Saturday, September 30, 2006
Searching...
Countdown to going back to So Cal is at 81 days (yes, I've numbered my calendar). Time is flying by, oddly enough, and I need a job. But, as any twenty-something eventually has to decide...what do I want to do? What are my priorities? What are my values (in a job)?
My dad had this advice the other day when I mentioned I'd started sending out resumes: "When you're looking for a job, make sure it has a good salary." wth?
Now, this has always (always always) been a point of contention between me and my parents. They came to America in the late '70s with about $500 dollars and some student loans, waited until after they'd bought their first house to have children, and have generously supported both my brother and I through college. My dad's first job in America was a dishwasher at the second best (aka worst) Chinese restaurant in Arlington, Texas. This after leaving a cushy engineering job at the Taiwanese government's transportation branch.
My parents were 25 and 27 when they got married, both with stable jobs (my mom was an accounting teacher at a vocational school). And yet, they didn't have children until they were into their 30s. They've always provided for us everything we need (and some things we didn't need), and I understand that all they want for their children is a stable life with no financial worries. Getting married at 23, straight out of grad school and to a man that still has several years of school left is unheard of to them, but thankfully they love me and Kevin enough to be happy for us.
Their generation is all about sacrifice - they surely did, both leaving school before they finished their advanced degrees. My dad's Ph.D advisor even called him up last year to ask if he ever planned to finish (20 years after the fact). Their life hasnt' been easy, and there's a definite generation gap between us.
For those that know me, I like to be happy. I don't worry about the small stuff (usually), but am pretty content that things will work themselves out. This worries my parents greatly, as they're afraid I'm going to be happy and poor. Which is perfectly fine with me (to some extent), and here's why.
If half of America can live on a household income of less than $60,000, then so can I. Who says I need to have a nice new car every few years, or eat out, or even buy shoes that cost more than $30 (yes, I've never personally shelled out more than that for kicks). Who am I, as a suburban brat, to say that my life would be "better" than someone else's because I make more money? Wealth is relative, and as long as my family is clothed and fed and happy, I will be happy, too.
But that's not enough for my parents. Lately (in the past two years or so), I've been getting closer to them. Maybe it's the age, maybe it's the fact that I actually lived at home for more than two weeks at a time, and will be stuck there for eight months next year. My "teenage rebellion" began in second grade and lasted until my sophomore year of college. I am a major pain in my parents' butt, and not just cuz I chose one of the most expensive schools in the nation for grad school and getting married not long after that, but because I don't think like them.
That said, I've often (in the past) been critical of their actions, which they take as critical to their parenting. My parents are great, and have given up so much for their children, and this is another (unrelated) moment where they feel they have failed in raising children because their daughter doesn't want to make bank. As staunch Christians, shouldn't our worth be measured in non-monetary things? I think so.
Which leads back to the job search. My dad did have a good point in what he said - many employers look at your previous salaries to judge your worth or see how you judge your own worth. A dilemma here is that I'm stuck (rather happily) in a minimum wage internship, but I can't do much more at this point with school.
First jobs are difficult to find, and I'm finding that having a Master's Degree will not really work in my advantage. I don't really feel entitled to much (although the pressure of student loans is really heavy), but the truth is, a lot of publishing industry jobs only require a Bachelor's. Whether the extra year and a half (and tens of thousands of dollars) will make a difference in how potential employers see me has yet to be seen.
Just venting.
My dad had this advice the other day when I mentioned I'd started sending out resumes: "When you're looking for a job, make sure it has a good salary." wth?
Now, this has always (always always) been a point of contention between me and my parents. They came to America in the late '70s with about $500 dollars and some student loans, waited until after they'd bought their first house to have children, and have generously supported both my brother and I through college. My dad's first job in America was a dishwasher at the second best (aka worst) Chinese restaurant in Arlington, Texas. This after leaving a cushy engineering job at the Taiwanese government's transportation branch.
My parents were 25 and 27 when they got married, both with stable jobs (my mom was an accounting teacher at a vocational school). And yet, they didn't have children until they were into their 30s. They've always provided for us everything we need (and some things we didn't need), and I understand that all they want for their children is a stable life with no financial worries. Getting married at 23, straight out of grad school and to a man that still has several years of school left is unheard of to them, but thankfully they love me and Kevin enough to be happy for us.
Their generation is all about sacrifice - they surely did, both leaving school before they finished their advanced degrees. My dad's Ph.D advisor even called him up last year to ask if he ever planned to finish (20 years after the fact). Their life hasnt' been easy, and there's a definite generation gap between us.
For those that know me, I like to be happy. I don't worry about the small stuff (usually), but am pretty content that things will work themselves out. This worries my parents greatly, as they're afraid I'm going to be happy and poor. Which is perfectly fine with me (to some extent), and here's why.
If half of America can live on a household income of less than $60,000, then so can I. Who says I need to have a nice new car every few years, or eat out, or even buy shoes that cost more than $30 (yes, I've never personally shelled out more than that for kicks). Who am I, as a suburban brat, to say that my life would be "better" than someone else's because I make more money? Wealth is relative, and as long as my family is clothed and fed and happy, I will be happy, too.
But that's not enough for my parents. Lately (in the past two years or so), I've been getting closer to them. Maybe it's the age, maybe it's the fact that I actually lived at home for more than two weeks at a time, and will be stuck there for eight months next year. My "teenage rebellion" began in second grade and lasted until my sophomore year of college. I am a major pain in my parents' butt, and not just cuz I chose one of the most expensive schools in the nation for grad school and getting married not long after that, but because I don't think like them.
That said, I've often (in the past) been critical of their actions, which they take as critical to their parenting. My parents are great, and have given up so much for their children, and this is another (unrelated) moment where they feel they have failed in raising children because their daughter doesn't want to make bank. As staunch Christians, shouldn't our worth be measured in non-monetary things? I think so.
Which leads back to the job search. My dad did have a good point in what he said - many employers look at your previous salaries to judge your worth or see how you judge your own worth. A dilemma here is that I'm stuck (rather happily) in a minimum wage internship, but I can't do much more at this point with school.
First jobs are difficult to find, and I'm finding that having a Master's Degree will not really work in my advantage. I don't really feel entitled to much (although the pressure of student loans is really heavy), but the truth is, a lot of publishing industry jobs only require a Bachelor's. Whether the extra year and a half (and tens of thousands of dollars) will make a difference in how potential employers see me has yet to be seen.
Just venting.
# posted by ange : 12:16 PM
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