Vintage booty

Ever since Hurricane Irene swept in last weekend, the days have become cooler and the leaves underfoot brown and crunchier. Fall is near. I feel excited for it, and sad at the same time. Excited, because every fall, I have always had something to look forward to- seeing my friends (even if it came with the onus of schoolwork), new clothes, new classes, new drama (lol). Teaching abroad last year was very similar to being in school; in fact, I was in school: I was just on the other side of the desk. But now I’m treading into unfamiliar territory, a realm outside of education because – let’s face it – though I enjoy teaching, it’s not my foremost passion. That would be a tie amongst writing, learning new languages, travel, and research (let’s be honest, I’m a nerd; I once turned in a Physics presentation from notes that I took – for fun – a few weeks prior while watching a PBS presentation on String Theory.) I think the sadness at the change of season comes from not yet discovering the way to perfectly unite all of those passions. I have a plan of what I’d like to do with a clear agenda; but only reality (and the job market) can inform what happens next.

Anyway, I’m rambling. This isn’t a post about my career. It’s a post with pictures of the funky vintage loot I’ve collected over the past few weeks.

Post-college advice to the undergraduate

Okay, I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and there are a few things that I’d like to tell all you college students out there. Things that I wish people had told me when I was in college and why they were important.

1. The undergraduate major that you pick is nominal. Unless you want to become a doctor, engineer, or work in any other field in which the skill set is highly-specialized, it really boils down to the experiences that you have- the academic experiences, your extracurricular activities, jobs, or internships. When you’re in a job interview, you’re less likely to be quizzed on what you learned in school; rather, you’re marketing your ensemble of skills, showing what you can offer that company, and perhaps being presented with a case study to quiz you on work that you would do if hired.

So study what you love. Or study what you think will get you an easy 4.0. Whatever. I challenged myself while in college, taking multiple languages and rigorous economic courses for a demanding (& very fulfilling!) major before I realized I could have just as well done an easy major, effortlessly scored a higher GPA, and had more time to do paid work and intern.* Which brings me to point 2.