Nice to see you again. Follow me, @SydneyOwen. Thanks for being here!
Yesterday, much to my surprise, Elisa, author of Ophelia’s Webb, posted a little diddy about me and my blog as part of her #BlogCrush series. You can read the post here.
I read it, tweeted about it with some awesomesauce and CAPS LOCK about how compliments are SOOOO expensive and then I took a minute to click on every single link that was included in the post. There were a lot. I took a little trip down memory lane and it was really fun to read.
Things have changed here a lot since I relaunched in October. Formerly Sydney Owen on: New Media, Sydney: Unfiltered is a bit more natural for me to write. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, I kinda wanted to take a step back from the “I’m-an-expert-on-SM-and-PR-even-though-I-haven’t-graduated-yet” because one, I’m most definitely not an expert (an afficionado, yes, but not an expert) and two, I wanted to be able to tackle more personal topics as well. I think it’s working. Kinda.
I wanted to take some time to pause on the dating posts and reflect on the posts that I wrote that were forecasting what my life would be like in Chicago. This one, “I’m Chicago Bound”, touches on what everyone in Tampa said about Chicago when I announced that I was moving after finals this summer.
So, on with the reflection.
“You’ll be back. Chicago is too cold.” I’d like to state for the record that it’s cold here, yes. But, Chicagoans, it’s not nearly as bad as I had anticipated it being (yet). I know there’s more to come. But I’m acclimating juuuust fine. (Thanks to a bombass coat from mom and dad and a scarf/glove set from the sister…. otherwise, I’d be here with my “Florida Winter” coat, aka, a Mountain Hardwear fleece. That definitely wouldn’t cut it.)
“Chicago is too expensive.” Kinda right on that one, if you’re blind. Yes, there are places that cost a pretty penny. But there are also places that don’t. I happen to know ALL ABOUT the ones that don’t. You can survive here. It’s possible. Is it more expensive than Florida? Of course it is, do you KNOW what kind of taxes they have here? High ones. But is it doable? Abso-freaking-lutely.
In this post, which reflects on how the new and shiny has worn off of the initial decision to move to Chicago (written in April), I set up a couple different scenarios for how I thought things were going to go down before/during/after my internship.
Here, for your perusal, are the scenarios I outlined:
Perfect Scenario:
I move to Chicago with all of my furniture and find a fabulous apartment in a great neighborhood and I magically sell my car that I’m upside down in. I work like a madman, taking in as much as humanly possible, learning everything from everyone, and after the eight weeks that are required before you’re eligible for a full-time position, one is created by the PR Gods above and I’m working with people that are brilliant in a department that utilizes my talents. I make enough money to keep the apartment I picked out, and I don’t have to use my credit cards that I just paid off. I know that I’ll be in this position for awhile, so I go ahead and take all of the necessary steps to become a citizen of the state of Illinois. Oh, and my blood isn’t too thin from living in Florida sunshine for four years.
Sunshine and roses. And unicorns. And I still don’t have an Illinois drivers license. I can’t part with my Florida one.
Almost Perfect Scenario:
I move to Chicago like mentioned above, but maybe my perfect apartment isn’t available anymore, so I find something almost as fabulous (no biggie). I still work like crazy, but maybe the PR Gods want me to experience the whole 16-weeks of intern-dom and theeeen there’s a position open for me to pursue. I do, and I get that dream position and I start my career with a bang. It’s a little chilly, but I’ll get a jacket and be fine. (My dad would tell me to suck it up.)
Pretty darn close. And FTR, Dad has never told me to suck it up. He tells me I’m crazy for moving to a place with sub-zero temperatures.
Probable Scenario:
I move to Chicago with everything I can fit in my car, but leave my stuff at home for the time being. I have a colleague who said I can store my stuff at her house, so I do that, at least until I know what is going on with my life after the program. Sixteen weeks fly by, and I’m gaining a ton of knowledge and offering some of my insights as well. After the 16 weeks, I’m offered a full-time position which I graciously accept. I ship my stuff up to myself, figure out what will fit in my apartment and go from there. Watch out windy city – I’m ready!
Pretty darn close, minus the keeping my stuff from my house in Florida and shipping it up here.
Borderline Nightmare (but okay in the end) Scenario:
I get an apartment that’s alright. I can live with alright. The internship goes well, but due to the “economic stress” (which I think is total, complete BS by the way), there are no positions available at this firm. Another agency has another intern program I can go through while I figure it out. Or maybe the internship goes as well as it does in the other scenarios but maybe the weather really kills me.
Spot on about the apartment. Not so much about the job. Or the weather.
Nightmare situation:
My mediocre apartment is great for a week, until I realize there is a serious ____ infestation. And I can’t get a hold of my landlord. And the hot water goes out. And I still can’t get a hold of the landlord. So now I’m infested and freezing in the shower. The internship is awesome, but I learn that I hate agency PR, the whole reason I moved to Chicago. There aren’t any jobs – like, I can’t even wait tables while I wait for an opportunity in PR. Then I get evicted, not because I can’t pay, but because my building is being rezoned into a playground. Or a jail. And then a meteor strikes the Lake and there is a great flood and it doesn’t matter because I’m drowning.
This one makes me giggle.
So which one happened? Pretty much the “perfect” scenario, with a bit of “probable” and “borderline nightmare” sprinkled on top. Here’s how it actually went down:
The REAL Scenario:
I move to Chicago with everything I can fit in my car, and sell the rest. Everything. All of it. I get an apartment that’s alright. The windows are permanently icy in the winter (so far) but it’s cute because I pretend I’m in an igloo. I become one with my igloo-residing-ancestors. Wait. I don’t have any of those. Anyway… I work like a madman, taking in as much as humanly possible, learning everything from everyone, and after the eight weeks that are required before you’re eligible for a full-time position, one is offered to me which I graciously accept. I go home for graduation, come back and I’m working with people that are brilliant in a department that utilizes my talents, and I’m learning A TON, EVERY SINGLE FREAKING DAY. And I love my job. I make enough money to keep the apartment I picked out, and though my lifestyle may not be fancy, I’m living. So that’s good. Oh, and I LOVE MY JOB. And I make some kickass friends. And the weather doesn’t scare me off (yet).
Take some time to read some of your old blog posts. If you’ve had a life-changing moment, week, month, year – read some of the posts before you even knew that your life could change. Then read some directly after you found out.
Did you do it?
Now, how has your writing style changed? How has your life changed? How have YOU changed, as a person, a professional, a friend?