*This is my first blog post… oh gosh, play it cool Kay, play it cool.*
Hi everyone! So I’m just going to dive right into it! This is my last winter break (moment of silence for those come and gone) and it’s coming to a close rather quickly. I’m realizing the real world is right there in front of my face. Am I terrified? 100%. But am I also excited? Heck yeah! This break has given me a lot of time to think about what I want to do and where I want to go after that glorious day of pomp and circumstance. Just like any other millennial, the first thing I did this morning when I woke up exceptionally early (thank you, Tikka) was check my social media apps with a squinty face and my blankets over my head. Timehop kindly reminded me that 1- I shouldn’t have been given a social media account five years ago nor should I have had friends… hello embarrassment! but more importantly, 2- I posted about my dream to move south two years ago today and I can proudly say that I still hold that dream close to my heart. Dreams change but this one hasn’t; sometimes just need a reminder of it.
When I entered Bloomsburg University, I was hellbent on getting a degree in Early Childhood Education and one day running my own Daycare center all because someone one day when I was 12-years-old asked me what I wanted to do with my life and that was my response. My personality longs to have people to see me as having my act together and knowing what I want out of life so since I had been telling people that plan for six years, I thought I had to stick with it. My first year in the Education program was fantastic! …because it was made up of mostly gen eds and easy A’s. It wasn’t until my sophomore year did I realize how unhappy the thought of teaching made me. I had worked at a daycare/summer camp since I was 16-years-old so I thought I knew everything there was to know about childcare (typical naïve 19-year-old mindset). That winter break, I job shadowed at the daycare I had known for so many years and it took me half the morning to learn to be a fly on the wall and not play with the kiddos. By the end of that day, I realized there’s a difference between liking kids and liking to work with kids. I went back to Bloomsburg that spring with a new attitude towards Education. I tried to tell myself it was just a bad job shadowing experience and carried on with the Education classes I was already scheduled in. That semester, I took Principles of Teaching with a professor that solidified my hatred for teaching. I despised every second of that class and dreaded having to face quite possibly the rudest, most self-centered professor on Bloomsburg’s campus. Three years later, I am thankful for my encounter with this man because he gave me the push I needed to change what I was doing.
The semester before this god awful class, September of 2011 to be exact, I acquired a job on campus at the University’s Phonathon. Our Call Center Manager (CCM) and I grew close. Her name’s Alison and I think she’s absolutely wonderful. At the Phonathon, we cold call alumni, parents and friends of the university to solicit donations. Before getting a job here, calling to order Chinese take-out terrified me but now I was about to cold call strangers?! Clearly, my anxiety was out the roof. Alison is an excellent CCM and somehow managed to get me over my fear of the phone. By the end of my first year, I raised roughly $64k for the university; the most dollars raised out of all the callers that year. Through many conversations with Alison, my mom and even random people on the phone I called to solicit donations from (oops), I decided selling is something I can do and I think I’m pretty dang good at it! By the end of that roller coaster that was my sophomore year, I switched into the Business Program as a Marketing Major.
So here I am, a fifth year senior, a Marketing Major, a Professional Writing Minor, a new blogger, a dreamer, and a determined young woman to make my dreams reality! (LOL, so cheesy)
Umm, Kayla, this post started out talking about moving south, you should probably get to that now…
Okay, so for the past five years, I’ve been the typical broke college student living paycheck to paycheck (with help of my parents, love ya mom and dad!) and trying to figure out what was disposable income (ha, not much of that) from what needs to go to all of my schooling and living expenses. Needless to say, not much is left over to save up for those super fun student loan payments I’ll be facing in less than a year. My solution? Live at home for a year! Rent is free at home, groceries are mostly free at home, Wednesday Wing Night is only a thing of the townie bar in Bloomsburg so no more of that; I thought I had this all figured out. I was going to be swimming in money just six months after this lifestyle. That is, until my mom put the hammer down on that plan. I have been talking about moving south since I can’t even remember. Something about the atmosphere (and warmer weather) has had me captivated ever since our first trip down there. One weekend at home last semester, I was talking to my mom about my plans to move back in and her response was simple, yet harsh: No. …uhh, what? Mom, don’t you love me? Don’t you want me around more since I’ve been gone the past four and a half years? Confusion was clearly written across my face. She explained that I’m in the stage of life where my dream of moving south can now become a reality and I’m not going to want to miss this opportunity. Sure, it’d be great to save money by staying at home with her, my dad and the new puppy but with a little hard work and determination, I can save up money just the same anywhere I go.
She’s right. I’m my father’s daughter so those words tasted like vinegar coming out. But again, I will humbly admit it, she is right. So here I am, still lying in bed trying to figure out my next plan of action to make this dream become a reality. If it means I have to find another job on top of my Supervisor position at the Phonathon, my English Internship, and my 12-credit course load; then bring it on.
kaylaspeters 