Fast Facts:
Work: Marketing and Communications Manager at the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce.
Previous: Special Events Coordinator for The Principal Charity Classic
Education: Iowa State University
Major: Event Management
About: Meridith recently transitioned from full time student to full time employee. She has developed a great deal of empathy for those going through that transition and offers great insight for those still in the college mix as well as the young professional finding his or her way in the “real world.”
I was primed and ready. I knew it all. I had my college degree in hand and I was ready to take on this so called “real” world. After all, I was an Event Management major and who wouldn’t want to bring me on as an employee to change the course of some business going forward. Well, perhaps a slight miscalculation on my part. Maybe I wasn’t as ready to change the face of American business as I thought. Oh, if only I knew then what I know now and that’s why I’m writing this blog.
My goal is to soothe the transition for the recent grad and provide some wisdom for those in the first stage of their career who are getting ready to move on to phase II. Everything from gaining that all important first job to dealing with college loans, to generational issues, to taking appropriate credit for your work, to career guidance – mentorship, and on and on. Are you kidding me, you didn’t get all of this in college?
With each blog my goal is to bring you great insight into this strange world we now find ourselves in. We don’t want to just survive, we want to thrive. We want to make a difference with our employer and we want to make a difference in the community where we live. We want it all and we’re not going apologize for that.
This new world may have been a little scary at the start, but now I look at it a lot differently. This new world needs the talent, energy and passion we bring every day. And, each day we can learn a little from this world that will only help us prepare to be effective leaders for many years to come. Get on board, it’s going to be a great ride!!
Connect with me!
Facebook: meridith.freese
Twitter: @MertFreese
Email: Meridith@wdmchamber.org
Blog: The-Write-Of-Passage.com
