Miss Bachelor of Arts with Honours

So long, after four years of study cramming and lots and lots and lots of money, I HAVE OFFICIALLY GRADUATED!! =D

I had my convocation last Thursday. I was kinda stressed because it was the only day of the week that rained and was cold. I was just wearing a dress and a regalia. Thought a fall convocation wouldn't be that bad. I thought it would be nice and sunny, not too hot, not too cold, and nice to take pictures with the fall leaves. The ceremony wasn't bad. Thought it would be way too long, but time passed by really quickly (considering that many did not attend convocation). I was sad I was separated from my friend who also took Communications and French. But I was close to another Communications friend and some classmates I never really cared about. Then there was this girl who liked to point the obvious. It is kind of ironic she's graduating and she didn't seem very bright. The other guy next to me said she might be drunk. I would not be surprised. After it ended, I took a few photos with my friend, my mom (who came all the way to Costa Rica to see me graduate) and my boyfriend. I wanted to get some refreshments at the reception, but it was too crazy, I could barely get any food (mostly thanks to this lady who spent the time of her life picking cherry tomatoes one by one and never thought about moving). After that, me, my mom and my boyfriend went to a restaurant to celebrate. It was nice. Wish my dad was there, he would be very proud. But he didn't come with my mom and decided to stay taking care of his business (although he said he wanted to compensate me by giving me some ca$h. yay!)

Now after graduation, I was hoping job finding were A LOT easier. Ideally I would just finish university and then I will have a job. Unfortunetly, it is not my case. It is super hard, harder than I thought it would be. Seems like companies almost don't hire you for your degree but for your past experiences. This comes hard on me since I am competing with a lot of Canadians who start working at age 15 or 16. In Costa Rica most people don't work until they are like 18. Disadvantage for me there. Also, many students to part-time jobs while studying. Me, my parents told me to focus on my studies instead. You mean, I could have gained a lot of experience? Um, yeah. I should have also gone to college, where they give you internships in the last semester. College is more hands-on what you want to do. Not essay writing and reading at university. Although graduating from a prestiged university is good too. Can't underestimate the things I have learned in these past four years. Guess I could take experiences I have had at university, either working or volunteering and transfering them to the work force. Another disadvantage I have is that here Canadian people have connections, like friends and families, and I don't. Or barely don't.

What I can still do it to give my best, to not give up, and bring up my passion. Many might have the skills, but not too many have the passion, ammirite? I can also do a lot of research on the industries and companies I would like to work at. By the way, I heard Mad Men is about advertising? Might have to start watching a new show!

Bye bye full-time student, hello full-time job hunter....

Small girl with big ambitions

Job hunting is more exhausting than I could ever imagine. Right now I am a full-time job hunter. It is a very discouraging process and it takes so much time and effort. I have invested a lot of time in crafting resumes and cover letters according to the company I am applying to. It feels like a waste of time when those places you applied to never get back to you.

So far I have been looking for jobs almost non-stop. I have applied to couple places like Staples, Ikea, HMV, Shoppers Drugmart, GAP, Swiss Chalet, Air Canada, TD Bank, Scotiabank, Pulp&Fiber, Safeway Tours, and a few others. And so far I have only got two replies from them.

I applied for a job as a receptionist at some office. I was refered to it by a friend's friend. That person made sure I know it was a very boring job, yet I still applied to it. I went to the interview that lasted over an hour and the interviewer spoke more than I did. Needless to say, I got the job, but I declined it because I felt like the job wasn't really right for me. I mean, yeah, I can perform all the duties but I feel like if you don't enjoy the job, you will not give your greatest performance, which is what they really need. Don't get me wrong, I would love to work as a receptionist in a big company and whatnot. Just the environment around, the people I work with, and the type of company weren't really what I am looking for.

Couple weeks ago, I spoke to a guy, graduated from University and has a job in a marketing firm. He said, "don't take just any job. My experience is that people undervalue themselves, sometimes people can do better than that". And that's what I did with that job. My mom, however, thinks the opposite. She thinks I must take any job available. Doesn't matter if they don't pay well, it's boring, work long hours, etc. As long as it is a legit job that pays, I should take it.

I also got a couple phone calls wanting to schedule an interview from some companies. However, those companies are the "pyramid scheme" kind of type. Like, they hire you to pay you for commision - that means the more you sell, the more you make. But if you cannot sell, you make no money. So you refer the selling products to friends and family of yours. If they don't want it, they could refer you to THEIR friends and family. And goes on. A lot of people would consider it as a "scam". However, few of these companies are legit, but the layout of the business will screw you up. A lot of people pay to these companies (like certifications, lessons, security deposit of products, etc) before you even make money. My dad says "it is NOT a job if YOU have to pay the money. They should be the ones paying you money", which is totally true. I mean, those kind of companies pretty much target high school students, people with not much education, people in desperate need of money, and people who do not have knowledge about those companies. Luckily I do my research online before going to interview.

But I feel like I am working under pressure here because my parents want me to get a full-time job 9no matter what kind of job) for a full year so I can apply for Permanent Residence. For me, it is not like that. I want a job I like and feel like I can do. Feel comfortable doing for more than a year. I can't take just ANY kind of job, right? Like if they hire me as a garbage pick-up person for a year, doesn't mean I can go to that level (no offense, these people work really hard everyday). I am a recent graduate geez!

Hence the title of my blog: small girl with big ambitions. I want to end up eventually as a creative director in a big ad agency. Maybe I can work from copywriter to art director, and work from there up. I want my job to enhance my creativity. Make me do creative stuff like make slogans, direct a video, create posters, etc. Everyday would be different for me, and I don't have to put up with the mundane and routine. Everyday the same thing.

I would also like to open a cupcake store or a bakery because I love baking and making cupcakes. Make a store for kids. Those make a whole bunch of money! Take the example of McDonalds or Chuck E Cheese, or something like that. Attracting kids means attracting their parents. Good business! MY IDEA! lol.

Maybe I wanna work for Air Canada, I feel like they have great customer service. Working with international people and with a very well known company. I gotta take advantage of my multilingual skills in good use ;)

Yes! I wanna be Bigger and Better!!!!

....but I guess I have to start somewhere. anybody hiring?