"Hello, My Name Is..."

I accepted the position in the sales training program in Phoenix! I feel relieved, excited, nervous… Relieved that I don’t have to worry about FINDING a job
Excited to start anew in a new city
Nervous to find out that I don’t know what the heck I’m doing.

My new boss asked all of the new hires to write a personal bio saying where you’re from, where you went to college, what jobs and internships you've had, and a unique fact about yourself. Oh, and it must be written in third person. Here is mine:

Linda Permenter is graduating in May from Rice University in Houston, TX with a major in Psychology and a minor in Business. She grew up in San Diego and is delighted that this new job will take her a little closer to beautiful Southern California! Currently, she works as a cocktail waitress in Houston learning the basics of good salesmanship and martini-shaking. Since she was a fetus, her father has gently encouraged her to pursue a career in business, so she took on a rewarding internship at a bank during the summer of ’09. Now she is ecstatic about joining the Suns’ sales team and building a career around the business of sports. An interesting fact about Linda is that, if reality and budget permitted, she would move to New York and become a theater actor.

Organization

Feenicks?

My mom has been inundating my brain and my inbox with job search ideas. She knows that I am not completely comfortable with my current job offer. But it’s the only offer I have! My choice right now is between this job and living at home searching for a new job, a search that could take forever. So I have made a pro/con list about this job.

Pros:

• IT’S A JOB IN THIS BAD ECONOMY
• Great contacts
• Fun industry
• Something new and challenging (sales)
• Great resume-builder (many executives get their start in sales)
• Steve Nash

Cons:

• Less than ideal pay
• Long hours (when will I have time to hit the gym on weekdays?)
• No friends in Phoenix --> Lonely :(
• Never spent any time in Phoenix so I don’t know if I’ll like it

If I go by which list is longer, I’d go to Phoenix.
If I go by which choice betters my career opportunities, I’d go to Phoenix.
But if I go by which choice makes me more comfortable, I’d go home and keep looking…

Finance Exam

I’m finally digging myself out of the hole I was in after I took a finance exam today. The last problem was worth forty of the one hundred total points, and I had no idea how to answer any part of it. Apparently, it was a problem that he demonstrated during the class that I had to miss for a job interview in Phoenix. I just wrote “BLANK,” which my professor promises to credit with a quarter of the possible points.

I know I failed this test. I walked for an eternity across campus trying to hold back tears. I cried because I stayed up almost all night studying for the exam and prepared an extensive note sheet.
I cried because I had an accounting exam that same morning.
I cried because I was EGGS-OSTED!!!!
I cried because I thought that my hardest effort produced mediocre results.
I was crushed. I don’t want to conclude that I am a bad finance student, but I might have to.

I got the job in Phoenix working for the Suns in a sales training program. But the promise of a job after graduation does not ease my mind about grades like I thought it would. I still pressure myself to do well.

The funniest part of my day, though, was after I had passed out in my bed in a puddle of tears. I woke up just in time to grab a late dinner at the servery. I sneaked into the Baker College awards night ceremony in Duncan Commons to sit and eat. After the festivities, who walks up to shake my hand and say hello?

MY FINANCE PROFESSOR!!!

“Oh shit!” I thought. In between pleasantries, I warned him about how bad my test was and that it was probably due to my missing class that day for the interview. He brushed it aside and just chatted politely with me while I finished my dessert. As he walked away, I realized I hadn’t told him my only good news from the week. I shamelessly ran after him yelling “Dr. Butler, DR. BUTLER!”

“You should know that I got the job.”

He may not be proud of my performance on that test, but he can be proud of me for this. He got excited, congratulated me, and shook my hand. It was a relief to just see a normal, nice guy in this intimidating figure.

Thanks, Teach! But your class is tough.