" SIX YEARS AGO

When I made the decision to switch my major from Biology to Marketing in the middle of my sophomore year of college, I knew I was making a huge leap. But I remember telling my friend Josh that I could see myself walking down a busy street in a skirt suit with cute heels and being a business professional, making deals and working my way up the corporate ladder.

Now, when I graduated with my degree in Marketing, I don’t think that I was thinking about that young business professional of my dreams, I was looking for a job. But today I have to say that I see myself as that woman. Yes, I have lots to learn and many steps to make before I’m at the top of the corporate ladder, but I feel like I’ve accomplished what I set out to do thus far. In fact I dare say that I’m farther in my career than I expected to be at 25. (I certainly hope I’m not jinxing myself, knock on wood.)

On a side note, I realize that this dream of myself as a successful business woman was centered around how she looked and how she was dressed. At 19, I think I envisioned business women as smart women, with an impeccable fashion sense. Now, I know and envision successful business women as those who get things done and are happy with their life-work balance. But think about it, successful women on tv or the big screen are often portrayed as well dressed, sexy women, and as an impressionable teenager I can see how I would associate the two. But, wait wait wait, this is a whole other blog topic that I promise to return to another day.

Back to my original thought, I feel like I’m living my dream and that’s so cool. So now comes the hard part, what to dream of next?

-HARKINS "

" RANDOM THOUGHT FOR A MONDAY

What if tobacco companies made all of their cigarettes from biodegradable materials? So when people threw their cigarette butts on the ground they would eventually decompose themselves and then not be such an eye sore or a burden on our ecosystem. (A little FYI, cigarette filters are currently made from plastic fibers that take tens of years to begin to degrade and may never fully decompose.)

Apparently I'm not the only one with this idea. I found three articles regarding the subject.
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/mg18825202.800.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_Oct_3/ai_n15656939
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/10/cigarette_butts.php

Unfortunately all of these articles are dated 2005 and I haven't found anything more recent. This doesn’t mean that nothing has been done on the subject, but I highly doubt that much has changed.

I think the bigger what if here is that, what if tobacco companies do this without being lobbied to do so? What if they do this to all of their products because it’s the right thing to do, not create a new revenue source by offering a “eco-friendly” edition?

- HARKINS "

" ONE OR THE OTHER?

As a young professional, or even just as a young twenty something, is it more important to chase your career or look for the love of your life? Can you do both at the same time? Or does one have to come before the other?

I’ve noticed some recent press on this issue which is what has made me ponder this. An advertisement in the latest Glamour magazine read “I’m a modern bride because I chased my career, not boys.” And an article on MSN also highlighted the young professional's quest for love vs. a career.

In a small town like Auburn, we tend to settle down quickly, as opposed to bigger cities where there are young singles galore and the trend seems to be to wait a little while to get married and settle down. Could this be because here in rural America we’ve already started our careers? We are teachers, nurses and business professionals. We’ve found the one we want to be with and not to sound cliché, but we have it all.

Many times in a larger city you start out at the bottom of the professional ladder and it takes a while to climb up. And there are so many singles that finding the right one can be daunting. Should that career trek be your focus? Or should you look for love and then move on to your career?

What if you find love, but never accomplish your career goals because you settle down and start a family? What if you forget to settle down and start a family because you’re too focused on your career?

I guess it all comes down to what you want out of your life. I think as young professionals we have been groomed to want a career. I also think that as young professionals we want a work-life balance and we don't want to be in the office 60 hours a week. We want to be able to go to work, have fun, and then come home to a loving family. There will always be the extremes where there are young pros that want to focus on their career and some that only want to focus on their family, and that’s ok.

For me, I think both will come in due time. I think our lives play out as people and opportunities come in and out of them and it’s our decisions that lead us down the path that we follow.

-Harkins "

" LIAR, LIAR PANTS ON FIRE

So, two random individuals tried to guess my age this week. Each of them thought I was 20 years old, which in itself is a very nice complement. I didn’t think I looked that young, but hey, we’ll go with it. However, when I corrected these gentlemen they thought I was lying! Seriously, who lies about being 25 almost 26 years old? I certainly do not and I would dare say that most people don't lie about being that age!

And why would you think someone is lying about that anyways? As I said, I may look younger than 25 but I certainly don’t look young enough where I think people would think I was lying about my age. Which brings me back to, who lies about being 25 almost 26 years old anyways?

It was weird enough to hear it the first time, but to have that happen again in a matter of days is so completely random… even for me.

- HARKINS "

" ANGELA

Recently I’ve seen two of my friends lose people very close to them. It’s heartbreaking for me to see them go through this. It's even worse when I think about the special bonds they had with these people.

It can be an uncomfortable situation as a friend during these times. You may not know what to say or what to do. And you want to take the pain away but you know that they need to feel it and to deal with it and talk about it. And as much as it hurts you to see your friend go through that, you know that you need to be there for as much or as little as they need.

I know when I see my friend at the wake tonight I will be deeply upset for him and his family. It will remind me of my own grandmother's passing and the immense sadness that I thought would never go away. And I know I will feel a little awkward because I regrettably don’t know his family very well, but I also know that I’m there for him.

I don’t remember seeing many of my friends at my grandmother’s wakes. Most were away at school, some may not have known, others just don’t like to go to those things. But I will always remember my friend Angela who let me cry on her shoulder when I didn’t even know I needed to.

I only hope that I can be an “Angela” tonight for one of my best friends in the whole world.

- Harkins "

" L84WK

I sang my heart out. I stopped for Starbucks and subsequently stopped for many potty breaks. I played the license plate game and found 38 states, even Alaska! Once I drove into New Hampshire though, I turned off the radio, rolled down the window and just drank it all in. I swear the air up there is different. A storm had just rolled through and there was a light fog all around and the sunset light was shining through it. It was absolutely gorgeous. It made me wish I had a real camera and photographic skills because I can’t even begin to describe the beauty that was around me.

I rolled into my cousin’s driveway just as the night was creeping in. As Renzi, the wonder dog, ran out to greet me, I just knew it was going to be a great weekend. We stayed up chatting the night away and feasted on lasagna and the most amazing chocolate cake!

I spent the next day with my cousin learning all about the history of his little New Hampshire town and seeing breathtaking views from the top of a mountain. He pointed out that we were about 20 minutes away from Unity, NH where Obama and Clinton were holding their rally that day. That was pretty cool.

My first adventure was to a Strawberry Festival in Maine. I got to this town and the place is packed with people. I had to park down a side street a few blocks away from where everything was happening and that made me a bit uneasy. I was in a new place parking down a random side street with only myself to walk with. But I decided that I came that far and it would be silly to not go or to keep looking for a parking spot. So I locked my car and headed out. Once at the festival I stopped to listen to some music and visited all the vendors and bought some Strawberry Shortcake with fresh made whipped cream, which was amazing and totally worth it. All in all the festival was a good time and I was ok walking back to my car.

After that I decided to head over to an art festival in the town I was staying in, so I drove back there and went in some of the shops and I got to see a mime perform! I think the show was really for kids but I thought the duo was hilarious. In fact, I may have been laughing harder than any of the kids there.

Then I went to the beach in Maine. All I was really looking forward to was relaxing on the sand with a good book, catching some rays and swimming in the ocean. The lack of sun and 60F weather prohibited this from playing out like I imagined though. But I decided that I wanted to go to the beach anyways and it was great! There really wasn’t anyone there and I walked in the water and got to go to my favorite candy shop. They make fresh salt water taffy right in the window!

I spent Sunday in Portsmouth, NH doing some shopping and general sight-seeing. At about 3:30pm the sun came out, so I drove back into Maine to go to the beach! Of course I didn’t bring my bathing suit this time because I didn’t expect it to be sunny at all. So I ended up wading in the water with my jeans on. I should have just started swimming with my clothes on like I wanted to though since people were looking at me weird anyways.

All in all I had the best time! I feasted like a queen, spent lots of quality time with my family and broke out of my comfort zone a little. It’s not that I wouldn’t normally do these things it’s that I wouldn’t normally do them by myself. And the more I thought about that the more I realized that I really needed to do them on my own.

If there is one thing that keeps sticking out in my head, it’s something my cousin had said to me a while back. He said that I would figure out that a sunset is every bit as captivating and beautiful when viewed by yourself as it is when it’s viewed with someone. And you know what, he was right.

Oh and one last thing, best vanity plate I saw while on the road: L84WK

- Harkins "

" SAND

I'm going on vacation. I am so excited!

I usually take some time off in March/April and then again in August, but that didn't work out this year so I'm taking some time this weekend.

Part of why I'm so excited is because this will be the first vacation I've taken all by myself. One of those things that you are supposed to do when you're young and still crazy enough to do it.

And I guess I am crazy enough to do it. I mean I am visiting and staying with family, so it's not really that far out of my comfort zone and I've been there so many times it's almost like a second home. But still there is something about taking a vacation by myself that makes me feel like a confident, adventurous, twenty-something.

I'm really looking forward to spending some time with a good book, going into the stores I want to shop at, and doing the random tourist thing that I love so much.

If anything I hope to see this familiar area in a new light and find some new experiences, heck maybe even meet some new friends. But most of all I'm excited to spend some quality time with my family, because I miss them and I'm super excited to get the chance to visit with them again.

So I'll let you all know how my first experience of traveling by myself (outside of the state) goes.

In the meantime, have you ever taken a trip by yourself? Was it as much fun as with other people? Would you do it again?

- "Rockin Road Trip" Harkins "

" ZONE

As young professionals I think that we are asked to step outside our comfort zones every day. We are asked to make phone calls and form our own opinions and more importantly, stand up for them and to separate our lives from our work. All of this will shape our futures, and can make or break our careers.

Looking back, I think that my comfort zone has expanded exponentially since I started my career. Today I'm more willing to take chances. I'm more willing to speak my mind even if I'm the only one who thinks that way. And I'm certainly more willing to make that phone call, ask the questions, and hear the word no.

I didn't just get here on my own though, I have had the help of mentors along the way who have given me a gentle nudge to do what needed to be done. And now that I'm a little farther along I almost feel it's my responsibility to help other young professionals out of their comfort zones too.

What do you think? What was/is the hardest thing to overcome as a young professional?

-Harkins "

" BUTTERFLIES

Last night was the opening night of the Auburn Players production of Godspell. If you recall I am in said play and it has been 10 years since I've been on stage.

When I first posed on stage last night I was thinking to myself "Oh my goodness, why did I do this? What am I doing?". I was so nervous. But as the music started and the lights went up and we all started moving around, my nervousness went away. I knew I was ready and I knew that I was going to have fun no matter what.

And let me tell you it was AMAZING! I had the best feeling about the ENTIRE show last night! Everything felt really really good! And I even sang my five word solo pretty well. Frankly I was very afraid that I was going to get up there and nothing would come out of my mouth. But I sang and I was so excited about it.

I don't want to get too comfortable with the great show that we all had last night because I don't want to miss things tonight.

But in any case, I wanted to let you all know that the opening night was ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS and that I think you should all come out. We'll be at the CCC theater tonight and tomorrow night at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.

Have a wonderful weekend!

-Harkins

P.S. The blog below is from my fellow blogger, David Wilcox. He writes on The Citizen's Cinema blog. (Find it on the navigation to the right -->)

We tried something a little different, I blogged on his blog (about the Sex and the City movie) and he blogged on mine (about something he as a Young Professional is interested in). "

" VIDEO GAMES

Surprise, surprise, the Citizen's video game critic is writing about video games. But I'd like to dovetail a bit off one of Jessica's topics, the generation gap.

It seems with the advance of technology, there is less and less appreciation for the classics. They look blocky or weird to young players, whose games are vibrant and lifelike in appearance. Old Nintendo Entertainment System titles like "Super Mario Brothers" and "Castlevania III" are still phenomenal in their game play, but the primitive look turns off new players.

But as someone who grew up with these games, no amount of "Bioshocks" or "Metal Gear Solid 4s" can dim my love for the classics. Their core appeal will last long beyond bewitching graphics.

You can easily extend this article to film. Does modern effects technology make the original "Star Wars" or "Alien" look worse to you? Or do these films remain classic? And how do children conditioned to high cinematic realism respond to these decades-old movies?

-David "

" DRESS CODE

I think young professionals are some of the most well dressed people I know. The problem is that what we typically wear isn’t necessarily appropriate for the office.

As temperatures rise and inhibitions lower, what is acceptable on the street isn’t so much from 9-5.

The problem is that we grew up with wearing whatever we wanted. When we were left to our own devices in high school and college, many of us showed up in jeans, pajamas or sweatpants, barely brushing our hair. So when we were suddenly placed into the “professional” world, we had no idea how to dress appropriately.

Frankly, it’s easy to be office appropriate when the weather outside is frightful and you need to protect yourself from hypothermia, but when it’s nice out you want to be comfortable and a starched button down shirt just doesn’t cut it in 90F weather.

In reality the problem isn’t that people don’t know what to wear, the reality is that our society has redefined professional and has started to accept casual as a norm. We’ve come to expect that we should be comfortable and that if we have a “good body” then we have the right to show it off. We’ve come across this idea that we can work just as well in jeans and a t-shirt as we would in a three piece suit.

I just don’t think that’s true in some cases. There are certainly some professions that dictate a specific need for a more reasonable outfit, however if you’re in the office, you should be presentable and dressed for the part.

What do you think is acceptable or unacceptable dress for the office?

- Harkins "

" NOW

Last night I sat down with my mother for a few minutes to recount the day after play rehearsal. While we were sitting there she wanted to turn the tv channel to the news so she could see who came out on top with the day's primaries.

Sparked by the reminder, I immediately got up and checked the results online. Before the local weather was done on the news on tv, I had found the information we wanted to know.

Perhaps this shows my occasional impatient nature, but rather I think it speaks to how my generation gets their information. We have literally been trained that any information we need is just a click away.

In fact just now in the office we were discussing where Loop road changes to Lincoln St and William St and then to Dill St. My coworker took out a paper map, I went to Google Maps. I won, and by ‘won’ I mean got my information first.

What if the internet crashed, would my generation, or more importantly the future young professionals of America, know how to get the information they needed? I mean do they even teach the card catalog system in school anymore? Is this even something to be concerned about? And if so, how do you fix it?

What do you think?

- Harkins "