This may be a D.C thing...or a city thing. I havent quite figured it out, but just as soon as I stopped being asked, "What are you doing after graduation?" I now am consistently asked, "What do you do?" And it wouldnt be a problem, except the people don't really care. Basically in this town, they just want to know if you're a valuable person for THEM to know. If you can help them get ahead. Unfortunately for all of those people, my day job that I tell people about has nothing to do with my passions or goals in life. And, I have realized, that the people that have helped me the most in this city haven't done so through their jobs.
I am hoping to, in the next 6 months or so, figure out if I want to go to grad school for Public Policy, Urban Planning, or a JD combined with either of those. The other day I was talking to a co worker about a thesis I wrote in college about homelessness and she started telling me about an organization called Share Our Strength. Evidently she knows some of the founders of this org that raises money to help the poor. Sounds right up my alley. Anyways, she gave me a contact and I am hopefully going to start volunteering there soon. The point of the story is that if I had met this woman at a bar or event and just asked her what she does, I would have written her off completely. So I am trying to figure out how to get under the superficial layer that people show when networking. I understand that having connections is important, and in some circumstances it really helps. But I am glad I have learned not to write people off so soon, cause you never know who might be able to help you out at any given point.
However, it is fun to make some solid connections. Just in this last week I have been driven home by an NBA player, and met Fez from That 70's show. No big deal. :)
Talking about connections, the best one I have at work is the IT guy. For some reason, he is absolutely SMITTEN with me, lol. Everyone complains about how they put in an IT request and it can take days or weeks to get it figured out. Me, I barely have to instant message him with a question and he has come up 3 floors and appears at my desk, ready to help me out. Let's just say my boss doesn't condone it, but tells me to just keep on smiling. Which isn't difficult to do here. Let me just tell you about my work situation. I work in a beautiful building in downtown. However, since I am a temp, I have been placed in this back room of cubicles I have gotten everyone to start calling 'The Submarine Room" because there are no windows and no natural light. Most of the time I am the only person back here, and if ipods didn't exist I think i may have gone crazy by this point. So, whenever I get to come out of my deep, dark, hole, I am the most peppy and excited person you have ever met. All my coworkers ask me what I am on, and if I can get them a sample. But the truth is that people give me energy, and my lack of human contact makes me so desperate that I have acquired this upbeat, peppy personality. Want to understand the extremity of this? Its true even BEFORE my coffee. Yup. Now you understand. Other people are glaring at me as I practically skip into work and say hi to every possible person I can before heading down under. I guess its not a bad reputation to have, though.
That is good for now. I'll spend the weekend sledding in the two feet of snow were supposed to get. Yay!
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