As the month of February come to an end I get closer and closer to my big day (college graduation)! Seventy-Five days in counting. I'm the first in my family to graduate from college and I'm very proud of myself. No worries, I will not be the last to graduate college. I will make SURE my nephews receive higher education because it is the KEY to America. Higher education does not only exist in the classroom either... You have to self educate yourself as well and be educated on your rights as a U.S. Citizen as well as some of the benefits that you qualify for in life. This past Friday I started feeling a little rough after returning from New York for six days, I guess my body wasn't ready to adjust back to the warm Texas weather because I became sick. I didn't go to work this weekend at my part-time job because I was too ill, which opened up so many things for me.
One thing is I'm glad this is my college job that allows me extra cash in my pocket while I'm still an undergraduate. Two is I could never be a "professional waiter" although I've been doing it since I moved to Houston two years and six months ago. Is that even a career? No It's a job which I'm very appreciative I am able to do as an undergraduate. My social skills has never been a problem, so I fit right in. I'm able to talk to complete strangers about almost anything... Do I like to do it all the time? NO! It is my job to give our guest good customer service and a great experience and that's exactly what I do. I was once told "Carlton.. Whatever you are, be a good one" and I live by that. What I have learned from this job is that you must tip at least 18% when dining out because you're paying for a service. I have many friends who live off of their tips and some people wouldn't tip anything. How disgusting right? Some people need to learn good restaurant etiquette I swear...smh (stay tuned I will write a post about that at a later date)! The reason I've been there so long is because my Mother always told me to never hop from job to job. She said find a stable and dependable job and make it work. She also said it doesn't look good to hop from job to job and I'm proud of myself for listening to her advice and applying it. My Mother educated me on my work ethic years ago for my first job when I was sixteen and I'm so grateful. Although food service doesn't have anything to do with my profession, it has everything to do with it. Since I am going into the wonderful world of fashion public relations I am able to converse with complete strangers because networking is a major factor for any profession. It's not about who you KNOW, but more so who KNOWS you. I am also not afraid to make mistakes (we all know I've had my share of incorrect orders). Making a mistake is the easy part, but I'm good at "Plan B" so fixing the problem while keeping everyone happy is not hard at all. One of my favorite quotes is "The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B" which is so true. I'm able to sell different items to our guest by using "sizzle words" (which is necessary in the public relations world when pitching a story to media outlets) and they are really fun and works. I could honestly go on and on but I will stop there. I mean do you really care how my job relates to PR? Yes? No? Maybe? Never thought about it?.....
Some of my colleagues who graduated previous semesters said that my last semester would be a challenge, only because senioritas kicks in and I'll be so over going to class. This is SSOOOO true on all different levels. I mean I knew it was time to go when I walked in class at the start of this semester and the faces weren't familiar to me (Freshmen, Sophomore, and Juniors are taking over). That's when I realized that my time is up and I need to focus on graduation and getting things in order for my life post graduation. By choice I step down from the National Association of Black Journalists PV Chapter as the executive events coordinator because I didn't have the time for it with my new internship. I am still a student advisor for any of the students who need help with figuring out what's next. I wish everyone well in the organization because I got so much out of it. Going to the national convention last year in California was everything plus more. I met some amazing people that inspired me.
I'm currently interning at a magazine with offices in Dallas and Houston. My dream for years was to work for a nice publication. I love everything about print and media because it's who I am and it's what I do. Some people argue well you don't get paid very much to start off, which is fine. In my twenties the money is not the most important thing I worry about it's my happiness. If I'm doing what I LOVE then it's not considered work. David McCullough once said "Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love" and that's just what I'll do. You can be whatever you want to be with the proper branding and determination!
As I close this post I just would like to say Thank you God for allowing me to live my life in the way you planned and allowing me to live my dreams. I understand that I'm blessed and I do not take it for granted because I come from humble beginnings that have made me the strong man I am today. Thanks you for my wonderful family and good people you surround me with. Now I'm off to a birthday dinner for one of my colleagues! Be blessed!
---Cheers from Carlton
