Career Center: What is your current employment and how did you acquire it?
Careen Turner: "I first moved to Hilton Head Island to work in the Recreation Department at the Disney Vacation Club here on the island. Since then I have acquired a second job part time as a marketing associate for a local gym which have both been great jobs. My position at Disney was earned through referrals of interns I had met here two years ago when I was an intern with Vagabond Cruise. I had kept in touch and one of my co-workers actually worked at Disney and told me they were hiring. The marketing position at the fitness center was purely conversation. I was at the gym four to five days a week and became really close with everyone on staff including the owner. They asked me to be in one of their promotional videos and from there me and the owner began talking about their marketing strategies on social media or lack thereof and he agreed that working together we could really improve upon what they were doing."
What struggles and unknown hardships did you encounter as a recent graduate?
"Bills, insurance and learning to be alone are part of the struggle and unknown hardships post-graduation. In college you don't realize how little you actually pay for and once you get out you realize you have rent, utilities, car insurance, phone bill, gym membership, fun money, credit card payments, loan payments, cable & internet....the list continues. Some people are lucky enough to maybe have these things paid for through their parents (i.e. combined phone bill or car insurance) but I am paying all of my bills on my own. My biggest struggle I would have to say was probably loneliness. When I moved to the island I did have a few friends I had met as an intern who still lived there and I quickly became friends with some of my co-workers however I was no longer constantly surrounded by people. My roommate was never home and even though I was always around people at work it didn't quite fulfill my need for intimate social interaction. I missed my friends, living with my 60 sisters in the KAT Castle and knowing everyone I saw. It was a different life that took me about 7-8 months to really get used to but through talking to friends I stuck it out and got used to this new lifestyle."
How did the Career Center help you in your job search?
"The Career Center job search site is where I initially found my first internship that brought me to the island in the first place. That experience was one of the most memorable experiences I had and that was huge part of why I wanted to come back. Sue Tilley and Margaret Krantz always encouraged me to apply for new things and step out of my comfort zone. The center provided me with resources and one to one help improving my resume and cover letters and I was very confident when it came to submitting those forms."
|