The weekend of August 26-28 in Burlington, Vermont was slated as “move-in” weekend for the University of Vermont as well as Champlain College. It’s full of chaos and nonsense as parents, new students, and orientation leaders try to figure out where to go next. On my way to work Friday the 26th I got stuck behind an out-of-state family who decided to stop in the middle of Maple Street as they tried to figure out where they wanted to go next. I was about to lean on on my horn and get very aggravated, but I stopped myself, suddenly realizing that only five years ago I was in the same position.
Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont
Starting New Far From Home
I’m originally from New Jersey, about 25 miles outside of New York City. Instead of looking for a college in that area, I came to Vermont full of images of snowboarding, lake life, and being a part of a college town boasting 13,000 to 16,000 undergrads among 39,000 residents (See Population of Burlington City). I came north not knowing another contact from home, family, or anyone in the Burlington area. Thankfully I did know what I wanted to do, and soon after, where I wanted to be.
It’s Never Too Early to Plan
The planning stages in life get harder and more important the older you get (stating the obvious). It all starts with which high school you choose to attend. By junior year it is really important to start looking at colleges. Not only deciding where, but also what you want to do for the rest of your life. Again, thankfully I knew I wanted a career in Public Relations, Marketing, or Advertising. Fortunately for me I enjoyed the classes and stuck with my major through all four years of school (See Rate of Students Changing Majors).
Once those four years were coming to an end a very hard decision arose: do I head back “home” to New Jersey or do I want to plant my seeds in my new home in Vermont? Many factors came into this decision as I have incredible friendships from the Tri-state area as well as close proximity to New York City, which many consider the center of job opportunities in my field. Burlington is a great place to live, with many wonderful companies, but in the grand scheme of things it is still a small city. The influx of people finding out about this gem has lead to an incredibly competitive job market. It made staying around successfully a challenging task.
Don’t Give Up & Stay Fresh
Being a college graduate in 2010, I faced one of the worst job markets for post-grads in a long time. I worked the same hourly-wage job I had since the summer of 2008 straight until I was hired at Marketing Partners, Inc. in April of 2011. Even with the job market looking bleak and how discouraging it was to be done with school and expected to make a living, I knew I had to keep my skills fresh. I had amassed a solid network of contacts through school and friends (See The Importance of Networking), kept up with my social media accounts (tweeting, updating Facebook and LinkedIn, blogging), and used my hourly job to build my customer/client relations skills.
Now I’m proud to say that I have a great job, in the area I wanted to live in, doing the work I wanted to do. If you’re not sure yet what you want to do, an internship can help. And if you’re a grad or about to be, keep your skills fresh, don’t stop expanding your network, and keep your drive high. Oh – and if you’re new to town, I recommend consulting a map on your first day.
