1. I need a roommate(s) because I cannot possibly afford a place on my own [yet].
2. I would prefer a trendy neighborhood.
3. I would like a place that is within walking distance to my work.
4. I would prefer a true 2/3 bedroom situation. Though shared living spaces work for some people, I like having a private bedroom with my roommates having a private bedroom, and a living room that isn't converted a bedroom.
5. I would prefer a female roommate(s).
I thought this would be simple to find, but it really hasn't been. The fact that I don't have as much time in a day to focus on apartment hunting makes it extremely difficult. I commute 2-1/2 hours from Connecticut to work. Meaning, I wake up at 5am, get ready for work, hop on the Metro North at 7a, arrive at Grand Central at 8:30ish, work 9-6p, then apartment hunt until around 9p, get back to Connecticut around 11p, go to bed and start the process over again. It is almost as if I have two full-time jobs. Perhaps worse.
And the most disappointing part about is when I would go check out apartments that I absolutely love, I later find out the people decided to lease it somebody else. Or, I would check out the apartment and the posting on Craiglist completely falsified the apartment description. i.e. Parkside Ave subway stop in Brooklyn is not equal to Prospect Heights. Lesson learned. After the first couple of days of work and apartment hunting, I reached out to my parents. With it being my first week on the job and everything, I knew at this rate I would quickly burn myself out if I continued with no help (keep in mind, I had been unemployed for seven weeks, so waking up at those hours working my ass off put my body in complete shock). My Ma decided to help me with the search. While I was at work, she searched for apartments for me, and after work I would visit the places she found. Fortunately, the first day she did this for me I immediately locked a place in. She found a place in Hell's Kitchen for me with two other girls. Immediately, I hit it off with the ladies and knew that we would be great roommates. They said they still had others looking at the apartment so they'd get back to me. Slightly disappointed, I left thinking I would get another e-mail saying that they decided to lease to somebody else. However, not even an hour later they contacted me and told me they canceled the rest of their appointments because they really liked me so didn't feel the need to search anymore. I signed a lease the next day. I'm so grateful my Ma helped me find this place. I wouldn't have found it if it wasn't for her. Plus, now she can sleep safely at night knowing I'm not in a bad area, since she picked it out herself! It's a great location, awesome amenities, and decent size (for NYC, of course). Hell's Kitchen: meet your newest resident! Below is a photo of the area my apartment is in...
As for my first work week, I would venture to say it went well. I am almost certain I am the youngest person in the office, but I can't expect anything else since I am in the youngest age group in the working world. The people I work with are great though, very supportive and willing to help me get accustomed to the processes of the business. The office is amazing. It is the headquarters/corporate office so it is very well designed and in a great location. I also enjoy free coffee and breakfast, and free lunch from time to time. :) But I would have to say my favorite bonus of the location is I can easily take a leisurely shopping trip to Macy's on my lunch break. My least favorite part of the location is I'm certain that I
The first half of my first day was a lot of HR and paperwork stuff. My boss took me out for lunch my first day which was very generous. The second half of the day was some ad-hoc, on-the-job training. Also, something I learned on my first day is the company has a program that encourages integration with the team by allowing me to take people of my choice out for lunch on the company's expense account. I thought that was a nice gesture and a great way to get to know the team. I have yet to do this, I'm still slightly timid. My second day was more overwhelming since I began to actually do work. Since there was no formal training for my position and I didn't want to screw up on my first week on the job, I had to do a lot of problem solving/figuring things out on my own. I don't like feeling stupid for too long, so I immediately knew I would immerse myself in the work. Every job I've had, whether it be an internship or a waitressing job, I've excelled in. I don't plan on changing things up with this job. The third and fourth day of work, managers from other offices across the U.S. came in for meetings. So I took advantage of having all the major people present, sat in on the meetings and took notes like I was in college again (what I am talking about...I never took notes in college!) trying to learn everything they were talking about. A lot of the discussions they had were over my head; they might as well have spoken Chinese and I'd be just as confused. I would later go to my cube and study the notes until they made sense to me. Friday, my fifth day of work, my peddles started to pick up finally. I was going to be alright.
Side note...I was talking to a person I would be working with, and was explaining to him how excited I was to be working. I told him about my job hunt journey. He laughed and said, "You're in the 'control-alt-delete' generation, aren't you? You guys are a bunch of risk takers! You packed up your things, moved up here risking everything, and if things didn't work out, you would just press control-alt-delete and try something new, right? I love it." He hit the nail on the head with that unique description. That was exactly my thought process. Not sure how this relates to my point, but I liked the conversation and wanted to share it. lol!
Anyway, although it is nice to relax during this weekend, I can't wait for next week to begin and continue to learn and grow. I guess that is the beauty of being in the newest age group in the working world. I am eager to work and give 110%. Below is the area I work...
I am finally settled in. My apartment is amazing, work is challenging and I'm loving every minute of it.
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