Disclaimer: The views expressed by our interviewees are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of GradSimple. We only edit these responses for clarity. All opinions remain those of the interviewee.
- Year Of Graduation: 2021
- College/University: UMass Boston
- Major: Music
What do you do for a living? Can you share what a typical day at work looks like? Do you enjoy what you do?
I work as a Production Coordinator for the Event Management department at Northeastern University. My typical day involves doing admin work for events such as staffing/scheduling, sending emails, and venue maintenance. My job also functions as an assistant manager, so I am also present during events to support my staff and interact with the client and their needs. I enjoy my work well enough to have worked here as long as I have (3.5 years so far), but it’s not necessarily what I want to spend the rest of my life doing.
Can you tell me about your experience finding a job after graduation? Are you happy with where your journey has led you thus far?
Starting off, I desperately wanted to get out of retail as I had been working in that field for 9 years once I graduated from college, but I wasn’t really sure where to go or what to do. I looked at jobs involving music, but most of them were looking for teachers, which is not what I was trained in nor was it what I wanted to do with my music education. I also felt underqualified to start doing gig work as a musician; it’s somewhat cutthroat and I wanted to make sure my skills were up to a professional standard. I found a listing for a Media Services Technician at Northeastern and applied, and had my first day roughly a month later. My current position is a promotion from that one. I’m grateful for the blessings that have allowed me to get where I am, but I still yearn for more. My job is fine, but I think I would be a lot happier with it if it paid more (wouldn’t we all).
Why did you choose your undergrad major? Do you feel your time spent in college was valuable? Why or why not?
I chose to major in music because I felt that it was most in line with what I wanted to do in life, although to this day I don’t have a clear idea of my future. I feel that, in retrospect, my time spent in college was valuable, but still lacking in the sense that I felt woefully unprepared for the professional music world after graduating. I assign a large part of the blame for this on the pandemic. Music is absolutely a subject best learned in person, and I felt “robbed” by having to take the latter half of my degree online. Considering what others have lost during that time, though, I try to keep perspective.
If I asked you three years ago, what goals would you hope you’ve achieved, in life or career?
I would have hoped that I had gotten a promotion (which I did), joined a band (which I have not yet), and entered a long-term relationship (which I have)!
How important is it to have a purpose-driven life? Why or why not? Do you think you’re on a path to do that? If not, what needs to change?
I wrestle with this a lot because while I do believe a purpose-driven life is important, I’m curious to see if I could at least tolerate a job that is mind-numbing yet pays a lot. Because if a huge factor of stress for me is financial freedom, and then I have a job that lifts that off my shoulders, how stressed would I really be?
Although one’s purpose does not have to be tied to their job, it often is, and I feel like unless I have kids or have a distinct role in a community, there isn’t a whole lot keeping me “anchored” besides the pursuit of money. Right now, I believe I am on a path to a purposeful life. If I stick around long enough at Northeastern, I could probably work my way up to a position that I feel more financially comfortable with, but I’m impatient. If I were going to get a position like that, I’d want it right now, otherwise, I’d rather be doing something more fulfilling. The only thing is, I still don’t know what that is, nor what steps to take.
What’s your biggest struggle right now? What led to it? How are you moving forward?
My biggest struggle by far, which has been alluded to in my earlier responses, is feeling unfulfilled yet not knowing what I want to do in life, and because of that, I can’t make any concrete steps towards improving things. I have always been a “jack of all trades” in everything, never quite specializing in anything in particular, at least enough to make a feasible career out of it. I love music, of course, but having grown up in a low-income family, I also highly value stability, which is not something that the life of a professional musician can provide. I often find myself envious of those who are able to make a living in the arts because it feels so impossibly nebulous to me.
What interests/hobbies bring you the most happiness?
My two biggest interests/hobbies are gaming and music, the former for stress relief and the latter for fulfillment!
What do you want to spend more time working on? What is stopping you?
I would love to spend more time working on original music, and frankly, I do in fact have the free time. The biggest obstacles are energy and motivation.
If we traveled three years into the future of your life, what do you want to achieve? What would you hope has changed?
I would hope that I am doing something music-related, like being in a band, and also being in a better financial situation, as well as seeing my girlfriend achieve some of her goals too. I really think with those three things, the rest of my life can take whatever form it likes, and things will work out.
What’s the biggest lesson or piece of advice you wish you’d known earlier?
Not necessarily advice, but I wish that I knew the things I’ve learned about myself over these past couple of years sooner so that I could use that perspective to take action. I seem to be spending my late 20s paying for actions and opportunities that I did not take in my early 20s, because back then, I had even less of an idea of who I am and what I do best. But still, it’s important to count my blessings and appreciate the accomplishments that I have made so far.
Connect With Eli:
- Instagram: @caramel_eli
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