Read on, and I'll fill you in on the last few months.
Hmm... Let's see what's new since my last blog post.
Well, for one, I am now a college graduate. I got my Graphic Design degree. That was pretty cool. I took about two weeks to just take a break (after six years of school, I felt like I deserved two weeks of doing nothing). I then set out on the job search.
I didn't quite get a job immediately, though. Email after email, phone call after phone call, and... nothing. I know, that doesn't sound all that long, but for someone caught in the job search and watching their savings slowly (or at times not so slowly) disappear, those three months can seem like an eternity. I tried LinkedIn, Authentic Jobs, Monster, Career Builder (a little note about CB... It sucks.), and even Craigslist. Nothing.
Eventually, I thought I'd try to get enough freelance work to hold me over for a while. Well, when you don't know very many people who own businesses or are in bands, and you're living in a town that can most accurately be described as "Mississippi's Armpit... Near the top, and quite smelly at times" there just isn't much demand for graphic design work.
Let me rewind back to April. At the time, I had what seemed like two sure-thing jobs lined up, and the only issue was going to be choosing whether to move to Austin, Texas, or to stay in North Mississippi and commute to work in Memphis. Well, in what now can only be described as a far too optimistic move, I decided to get a new car. Not just any new car, mind you—a brand new, fully loaded, 2012 Ford Edge Limited. Yep. Don't get me wrong, I love the car. It's the best vehicle I've had, and that's saying a lot. I really should have waited until I was actually working, though. Lesson learned.
This brings us to May. I've paid two payments on the Edge, and one insurance payment. I sold my '05 Tacoma, so that covered my down payment, and all payments through December. As far as money for other expenses, I had exactly $2,000 to my name. Of course, my parents would help, but I hate to ask them, so I was determined to make it work. Surely I'd have a job by June, anyway, right? Forget December - by then I'll be half a year into my career. Right?
Avengers was a cool movie. I couldn't believe we were the only ones at the midnight premiere in costume. I then proceeded to see it three more times: once with Jill, one of the most awesome people in the history of forever; once with my parents, who happen to also be quite awesome (most of the time); and once with my cousin Ethan, as part of his goodbye gift from me, as he was about to move to Nashville to start college. That's $8 a ticket. I bought five tickets (me on premiere night, Jill and me, then Ethan and me), plus gas and food. Not to mention the $90 that I put into my Hulk costume for the premiere. Avengers was a cool movie, but it cost me a decent amount of my saved cash.
Around this time, I realized both potential jobs had fallen through. For some reason, I just never got another reply from the guy in Austin, and the place in Memphis decided that they didn't need to hire anyone after all.
June. Shift focus to the Ridgeland/Jackson area. Jill was looking for work around there too, so there would be somebody I know and like. I went down to Jackson to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Prometheus with her, and she took me on a tour of the area. I liked the area, so I decided to start searching for jobs there mainly, while still keeping an eye on other places, both in and out of Mississippi. Soon, Jill got a job at a printing place. It sounded pretty cool–apparently her coworkers and boss are pretty geeky, so she fit right in. Of course, they weren't interested in hiring a second graphic designer (as far as I know, at least), but it did give me hope that I'd be able to find work there.
Another car payment. Gas, food, trips to Starkville to move things out of my apartment. June and July sort of just blurred together, for the most part. The week of July 20, I went to Starkville to move some stuff back home, and to meet Jill for the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. Great movie. An excellent, if imperfect, ending to Nolan's Batman story. Food, gas, moving.
July 28, I moved out of the apartment at Starkville. I now was officially both unemployed and living with my parents. Not exactly what I expected nearly three months after getting my degree.
August. Not much news on the job front. Money is getting tight. On Thursday, August 2nd, I found a post on LinkedIn, of all places, about an advertising agency in Tupelo looking for a graphic designer. I emailed them, and the owner replied later that day about setting up an interview. The next day, I ventured to Tupelo, still caught a bit shellshocked about having an interview at a place that I had only heard of less than 24 hours earlier. Fortunately, the guy at the agency were really cool. I was nervous—I always am at interviews—but they were pretty easy to talk to, and they had much more of a sense of humor and a refreshingly straightforward approach to interviewing that set me a bit more at ease. By the end of the day, I was cautiously optimistic. They said they would call my references and probably have me in for a second interview soon. That got me pretty excited. Just from the first interview, I felt like I'd like it there if they did indeed hire me.
I went to Madison again that Saturday to see The Watch and Total Recall with Jill. The Watch was surprisingly good, considering how bad the reviews for it have been. Total Recall was a good generic action movie, but it lacked the imagination and weirdness of the original. Luckily, Jill and her parents let me crash at their place for the night so I wouldn't have to make a three hour drive at midnight or get a hotel. They have a noise maker and they keep it cold as holy crap in their house at night. I have no problem with either of these things, to be honest. They also have peacocks. Unfortunately, no, I didn't get to chase one.
The following Tuesday I got another email from the owner of the ad agency. He wanted me to come in that Thursday (this past Thursday, actually) for a second interview. I went, and they took me to lunch, along with a guy from one of the ad agency's biggest clients. It was pretty cool. We got back to the ad agency, and they offered me the job. They. Offered. ME. The JOB.
Friday was my first day on the job as the new Junior Graphic Designer at Mabus Agency in Tupelo, MS. I know it's still a bit early to make an absolute judgement, but I think I've found a really awesome job. It's close enough to home for me to still live in Hickory Flat until I can get on my feet, then move to Tupelo or maybe New Albany in a few months if everything goes well. The people there (Josh, the owner; Mary Meghan, his wife and the photographer; and Alex, the creative director) are all awesome and seem really easy to get along with.
Here's to hoping that everything works out awesomely.
To any of you still looking for a job, don't get discouraged. It might take a while, but you'll find a job that suits you. Also, don't forget to occasionally check sources that haven't worked for you before. I had marked LinkedIn off as a waste of time, and then here I am with a job that I found there.
Well, there's my catching up. Now on to the actual blog post!
You should read Batman: Noel by Lee Bermejo. The art is gorgeous, and the story (a retelling of Dickens' A Christmas Carol) is well-written and engaging. Also, read Joker by Brian Azzarello, with more art by Lee Bermejo.
Have fun, and don't fall!
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