It’s been over five months since I shook Dr. Dan’s hand,
packed up all of my belongings, and left the place I called home for four short years. I never really thought this day would come, and now it’s come and gone.
So now that that depressing paragraph is typed, I can move
on and tell you that post grad life isn’t all that bad! I can’t believe those words
just came out of my mouth, but it’s true. A lot of that can be attributed to
where I am, the people I surround myself with, and a job that gets me excited
to wake up every day. Well almost every day, Wednesdays seem to be a little
more difficult.
Let’s start with where I am: Indianapolis. For someone who
spent most of her life in Ohio, crossing that border was harder than I thought
it would be. Sure it’s only two hours from Dayton, but my life in Indy is
worlds away from where I was this time last year. Indianapolis is a beautiful
city with so much to experience. From Monument Circle to Fountain Square to
Broad Ripple and everywhere in between, there always seems to be something to
taste, see, and try. Although it doesn’t compare to the view from my porch at
217 Keifaber, my little porch just north of Broad Ripple is growing on me. Getting
to live with a fellow Dayton Flyer has also been the perfect stepping stone,
which leads me to my second favorite part of post grad life, the people.
Not only am I working full-time at BidPal Network as an
Event Consultant, meeting awesome people, and loving every minute of it, I am
also a member of the Orr Fellowship. Over the past five months I’ve gotten to
know so many great people from all over the country with a common goal of
creating value in our host companies and navigating this major change in our
lives. We’ve attended business leader meetings, gone on a retreat, boated on
Lake Monroe, joined committees, and participated in monthly meetings. It’s been
a rollercoaster ride, but having such an awesome group of people by my side has
made it a little easier.
Unlike the days of afternoon naps, no classes until noon,
and Thursday (Friday, and Saturday) nights spent at Tim’s, my days now mostly revolve around clients,
calls and coffee breaks. However, BidPal has been the perfect place to start my
professional journey. As an Event Consultant I’m able to interact with clients
on a daily basis helping them to plan fantastic fundraisers. To say I lucked
out is a huge understatement. My coworkers have been the biggest help in
getting me acclimated and answering my questions, which seem to be numbered in
the thousands as of now. On top of all of this, I’ve gotten to travel a bit as
well. I’ve stayed at some pretty nice Marriott’s, racking up those points and
seeing new places like Omaha, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, and Cheyenne!
The biggest lesson that I’ve learned in my mere five months
in the real world is that life goes on. Although it may not be the same place,
or with the same people, life has the potential to take you exactly where you
need to be if you let it. Now I’m not saying I haven’t resisted, at times, this
change, but I can say that I’ve made a concerted effort to roll with the
punches and take every opportunity that comes my way.
This blog is a personal effort to be more conscious of life in the real world and to embrace all aspects of this ride. From having to pay for my own
K-cups to getting involved in Indy, you’ll hear all about my #PostGradProbs.
