Nobody Messes with a Sugarbaker

A Little Back Story

Recently, I made a hasty but necessary career move. After four years of working for Starbucks, collecting my inexpensive health care, and a 30% discount, I quit.

What? In this economy!?! Yep.

You see, I did what I was supposed to do, what all my high school teachers, what my parents and my grandparents told me to do and I got my degree. And not just any degree but a degree in something I love: literature. Yet soon after, I was asked the question apparently every student gets asked when they major in something other than business or real estate: what do you plan on doing with that?

At first I was angered by this question. I felt betrayed by their advice. Go to college: did it. Get a degree: done. Get a degree in something useful: wait, what? I wanted to become a teacher. How is that not “useful?” I was headed straight to graduate school. I was going to come out with my Masters and get a job at some small but respected junior college somewhere.

I had a plan. Why couldn’t they see that?

Oh right, my bad: the eternal American scapegoat: the economy.

So, do to lack of my own funds, and because Sac State is run by a bunch of idiots, I didn’t go back to school. But I wouldn’t give up. I wouldn’t let them win. I figured if that didn’t pan out I could do something else: become a writer, a tutor, hell maybe even get my credential and teach snot-nosed seventh graders.

But, I didn’t. Point goes to the critics.

Instead, I stuck with the seemingly easier alternative. I attempted to search for a better job while I smothered myself with the security blanket of affordable health care and slowly suffocated at an automatic espresso machine.

What Would Julia Sugarbaker Do?

Even if you've never watched an episode of Designing Women, after watching the clip above, you can't help but feel the raw power of the Sugarbaker woman. I grew up watching re-runs of this show and thinking that these were powerful women. They owned their own business; they wore shoulder pads, but most importantly the Sugarbakers driven by their wisdom, and their southern charm, achieved success.

. . . and when backed into a corner, the Sugarbaker woman strikes back with all her might. The answer to my question was clear: Julia Sugarbaker would have told Starbucks to stick their job where the sun don't shine, honey!

Now, I'm happily unemployed, making a little money on the side writing music reviews, and with all this extra time on my hands, I wondered if other people my age are going through the same problems I am: we got the degree, but can't seem to find that perfect job, we can't start that career.

The Point

This blog is going to be a forum to talk about my successes, my failures, and to vent my frustrations while on the search for a job I can be proud of. At the same time, I hope that others in my dilemma can read this blog and feel like they are not alone.

I hope that everyone (men and women alike) will share their experiences, and with our collective wisdom help each other out in these difficult times.

Because we are all Sugarbakers here.