Fortunately, I planned accordingly for this decision and am taking the steps necessary to survive the tough times.

Here is a list of things I had to consider…

1. My personal finances

In my opinion, this is the most important topic to consider when you find yourself without a job. What do you do when your source of income completely vanishes?

Throughout my career, I had built significant cash reserves in preparation for a job loss. Most personal finance advisers suggest holding at least 6 months worth of cash reserves to protect yourself. Fortunately, I’ve actually accumulated over a year’s worth of reserves. This provides me with substantial time (hopefully) to allow everything to fall into place.

Additionally, I am placing myself on a strict budget. Before, I would occasionally splurge at the bar or during trips to the mall. In the mean time, those splurges are completely eliminated. My expenditures will only be for food, bills, and personal necessities.

Lastly, I’ve considered returning home to my parents. This will allow me to stretch my savings even further, just in case. Overall, I believe being cautious in managing my money is the most secure route for me.

2. My future options

So, now what? I have a few options moving forward in establishing my career.  My first option, which I have considered for a very long time, is to attend graduate school. My field of interest is health care policy, an area that I was exposed to at one of my internships during undergrad. My plan would be to study for the GRE and apply to graduate school by December 2009. I would then be considered a candidate for the fall 2010 admission.

Another option is to utilize some old contacts and make my way back into the public sector, working in state or local government. My preference would be to work in a health agency, again furthering my interest in health care policy. Although I highly doubt my salary would match what I was earning in the private sector, I believe this career change would provide for a better work/life balance and will be better aligned with my personal and career goals.

My last, and perhaps most desperate option, is to pick up any job that becomes available… whether it be in retail or sales. I doubt this would happen, but it is an option. I would rather be advancing my career as opposed to placing myself in some type of perpetual stalemate just to get by.

3. My family and friends

Immediately after making my decision, I consulted my family and friends. They were more shocked than I thought they would be. From their perspective, it seemed like I was doing well and was secure. But, from my perspective, I was working way too much and did not have the opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends.

Fortunately, my parents and friends have been incredibly supportive. More supportive than I could have ever imagined. My parents respect my decision and have offered any assistance I may need; financial, personal, anything. Likewise, my friends have offered to pass on my resume, provide guidance… anything.

Indeed, I am truly blessed to have such amazing people in my life.

4. My personal life

Not having a job to wake up to can be pretty dramatic. My daily routine has done a complete 180. As I begin to accept the weight of responsibility I no longer carry, I am taking some personal time to myself. I’m doing a little reading, some blogging, and just plain relaxing. I cannot begin to describe to you how great this feels. Its like having summer break all over again!

Whew, I do have a lot to do in the near future. For you readers out there, if you still exist, I will chronicle my continual journey through this thing we call… life.

I have mixed emotions indeed. There is a sense of freedom I feel from not having to think about work anymore. A vacation of sorts… permanently. Yet, fear of the future and where my life will go lingers… What next?

Pardon my absence for the last several months, I’ve been very busy. I wonder if people still read this thing… eeek! Geez, I can’t believe its been 8 months!

I moved to Orlando, Florida last May and have settled nicely. I love it here! And thank goodness for NO MORE SNOW! (My apologies to the Northerners). For those that don’t know, I am a native Floridian that graduated from the University of Florida. Upon graduation, I moved to Wisconsin for a 1 year stint while training for my company. Although I would not trade that experience for anything, I am ecstatic about being home in Florida.

Since returning to the Sunshine State, I have been working non-stop! So much that I did not consider posting on this blog (Doh!). As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a District Manager for a large retail establishment. For the last several months, I have been helping my company expand throughout the state. What a journey it has been!

Primarily, I’ve been conducting hundreds upon hundreds of interviews in an effort to staff my stores appropriately. With so many new people, I have also been heavily involved in the training and development of my staff. This has required a level of patience that I have never had to experience in my life, haha!

Fortunately, my stores have been doing phenomenal! Almost too good, which has been the cause of my absence. I needed good people to work for me! Now that my stores have been opened for a while, the business has finally begun to settle down… in terms of sales and trained employees.  So… here I am… open for business again! haha

As I contemplate what my future posts will be for this blog, I am astonished at how much has changed over the last 8 months. I feel as though I’ve missed out on so much! Really though…Gas Prices, Banks, the Auto Industry, the overall Stock Market, a new President… that’s incredible! And relatively speaking, 8 months isn’t a very long time in the overall scheme of my life. Are we living in such tumultuous times that we can witness the world change in a blink of an eye…???

Life in Wisconsin has been remarkable. For the first time in my life, I’ve witnessed the transition between seasons, fall - winter- spring - summer. I’ve also lived through the most snow I’ve ever seen; and have concluded that snow isn’t for me - haha. The people here are great. Green Bay, Wisconsin is full of the friendliest people you could ever meet. Random strangers will take the time to have a 5-10 minute conversation with you; out of no where!

On the personal side, I feel as though I’ve become one year wiser; one year stronger. I took a risk when I decided to move to a place where I knew absolutely no one. I purposely placed myself in a position of discomfort this year, to see what would happen. To this day, I am perfectly content with the state of things. I can survive on my own. Perhaps I am more independent than I ever thought I could be.

In just over a month, I am leaving this place and moving to Orlando. I can’t begin to describe how ecstatic I am about finally getting settled in one location for a few years. Since graduating from high school, I pratically moved every single year; moving sucks!

I just finished signing my lease this week and will have my apartment on April 19th. Unfortunately, I’ll be paying double rent (yikes!) for a month and a half while I’m still living in Wisconsin. I’ll be moving to a neighborhood that I would describe as a bit “yuppy” and borderline “snobby.” I have mixed emotions about this decision; although I love to be living in a nice area, I have never been fond of “spoiled rich kids.” I make my own money.

I could not be happier with my career choice. Deciding to not pursue graduate education was the right choice for me. Toward the end of my college career, all my courses were becoming mundane. Rather than studying business concepts, I wanted to go out there and do it myself. Having taken a year away from school to intern in Tallahassee only added to my anxiousness.

That led to creating One Greek Store and building a business during my senior year. Today, the business is flourishing and we’ve gotten retail space on University Ave. There is still significant opportunity for growth in the future with some ideas I have yet to implement. I am excited!

Since joining the corporate world, I took a minority position in One Greek Store and have not been involved in the daily operations. I guess I’m like an investor now? - haha.

I love my ”real” job. Who would have guessed that I would end up in retail? Destiny has its own plan I guess… Over the last year, I’ve learned more about operating a business than I ever had in school. For work, I am responsible for hiring/firing people, training/development, implementing cash controls, scoping the competitor, and doing whatever I can to increase sales, reduce cost, and make customers happy. I love the autonomy and independence I have at work. I make my own schedule and do my own thing according to established goals.

The really exciting part is when I actually return to Florida for the the company and begin building the business form the ground up. Construction on our stores have already begun and we anticipate completion this fall. My stores will be in the middle of Orlando, only 10 minutes away (North and South) from my appartment, woo hoo! All I will be doing this summer is hiring and training people. We need A LOT of people.

In other news, I have some travel plans coming up. Since I joined my fraternity, I have traveled several times throughout the year. As a result, I’ve developed a passion for it. Here’s where I’ll be:

• April 23-26 - Orlando, FL and Gainesville FL - Fraternity Banquet
• May 15-18 - Los Angeles, CA and Irvine, CA - APIA Vote Presidential Town Hall
• May 19 - Orlando, FL - Moving Back!
• May 23-26 - Gatlinburg, TN - UF Alumni Camping/Rafting Trip
• July 3-6 - New York, NY - Yankees vs. Red Sox Game
• Possibliy another New York trip for Fraternity Summer Meeting
• Possibly a trip to Colorado
• Possibly a trip to Virginia
• Possibily a trip to Japan for New Years

That’s pretty much what’s going on in my life. The future, as always, is full of uncertainty and will be open to any possibilitlies. Regardless of what may happen tomorrow, I sincerely believe the small steps I’ve taken in my life will take me just a little bit closer to achieveng my dreams.

Unfortunately, I think it will be difficult for me to continue writing this blog without giving readers further insight into my professional life. As I’ve spent more and more time in my profession, I’ve found that it has become a significant part of my life. Even if I’m not in the office, I find myself reading industry specific articles and paying particular attention to news updates that can impact my company. In addition, the friends I have made here in Wisconsin are all my colleagues in the company. My work and my personal life are intertwined.

So what is it that I do?

My official title is District Manager. I work in the retail industry (yup, I work in retail) and manage a group of stores within my district. I hope those who know me in real life don’t reveal my company (hint hint), haha.

I’m sure many of you think I’m a lunatic for working in retail. Heck, I thought I was crazy for accepting the offer in the first place. I didn’t attend college with the purpose of working in retail, it just worked out that way. Nonetheless, after nearly 8 months with the company, I have been very happy. My job has far exceeded all expectations.

I’ll be honest, many of the stereotypes that plague the retail industry are true. I am a salaried employee, which basically means that I work until my project is done. Essentially, there isn’t a 40 hour cap on my work week. My daily schedule isn’t always 9 to 5. Some days may be earlier (6 AM), others may be later (8 PM+). (Hence my absence for several months). Like I said, it all depends on when I complete my tasks.

Surprisingly, the hours I’ve spent working haven’t bothered me. Now don’t think that I’m working 100 hours every week, that’s not the case. Most weeks I average between 40-50 hours. But there are times where I work 70-80 hours, both in individual retail locations and at home.

There are two things I love about my job, Independence and Responsibility. As a District Manager, I travel between stores everyday. I am not in an office with my supervisor watching my every move. Instead, I am given clear, measurable goals and am asked to achieve that goal over a specified period of time. Thats it. I love that!

I also have significant responsibility. I am responsible for the operation of all of my stores. This means that I hire people, fire them, and discipline them. I also monitor every store’s finances by controlling our expenses and driving sales. I feel like I’m running my own business.

Don’t be surprised if you find more articles about my job. There are tons of stories to come, :)