Magnificent Seven

Two years ago, I spent a semester in sunny Sydney, where I met all of the members of the Magnificent Seven. No, not the 1996 Gymnastics Olympic gold medal winners, but a group of fellow American travelers looking for friendship, a good tan, and some American techno music to dance to. During these months we spent many a day and night with an ice cream cone or a glass of wine talking about what we wanted from life, not just our careers. We affectionately called ourselves the Magnificent Seven, because there were seven of us, we were pretty great, and who doesn’t want to feel like Olympic gold medalists every once in awhile?

Besides being wonderful friends, these ladies are great role models. As students in the graduating class ahead of me at Boston U, they have endured all of the things that scare me most about becoming a real person, and I get to ask them all sorts of questions about it. They also all have similar degrees and interests in communications, marketing & journalism, thus making them informative colleagues to bounce off ideas and share current industry news.

Because of their recent experiences, I asked them for their input to help write this post- I asked about their dreams, what they are currently doing, and finally some advice for me!

LIVING THE DREAM

The most relevant point of most of their stories is that only one of them had a position in her field when she graduated from college. Although this scares the bejeesus out of me, it is reassuring that they all had a long journey, but have found happy endings.

A common suggestion was to be sure to define what my dream job was. Diago had struggled to find a position until she pinpointed exactly what she wanted, and J went through a long period of self discovery and changes of heart until she found the perfect position for her. For M, trying out multiple internships was the easiest route. She was able to take a few months to try out different roles and different positions, ultimately figuring out the key attributes she wanted in a full-time position.

But for each of them, the only way to start living the dream was to go where they thought it might begin. Although most of them didn’t have a job when they moved, each WENT to where they wanted to be, whether it be California, Chicago, New York, or Boston, to find a job once they got there. (Do note: many places won’t take you seriously unless you have a local address).

WORDS OF ADVICE

The biggest focus in the advice column were the things everyone tells you, but they are hard to hear: don’t stress, put trust in your skills and education, wait for the right position, etc.

And I have to say, I didn’t believe any of this advice ‘til I heard it from the Mag 7. Each girl recently struggled with the same things I struggle with, lived through this experience, and are content with the turnout. Even McG, who is glamorously waiting tables in LA, is content with her decision, especially after seeing friends stuck in positions they didn’t really want in the first place. For her, waiting tables in LA, continually pursuing the right position, is better than being in a place she doesn’t want to be AND doing a job she doesn’t really want. I know that she’s working hard to find that perfect position, and I’m sure she will soon!

But to pull it back to our Australian roots (okay, we don’t have Aussie roots, but it feels like we do) my favorite piece of advice was this from Diago:

The Aussies taught us best: work to live, don’t live to work. At the end of the day, you won’t be that interesting of a person if all you do and talk about is work.

So what I don’t have a job yet? I have interests, fun friends, a kick-ass blog with great contributors, and a LIFE. I’m balancing the best of both worlds: applying for jobs by day, and hanging out with my best friends by night.

FRIENDS IN COMMUNICATIONS, STAY IN COMMUNICATION.

Thanks again to the lovely contributors of the Mag 7. I am so thankful to have your wise words of wisdom and advice via Twitter, Facebook, Gchat, text and phone. I’m looking forward to many a future reunion (Vegas??), perhaps some collaboration in the field, and of course to when Steph becomes the next Oprah.