One year ago, I graduated from N.C. State. I can hardly believe it myself. I’m sure you hear the phrase “It seems like yesterday…” but it truly does seem like yesterday that I was sitting in PNC Arena for the university ceremony, then hightailing it over for the College of Natural Resources – my college’s – ceremony. Sitting in a holding room, talking to Wolfpack Basketball player, Ralston Turner, and seeing coach Mark Gottfried drop by to congratulate him – I’m name dropping, I know.
So, what have I been up to since graduation? I wish I could tell you that I’ve found a full-time job and getting my start in the workforce. Unfortunately, there’s a thing called the “real world” and that just didn’t happen. I thought that I would be able to find full-time work straight out of college. Boy, was I duped. Most of what I’ve seen in my field – which is parks, recreation, tourism and sports – is part-time or seasonal. The majority of the full-time stuff requires at least two years of prior experience, which I don’t have right now. It’s frustrating because how am I supposed to get related experience in my field when I’ve worked tirelessly as a full-time student for the past four years, and then some, of college?
Despite not finding full-time work, I did return to the ‘ol internship stomping grounds, Duke Homestead, and assisted with an event this summer. I also took on a new adventure and worked the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro. That turned out to be a cool experience and a big resume booster. In fact, I wasn’t so sure about what path I wanted to navigate beforehand because I had so many interests. Working the Wyndham Championship narrowed that down to the events field, whether it be sports, the arts, what have you. Preferably, I’d like to work hands on with events and not have a desk job, although I’m open to that as well. We’ll see where that takes me. I didn’t plan on taking 2015 “off” so to speak but it turned out to be really beneficial for me. I was able to enjoy some much needed time off after spending 70 percent of my life in school and got to do a little work on the side to get some experience under my belt. Hopefully, I’ve figured out what exactly I want to do with my professional life. Who knows?
Cheers to the new year!
Chris White 
Leave a Reply