Post-Graduate Employment

Graduating college and looking for your first job is exciting, nerve-racking, frustrating and exhilarating at once. It can be a time to really explore your options, push your boundaries, figure out what path you’re going to take and how to get on it. It can also be extremely disheartening to get out of college and realize you don’t have a safety net anymore, that you have to make your own way and no one wants to help you figure out the next step.
But don’t lose sight of the big picture: many, many people graduate college and get a job in a field they don’t love or they end up getting their dream job only to find out it isn’t what they thought it would be, or that it doesn’t pay the bills like they had hoped it would.
My first job out of college was waiting tables. I worked in a restaurant for about a year while looking for something that I could do with my education degree. I wanted to teach at an elementary school, but the education system in Hawaii is hard to break into. Because people don’t usually leave the island, once they have a job they tend to stay there for quite some time. So while I was looking for a job in eduction, I waited tables and bartended to make ends meet and pay my rent and student loan debt.
In the meantime, I was interviewing like crazy at any place that would call me back when I submitted my resume. The first place I interviewed at was a montessori school on the main island that was very traditional. They had buttoned up workers and old-school values. I didn’t know if my neck tattoo and facial piercings would fit in in this environment. The next place I interviewed was a continuing and adult education facility. Basically a place that helps people further their education so that they can have a better chance in the job market. I didn’t really care to get this job though; my heart is really with children, not adults.
Finally, I stumbled into a tutoring center one day and was completely smitten by the idea of working for that company. It was soothing but contemporary, laid-back and serious. The space itself was small, but dressed delicately with modern decor. The staff was friendly and polite as a sat on the GUS Modern Sofa waiting for my interviewer. It was a nerve-racking experience because I wanted it so much. I’m crossing my fingers hoping I get this job!