After weeks of heightened anticipation, I've decided to give an explanation for the rather unorthodox name for my blog. It's easy to say that a certain group of people are unemployable -- but an entire generation? It's true, my generation has to survive this plague of joblessness -- or being stagnant.
This is the age of Facebook, Twitter and speaking your mind -- at a volume and font that gets noticed. We want to stand up and be counted, separate from our parents. For our entire lives, we've been defined by what our parents did or who they are -- and our biggest fear is falling into those same footsteps.
Ways we get away from our parents -- 4 years of abuse to our livers (and brains) in college, we major in art and political science (instead of business and medicine), and we travel the world. We see a limitation and laugh, because our potential has no bounds.
However, that's as far as we get. Potential. With the economy in it's current state, we're lucky to get a job at Starbucks, let alone one that will let us change the world. Speaking from experience, surviving the job hunt is more daunting than the job we seek. We go on hundreds of interviews just to get chewed up and spat back out. We don't get the job (or promotion) because they're "looking for someone with a little bit more experience."
What do we do next? Go back to school. Law school, graduate school -- financial aid is our best friend. Who knew you'd get more if your parents weren't the ones filing? While this seems logical, it has the potential to ruin us. We're doubling up on our student loan debt (which has recently surpassed credit card debt as the nation's largest pool of debt), which if we don't get a VERY high paying job when we finish that second (or third) degree, we don't get the luxury of being able to declare bankruptcy.
So now what? You're 25, almost $100k in student loan debt, and are praying that the restaurant down the street from your parent's house calls you back to bar-tend, because that car loan isn't going to pay itself.
You survive. That's what we're built for. We take daily beatings with rejection email after rejection email, so badly that you've become numb to the idea that you'll be living in the same bedroom you had when you were 8 for quite a while.
The baby boomer generation may be hogging the ENTIRE job market, but we have something they don't -- future. We are going to overcome obstacles they could never even dream of. We're going to become so resilient that we're going to breeze over hurdles. The drawback? It's going to take us a little longer to get there.
We were taught long ago that there's no such thing as a free lunch, a lesson our parents probably don't understand. Thankfully, when they retire, we'll be able to teach them. We'll tell them the stories of our struggle, but it won't be those stories that they'll awe at -- it'll be the success we achieve.
The world is ours, unemployable generation. This pause is just allowing us to collect our thoughts in preparation for our slingshot to success.
Bobby Kennedy once said, "without great risk there can be no great reward." So risk takers, what's next?
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
my semester with Congressman Weiner.
To follow up my previous post, I thought that I'd give you all a glimpse into my amazing semester interning in Congressman Weiner's office.
I was a Legislative and Press Intern -- my job included your stereotypical clerical duties (answering the phone, going through the mail, stuffing envelopes, etc). I was also tasked with giving tours of the Capitol Building whenever constituents came to visit DC. There were a few rather interesting ones -- a tour of 13, 5th graders and we got lost in the building, ended up coming out the wrong door, and met meeting Speaker-elect Pelosi the day after election day in 2006, on her way to being elected as Speaker of the House.
Some of my other duties included researching past legislation on housing and building codes, attending congressional hearings and proof-reading press releases. I developed such a great relationship with the staff, mostly because I was there 40 hours per week, just like them -- I was the only intern to have that kind of schedule. Because of that relationship, for the last half of my internship I was able to sit in on staff meetings -- meetings that interns were not allowed to be in on or participate in.
The one I remember most vividly was when the congressman announced that he was redecorating his office. At first, we were a bit puzzled -- then that evening, the painters came in and we were stunned by the color choice - yellow. And it wasn't just any yellow -- it was the brightest yellow I had ever seen on an interior wall. It was the color of a school bus. At first we thought it was a mistake, one that would test the limits on the congressman's colorful language. Much to our surprise, it was exactly what he hoped for. Bizarre? Absolutely. However, that's just the type of guy he was -- always keeping us on our toes.
Some of the best times in that internship were standing in the congressman's office, watching him give profound speeches on the floor of the House, condemning bad legislation or praising an unsung hero. We would cheer and clap as he flashed his titanium backbone, and made us proud to call him our boss.
Anthony Weiner may have let us down, but Congressman Weiner never has.
I was a Legislative and Press Intern -- my job included your stereotypical clerical duties (answering the phone, going through the mail, stuffing envelopes, etc). I was also tasked with giving tours of the Capitol Building whenever constituents came to visit DC. There were a few rather interesting ones -- a tour of 13, 5th graders and we got lost in the building, ended up coming out the wrong door, and met meeting Speaker-elect Pelosi the day after election day in 2006, on her way to being elected as Speaker of the House.
Some of my other duties included researching past legislation on housing and building codes, attending congressional hearings and proof-reading press releases. I developed such a great relationship with the staff, mostly because I was there 40 hours per week, just like them -- I was the only intern to have that kind of schedule. Because of that relationship, for the last half of my internship I was able to sit in on staff meetings -- meetings that interns were not allowed to be in on or participate in.
The one I remember most vividly was when the congressman announced that he was redecorating his office. At first, we were a bit puzzled -- then that evening, the painters came in and we were stunned by the color choice - yellow. And it wasn't just any yellow -- it was the brightest yellow I had ever seen on an interior wall. It was the color of a school bus. At first we thought it was a mistake, one that would test the limits on the congressman's colorful language. Much to our surprise, it was exactly what he hoped for. Bizarre? Absolutely. However, that's just the type of guy he was -- always keeping us on our toes.
Some of the best times in that internship were standing in the congressman's office, watching him give profound speeches on the floor of the House, condemning bad legislation or praising an unsung hero. We would cheer and clap as he flashed his titanium backbone, and made us proud to call him our boss.
Anthony Weiner may have let us down, but Congressman Weiner never has.
an extremely difficult 24 hours...
First and foremost, to those of you that are regular followers of my blog, you can thank my friend Aaron for this post. He encouraged (and coerced) me into writing about this, since I had previously planned on being a shut in for a few days.
Five years ago I had the incredible opportunity to intern for Congressman Anthony Weiner in his Capitol Hill office. Then and now, I firmly believe it was one of the incredible experiences that I have ever had. I got to work with some of the most brilliant people, for a member that I truly admired. He found an issue that he was passionate about, and fought for it, no matter the cost. He defines what a Member of Congress should be -- someone that's there to represent the people and fight for what is right, and not his own selfish interests.
Yesterday watching his press conference was the most emotional evening that I've had since this past election day. I'm not sure which was worse, watching one of my role models crumble on national television as a laughing stock, or watching someone I worked so hard for and became so close with, have to concede and election he so truly deserved to win. Both bought an absurd number of tears to my eyes.
While I acknowledge that what Congressman Weiner did was bad, I will never resign the fact that he is an exemplary congressman. He has always been a voice for his people, and the people of the Democratic Party. He has the guts to go on shows like O'Reilly and Hannity, and successfully defend his beliefs to people whose sole mission is to destroy them. People like Andrew Brietbart live to tear him down, and I hope that they never succeed.
It is my avowed hope that he can get past this horrible patch and continue his impeccable service to the people of NY-9, and the country. Without his voice, I fear for our future.
So, in the most official capacity that I have -- Congressman Weiner, I pledge my unconditional support to you. May you succeed in overcoming this, and continue to be a voice for those who do not have one.
Five years ago I had the incredible opportunity to intern for Congressman Anthony Weiner in his Capitol Hill office. Then and now, I firmly believe it was one of the incredible experiences that I have ever had. I got to work with some of the most brilliant people, for a member that I truly admired. He found an issue that he was passionate about, and fought for it, no matter the cost. He defines what a Member of Congress should be -- someone that's there to represent the people and fight for what is right, and not his own selfish interests.
Yesterday watching his press conference was the most emotional evening that I've had since this past election day. I'm not sure which was worse, watching one of my role models crumble on national television as a laughing stock, or watching someone I worked so hard for and became so close with, have to concede and election he so truly deserved to win. Both bought an absurd number of tears to my eyes.
While I acknowledge that what Congressman Weiner did was bad, I will never resign the fact that he is an exemplary congressman. He has always been a voice for his people, and the people of the Democratic Party. He has the guts to go on shows like O'Reilly and Hannity, and successfully defend his beliefs to people whose sole mission is to destroy them. People like Andrew Brietbart live to tear him down, and I hope that they never succeed.
It is my avowed hope that he can get past this horrible patch and continue his impeccable service to the people of NY-9, and the country. Without his voice, I fear for our future.
So, in the most official capacity that I have -- Congressman Weiner, I pledge my unconditional support to you. May you succeed in overcoming this, and continue to be a voice for those who do not have one.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
lapses in posts -- unavoidable?
Sorry that it's been a while since I've written -- don't worry, I'll be sure it doesn't happen again. Well another quarter of grad school down, only a billion left to go. (sigh) I've been spending a majority of my waking hours on final papers. I know that I hate taking tests, but I need to be careful what I wish for. Two 12+ page papers due within a 24 hour period is definitely everyone's nightmare.
I have come to Washington, DC for a while -- a change of scenery is the key to mental stability during such an unstable time. After living in an area where good weather is a foreign concept, I had an unfortunate run-in with the sun. Currently, I'm sporting a rather lovely shade of red on my shoulders. The stark contrast to the white from my shirt straps its definitely entertaining.
Being down here has really reinvigorated my hopes of ending up down here eventually. I walk around Capitol Hill and the rest of the city and there's an intoxicating buzz -- the buzz of brilliant people living, brilliantly. It also makes me think about other job markets and what their competition level is in comparison. After about half a second, I realized that they are nothing in comparison. The most brilliant people our nation has to offer, coalesce in DC. New York and LA -- they don't have anything on DC.
I mean, think about it. What industry is in each of the 3 aforementioned cities? LA -- Hollywood. Yes, it's competitive, but for acting and show business. NYC -- fashion and finance. Competitive? Sure. DC doesn't just house the President, but it's the nucleus for the nation. Anything that happens anywhere in the country, is usually dictated by what Washington says. That's a lot of responsibility for those of us who wish to take it by storm.
Are we willing to accept the burden that residing in such a prestigious environment demands? Are we prepared to live our lives and make our careers second to none? I can absolutely say that I have never had more than one answer for both of those questions. ABSOLUTELY.
I have come to Washington, DC for a while -- a change of scenery is the key to mental stability during such an unstable time. After living in an area where good weather is a foreign concept, I had an unfortunate run-in with the sun. Currently, I'm sporting a rather lovely shade of red on my shoulders. The stark contrast to the white from my shirt straps its definitely entertaining.
Being down here has really reinvigorated my hopes of ending up down here eventually. I walk around Capitol Hill and the rest of the city and there's an intoxicating buzz -- the buzz of brilliant people living, brilliantly. It also makes me think about other job markets and what their competition level is in comparison. After about half a second, I realized that they are nothing in comparison. The most brilliant people our nation has to offer, coalesce in DC. New York and LA -- they don't have anything on DC.
I mean, think about it. What industry is in each of the 3 aforementioned cities? LA -- Hollywood. Yes, it's competitive, but for acting and show business. NYC -- fashion and finance. Competitive? Sure. DC doesn't just house the President, but it's the nucleus for the nation. Anything that happens anywhere in the country, is usually dictated by what Washington says. That's a lot of responsibility for those of us who wish to take it by storm.
Are we willing to accept the burden that residing in such a prestigious environment demands? Are we prepared to live our lives and make our careers second to none? I can absolutely say that I have never had more than one answer for both of those questions. ABSOLUTELY.
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