Long time no talk

Hello everyone,

So it's been almost a month since I've written a post! I've been meaning to write one, but things have been pretty busy. I went to St. Pete again the weekend of July 18. It was a perfect weekend again with Mary. We walked downtown and bought beautiful art. Prepared for the wedding. It was lovely. Then the next weekend I headed to Pensacola for the Bachelorette Party. Of course that was a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting to know Mary's high school friends! She has some amazing women in her life. Everyone was unique but at their core they were genuine which is hard to find. We had a fun time. Sunday I headed to North Carolina. Had an interview with a marketing consulting firm on Monday (it starts with sales then leads to a management role..kind of interesting but I don't really think it's for me). It was a group interview there were 8 of us and I was offered a position. I accepted but think I'm going to have to call back and decline. I would not enjoy that job even though I could make good money doing it. I convinced Mom and Austin to come back to Florida with me so they could help me pack up because today is my last day at Brown & Brown. It's been a good 10 weeks, but since this is not a long-term thing for me and I want to get out of this area my boss and myself felt it better for me to go ahead and resign. It's like I was an intern again this summer, but that's okay. I'm glad I tried it and am appreciative of the professional growth I received while here.

I have also had 3 interviews with U.S. PIRG, which stands for Public Interest Research Group. They work with local, state, and national officials to get the public's voice into the conversation. Their main objective is to get corporations out of our political system. This is a topic I am extremely passionate about and the position I applied for is called a Campus Organizer. I would be working on a college campus organizing volunteers for campaigns (i.e. climate change policies, anti-biotics in animal feed, water conservation, etc.). We would get petitions and endorsements signed as well as educate people on what is going on. Get them interested in the political scene and help them see that change is possible. This is my ideal job and I am so happy I discovered it! I was offered the job, but it is at the University of California Irvine, which is between LA and San Diego. Also, I would have to be in Boston on Saturday (yes... in 5 days) to start training. Since this is a non-profit the starting pay is not very high, and California is very expensive so my parents are nervous about me having enough money to survive. But I don't like the materialistic lifestyle and don't need anything more than a roof over my head and food in my belly. It is rare that you find a job that you're passionate about therefore I do not want to pass it up. I am calling the woman today and if a few questions are answered how I need them to be I will accept the job. That means I will be in Boston by the end of the week and California by the end of the month!  It's very exciting!

When I got the call that they were offering me the job I started dancing around in the hallway outside Mary's parent's condo. I was doing leaps while listening to what she had to say. I really appreciate the offer call because she told me why they chose me, what skills I possessed that would be enhanced, what support I would receive in areas that I had not experienced, and what kind of professional/personal growth I would gain. The job in Raleigh was just like, "Yeah we would like to offer you the position. Do you accept?" There wasn't any kind of personalization to it.  It is just a job... Whereas US PIRG is the start to a very fulfilling career and significant change. It is only a 1 year commitment through August of next year so if I'm really feeling homesick I can ask to transfer to the East Coast where I could see my family more. Or my dad could look for jobs out West once his contract is up in May. With Christmas in the middle I don't think I'll go long without seeing my family..plus there are cell phones and Skype so I can "see" and hear them whenever.

It is extremely hard to move away from your family and friends but I think this will be a good experience for me.. If I don't do it I think I'll regret it. And I do not want to live thinking, "what would have happened if I took that job... where would I be?" I know that I'll enjoy this job and that it's what I want to do because it's what I did in college on a larger scale and can have a national impact instead of just a Stetson or Volusia County impact. Anyways, we'll see for sure in a few hours when I call back Laura! I'll keep you posted on everything...but you can bet that this will be my choice. It just seems like fate is lining it all up... plus it goes with my sense of adventure!

Until next time,
Alyssa