Although most who read this blog will know me, I started this blog to chronicle one of the most change-ridden years of my life. Within the past 6 months, I've graduated with my Master's degree; ventured into a depressed job market; gotten engaged; and planned a move half-way across the country for my dream job. If this isn't a time to blog, I don't know when is.
To be more specific, I graduated with my Master's degree in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this May (2010). The life of a graduate student is awful. You're simultaneously told that the market for PhD's in your field is saturated, but that landing a job with 'only' a Master's degree is impossible. Thank you, graduate school, for making me oh-so proud of my life choices. Nevertheless, I decided to give the job market with 'only' a Master's degree a shot. It took 1.5 months to find a full-time job relevant to Political Science, though '1.5 months' felt much, much longer. I made finding a job my full-time job, applying for 80 positions, interviewing for six, and landing one.
Since starting this job, I got engaged to the love of my life, Kevin. We're planning a wedding for September 17th, and I'm already anxious for the day to arrive. Anybody who claims planning a wedding is stressful hasn't gone to graduate school. I downed seven Diet Dr. Peppers while taking comprehensive exams. Some people smoke to relieve stress; I drink DDP. Needless to say, I haven't purchased a twelve-pack since starting planning. And miraculously, I still have a stomach lining since taking and passing comprehensive exams.
Now, I claim planning a wedding isn't stressful...yet. Although my current job isn't bad per se, it isn't secure, either. In April 2010, I submitted a generic cover letter and resume to a study abroad organization, not thinking I had a chance in hell of landing a job with them. Boy, was I wrong. After two phone interviews and a round-trip, in-person (all in one day, mind you) interview, I landed my dream job, managing their faculty-led study abroad programs in Europe. Say what?
To sum this all up, I wanted to start blogging, given the enormous changes occurring in my life. Some entries will be about wedding planning, others about life and culture in Texas--though most will be a weird hybrid of the two. Either way, I hope to make this an enjoyable, albeit somewhat anecdotal, 'peek' into my life. This is haywire, people!
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