Ten Things I Could See Myself Doing Next Year

By Julia Plevin '09

Yes, I am still jobless, but at least for now I have decided to stop wallowing in my self-pity and take some action steps. The first step to focus my job search was to make a list of ten things I could see myself doing next year:

1. Research for a documentary for film/television - example Production Assistant for 60 Minutes. I am way more interested in in-depth research shows than daily news or sitcoms.

2. Writing for a T.V. show like The Daily Show. Okay, this is basically a daily sitcom but the show is a perfect match for my witty sarcasm.

3. Writing in a foreign country - whether for a foreign newspaper or for an American newspaper or blog. I would also love to write for a travel guide but Harvard seems to have the monopoly on that…. I might want to someday apply for a Fulbright in journalism. My friend just got one and made it seem like anyone can get one. But I hate applications and I hear the process is quite a pain.

4. Something with social entrepreneurship - in the United States or abroad. I’m no idealist these days but I do support the trend towards smaller, local business ventures that are profitable and improve the world.

5. Being paid to spot trends all over the world. I want to be a coolhunter, but this is an exclusive niche and I am pretty sure coolhunters do not come to Ivy League college career fairs.

6. Working at a startup - Internet, production, or something else. I like the startup vibe, especially in San Francisco. Startups are full of young, enthusiastic people who bike to work and keep healthy, yummy snacks in the kitchen. Everyone at a startup does a hundred different jobs and there is none of that corporate ladder nonsense.

7. Getting a grant/fellowship to research alternative health practices in cultures around the world. Applying for grants/fellowships. This is something I wish I had taken more advantage of during my years as an undergraduate.

8. Working at a talent agency – My dad says that I would not like the plasticity of people in Los Angeles but a job where you are paid to schmooze sounds enticing.

9. Starting a business with some of my best friends from college. We have lots of ideas but no one idea that we are set on pursuing right now. According to many entrepreneurs, it is best to start a company when you are

young, energetic, and have fewer responsibilities in this world. Times of change are promising for entrepreneurs.

10. Becoming a certified yoga teacher and waiting tables while trying to figure out how to get a job. Okay, so this is sort of a a cop-out but becoming a yoga teacher is like a rite of passage in my family.