have fun at all of them.

I'm still feeling overwhelmed with school, internships, and job hunting, etc... but I'm happy to be busy because I really feel like I'm making the most of my time during these last few weeks of my college career.

Last night was the new staff meet-and-greet for the dorm where I am an RA - Gramercy Green, and it reminded me of how different my life is going to be next year. I've been an RA for the last two years, and looking at next year's fresh batch made me think about how lucky they all are to still have so much of college left!


I'm starting to feel more and more jealous of others' positions. Earlier today, I was celebrating my friend getting his THIRD job (he is working three jobs consecutively). We went around the table and all the seniors talked about their jobs lined up for next year - a social media consultant, art-something at the Whitney, web designer in Colorado - and I couldn't help but feel inadequate. Don't get me wrong - I am SO happy that my friends have been so successful at securing their jobs, but I just wish that I could find my dream job, too.

In other news:
- I have an interview next week at Harlem Children's Zone. It's for a college advisor position in the college success office, and I really want it!!
- I hear back from TFA on Monday! Hopefully I actually get off the waiting list this time.
- The Alternative Breaks REorientation End of the Year event went AMAZINGLY well. Thanks to everyone who came and dressed-up.
- I ordered my cap and gown for graduation... it's really happening...

Progress Report #1

I haven't been doing well with my one-a-day goal!

It's already April 13th, and I've only sent out 4 applications! (Ford, Trickle Up, Open Society, Harlem Children's Zone) That's 9 short of where I should be! Even though midterms have ended, I've felt even more overwhelmed by everything. I am quite disappointed in myself, but rather than continue to make excuses, I'm going to try to make up for my lack of commitment. Here's how I'm going to do it:

For the next week, I am going to commit to sending in TWO applications per day. That's right - TWO. Two a day for the next week should just about catch me up to where I need to be.

I know this might sound stupid - because if I couldn't do one a day, then it REALLY doesn't make sense to do two - but I think part of the reason why I never got around to doing those applications was because one application isn't that big of a deal. I mean it IS because it could potentially result in the beginning of my career, but it takes like 30 minutes to apply to a job. If I do two at a time, it'll take at least an hour, and I won't be able to put it off as easily.

I'll let you know how it goes, but in the meanwhile, here is some good news:
- Midterms went well (I got a 91, a 94, and a 101! who gets a 101!?)
- I won a President's Service Award from NYU (see above picture)
- I'm nominated for RA of the Year... and CarnEVIL is nominated for best program
- The fundraiser for my microfinance project in Thailand went unexpectedly well! (we raised $800+!)
- My unpaid internship (Gulf Coast Fund) is taking me to NOLA in May!

One job per day in April

Midterms season has officially ended, and I'm ready to devote a lot more time to my job search. April is pretty free of big tests, so I've got room to make a new commitment: everyday in April (starting today), I'm going to send out one job application. This includes weekends, as well as Mondays.

It takes about 30-60 minutes to write a good cover letter and edit a resume for a job, and so there's really no reason why I can't make the time to do it every day. Anyone who doesn't have a job yet and is serious about finding one SHOULD be doing this, so that's what I'm going to do. Applying to one job a day may seem excessive, but constantly searching for job opportunities will keep me on my toes, and hopefully keep me ahead of the game. If I'm checking job postings everyday, I'll probably be one of the first few people to apply - and getting in there early is so key in getting noticed. I know I'll probably end up applying to things that I don't really see myself working, but I should be keeping my options open anyway.

So today, I applied for a position at the Ford Foundation, and hopefully I'll hear back soon. I'll keep you posted on which jobs I'm applying for.

Notes: This is not an April Fool's joke. Also, the above graphic is the logo for the blog http://www.onedayonejob.com/