Being an Adult Means Finding a Job

You guessed it. The first key to becoming an adult is finding a job, there's no secret in that. As you begin the process of finding the right job, people share all sorts of 'useful' advice: "being involved in school really helps," "no one finds the right job out of school anyway," "just be you..." The list goes on.

What they don't tell you (at least not explicitly), is how hard it is to find job. Not just time consuming filling out the same application for different places a million times (sorry friends, no common app in the 'real world'), but how much it sucks you dry to basically present yourself to strangers to be judged, without a chance of meeting them in person most of the time.

But don't worry, they'll love you.

Friends, maybe they love you, but most of the places won't even call you back to say, "no thanks." You are officially on your own, so get ready.  One thing that's true though, is that it's not what you know, but who you know. Trust me, I graduated with two degrees (both with honors), and a great resume (I was student body president even!), but what got me my first job was my rugby coach's friend who needed a campaign manager. Lesson learned: just play rugby and you're golden.

So that's what I did. I signed up to be a campaign manager for a woman who I didn't know too well, with her never having run for political office really, and myself never having been a campaign manager...let me say this though, as of this point in my life. It has been my favorite and most challenging yet engaging job yet.

'The Office' (Stephanie's kitchen table)

Our other office...her van.

So thus began my life as an adult. I earned a paycheck, kept a schedule, and had real responsibility...I was on the right track to becoming a millionaire (or at least paying off my student loans), within 5 years. Boom Baby.

One thing about a campaign though, you can't really plan for the future. So, when my lease ran up at the end of July, I moved out of my apartment...without anywhere to really move to. I put everything in storage and traveled the city of Seattle from friend's house to friend's house with my suitcase for almost a month--surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as stressful as I thought, and it's fun to have sleepovers even when you're an adult. 

Another Hard Day at Work

The best boss (and politician) out there: Stephanie Bowman

The one thing they don't emphasize enough in college, but a skill I've used most in the real world is: act with confidence and people just assume you know what you're doing. Truly, this is the best way to go. Also, when in doubt, ask--people don't mind telling you. (editor's note: however, there is such a thing as a stupid question, so make sure it's a question worth asking, especially to your boss). 

The primary election took place in August, and we felt pretty good about the results. We canvassed the streets like nobody's business, hammered signs into all available spots, and most importantly, we ran a clean campaign--that's what we were most proud of. 

The results wouldn't really be known until a few days after the election, so I booked a roundtrip flight home to Alaska to spend a week with my family, assuming we'd hit the general election in November. 

Mom, Dad, and Jake camping on my week vaca

Sadly, things don't always go as planned. Despite our best effort, Washington just wasn't ready for Stephanie yet (they'll know better next time, that's for sure), and we lost the election, and I lost (literally) my first job--all within 2 months of graduating college. 

So I got back on the plane to Seattle (after some major conversations about discernment with my parents), without a home, without a job, but with a few good friends in my life, the same suitcase from before, and adventure on my mind.