Category Archives: Emily

Back-up Plans

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To my disappointment, I recently found out I was not chosen for the internship I applied for in Copenhagen. I hadn’t received any notice that the positions had been filled, so finding the information out through other people’s Facebook-updates felt both surprising, and pretty crummy. Despite not trying to get my hopes up, I have been imagining my future as an intern in Copenhagen for months, and now (like a bad break up with the image of my “ideal” gap year), I need to move on and find alternative positions.

My initial reaction was shock, and then panic. It is very hard to get a job in Denmark as an English speaker, and doubly as hard to get a work permit without a job offer. I started researching every English-speaking establishment and publication in the city, and sent emails to each of them, inquiring about jobs and volunteer work. However, as I was researching my options in panic-mode, I started to realize that this rejection actually might have been a blessing in disguise. My goal for my gap-year is to explore my options and verify I want to study in grad school. Yes, the internship would have been great, but this way I can do multiple things to help my reach my decision.

As I’ve mentioned in prior posts, psychology has been a strong interest of mine. I shied away from majoring in psychology in college because I didn’t want to “follow in my parents footsteps,” but after taking Positive Psychology, I was fascinated by the new field. My hypothetical plan now is to take a few preliminary courses in Psychology (in Denmark or the US) to make sure it is what I want to pursue, involve myself in research. If all goes well, I would then apply to a Post-Baccalaureate program in Psychology, and then do a two-year program in Positive Psychology (of course, the specifics are not entirely worked out – but it’s a start).

In a roundabout way, my rejection helped me to focus my energy on deciding what it is I want to work towards instead of relying on having the next year “figured out”. From my list of possible career paths, Positive Psychology involves all of the things I’m looking to do with my life – help people, and work in a creative capacity. I think it would be exciting to break ground on a new field of inquiry, and do something to help people flourish in everyday life.

Help In Unexpected Places

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My gap-year plan is a process “in the works” – I’m waiting to hear back from an internship I applied to in Copenhagen, and in the meantime, I’m into my other options. Because I don’t plan on getting myself into a formal job­–job next year, this puts some pressure on myself financially. Luckily, I had a stroke of good luck from an unexpected source.

Over the winter holidays, I had my violin teacher of 18 years over for dinner to catch up. She asked me what I was doing this summer, because she’d love to get some help teaching her (close to) 60 violin students. I told her I would love to take on some of her students this summer as their teacher, but because I need to save money for next year, I’d have to also have a steady job to stay in Ann Arbor. Within one day, she had called up every parent in her studio who owned any kind of business (restaurants, stores, etc.), and secured me a summer job as a waitress at one of the most reputable restaurants in Michigan. Did I ever think I’d graduate from college and become a waitress? Nope, but I realized saving money both as a waitress and violin instructor teacher for four months would open up my options when September rolls around. I decided I would take the summer to financially prepare for my “gap year,” and also strengthen my Danish using Rosetta Stone to widen my job-pool.

My hope for next year is to return to Denmark, where I studied abroad for 8 months. I have a Danish friend from when I studied abroad that is willing to live with me, but the tricky thing with being in Denmark, specifically, is finding a job. They do not have formal internships, and most jobs are for Masters graduates only who speak Danish. Their university system works so that they go for five years straight for a Bachelors and Masters degree, so almost no person looking for a job has only an undergraduate degree. They also will not issue anyone a work permit unless that person already have a job secured, and many times you can’t secure a job until you are in the country. This makes planning for my gap year in Denmark difficult, to say the least.

However, I decided to go straight to the source, and will be visiting Copenhagen for spring break to look into my options. I’m still crossing my fingers I get an interview with the formal internship I applied to, but also making my list of “places of inquiry” to email and look into while I’m in the country next week. Some things I’ll be looking into are various tour companies looking for English speaking tour guides, writing for the Copenhagen Post (an English newspaper), various museums, and even The Danish Royal Theater. Websites that have been very helpful are Jobs Bump, CBP Network and Expat in Denmark. Most of the jobs listed are not entirely feasible without speaking fluent Danish, but they’re a great source for places to look further into.

My advice to anyone looking for a job or internship internationally is to look into businesses that are international, send a lot of emails, and ask anyone you know (or may not know) for places to turn to who has a connection to your city of destination. Scripps’ Life Connections and LinkedIn are great way to do this, and even your friends and family may be valuable sources.

Now, if only my violin teacher had a Danish cousin….

 

Dr. 90210

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I received career guidance from an E! Network reality TV show about the lives of people in Beverly Hills?

About three weeks ago, I was browsing Netflix, looking for something mindless to watch for 30 minutes as a break from writing my thesis. I came across Dr. 90210, a show about plastic surgery in Beverly Hills, and thought “YES – something to counter the heaviness of Virginia Woolf”. Little did I know this show would spark an energy in me I hadn’t experienced before.

Yes, Dr. 90210 is superficial 90% of the time, but the 10% that is about reconstructive surgery and the miracles doctors can perform make it worthwhile to take a look.  The show sometimes focuses on genital reconstruction to complete gender transformation, cleft palate repair, eye repair, and even the separation of webbed hands and feet. One episode I was particularly heartened by was when one of the doctors went to a facility in a rural part of Mexico to perform pro-bono work. There were 70 children waiting in need of surgery to perform the necessary surgeries they could not afford. In that week, the doctors were able to operate on 40 of the 70 patients, but with primitive, or sometimes non-existent equipment. Living in various affluent bubbles from Ann Arbor to Claremont to Copenhagen, I have never seen such primitive medical facilities. Of course you hear every day about the need of better healthcare in various countries, but I’d never visualized what it would actually be like to be a patient in this position before ­– scared, desperate, and putting your life in the hands of anyone who can help.

Needless to say, the issue of health care really struck a chord with me. I feel not only should people be able to receive the health care necessary for their survival, but also reconstructive surgery should not be overlooked as “superficial” or “unnecessary” to people’s well being. Watching this show got me rethinking what it is I want to do with my gap-year. I do not plan on going to medical school, but would like to do something for a cause I’m passionate about, in any capacity, while I have the opportunity. I still would very much like to go back to Denmark, only now I am looking into various human services agencies I can join while working and/or studying abroad. As for the future, more and more I’m leaning towards going into positive psychology (one of the many career paths I listed in my first blog post) so I can help to improve the well-being of people’s lives. In a roundabout way, my procrastination from thesis gave me renewed motivation to keep up the work, so someday I can make a difference.

 

Application Do’s and Don’ts

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As I’m waiting to hear back from internships I applied for, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I did well on my applications and resume, and what I could do to improve my tailoring-technique in the future. I’m a newbie to the “real” job and internship search, and have been slowly but surely learning the do’s and don’ts of application writing.

Here are some things I’m glad I learned…

1)   I learned from CP&R to always have a few words key ideas you want to emphasize in each part of your application – these may be enthusiasm, customer service skills, leadership qualities, etc. Also, sticky-notes are your friend to make a list!

2)   Something I learned from a friend of mine who now does freelance application and resume editing is CONTINUITY. While it’s tempting to be completely well-rounded or wishy-washy about exactly what you want to do in the future, it is better to state your purpose for applying to the particular position in your cover letter, and use that purpose as a thread throughout your entire application. In my last application, I chose those I wanted to pursue a career in performing arts management, and always brought back my answers to how the particular internship would prepare me for such a career.

3)   Something people don’t tell you to do, but always appreciate, is to add some humanity to your application. It should, of course, be formal, but a well-placed comment can let your personality come across on paper. For example, I recently mentioned in my cover letter for an internship in Copenhagen that despite my first encounter with Denmark being on a very grey, snowy, winter day, I managed to appreciate the radiance I found in their arts and culture. On another application, I let it be known I expect to make coffee-runs as an intern to make their office run smoothly. It is easy to want to talk yourself up in an application (which you should!) but it’s always good to have some humility.

4)   RESEARCH THE ORGANIZATION.  When applying for anything, make sure you know as much as you can about the company or organization you are applying to, and let that come across in your application. This is especially important if you are being interviewed, so you can ask questions as well! They can tell if you’re sending a perfunctory application, so always use your online resources for information!

5)   Start the application a few weeks to a month before the deadline. Like writing an essay, it will get better with each edit, so write it out, put it away, and revisit it. Maybe even have a new set of eyes look at it. I have the problem of repeating words or phrases too much in an application, so I try to take a fresh look at it as much as possible.

Some things I wish I had done better…

1)   I wish I had done more research about the things on my resume. Numbers and statistics are always a great way for employers to gauge the scope of what you’ve done. For example, I am the president of the 5C Mariachi Band. While this is an activity, it does require a lot of hard work and I would want that to come across on my resume. I now know I should have looked into how many performances per semester we play, the amount of money we are given by the school, how much money we make, and all the qualities that go into being an effective leader.

2)   If you had a hard semester – explain it! There is no shame in having gone through a rough patch because of depression, sickness, anxiety, or even death of a loved one. People are human, and if there is room for you to explain why you did not perform at your best for a period of time, you should.

3)   Get into contact with those who are connected to the job you are applying for, or those who had in the past. If you know someone who had an internship at one point that you are applying for, you should contact that person. They may be able to help you figure out if applying is worth it, what to realistically expect from the job/internship, what you should stress on your application, and even your odds of getting it.

What helps you write a killer application? What are some pitfalls you’ve learned through experience?

 

Keep Calm and Carry On

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Senior year sometimes feels like a juggling act, and I’m in the center of the circus ring. I find myself frantically researching jobs, internships, and graduate programs, filling out applications, working on thesis on top of work for other classes, and participating in my extracurricular commitments, all while trying to have fun with my friends this last semester before we go our separate ways. I wonder, how does one get through all that I have to do? I by no means have this figured out, but can share a few things I’ve learned to do when life gets chaotic.

I have had my fair share of rejection in college – In seven semesters, I have never been offered a paying job on campus. Whenever I receive a rejection, I find it helpful to list things, either in my head or on paper, that are positive aspects of myself, my life, or even my day. For example, I was rejected from an internship I felt very passionate about, and started to think I would be rejected from everything in the future. Instead of getting into a self-deprecating mode, I tried thinking about my accomplishments rather than my failures….”I’ve really helped my violin student to improve her recital piece,” “I’m at a great school that opens me up to endless opportunities” or “I made a connection with this alumna that I’m going to pursue”. Over time, I find myself thinking more positively, I revamp my resume, put out more applications, and feel ready to tackle the next goal.

Another thing I learned to keep sane is to simply balance work with play. This used to be easy, but now with extra stressors, it’s harder than ever to fit in friend-time. I don’t want to look back on my senior year and only remember all of the hard work, but the memories. This is why I’ve decided to bring out my old “California Bucket List” from freshman year my roommate and I made. It includes typical Los Angeles excursions like “spend a day at Disneyland” and “walk the Hollywood walk of fame”  – things to break up the study time-routine with things to experience with my friends before our time here is up. It’s daunting to think I’m not going to be surrounded by the same friends I have been with for years, which is why I find it helpful to commiserate with them, and make plans to see each other in the future.

My question is, what do you do to keep sane through all the stress?