Today’s fun Friday is brought to you by the letter F — no not really but I heard the Sesame Street voice in my head when I wrote that Curious Photos - a funny blog with lots of random silliness.
Creative Thinking with the Sky
Zipper pool from the collection of Curious miscellaneous pictures
It’s been a while since we’ve had a guest post in the advice series. This post was contributed by Dorie Morgan, who blogs regularyly about navigating twenty-something suburban life.
I recently had the pleasure of applying for a new position within my company. And by pleasure, what I really mean is a brutally nerve wracking experience. The day before my interview for the position, I realized that not only did I have a five hour interview ahead of me but my five hours of interview fun were being crammed into one day, instead of the usual 2 to 3 day process. It was going to be a rough Wednesday.
The other tough part about this interview was that I was being interviewed by people that I have worked with day in and day out for a year and a half. Two of the interviewers were even hired after me. At first I thought that this could be a good thing. It would be a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere, they already know my work habits and they all have so much on their plates right now that it was possible that the interview could take less than its allotted time.
Wait a minute. They already know my work habits. Good, bad or neurotic, there was no hiding from that now.
These are the people who watched me turn a donut into a Voodoo Doll last spring and leave it on a coworker’s desk because I was tired of him leaving have eaten food on the break room table. FYI: You can write on a powered sugar donut with an ultra fine tip sharpie but a thicker tip will clog with sugar much faster.
These are the people who know about my neurotic tendencies when it comes to creating systems of organization. They’ve seen my FranklinCovey planning system and know that it not only comes with me everywhere but is color coded by event.
But, these are also the people who know that I frequently come in on a Saturday morning to clear away nagging projects that I don’t want to think about at the beginning of the next work week (I like my Monday mornings to be fresh, clean and pretty).
Who I am as a colleague and as a person were already out there on the table for my interviewers to experience.
Fortunately, no one asked me about the now infamous Voodoo Donut but they did ask me about how I developed my complex color coded planning system. It was still an exhausting day and I wouldn’t want to repeat it anytime soon. The upside to it all is that some of my colleagues now have a better idea of who I am and what it is I really do.
I still haven’t heard if I will be offered the position but right now, I don’t think I have anything to worry about.
One of the things that I love most about guest posts is that I’m able to have advice on topics that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to have input about. I have personally never had an internal interview. Have you? Was your experience similar to Dorie’s?
When there is no time for major league blogging there is always mini blogging. Some call it micro blogging but I like to call it mini blogging because really it’s just me reposting randomness I’ve round around the web.
My mini blogging consists of twitter and tumblr.
Here’s the randomess I’ve found recently:
Check out & subscribe/follow to my tumblr to keep being informed of the randomness that I find in the great world wide web. PS send me fun stuff you find or comment on here.
I can’t really give much commentary without giving things away other than make sure you watch the whole video before you come to any conclusions
Did you know that women (on average) earn 77 cents for every man’s dollar? Or that showing cleavage at work can affect your career? I’m still convinced that the internet can solve almost any problem and obviously is a great source of knowledge. The downfall that I know of to the internet’s great span of information is that it’s not always easy to find information that’s applicable to directly to us twentysomethings. This is why I like to have round-ups fairly regularly. I follow a number of informational resources and I’m always wanting to share my findings with my fellow GenPinkers.
Looking Back - Things I Wish I Had Known When I Was 18
Just because you can pay the minimum doesn’t mean you can afford the balance. It took me years to figure that out. For a long time I was a creditor’s dream come true. I carried a large balance on my credit cards, and faithfully paid the minimum balance by the due date every month. I thought I was doing great, because my credit score was great. I never thought to add up all the interest I was paying on my purchases.
What Are the Best Jobs for College Graduates Today?
To all graduates and all other twentysomethings who don’t know what you want to be when you grow up (myself included): follow your dreams, but find a career that pays well and has long term growth prospects. The more money you make, and the more secure a job you hold, the more time and freedom you will have to pursue your life outside of work. In today’s rapidly changing and uncertain economy, what fields are best?
6 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job
Twenty and thirty-somethings have more flexibility when it comes to test-driving different careers. The process of self-discovery is much easier when you’re unencumbered by family responsibilities and substantial financial burdens, and when you haven’t yet reached a level in a career where it’s tougher to turn back.
Life After School: Advice for New Graduates
“You’ve got to find your passion,” Celia says. “I changed my major six times. That’s okay. Everything you do leads you to the person you’re becoming. As long as you have some goals, you’ll be fine.”
Celia stressed that it’s important to think about the sort of life you want to live. Some of what she said reminded me of Tim Ferriss’ notion of lifestyle design, building your life and career around what you want to do.
Men Earn in Nine Months What You Earn in a Year
The gender pay gap is definitely not a thing of the past — the 77 cents that women make for every man’s dollar in this country is a sure sign that gender inequality continues to plague the workplace. To put things in perspective, men make the equivalent of a woman’s yearly salary by the time the first of September rolls around.
Cleavage Could be Asking For Trouble When Colleagues Are Involved
The WSJ article called "Risky Business: Décolletage At a Work Dinner" tells us that for a businesswoman, "There’s no greater crime than to show cleavage." Jonscott Turco, a psychologist and consultant with Partners In Human Resources International, commented in the article saying, "They’re thinking it’s an empowering thing that they can be sexy and professional, but guys don’t see it that way. If she’s dressed sexy, that’s all they see."
Have some great resources you’d like to share for twentysomethings of twenty-something women specifically? Send it to for:elysa on del.icio.us.
“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” - Arthur C. Clarke
This quote pretty much sums up what has been going on in my life that has kept me from blogging (apologies by the way). I decided about a month ago that since I was committed to changing my financial standings I was not going to turn away any jobs/projects. Previously I’ve used the fact that I’m self employed as an excuse to pick and choose my clients. Then I decided it was ridiculous to turn away money. I decided I’d test out taking on as many projects as come my way. Consequently I’ve now hired sub contractors and my business has grown exponentially. I’m excited and I’m loving every minute of it. Really my only regret is that I’ve had zero time to devote to my lovely freaders here at GenPink.
I do plan on making time to get back to GenPink very shortly. In the mean time I post mini-posts fairly regularly on my tumblr - check the archives and find some of my favorite quotes, photos, and linkage from around the web.
I’m starting a new series - real life twenty somethings in the world. I’m not sure how often this series will run or who all will be featured but I’d like to start this off with a fabulous musician I found a few months ago.
Name: Alison Sudol aka A Fine Frenzy
Age: 22
Location: Los Angeles, California
Occupation: Singer/Songwriter
A little snippet of her bio: A Fine Frenzy is the music of 22 year-old Alison Sudol.
Born in Seattle to dramatic-arts teacher parents, Alison moved to Los Angeles at the age five. With her newly single mother, Alison moved frequently around the city. She developed a strong love for the fantastic literary worlds of CS Lewis, EB White, Lewis Carroll and Charles Dickens, while becoming a passionate author in her own right.
The music speaks for itself:
Like most social-network powered twenty somethings she can be found in various places all over the web: Official Website, Myspace, Last.fm, Twitter, & Flickr
At the ripe old age of 22 Alison (think I can call her Alison?) could very well be the source of my envy if I were the jealous type. She is beautiful, she has an amazing voice, she is making huge strides in her career, and she even has an online book club. What more could we ask for from this Gen Y girl?
I’ve had a number of responses to the quest for guest bloggers for my weekly Twenty Something Advice series.
This guest post was written by a 20SB who blogs at Nothing to Show But This Brand New Tattoo
I’m a middle aged woman trapped in a twenty-seven year olds body. I go
to bed around 10pm each night and wake up throughout the night with
to-do lists running through my head. I work in a fast paced office
managing large projects for public safety agencies throughout the
southeast. I actively participate in several civic organizations and
co-chair a youth organization for young women. I am a mother, wife,
sister, daughter, and friend.Seven years ago, my life didn’t seem to be destined for this path.
At twenty years old I imagined myself going to college, marrying a
rich man, and having a house full of babies…sometime around 35. I
further imagined myself enjoying every minute of my twenties as though
I was on a decade long series of an MTV Spring Break show.
My best friend’s and I enjoyed night after night of parties, clubs,
alcohol and boyfriends. We were never going to be old married women
before sowing our proverbial oats. I learned quickly - "never say
never".Two years into my twenties I found myself unmarried and pregnant. I
tossed around the options before me for what seemed like forever. I
wasn’t open to abortion. I’ll forever take a pro-life stance for
myself, and pro-choice for all other women. I had recently witnessed
my very best friend give her first born up for adoption 10 months
prior to my son’s birth. I knew this wasn’t an option for me. I
vaguely remember considering a "shot-gun" wedding however, that idea
was tossed aside very quickly.Four months after my son was born, he passed away while I was at work.
At twenty-two years old I was a grieving mother."If you had the foresight to know how the end would be, would you
have changed your mind?"My friend J. was twenty-one years old when she found out she was
pregnant. She did not have the means to offer a child the life they
honestly deserve. She was 22 by the time the adoption papers were
signed. The court order said she was to receive pictures and letters
of her son until he was five years old. She received the first
birthday photo and never heard another word from the adoptive parents.
Now she occasionally cry’s herself to sleep over the boy she’ll never
know."If you knew how it would turn out, would you have changed your mind?"
My friend C. was a 25 year old college graduate working in a
successful law firm three years ago. She was offered a position for a
small software company that seemed like a dream come true. The hours,
benefits, and salary were exactly what she was looking for. She took
the position and instantly made lasting relationships with her
co-workers. Six months into her employment, she was laid off. Suddenly
her world was filled with anxiety and stress. The exact reasons she
wanted out of the law firm."If you knew what would happen, would you have taken the chance?"
Each of us will spend most of our twenties trying to figure out this
thing called "Life". Choices, options and decisions will be thrown at
us. Mistakes, misfortune, and horrible outcomes will likely result
from even the best laid plans. The idea isn’t to duck or dodge the
choices. Indecision is worse than the wrong decision.My advice to all twenty-something’s is simple – Think long and hard
about all of life’s options. Second guess yourself, always. In the
end, once you have come to a final decision – Have no regrets.
I think this is great advice for people of all ages. Often times we spend more time beating ourselves up over a decision than we do making the decision up front. I’m reminded of the cliche "what’s done is done." Thank you for sharing your words of wisdom with us.
Haaaapppppppyyyyy blogiversary to me [insert awful singing voices here]. April 20th was my 1 year blogiversary!
What I learned through my first year of blogging …
and last but not least … the blogging world has taught me that people love give-aways so
How do you enter? That’s fairly simple, just go leave a comment on any of my posts from the last year. I will keep track of all of the commenters from now until May 1 and I will announce the winner Friday, May 2. Linking to this post from your blog will get you another entry into the pot and linking to any of my previous posts/series will also get you a chance. So you have a possibility of being entered 3 times.
My life has been a complete and utter roller coaster the last week (maybe two) so I decided my advice for this Thursday is to myself … have some fun! Life is not as serious as you make it! There you go that’s my advice. And in keeping with my advice I decided I’d share with my lovely freaders my love of t-shirts. I don’t love just any ‘ol tshirt though. I have a love and appreciation (oh course) for designery graphicy t-shirts.
So I was very excited when I heard about a fun resource for t-shirt artistry. I’m sure everyone knows of Threadless. If you don’t you’re missing out. And today I’d like to introduce you to … dun duh duh Pop Culture Tees.
Featuring new designs from the hottest retailers and indie artists, tips ‘n tricks, and interviews from industry experts, Pop Culture Tees delves into the world of creative t-shirt design.
I have a hard time deciding but I think I’ll say this has been my favorite so far.
or perhaps this one
or maybe this (if it came in another color - perhaps pink!)
The moral of the story is go check them out!
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