Long November

Living at home with my parents has both good and bad qualities. I like not paying rent, paying utility bills and having food in the refrigerator that I didn't pay for and can eat without starting a fight. I don't like having to call home if I'm going to be later than 2, being chauffered everywhere by my dad because I don't have a car, not being able to invite people over anytime I want and not having as much space for me and all my stuff. Most of the time I'm at work so it's really okay when I'm at home. I work alot. I work almost everyday, weekends included. I have one day a week that I know I don't have to work: Thursdays. I don't work Thursdays because my Yoga class is on Thursday mornings and The Office and NCAA football are on Thursday night. Every other day I work either lunch or dinner, or both. Usually both. I like my job. I like the people I work with. It's a fun place for me to earn some money while I wait for the State Department to call me. I'm beginning to wonder when that's going to happen. I'm looking forward to being on my own again and really starting my life as an adult.

I read an interesting little article in the Denver Post this morning about 20Somethings and the new transition into adulthood. This is the first generation that hasn't jumped headlong into a full-time, life-long career right out of college. 20Somethings spend a lot more time traveling, working part-time or temporary jobs while they figure out who they are. I liked the way one of the subjects described the process: It's about trying to fit an identity to your body. I'm familiar with my body, I know what the physical part of me is about, and I'm finally at the point where I really like that part of me and am comfortable with that. But the identity part, the 'who am I and what I stand for' part of me is still fuzzy. I think part of it is about determining priorities. Up until now, my priorities have focused around friends, family and school. Now that school is done, it seems natural that career would fall in its place. It's trickier than that though. Choosing a Career is more of a process or series of decisions rather than one choice. I want to choose a career path more than just a job. Where will my job take me in 10, 15, 30 years? Is it something that will contribute to my overall goals? What are my overall goals? What steps do I need to take to achieve those? This is where I think having a good mentor comes in. Someone who knows the ropes, knows the path and can offer some guidance. Now where do I get one of those? There aren't that many women (or men for that matter) that have taken the path I want to follow. And I don't know any of them. So now what? I guess I need to start looking for jobs outside the service industry, or just hope and pray that Bill Ritter will sit at my table for lunch.