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It seems like I’ve been at this blogging game for awhile now. In all reality – I’m still very much a newbie. Regardless, I’ve managed to use blogging and the Brazen Careerist community to get to where I am sitting during the majority of my daylight hours: my intern desk at Weber Shandwick’s Chicago office.
There are some very powerful ideas in that last statement. Through my efforts to dive head first into social media and with the help of my Brazen community, I have found an internship and relocated to Chicago in a matter of 3 months, to the day.
My history with Brazen is something that I’ve written a lot about. Long story short, I met Penelope Trunk before I even knew about Brazen, so the way I came into the community was different than most of my fellow BC bloggers. She recommended that I get to blogging and understanding social media so that by the time graduation rolls around, people will be seeking me out, instead of me passively sending out resumes to black holes like Monster.com.
What it means to be Brazen is a definition that is ever-changing. At the end of that post, I said to ask me in six months how blogging has changed me. Though I didn’t write a formal post about it, all of my posts since March are a clear indicator of how being a part of the Brazen community can jump-start your life.
As far as relocation goes, now is the time. Do you want to wake up in 10 years and ask yourself “Man, I wonder what would have happened if I took that job in ______”? No, you don’t.
Being a 20-something almost-grad means that I have a lot to offer, and no real restrictions on where I can offer it. I don’t own a home, I don’t have a family of my own yet, and I’m packed with a lot of fresh insight with an insatiable appetite for learning new things. While everyone has been asking me why would I relocate to Chicago for an internship, I can’t help but ask myself: “Why wouldn’t I?”
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re a go-getter. Being a go-getter, you will appreciate this list.
How to Be Brazen and Relocate
1. Research. Seems pretty obvious, I know. But if you’re going to uproot your life, there is a lot you have to consider. If you accept a position in another city, one of the variables is now constant. You still have to look at the cost of living vs. what you’re making, the demographics of the area, weather, and all of the factors that affect our happiness.
2. Plan. One of the things about being Brazen, I’ve found, is that there is a lot of room for opportunity. Fact of the matter is, if you’re Brazen, then you’re a star-performer. And star-performers go for what they want and settle for nothing less. That being said, you may be presented with an opportunity that you have to act quickly on. The best way to do this successfully is plan, and plan efficiently.
“Work smarter, not harder” applies here. I thought I was moving to Chicago in August, starting my internship on August 17. On June 3rd, I moved up my start date to June 22nd. I set my move date to June 17th, after my last final. I had 14 days exactly to plan how I was going to get up there and get settled in. Two weeks.
How did I do it? I planned. I sat down and realistically looked at how much money I could make over my last 14 days at my job. I analyzed my bank account, did the math on how much it was going to cost me to drive up there, all of it. Any variable that could come into the mix, I tried to plan for it.
3. Do it. And don’t turn back. There is a good chance that you’ll have a few freak-outs before you actually do it. I did. I had highs and lows and it was intense, emotionally. But I drove. I pulled out of the driveway and didn’t turn around. I kept my foot on the gas until I pulled up to my apartment in Chicago.
A lot of “doing it” means believing you can. If you know, deep down, that this is what you want, then there will be no stopping you. Don’t succumb to the nay-sayers (because there will definitely be some).
A lot of my success is in part to the Brazen community. I have reached out to countless friends for advice about relocation. And knowing you have the community to help you up if you fall makes the decision to relocate that much easier.
Have you relocated? What was helpful to you? Are you part of the Brazen Careerist blog network? If not, check it out, join up, start learning!