The gloves are starting to come off.

We have one week. One week to get our proverbial shit together. I admit I've gotten more together in the last week than any other week here. You don't have time to think and ponder and rethink you just have to trust your gut and do it and hope your training kicks in.

There are a few offers trickling in and its the most interesting thing to see people react. Some people ignore, some jump high, some casually glance. Me I casually glance. I'm a cautious person, taking things rarely on faith, but its so tempting to think about whether this email is the one for me, THE job for me.

But of course, there are 97 other people with similar plans sitting around a cold concrete table looking around the room. Who's the competition? Who's the best? Who is my biggest challenge? We live surrounded by competition. But the real truth is none of us are competition for each other.

Sure, you might not get that position, and it might sting the pride, but it doesn't mean a slim slice of shit against your career. My job is out there, I have no idea where it is, and who will give it to me. But every position that fills without me is good for me, because its one step closer to mine.

One week. 7 days.

Ahhh the corporate world.

I sent a friend a youtube video of a comedian that reminds me of a mutual friend. I thought it would be funny and help a friend in a bad job with a hangover get over her bad day. Unfortunately you can't watch videos at this company, instead she has to email herself and watch it at home.

(Sigh)

I remember this world well. The emails from HR about not spending too much time on IM, or blocking videos and websites. I like to think I'm about to go into a world full of open websites without, silly corporate blockers, eyes peering over shoulders, time stamps and email storage.

So for anyone out there you wants to watch youtube and get paid, advertising is for you.

Heres the video FYI. Jimmy Carr. He's fantastic.

Please leave your key at the front desk.

There's only about 7 weeks left here at the B.C. and its starting to show. People are starting to ask about job leads, who has jobs, internships, anything. A lady even asked me at the store if they were hiring where I was working. Unfortunately no.

It's all around us now. My parents ask me every time they call. And every time i say no they respond as best they can. "It's tough out there, but you'll find something." My dad is a little more direct. "You can wait tables if you can't find anything right?" Sigh....Yes.

But I'm trying to enjoy this time. Its the last I'll have as a student, a reckless, fun loving, innocent youth. I can run in the afternoon and drink on weekdays, I can blow work off because the weather is too nice and sleep in till 12. Everyone is working their asses off, but I get the feeling a lot of people are spinning their wheels.

Its all good to work hard to produce something, but when you work because you think you have to is when you produce nothing. People are glued to tables and screens instead of relaxing and remembering that this is the last hoorah for most of us.

So if you're out there staring at the same screen trying to force out that last idea, get up close your computer and come have a beer in the sun. Oh so sweet. Don't forget to leave your key on the desk on your way out.

There aren't any positions available.

Get used to that one. You will hear it a lot. Its true. Companies are shearing back hard, and marketing is the first thing to go. So what the hell do you do? Beg? Plead? Scream? Cry in despair?

The best thing to do is realize the truth that there are TONS of jobs out there. You heard it here first. TONS and TONS of jobs. The only problem is that they aren't advertised and even worse the companies themselves don't even know they exist, only you do.

Smart driven people are always needed. Always. No company is going to turn away someone that blows them away no matter how bad off they seem because the only real asset any company has is its talent. And no where else is this more evident in advertising. Ideas and talent are all they have.

So when you call or email or network and people say "I don't think we're hiring" what they're really saying is "You might suck." Try again, say "I understand. Do you think I could come in and show you my work?" Most times they will be happy to help and it gets your foot int he door, its your job to make sure it stays there.

Most people out there stop the minute they hear a company isn't hiring, instead focusing on the leads on craigslist or headhunters instead of focusing on what they really need to do, show companies why they can't afford not to have them on their payroll. Happy hunting.

Artists beware.

Dream Job Factory

As the year winds down here, and we start to soak in what happened in the last year, as a first year student you begin to think ahead, for the day you will leave here too, and look for that first job.

Brandcenter trains people. No doubt about it. Trains them hard fast and smart. We are definitely sought after and wanted, but as more and more students go through competing schools it is harder and harder to prove your wealth.

It definitely feels like the attitude here is to get out and land that dream job. Everyone here drinks the cool aid. Everyone. We dream of those jobs where we fly around the world for photo shoots, meeting celebs, and the other perks about this industry. There's a problem here though.

Not everyone is going to get those jobs, actually few to none will. The navy lures people in with promises of jets and far away locations but for every fighter pilot in the Navy there are 150 people there to ensure that the plane stays in the sky and cooks that clean up behind the scenes at the 5 star hotels.

We all have high goals and dreams here. I do as well, but I came here to get away from mind numbing labor, and along the way it changed from finding a job that made me happy into a job that would make people drool over. I don't know if that's a good thing, but it's where I'm at.