As I see the countless updates from friends announcing to the world "They are done with school, and ready to take on the world," "they're graduating with their bachelors, or their masters and can't wait to claim their life back," I can't help but laugh and think to myself... wow that's how clueless I was!
It has been a whole year since I graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelors in Human Resources and as much as I thought I was ready to take on the world and conquer it one training at the time or at least one job at the time, life showed me otherwise.All the time I spent in school getting ready for the real world, learning concepts, techniques, charts and writing thousands of pages, thinking I was preparing myself to climb the corporate ladder did not prepare me for what I really had to do.
Soon after graduation, I got into a little accident and broke my left foot so all my ideas to start interviewing and conquering the world were put on hold. To top it off, right after I was able to go back to work, the company I worked for closed and all the personnel were laid off.
Talk about anxiety... I was at a point of my life where I could do literally anything I wanted, yet I felt so lost and confused. So what did I do? I broke my piggy bank and flew to Boston, Ma. It was the single best experience I could've had the entire year! That trip opened my eyes to a whole different reality.
I was concerned about the future and how I was going to support myself... whether to just find a job in retail management as quick as possible to continue paying my bills, go back to school and start a Masters degree right away, take time to really find a job that allowed me to start my professional career?
Then I realized I didn't need to have all the answers right away. I sat down and put in perspective what I really wanted and how feasible it was for me to chase my goals without compromising my responsibilities. I took advantage of the unemployment benefits I had accumulated over the years working in retail and decided it was time to focus on getting a job in my field. No more retail jobs for me! The search wasn't easy and as a matter of fact it was another lesson to be learned.
As a recent graduate, entering the job market without previous industry experience is a huge challenge. My work experience was limited only to retail management and customer service, all the positions I was applying to required minimum 3 years HR or administrative experience. I received calls from recruiters telling me how great my resume looked and the experience I had in management was very good, BUT they didn't think I was the right fit because I didn't have any administrative experience. What a punch in the stomach! How was I supposed to start getting any experience if no one was willing to give me a chance?
Thank God for networking, family and opportunities!
I took a temporary position at a TV station for a couple of months until with the help of my brother and his amazing networking skills, I landed a job as a Human Resources Assistant at an aviation maintenance company... and boy oh boy have I learned to be at an office setting away from being in charge and getting my HR experience on for the past couple of months... and I love it!
I'm eagerly waiting for January to start my MBA at NOVA, and couldn't be more excited! I'm looking forward to all the new lessons this coming year has to bring and all the experience I'm getting working on what I love and I'm passionated about.
This year taught me to be patient, humble, more responsible and even daring... It doesn't get any more Human than this!
What did you learn your first year after graduation?
