We’ve all heard of a mid-life crisis – that point between 45-55 when you realize you’re no longer young, so you go out and buy a Corvette or a Harley with the money you’ve made in the past 25 years. Call me crazy, but that sounds like a pretty nice crisis.
I, however, am in the middle of my quarter life crisis. And guess what? It doesn’t end with a shiny new car.
Signs Your Having a Quarter Life Crisis:
Bills sneak up on you unexpectedly.
You find yourself second guessing your career choice.
It’s no longer acceptable to respond “I’m so sorry,” to pregnancy announcements.
You spend hours looking at houses on Zillow from your bed in your parents basement.
Crying about your situation becomes a weekly occurrence.
Sound familiar? Don’t worry – you can get through it.
Don’t beat yourself up and don’t compare yourself to others. Your friend in law school may make triple your teaching salary, but don’t forget the struggles (and case briefs) you’ve avoided.
Talk to anyone who will listen. Find a mentor (or a group of them) and ask questions. Have one too many margaritas with the girls while being vocal about your love life (or lack there of). Call your boyfriend at 2am and debate whether or not you should go to grad school. That’s what friends are for.
Lie a little. Do you have your dream job? No, but does your grandma need to know the most important task you have is to make coffee? Absolutely not.
Take time for yourself. Whether it’s a walk in the park, a mani/pedi or a chilled glass of wine, leave yourself enough time to relax.
Chelsea Williams is a recent graduate of Webster University’s Advertising program and a large-breed dog lover who appreciates creative hash tag usage, breakfast-for-dinner and a well-organized planner. She’s also a bride-to-be and one of my best friends!
I wanted to write this post because I keep seeing tweets that look something like this:
@username: Well guys, I need to start applying for internships so it looks like it’s time to make my Twitter private #NoMoreRetweets
And I’m all like:
As a young professional trying to break through the clutter (no matter what your profession), now is not time to hide on social – It’s time to shine! To quote one of my besties and social media professional, @tweeeterin, “So you want agencies and companies to know you and hire you, but the first thing you do is hide?” Social media is such a powerful resource and like many things (ahem… internships) you get out of it, what you put in. So use it to your advantage!
If you’re not sure where to start, below are four steps to getting noticed (in a good way) on social:
1. Create Your Personal Brand
This is your chance to showcase who you are, what you excel at and a little unique personality – Just because you’re growing up, that doesn’t mean you have to be boring. Employers want to hire someone they would enjoy having around the office everyday, so it’s good to show your fun side. While setting your accounts to private may be a simple solution to potential snooping, making them public could place you way ahead of your competition if you use them to your advantage. It’s like you’re saying, “Go ahead and look for my social media profiles. Check out how awesome I am”. Your Twitter bio is a great place to start in creating your personal brand. If you had to sell yourself in 140 characters, what would you say? Here are a few examples of some of my favorite Twitter bios: @joshkocurek
2. Adapt Your Content
One of my favorite things about public social accounts is that it sort-of holds me accountable for what I post. Sure, you’ll see me posting about last night’s Bachelorette episode and adorable puppy videos but that stuff’s harmless – I’m talking about negativity. People love to endlessly rage with negative rants on Facebook and Twitter and it showcases them as an unpleasant person (and probably not the type of person your coworkers want to work with everyday). Having a public social presence makes me think twice about what I post. Think positive – because you can never take back a post that you regret.
3. Be Easy to Find
No sense in having a public social space if no one can find you, right? Take advantage of the opportunities social gives you to share your various media platforms. For example, post a link to your LinkedIn profile on Twitter or if you write a blog, be sure to link to your other social accounts. Add this info to your email signatures, too! The more they intersect, the better!
4. Network!
Find people in your field and join the conversation! You can search for other professionals on Twitter and join in on discussions that apply to you. For example, I like to join the #BareItAll chats because it directly relates to my field of social media and marketing, where we share insights on industry trends and strategies. I’ve connected with several other professionals (who I would’ve never met otherwise) this way and still keep in touch. This kind of professional activity can put you miles ahead of your competition because employers will notice your enthusiasm about your industry and eagerness to learn. But don’t forget: While online networking is important, never underestimate the power of good, old-fashioned, in-person networking!
So what do y’all think? Are your social media accounts public or private? Have you had any experiences where your public social media account had a hand in landing you a job?
I’d love to hear your thoughts! You can find me on Twitter – @chelsrose. Talk to you soon!
P.S. Thanks, Ashley, for letting me guest post on Glatz & Glamour! xo
I have a LOT of necklaces. Big ones, dainty ones, and all hard to store ones. I’ve been pinning them on the large cork board behind my desk for years, but it just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Cue a left over Hobby Lobby gift card and some extra time on my hands, and poof! A new
You’ll Need
- Cork Board (I bought an 11×17 framed one)
- 1/4 yard of Fabric
- Stapler
- Paint (to match fabric)
- Pins
1. Lay your fabric over your cork board. You’ll want enough to cover the board and wrap around the frame.
2. Pin the corners of your board down. Use your finger nail to create the crease inside the frame.
3. Staple the inside of the frame. I did four along the short side, five along the long.
4. Flip your cork board over, and staple the additional fabric tightly.
5. Place pins into the back side of a paper plate & paint to match your fabric!
SO EASY. I actually painted my frame first, but decided to cover it with the fabric instead! Overall, the project cost about $15.
90 percent of the time, I crave salty snacks over sweets, but sometimes you just need some chocolate. My local grocer had the Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies on sale this past week, so I went ahead and picked up a box for that chocolate craving at work. After all, that 90 calories is still 30 less than my mini-Reese’s Peanut Butter eggs.
Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies
WW+: 2
90 Calories
3g Fat
18g Carbs
5g Fiber
8g Sugar
1g Protein
As you can see, you’re not getting a whole lot for those 90 calories, but the taste is good. It’s a rich chocolate flavor, but I could not taste the chocolate chips or the chocolate drizzle on top. It’s a good post-lunch dessert, but it’s not going to replace actual brownies anytime soon. I still prefer the Skinny Cow Heavenly Crisps for the same point value, but these are definitely worth a try!
OK – hockey spots are not really ADDY winners. Most of the time, they’re short, filled with clips (or piano players) with little info. However a few teams are trying to break the mold, and I commend them.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Sully Hat Trick Pack
Recognize that voice? Yes, It’s Anthony Sullivan from OxiClean. With a voice like that, it’s obvious he’s not a Tampa resident, however he’s known well-enough to make you do a double take.
OK – this is actually their opening video, but while I’m on the subject…
I can’t be the only person with this problem. As an early college graduate, I had my first job at the ripe age of 21. Sure, age isn’t brought up much in the corporate world (I assume because most people are as bad of a judge of age as myself), however when you look like a high school senior, it doesn’t help. Lucky for me, my first two jobs out of college were at advertising agencies, which are quite a bit more laid back then corporate offices. That also can be damaging to someone who needs to dress “older”.
I’ll never forget my first client meeting – I had been working with the client for about a month, and brought them in to review ideas for upcoming promotions that had previously been OK’d. After printing booklets and preparing all morning, the client walked in and gave the worse stare down I’ve ever had. He immediately disliked our ideas, and made us redo them four times (to the point that it ended up being the original promotion we suggested!) The entire time I worked on his account, regardless of the success we had, he questioned my judgement because I was “just a kid.”
Some things you can’t change – and in 15 years, I’ll be yearning for the days of being “just a kid,” but for now, it’s important to me to rise above the “young” stereotype. I make it a point to shake hands with a strong grip, look people in the eye, and avoid the filler phrases (at work at least, at home, I am stuck on “like.”) I’ve graduated from ill-fitting black pants and J.Crew sweaters to well-fit blazers and lady-like dresses, but I do not own a suit set. I make sure my actions speak louder than words – I get results, regardless of my age. And at the end of the day, I know I have some growing to do, but I won’t let that interfere with my success.
We may not have the popularity of Chicago or the pizzazz of Nashville, but St. Louis is an outstanding city. From our rich sports history to our flavorful communities, it’s a city all it’s own. And sure, maybe we’ve got a few quirks (as outlined by the What High School Should We Call Me tumblr), but that’s what makes it unique. As spring awaits it’s arrival, it’s time to remember just what we love about this city. Some of these items are on my own 2013 bucket list, some are tradition, but all are meant to highlight what this city has to offer.
Attend a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium. I have tickets to my second straight home opener against the Cincinnati Reds!)
Visit the St. Louis Zoo at Forest Park and make sure to see the new Sea Lion exhibit, although the Penguins are my personal favorite.
Get your custard served upside down at Ted Drewes.
Eat, drink and be merry at Food Truck Friday in Tilles Park. Sarah’s Meltdown (grilled cheese), Sarah’s Cake Stop (cupcakes) and Zia’s (Italian) are my favorite.
Stop and smell the flowers at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Bonus points for going on Wednesday nights during the Whitaker Music Festival.
Head on over to Fast Eddies. This is top of my bucket list this summer!
#NoMoreRetweets
