August 29th, 2009 | 5 comments | Social Media

::screams as loud as she possibly can::

YAAAAAAY!

::calming down, kinda::

It’s official. The days of being an intern are starting to fade, and life as I know it in Chicago is developing faster than I had hoped. I. Am. Full. Time.

You know, I had hopes and dreams of this fantasy life. I had my own little College to PR fairytale in my head, and so far, it’s all coming true.

I set out on this journey last year, but things really picked up speed in March when I went to SXSW. I came home, had some phone interviews and on April 1st (and it was no joke), I accepted an internship with Weber Shandwick in their Chicago office. I was scheduled to start August 17, which gave me time to graduate and get settled into Chicago. Business slowed down at the restaurant I was working at, and I wasn’t saving money, I was spending, and spending a lot. So I planned on moving to Chicago ASAP, get a bartending job up there, then start my internship. 

I couldn’t even start to research what bar I’d want to work at in Chicago because I was asked to start on June 22nd, just five days after my last final on campus. Teeeeechnically, the only reason I said I could start in August was because I was going to save money. I was done with school in Tampa on June 17th. So I packed up everything I could fit in my car, drove it to finals, made a pit stop in Orlando, and moved to Chicago. I started my internship the Monday after my last college final. Not a bad start.

The fairy tale continues, I love the job, the people I work with are phenomenal, and I’m learning more than I thought anyone could conceivably learn in such a short period of time. The experience far surpassed my expectations. I knew it would be awesome, but I had no idea how much I would love the pace of working at an agency, and had no idea that I would be able to be a part of so many awesome things as an intern. 

And Thursday, what I hoped would happen, what I dreamed would happen, did. 

On Thursday I accepted a full-time position. 

On Thursday, I had a little moment with myself. 

I have worked so hard for so long to make this come true. I kicked it into high gear my senior year, and everything that I sacrificed is so worth it. When people back home doubted that I’d even get the internship, let alone the job, I said “just wait, you’ll see” and now here I am. 

I’m so thankful for the people and events that made this possible. I’m working on a series of how-to’s that will outline exactly how I got from A to B. But in the mean time, in light of everyone who was a part of this journey, and to everyone who wants to take a similar path – here’s a very simple piece of advice: 

You have to want it. 

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