09-22-2014, 04:57 PM
Before you dive in to all of this babble, let me just say that the point of this post is to hear other peoples stories. Maybe get feedback, advice, or simply words of encouragement because I'm finding life to be a bit difficult right now. And I feel a little lost.
We all make decisions in life. They can be good, bad, difficult or easy. I made a decision after I graduated from high school in 2009 that has really impacted my life.
Growing up I loved art and design and you could always find me sketching, building, thinking. I didn't have very many friends growing up. I was gay, black, an art nerd, and a weirdo. But I was content with that. I kept to myself in my own world of art.
I grew up knowing I wanted to do something in life that was creative. I wanted to make an impact in the world, whether it be through fashion design, interior design, architecture, etc.
June 2009, I graduated from high school and started community college (summer semester) right away. My parents and I had an agreement that I would live at their home for free, work part time, they would pay for me to go to school full time in pursuit of an associates degree in design. I show them that I can be serious about school and graduate then they would pay for me to transfer credits to a school of my choice to finish off my last 2 years to get my bachelors degree. I longed for getting out into the world and making it on my own. I'll be honest and say that I was a stubborn teen. I wanted what I wanted at the time. And I didn't realize how good I had it at my parents.
October 2009, I decided I didn't want to be bound to anymore of my parents rules and curfews. I moved out, quit the community college, and moved into a nice apartment with a few randos I met on facebook and became friends with. In January 2010, I decided I'd try my hand at getting into a private art/design college I had heard about. After I was accepted into the Interdisciplinary and Fashion Studies program, I realized that I was not going to be able to afford the school. For the rest of 2010 into 2011 I became this partier; went out to gay bars night after night. I had my fun. And quickly grew tire of "the gay scene"
Mid 2011, I was still working part time in retail. I decided I had had enough of this careless party lifestyle. I was 21 and it was time to start acting like a 21 year old. Held a couple of internships and networked the hell out of the small "fashion scene" Minneapolis had. I had worked with some really cool and talented people, participated in some really cool projects. Through all of it I came to realize that fashion was where I found comfort. I learned that Target Corporation had an in-house design firm full of fashion designers, textile designers, fit engineers. I wanted in. I finally had something I could work towards. So at the end of 2011 I registered to get back into school. Started in spring 2012 at a community college downtown. They didn't have a fashion program but they did have graphic design. So I started pursuing that. I started out part time so I continue working part time to get by, continued networking, interning. Towards the end of 2012, finally, worked up enough courage to apply to Target Headquarters. My goal was to start getting that "Professional Experience" while finishing my undergrad so that by the time I get my bachelors, I'll have had 3 or 4 years of experience and a degree to get the job I dream of. After 3 attempts, I finally got a call from an HR recruiter. 4 interviews later, I received a full time offer from them for an entry level position in Product Design and Development department on a design team. Great pay, benefits, etc. I had did it. This was the start of my career.
Started in january 2013, I also was still in school trucking away trying to get that Associates degree in graphic design.
Today, I am still with the company and still a part time student. However, today is one of those days where I am having flashbacks to 2009. I'm having regrets but trying to block them out. Had I made the decision to stick with college in 2009, not moved out of my parents house, I could possibly be in New York right now, working in the heart of the fashion industry in an Art Director role at Conde Nast Publications or something big like that. A part of me feels like I've wasted the last 5 years of my life figuring my shit out that I could have had a degree by now. The other part of me feels like I am in a good place right now. I have a great job, I live in a nice place on my own, I'm going to school, and working towards my dream.
Lately, I've been getting so antsy and impatient with the pace that things are going. My goal is to have my bachelors degree by 2017. This means I would have to become a Full Time student. But I need my job to sustain myself. And I've worked so hard to get in that I can't give it up. Is there anyone out there who has had to work full time to make ends meet but also be a full time student? How did you do it? Lots of coffee? I think I am going to start full time in January 2015. I need to get done with college. and I can't speed things up if I continue to do this part time thing.
We all make decisions in life. They can be good, bad, difficult or easy. I made a decision after I graduated from high school in 2009 that has really impacted my life.
Growing up I loved art and design and you could always find me sketching, building, thinking. I didn't have very many friends growing up. I was gay, black, an art nerd, and a weirdo. But I was content with that. I kept to myself in my own world of art.
I grew up knowing I wanted to do something in life that was creative. I wanted to make an impact in the world, whether it be through fashion design, interior design, architecture, etc.
June 2009, I graduated from high school and started community college (summer semester) right away. My parents and I had an agreement that I would live at their home for free, work part time, they would pay for me to go to school full time in pursuit of an associates degree in design. I show them that I can be serious about school and graduate then they would pay for me to transfer credits to a school of my choice to finish off my last 2 years to get my bachelors degree. I longed for getting out into the world and making it on my own. I'll be honest and say that I was a stubborn teen. I wanted what I wanted at the time. And I didn't realize how good I had it at my parents.
October 2009, I decided I didn't want to be bound to anymore of my parents rules and curfews. I moved out, quit the community college, and moved into a nice apartment with a few randos I met on facebook and became friends with. In January 2010, I decided I'd try my hand at getting into a private art/design college I had heard about. After I was accepted into the Interdisciplinary and Fashion Studies program, I realized that I was not going to be able to afford the school. For the rest of 2010 into 2011 I became this partier; went out to gay bars night after night. I had my fun. And quickly grew tire of "the gay scene"
Mid 2011, I was still working part time in retail. I decided I had had enough of this careless party lifestyle. I was 21 and it was time to start acting like a 21 year old. Held a couple of internships and networked the hell out of the small "fashion scene" Minneapolis had. I had worked with some really cool and talented people, participated in some really cool projects. Through all of it I came to realize that fashion was where I found comfort. I learned that Target Corporation had an in-house design firm full of fashion designers, textile designers, fit engineers. I wanted in. I finally had something I could work towards. So at the end of 2011 I registered to get back into school. Started in spring 2012 at a community college downtown. They didn't have a fashion program but they did have graphic design. So I started pursuing that. I started out part time so I continue working part time to get by, continued networking, interning. Towards the end of 2012, finally, worked up enough courage to apply to Target Headquarters. My goal was to start getting that "Professional Experience" while finishing my undergrad so that by the time I get my bachelors, I'll have had 3 or 4 years of experience and a degree to get the job I dream of. After 3 attempts, I finally got a call from an HR recruiter. 4 interviews later, I received a full time offer from them for an entry level position in Product Design and Development department on a design team. Great pay, benefits, etc. I had did it. This was the start of my career.
Started in january 2013, I also was still in school trucking away trying to get that Associates degree in graphic design.
Today, I am still with the company and still a part time student. However, today is one of those days where I am having flashbacks to 2009. I'm having regrets but trying to block them out. Had I made the decision to stick with college in 2009, not moved out of my parents house, I could possibly be in New York right now, working in the heart of the fashion industry in an Art Director role at Conde Nast Publications or something big like that. A part of me feels like I've wasted the last 5 years of my life figuring my shit out that I could have had a degree by now. The other part of me feels like I am in a good place right now. I have a great job, I live in a nice place on my own, I'm going to school, and working towards my dream.
Lately, I've been getting so antsy and impatient with the pace that things are going. My goal is to have my bachelors degree by 2017. This means I would have to become a Full Time student. But I need my job to sustain myself. And I've worked so hard to get in that I can't give it up. Is there anyone out there who has had to work full time to make ends meet but also be a full time student? How did you do it? Lots of coffee? I think I am going to start full time in January 2015. I need to get done with college. and I can't speed things up if I continue to do this part time thing.
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