20something profile: TK
This post was written by TK, a passionate writer who believes in the attainability of the wildest dreams through practical planning:
Compared to other 20-somethings who are still trying to figure out what they want to do in life, I feel like I’ve had it easy. I’ve known what I wanted to do since middle school: write books. You may think that is a crazy career aspiration, and you are right. The likelihood I will ever make a living writing books is unlikely. I knew that when I was twelve.
I didn’t give up on my dream. Instead, I looked for a practical way to apply my passion for writing. In 2012, I graduated with a major in Journalism and Mass Communication, a major in International Studies with a focus in human rights, and a certificate in Peace and Conflict Studies. With that mouthful, I entered the ‘real world’ looking for a job.
This is where I learned my first hard truth. Working a full-time job to pay rent in my college town was great, but it left me with little time to search for a career. Following a minor breakdown where I realized deferment would end soon and I would have to find a way of affording loan payments, I decided to cut my hours in half. What did my current job matter if it held me back from pursuing a career?
The hard work began. I was at my university’s library from the moment it opened until noon every day. With a Starbucks energy drink in hand, I threw everything I had into that search. What was left of me at noon went to work.
This pursuance lasted two weeks.
In two weeks’ time, after a handful of phone interviews and even fewer in-person interviews, I landed a job. By job, I mean I landed a three month paid internship in the city of my dreams. I wasn’t writing books, and I wasn’t a muckraking journalist. The position I accepted involved social media and marketing for a small web design business.
My excitement was short lived, as I quickly realized that I did not fit in well with this company’s culture. Whenever I had down time, I continued to search for a full-time writing job. I didn’t care what kind of writing they needed. If it involved any form of communication, I was applying.
My best friend during the train ride home became the Indeed.com app. With my résumé already uploaded to my account, I applied to dozens of jobs with the push of a button. Those which required more documentation, such as writing samples and cover letters, I saved for later.
In the end, one of those buttons landed me where I am today. With my journalism major in hand, I accepted a marketing position at a small company looking for someone with diverse writing skills. Today, I write blogs, post to social media, create policies and procedures, and develop marketing material.
I am by no means swimming in cash, but I do make enough to afford my own apartment and make loan payments. My dream still stands. I started a personal blog to expand my writing beyond my day job and still hope to publish a book someday.
The key to achieving your greatest ambitions is not throwing caution to the wind. Instead, I find success follows those who understand the practical steps they can take today to place them closer to their desires tomorrow.
Key Points:
- Prioritize your future career over your current job
- Dedicate a specific amount of time every day to your job search
- Find creative tools, such as phone apps, that simplify the process of applying for jobs
- Be practical about your dreams without abandoning them
- Do something every day that brings you closer to your goals
Posted on December 17, 2013, in 20something profile and tagged advice, careers, employment, graduates, job search, marketing, twenties, writing. Bookmark the permalink. 3 Comments.
I rewrote this comment three times trying to think of the right way to say that I feel like I’m looking at a mirror image of myself. Thanks for posting too this blog, I’m really inspired by your determination to pursue your passion. Best of luck on those books!
This is a great post. I have started to prioritize my passions instead of wasting time on things I don’t care about.
Pingback: Confession: I Love Video Game Music | Chapter TK