One Year Together

Happy Anniversary to me and my working life! We've been together for a year now and we couldn't be more in love.

Ok, so we aren't in love but we're in like. Like, in that I like having a place to go everyday; I like getting a paycheck; I like the (most of) the people I work with; I like some of the projects that I manage.

We'd be in love if I loved more of what I was doing; if I didn't feel like I was doing (almost) everything wrong; if I got paid just a little bit more; if I wasn't still an assistant.

I started working as a sales assistant a week after college graduation. The last thing I wanted to do was move back home and putz around northern New Jersey, so I jumped right into work world. Last year, I didn't have a summer and I didn't mind. It was exciting to have a new job, move into a new apartment and be an adult in the real world. A year later, all I want is summer and a better idea of what I'm doing with my life. I'm in a newer job, but the excitement of being employed has worn off. My cool and (at one point) new apartment isn't as cool or new as I thought it was and I'm counting the days until our lease is up. And the whole being an adult thing is overrated.

In the past year, I've learned a lot about what I want from my career. Or, what I don't want from my career. I don't want to sit in an office all day, everyday. I don't want to be an assistant forever. I don't want to work excruciatingly long hours. I don't want to be at the mercy of bosses and clients. And yes, there are a few wants. I want to work for myself one day. I want to make a decent amount of money. I want to be passionate about what I'm doing. I want to be creative. I want to help other Working Girl's find their passions, once I find my own.

This year has felt like it's been the longest year of my life but at the same time, it feels like the shortest. I've gone from crying in the bathroom to enjoying the new department I'm in with a business trip to South Africa. I do enjoy my job but this one-year milestone has made me start thinking about the years ahead, what they will bring and how my career desires will affect them.