If any of you are like me, you worked your butt off in college to get decent grades and graduate with a major that seemed valuable in the real world. The cycle started at the ripe age of 18 when you started down the long road of your chosen career path. For some of us, we felt the need to prove our worth by choosing majors that seemed to be the most respected, male dominated, difficult or those that typically result in the highest paying jobs. Most often I’m talking about those in finance, accounting, pre-law, pre-med or engineering.
Some of these female “high achievers” may go to class and start joking with friends and family about being one of the few ladies in the classroom who is cute, well dressed and social. These comments come from the completely inaccurate stereotypes of what society has portrayed certain professions to act or dress like. When you are home for the holidays, you love bragging to your relatives or people you run into at the local mall about your internship offers and other career endeavors. The praise you feel from their reactions and those around you temporarily boosts your ego.
As you get over the odd pleasure of being “different” from others in your major or maybe even the feeling of being “superior” to those in less respected majors, you may start noticing a pattern of losing interest in the material you are forced to study. Or, maybe you frequently call your Mom from the lobby of the library in tears to: a) put off studying for another 15 minutes and/or b) “It’s just so hard Mom!” Then you get back to your cube at the library and start wishing you were watching Grey’s Anatomy with your roommates only to face that you are stuck at the library, again…
At that moment, the very tiny nagging feeling in your stomach starts. You wonder if you even like anything about your major… but before you can blink, you landed an internship with that big corporation which gives you another temporary ego boost, followed by a job offer at “Big Company USA” downtown Chicago. Before you know it you are stuck living the same day over and over in “cubicle land” wondering how in the hell you got there.
And that’s where this blog begins. If you’re feeling a bit lost, you’ve come to the right place. Career Girls is a forum where ambitious young women come together to face the ups and downs of life after college. Get ready to face the truth about your career, to find your passion, and learn how to deal with all of the awkward new situations that come along with being an “adult.”
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If anyone can relate to where you're at in your career, it's Nicole Crimaldi: Nicole spent 5 years in corporate America, switched career paths, worked at a start-up, survived a layoff and is now self-employed. Nicole believes that career satisfaction is a huge part of overall happiness. Therefore, she started Ms. Career Girl to help other women get off the treadmill and onto a more fulfilling path.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
This described me perfectly. I went into my my major with the feeling that maybe it wouldn’t be right for me but I did find it interesting so I thought I would take on the challenge. I got an internship and a full time job offer (Ego boost!) from a very male dominated,very mechanical company. I now dread going to work everyday and call my mom often in tears and cry to her about how unhappy I am and how this isn’t for me but yet I don’t know what is. I hope to find some tips from this blog that will help lead me in the right direction.
WOW.. I just found your website and it speaks volumes me. Every post I’ve read, especially this one, hits right on the money. After being very successful in some of the world’s biggest companies- I find myself questioning and wondering my career/life. I recently started a blog on what I’m really passionate about. There has to be more to life than the rate race I’m running in day to day. I’m wondering if there are a lot more women out there that feel just like me.
Thanks for your comment. It’s great to know I’m not the only one who feels this way! I’m SURE there are lots of women feeling the way you do, which explains why so many people are leaving the corporate world to pursue different paths. If you ever want to chat more, feel free to email me at nicole@mscareergirl.com!