working title

Journal, November 4, 2011

My sister is lucky enough to work at a university, which makes me lucky, as well. Last week, the Dean of the College of Business, her boss, asked how her sister was doing (we’re twins and very close, so acquaintances, friends, coworkers, often ask, “How’s your sister doing?”), so she mentioned that I was struggling looking for a new job. He asked her, “Why don’t you ask her to send me a resume?”

Again, it’s all about who you know. I don’t care what career or field you’re interested in, making the right contacts is the key to success in that field, no matter how much you wish that wasn’t true. It isn’t fair that success or talent or achievement aren’t the most important aspects in landing that great job; it all comes down to knowing the right person in the right place at the right time.

Anyway, I emailed my resume immediately. The Dean, Dr. A, then asked my sister, “Do you think she will meet with me for lunch sometime to talk about her resume and career options?”

Of course I would! We set up a date and time, which was today at 11:30am. The meeting went very well, and he gave me some options to think about. He also said he’d contact some people he knew in places he’s worked (including Los Angeles and Atlanta), as well as alumni from the university. What more could I ask for? So, what kind of advice did the Dean of the College of Business give me? Basically two points:

#1. Move to another area.

I already knew this one. I know this area stinks when it comes to finding a new job. There are very little jobs here. When one opens up, they get hundreds of applicants, from those of us still living in the area (God knows why!) who want a job in their area of study. Odds are very low for each of us that we’ll get that job, and I should know. I’ve been applying to the university where my sister works for years, and I’ve had one interview. Sometimes even knowing the right person doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the job.

I should also interject here that my husband hates his job. He’s an artist working in a factory, which should explain the situation quite well. There just are no jobs in his field, either, and when you live in an economically depressed area, the job with the highest paying entry level position is the best, and that’s what he has. So everyone who lives here and is brainwashed to think that’s the best thing doesn’t understand why he’s not happy. But when you’ve spent about 4 years earning a degree in something you love, and then you get a job where you’re treated like a disposable number instead of a unique person, it’s taxing and disappointing on many levels.

In other words, we’d be happy to move. We’ve felt stuck here for a long time. We went to school in a city and got jobs right out of school. Then we were both laid off and couldn’t find work in the time it took to pay next month’s rent, so we were “forced” to move back home. We’ve been stuck here ever since. The only problem we have with moving is a financial one. As a single income household, we’re barely getting by at the moment, which fuels my search for a local job.

#2 Continue your education

Now of course a Dean of the College of Business is going to suggest I get my Masters in Business Administration, right? But he gave a compelling argument. Getting my MBA opens up a lot more doors than the BLA I currently have. It’s a degree which has a broad coverage (like a BLA) but is also specific enough to qualify me for specific positions. When I tell people I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts, I can almost imagine them thinking, “What’s that going to get you?” And I have to agree with them. As I explained to Dr. A, I enjoyed getting my degree, but I wish I had given more thought to what I was going to do with it specifically.

My only issue with enrolling in an MBA program is, again, financial. Can I afford to get another degree? Sure, it will pay off eventually, but I doubt I can get more student loans. There are assistanceship programs (where I would work for – or assist - professors while going to school) available which include tuition waivers, which really my only option if I’m going to think about getting my MBA. But there are core or foundation courses required before you can get into the MBA graduate program. For instance, there are advanced Accounting classes in the program, so if you haven’t taken basic Accounting (like me), you will definitely be lost. I haven’t taken a single business class.

One nice thing, too, is that I was introduced to another professor, the coordinator for the MBA program, we’ll call him Dr. B, and he explained the MBA program to me in detail. He could also relate to my situation because his undergraduate degree is in Spanish, and he also hadn’t taken a single business class as part of his undergraduate study program.

So my options at this point are: keep doing what I’m doing (which doesn’t seem to be working), see if Dr. A can scrounge up a job for me from his contacts (which may involve moving to another area) or going back to school for a year, before which I’m going to have to take other courses as well as taking the GMAT, some sort of test similar to the SAT. Plus I’d have to get three letters of recommendation (I don’t even remember any of my undergraduate professors’ names at this point…


Basically, I just feel very grateful to talk to someone who can give me advice on what to do. Dr. A is very knowledgeable about the field and career prospects for someone who already has a Bachelor’s degree. The fact that he’s willing to give me free advice and to make calls on my behalf makes him a saint in my eyes. I have so much to think about at this point! I spoke with my husband a little bit, and he’s supportive no matter what. He’s definitely behind us moving to another area. We always talked about moving out of here, anyway. It’s just a different world here. In our area, coal-mining Pennsylvania, either you go to college and move away (something not looked kindly upon), or you graduate college, get a job in a factory, work your ass off until you retire (if you make it that long without going on disability), and then you might still have to work after that.

That life simply isn’t for me. As I already have a Bachelor’s Degree, I owe it to myself to push for something more. It’s not that I think I’m too good for a factory job, but with my educational background, I deserve more than it. I’ve worked hard so that I wouldn’t have to get a factory job or a service job. I don’t want it, and it’s time I work harder for what I do want.

I’m currently downloading a prep program to prepare for the GMAT exam.