I am still amazed and very fortunate that I fulfilled my post-graduation goals to a tee. For several months I knew that my ideal situation would be to work full-time as a junior publicist/account coordinator for a PR agency in San Diego. I also knew that I wanted to live in San Diego for years. I will admit that the weeks leading up to graduation and the eight weeks of career uncertainty after graduation were very discouraging, and I became unsure if I would fulfill these goals immediately. I thought that I may have to settle for other job options for at least a year or two before I would find a PR agency job. I thought I may have to settle for part-time PR work or even more minimum wage or unpaid internships to gain more experience. I also thought I may have to consider other cities, like my second choice of LA. I wasn’t even sure if Matt and I would have enough money to live on our own right away. I thought we may have to live with his family in Temecula for several months due to financial reasons, especially if I did not yet have a full-time job. Nonetheless, I still tried my best to stick to my original goals. Fortunately, they worked out.
I always tell people that you cannot live your life waiting for opportunities to come to you, you must go to opportunities. Never say, “I want to _____,” or “I hope to _____,” when making goals. Say, “I will _____,” and just make it happen.
My short-term post-grad goals were: 1. Move to San Diego and live independently in an apartment with Matt and Bananas, without having to rely on family for substantial financial help or be forced into having roommates; 2. Get a full-time job at a PR agency. Now that I have fulfilled my short-term goals, I am ready to focus on my long-term goals. Here are some of my goals that I will accomplish before I die:
1. Climb the PR career ladder — account executive to senior publicist to an in-house director of PR/communications, etc.
2. Get my MBA with an emphasis on entrepreneurship.
3. Get married on the beach at Hotel del Coronado.
4. Buy a condo within blocks of the beach.
5. Open my own bicoastal PR agency with one of my good friends who is a NYC PR girl.
6. Send my parents on an out-of-this-world vacation in an attempt to repay them for everything they’ve done for me and their endless support. (But not literally out-of-this-world… unless it’s safe to do that by the time I reach this goal.)
7. Get my doctorate in public relations/mass communications to become a professor, so I can retire from my “first career” and give back to the future of PR.
8. Buy an oceanfront property.
9. Start a non-profit in the Philippines to provide more educational development programs for under privelged youth in the provincial areas.
10. Publish a book.
What are some of your goals and how do you plan to accomplish them? (While you think about that, you should know by now there is somewhat of a soundtrack to my blog. Check out my hometown boy from good ol’ MoCo/P.G./D.C./whatever he reps these days, Wale who provides the background music for this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ZbM7ak8uw)
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Always great to WRITE down your goals instead of just keep em there. It’s a very powerful thing…I’m slowly achieving some of the goals I wanted as well. Grad school will definitely be a thing in the near future. I’m thinking of an online program for Internet Marketing. I’ve acquired a lot of knowledge over the past few years, but I know there is a lot more to know. I’m ready to sap it all up like a sponge and when I’m done I’ll unleash a tidal wave of crazy new ideas.