My transition to college was average, I'd say.
I didn't love it so much from the start. I had really enjoyed high school, so I missed my friends. I missed my house. I missed shopping at Target with my mom. But like most things, it became easier with time and I settled into the new normal.
My first college class ever, on a Monday morning, was a freshman business symposium, taught by the future business school dean. He brought in high-powered business people to tell us their stories. We took notes and asked questions. I don't even remember if there was a test at the end. I think it was pass-fail and we just had to turn in an essay about one of the lectures.
I learned two things from this class that I carried forward.
The first is that everyone makes it up. Not one person who stood up and talked explained said "I followed all the rules and went from A to B to C and then TA-DA! I got here!" Nope. Everyone's story was curvy and long and involved missteps and mistakes. There is not a path that works. There is not one way to success. If you think you don't have the answers it's because no one does. That was incredibly encouraging.
The second is that you have to work. Work often and work everywhere. Get as much experience as possible in as many areas as possible. I took this to heart and over the course of my four years at college worked for at least a few months at seven different companies.
Over the next few years I took my required classes and narrowed things down. I decided that the film program was not for me because I realized if you wanted to work in the entertainment industry you had to be okay working for free or almost nothing for years. I was not okay with that.
I loved my accounting classes. I hated any classes with group projects (I shouldn't admit that). I loved math (still do). I took a public speaking class where I learned how to develop strong power point slides (an under-valued talent that came in handy at WDS last summer). I took GE courses in Astronomy and Gender Studies. I took yoga, web design (hands down the best career decision I made in college) and film photography. I watched SC win a lot of football games (fight on).
Almost by default, I decided my concentration would be in marketing. There were a lot of group projects (the worst) but also a lot of interesting case studies (which for the most part I find interesting). Marketing felt safe because it could go so many different directions and wasn't a really "locked-in" emphasis. In retrospect, I should have taken an entrepreneurship class or two (but not really because it would have overwhelmed me and bummed me out).
Outside of class, college was so fun. That's how I remember it: fun (man, I'm a descriptive writer). I also had a lot of free time. Enough that I decided to start a blog to chronicle my random adventures and thoughts. On Christmas Day, 2005, while home from college on break, I created eliseblaha.typepad.com. I called the blog enJOY it which was play on my middle name but also sort of a guiding mantra.
People always ask how a new blog gets readers and the answer is...I have no idea.
For the first few years, I wasn't too concerned with who was reading as I was concerned with what I was writing. I wanted to write the blog much more than I wanted people to read the blog. But in those early days, my parents were reading. My girlfriends were reading. I remember getting an email from Paul (who was just my friend's older brother at the time) that he had seen it and thought I was "funny." I had a link to the blog on my AIM profile (where Paul found it), on facebook (which was still just for college students) and on twopeasinabucket.com, the scrapbooking website I frequented regularly. Over time, my stats began to uptick (and by uptick, I mean I started getting a few hundred hits a day).
I blogged about five times a week but without real consistancy or photos. It was really like a journal for thoughts (like most blogs were back then) and I adored it. I haven't taken down a single post from the archives (even the ones written at three AM after more than a few drinks) and my only regret from the early days is that I chose the domain "eliseblaha." Unfortunately, when you're 20, you're not thinking about a possible name change down the line. If I did it again, I'd be "elisejoy.typepad.com."
Blogging was for me. It was the first thing (aside from reading) that really clicked. This is my medium. People talk all the time that "blogging is dead" or "blogging is over" or "Instagram killed the blog." And I hear it. I get it. But hey, I still love it. I love to write here. This box has been my home for so much longer than anything else. It was here before Paul. Before any "real" jobs. Before Ellerie. Before this site made any money, it made me happy. As long as I keep writing about what interests me, I don't think I'll ever "burn out."
But in college, the blog was just a hobby that I enjoyed (much like Flipcup and layering my tank tops). It was something to do on the side of my main goal.
I had returned to college my senior year as a woman on a mission. I was a career-fair-going, resume-tweaking nutcase. I was totally insane. Totally overwhelmed. Totally over-reacting. Totally panicked. I had so many interviews that fall. I had built a solid resume (you can see my summer 2007 resume here) and I emailed that damn thing off SO MANY TIMES. At least 100. I became an expert at writing cover letters. I got an decent amount of interviews (and was flown to Chicago, Scottsdale and San Francisco) to meet with great companies. And after each interview I knew before the handshake that I had blown it.
I couldn't land a "career" in the tall building if my life depended on it.
And, like most business majors in their senior year, I thought it did.
to be continued...read part four here.
Today on ELISE GETS CRAFTY I am chatting with blogger, Ali Ebright about running a successful food blog. Click here to subscribe or stream the episode from your computer here.
