Unlike my Gradulthood colleague, Michael Gray, I don’t have a bi-annual reflection period. Perhaps the HR department of myself isn’t quite as on top things as his. Although knowing him well this cannot come as a surprise. This is a very organised man we’re talking about, a man who will revise for phone contract renegotiations weeks in advance. I’m talking reams of notes...
I still see the summer months as the summer holiday, for me the year still starts in September and ends in June. Summer’s your free time, save the real self analysis for when it gets cold. I wonder what age you are when the year starts beginning in January? Twenty two should probably be old enough to be honest.
Having said all that, I of course have an end of year evaluation and some subsequent start of year targets. Sometimes this process can begin during the festivities of New Years Eve, in trips to the bathroom, when I leave the cocoon of friends and merriment, I’ll catch sight of a bloodshot, swaying face in the mirror, ‘enjoy yourself tonight son, because it's nearly appraisal day’. The actual date of the appraisal is vital, have it on New Year’s Day and it can be brutal; too hungover to have a shower, surrounded by the half empty bottles from the night before, hair greased into a hairstyle you last sported in year six. These are not the conditions to conduct a once in a year event. These are the conditions where resolutions will be draconian; last year’s achievements will be scorned – went travelling? Get a job! Learnt a foreign language? Waste of time! Rachael from work? Did you see her nose! You want to be conducting this appraisal with a clear head, wait until January 2nd.
For me 2010 can go down as a success, anyone who reads this blog enough will know I spent the summer in America, a lifelong dream, which might explain why I mention it in most posts. Perhaps the real reason I mention it so much is because for me that is all that 2010 was about. For the first six months of the year I saved for the trip and for the last four months I’ve been paying off the debts that came with it. It’s a risk to effectively gamble a whole year on two months but the chance to see so many new places was worth it. 2010 really was the ‘Year of Thrift’. The start of this blog and the beginning of an incessant emailing campaign to get some work experience have also been key aspects to take from it, they marked the beginning of a proactive effort to get a job in a career I can see myself in long term. 2010 was certainly the year I acknowledged that very rarely do you fall into a career; it takes a lot of extra-curricular but necessary effort.
So what of 2011? Ultimately my main aim is to fly the nest (again). Don’t get me wrong, my parents are probably the best housemates I will ever have; they pay all the rent, bills and food costs. I have my tea ready for me when I get back from work and the house won’t slowly slide into squat conditions before someone decides to set aside half an hour to make it just about acceptable. On the contrary it’s warm, clean and I have Sky Plus in my room. But once you’ve had a taste of freedom it’s hard to go back. Aside from that I have some work experience penned in for mid January which will hopefully give me an insight into the life of a copywriter and perhaps more importantly an insight into whether me and the career are a good match. Importantly I start the New Year back to black a la Amy Winehouse, out of my overdraft for the first time in two years, positive, hopeful and ready to kick on. Hopefully so do all the other gradults out there, unless they’re out for the same jobs as me, obviously.
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