Trying to figure out the next steps

I haven't written a personal update in some time, so why not now?

My internship extension is going fairly well. I love Florida weather: while it is freezing cold back home in Pennsylvania, it is sunny and an average of 70 down here in Orlando. For a girl who hates the cold, it's been bliss. I've been very much enjoying my extension, but the next steps need to be completed.

I have thought for some time that maybe a permanent move to Florida was in my future. I had applied for many jobs down here and one even got back to me. But, the pay is not much more than I make currently at my internship and if I stayed, I would make more doing what I do now. Although I do have a second interview for the job, I am not sure it's meant to be.

I have been looking at jobs back at home and surrounding areas. A few have gotten back to me, but unfortunately, they are looking for the positions to be filled immediately and I cannot commit to that. 

Public Relations is a field I do have a passion for. I know what it takes to promote yourself and a company. I like the world of communications as a whole, but it is a difficult industry to get your foot into. I knew that going in initially, and I think that my lack of an actual PR internship is making it difficult. Many of the jobs I am looking at are something I can't see myself being happy with. 

When I took a marketing class, I was really interested with the planning that went along with it. I found myself liking the marketing side even more than the PR side. Furthermore, I really liked the planning that went along with events here in Orlando.

When New Fantasyland opened, I saw so many media event and event planning people and knew it- that was what I really wanted to do. I loved the media and planning that went along with showcasing the grand opening (which was fantastic by the way). This was what I wanted to get into with Public Relations.

PR and Event Planning definitely go hand in hand a lot. I've been looking into the event planning world (including wedding planning) and I am thinking of taking an online course in becoming a Certified Wedding and Event Planner. More experience could equal a job. Unfortunately... it costs (obviously) and although I have the money to do a payment plan, it's still a lot to dish out.

Right now, I'm trying to figure out the next steps. I know what I want to do- events. But, I'm trying to figure out how to do it. Finding a job is the obvious solution, but it's rather difficult to do when there will be many new graduates looking for jobs at the same time as me (and by May, I will have been graduated a year. Ouch).

I'm still looking and hopefully something comes up soon. I just hope I have a clearer mind in the next days or weeks coming up.

It's amazing how differently things turn out

I remember one of my assignments senior year of high school was to write an epiphany paper. I don't really remember what mine was about, I know it was very philosophical since graduation was two weeks away at this point. Why I bring this paper up is because now, I am having epiphanies of my own as of late.

I'm 22 years old now, will be 23 in a couple of months. Especially now that I'm entering the "real world," I've been thinking about how I ended up here at this moment and thinking about the kind of person I thought I would be right now. Is my life better than I thought it would be? Worse? In between? Well, let's go through it shall we?

I think the first career I envisioned myself in was working for Disney. When I was 7, I came to Disney for the first time. One thing that really caught my attention was the tour of the Animation Studios at the then-MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios). Seeing all the animators drawing, I thought, "That's awesome!" I really wanted to be an animator. 

Problem was, I couldn't really draw and my attention span was extremely short. So, the animator thing was definitely not going to happen. 

The girls I made friends with in elementary school and I decided we wanted to go further. I really wanted to be famous when I was little. First, we wanted to be singers. Then, actors. Hollywood stars, whatever. I even started writing scripts once I got into 5th grade. They weren't good, but they were a start. I wanted to work in Hollywood doing something amazing. I loved to entertain and dreamed of getting the Academy Award for... something.

My friends and I dreamed of being 22 and famous. Rich, with fancy cars and our own planes so we could go to Disney World whenever we wanted.

Well, I'm 22 now. I'm not world-famous, I'm not rich (the exact opposite). I have a somewhat fancy car now but not my own plane. But, I can go to Disney World whenever I want. So that's a win.

After I got my dog, I really wanted to become a veterinarian  I saw how they took care of Kahlua after she got really sick and nearly died. But, I also realized they also have the wonderful privilege of euthanize pets. That was not okay with me. After I went to the Florida Keys and swam with dolphins, I really wanted to become a dolphin trainer. Realizing they make nix to no money, I switched it up to marine biologist. But, not being very good at science nor interested changed that quickly. 

Now, once high school came, I went back to my entertainment phase. Acting I thought would be my calling but I realized that it was not. I liked being more of a behind-the-scenes girl. I really started writing a lot and dabbling in photography.

Everything changed on June 4, 2007 though. Watching your house burn down does things to you. I became very depressed and independent (in not a good way). I started writing a lot more. I realized that communication was my calling that summer. I wrote an op/ed for my school newspaper that I got a lot of praise for. I did extremely well on the English and Writing portions of my SATs. And AP English writing assignments were a piece of cake. I decided I wanted to go to college for communication (mainly journalism) so I could write more. 

Penn State ended up being that school I chose. I eventually realized that journalism wasn't exactly what I wanted, but PR was. I chose PR mainly because the economic downturn wasn't looking too hot for journalists. But, PR was even broader and could lead me in many more directions.

I was even happier with that decision after the Sandusky fallout at the end of 2011. Us students were trying to do our own PR. The image of our school had fallen and we knew it was up to us to bring it back up. And I think we've been pretty successful with that (can't say the same for the administration but it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks). The Sandusky scandal helped me grow up and learn what a true PR girl should be. 

So, do you think 7-year old me is happy with the 22-year old me? I'm pretty sure she's happy I'm working at Disney. I think she's also happy I'm single. Probably is wondering why the heck I didn't move to California, why I'm addicted to my phone and what a sorority is. I know she hates that I'm not rich and is wondering why I'm not BFFs with the same people as before.

But when you grow up, things change. You change. I'm a very strong person now because of what I've witnessed and gone through in my life. I have had incredible experiences and I'm thankful for almost every person I've met. Is my life perfect? Heck no; there are things I need to work on.

My future goals are to get a full-time job but definitely stay with Disney. I still need to learn how to scuba and surf. I want to get a dog. I really need to quit coke (the liquid kind). I need to make money. I want to be important enough that I get twitter verified. And I want to be a leader in autism awareness, the fight against pediatric cancer, marriage equality and limiting gun violence. There's so much of my life still to live.

And to tell you the truth, even though I didn't expect myself to be right here, right now, I'm totally okay with where I am and very happy with the person I've become.

Off to Plan B because...

I didn't get the internship.

Big huge bummer to a wonderful day as well. I was starting to feel good about my chances because I hadn't been flat out denied yet. But, I knew my interview was not up to par. I went on my dashboard about a half hour ago and saw the dreaded "No Longer in Consideration" there. 

So, now it's off to Plan B.

Plan A was to get this internship and work my butt off at it. I knew it was going to be a long shot because I bombed the interview. But, had they shocked me and given me the internship, then I could work and get my name out there to move up.

Unfortunately, that isn't working out. So it's off to Plan B, which is much harder. It isn't a full-proof plan but if I do it right, it could work.

Today, I met with a communications manager for the program I am on. Her name was Christina and she was extremely friendly and helpful with all the questions I had. My main question was this: If I didn't get the internship (which we now know is the case), can I still get a full-time job at the end of this? One of my big fears is that I stay at a salaried job that's not truly affiliated with communications. Yes, it has elements that any communications pro would need but it's not necessarily a comm job that has the training it would need. Plus, after this program is done, I will actually have nothing. So, what do I do then?

Christina was very enthusiastic and said, yes. I remember many people I've met through a marketing class I've taken have started out where I am at now but never did the whole professional internship level. She told me to put myself out there and keep networking because if people know what I want and see that drive in me, they'll remember me and I can get to where I want to get to.

So, my plan is kind of what I stated when I started this blog.

I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. One of my friends told me tonight that I wasn't meant for this internship and something better will come along. I believe in this extension and I know I am meant to work for the Mouse. So, here are my plans:

I am going to go to networking events and meet with people. I am going to keep talking to people. See if any of my managers know people. Keep in contact with the people I met already and keep them updated. I will update my profiles here on this blog and on my new LinkedIn account.

I know I am destined for great things here. But, I'm going to have to work hard at the lowest level to move up to where I want to go. It's not going to be easy but I need to believe in myself. I know I can do this and I know I will work hard.

I'm just going to remember my road to THON. I wanted to dance in THON so bad. So, I contacted someone named Paula who was starting up a THON organization and needed some help. She took me and a kid named Aaron along for the ride. We started a group on scratch and soon became the best of friends. We worked hard and sometimes we felt discouraged but we kept going at it because we believed in THON. Paula and I became dance partners and extremely good friends and being able to dance for all 46 hours was one of my highest achievements.

If I can do that and stand for 46 for cancer, I can do this.

Prospects...

I've had two jobs that I applied for contact me this week. Unfortunately, due to my current internship commitments  I cannot interview at this time for either of the jobs. But, both jobs are going to hold my resume so that's great!

The first job contacted me about two weeks ago and said they'd call me back about an interview. They called back two weeks later but told me they would be willing to hold my resume and contact me again in mid-January. This job is in North Jersey and does a lot of marketing relations with the mid-Atlantic sports, entertainment and retail. The job sounds great but it's definitely not my first choice.

The second one contacted me yesterday and I talked to them today. They are based in Southern California and do relations with more telecom groups. They were very enthusiastic about my resume and loved that I went to Penn State. What I liked about them is that they told me a lot more about their company and what I would be doing if I was offered a job. Plus, they told me they would stay in contact with me and make sure to make room for an interview when I'm in the L.A. area.

I don't know how I'm going to get to California; I don't really have a reason to travel out there in the near future. The job in North Jersey is more doable since I don't live far from it. But, I'm not totally sure about California. I've always wanted to move out West but I can't go there with no job and put my eggs in one basket. I do have some friends in the area who might be willing to house me sooner than later, but I can't totally depend on that.

My parents have been very supportive and they want me to do whatever makes me happy. Everything relies on whether I get this internship or not. I don't find out for another week and a half if I got in or not. And honestly, I'm not sure which I want to happen- the internship or the job. My future hasn't been written yet but the anticipation is distracting!

The beginning... hopefully

This blog is called "Amateur PR girl" for a reason. Let's see... I might have a degree in Public Relations but I have never had a true PR internship or a job. I only graduated a few months ago and since I have minimal experience, I need to get experience.

But, I'm not getting experience from anyone right now. So, I'm gaining experience by doing my own PR. So, what better way to start than by writing a blog that not only chronicles my journey into starting a career right after college, but gives me experience in the field of Public Relations?

So, here's a little bit about myself. My name is Tabitha and I am a 22-year old college grad living in Orlando, FL. I work for the Mouse (you know which one) as I complete the College Program. I've extended my program but I'm still waiting to hear from a Professional Internship (cross your fingers, knock on wood and/or make a wish for me). I graduated from a school that is the king of how NOT to do public relations, the Pennsylvania State University. I love my Nittany Lions and I love Penn State so much, but one valuable thing they taught me is how to handle crisis PR, and last year, they didn't do a good job with it.

So, I graduated in May and came straight down here to Florida barely a week after graduating. I honestly thought that if I did a good job here, people would beg me for a job. Oh my, how wrong was I. I've learned something since starting here- it's not necessarily what you know but WHO you know. Yes, what you know is very important, but networking is extremely key in getting a job. I've always known that when it came to my desired profession, but I never practiced it.

Now, my program is about to end and I still have nothing. So, I've decided to stay down here and try to learn from my mistake. I'm planning on learning how to network, step by step. By meeting people, I can learn what to do to get to my dream job. I can gain experience and figure out where to go next. I'm hoping I do get the PI and can start slowly working up (though, I don't believe I did well on my interview, so I'm thinking it will be a no). But, if I do not get the PI, I will do what I'm doing now- network and build up my resume.

This blog is the beginning, hopefully. I want to write about my experiences, whether good or bad, with trying to get to that job. In the meantime, I also want to write my own insights on the world of PR, whether it's lessons I learned or the big news surrounding the world right now from a PR standpoint. If I practice, I can become better.

I don't know what the future holds, but I do know I control it. Let's see where I drive it to.