Young people Kickin' My Ass

So I read this motivating story today in Tactics, a monthly newsletter I get as a PRSA member. Anyways, in it was this article written by a young professional around my age and how she kicks ass.

I got a little pissed off, mainly at myself. She got a job right out of college (which despite my best attempts I did not) and now is the PR manager at a prestigious zoo. AT MY AGE! ARGH!

That could have been me. I graduated almost three years ago and I’m still stuck at an entry level position. Reading that is almost insulting.

So I started figuring out the mistakes I made in the last three years, as an attempt to tell myself to not make any more professionally:

Getting out of Austin. I think I should have found a job right after college outside of Austin or Texas, then after Justin and I got married, try and move back or do the long distance thing until I was able to find a job. I couldn’t even get an internship out of college in Austin after I graduated.
Taking jobs that only minimally utilized my skills. Taking stupid temp jobs sucked, and prevented me from pounding the pavement looking for jobs. DUMB – Thanks prominent PR professional in Austin with the initials EC for that stupid idea. Then being a real estate assistant was murder, and then that job as a “marketing” assistant (a.k.a front desk helper) at a “wellness center” (a.k.a. gimmick place to rip people off through over-priced chiropractic care) didn’t help either.
Getting involved with local communications organizations. I didn’t have the money at the time and didn’t think it would help. WRONG WRONG WRONG! I’m pretty sure I would have at least gotten my name out there or something had I participated in PRSA or something. But my parents would help me pay the crazy sum that it costs per year, so I didn’t. I should have taken a second job or something. Argh.

In conclusion, I’m an idiot. This girl has her APR (which come next year, I’m going for) and she is only 25. Craziness. I’ve been told APR doesn’t help that much at the agency level, but you know what? I want to work at a corporation some day where they pay more and an APR does matter (at least $$ wise) and I don’t have to work as many hours.

Argh, 25… pisses me off. I’m hanging that article in my cube as a constant reminder.