My last Kent State career fair was a fine experience overall, but it started off rocky. I went by myself, because my friends already went earlier, so I was nervous. The first thing I did there was get a professional photo. When my turn came, I think I smiled nicely, but the photographer took a while to take the photo, so it slowly faded into a smile that clearly was not genuine. Due to my nervousness, I said it was a fine photo and left. I hope it turns out better than I thought. 

Next, I walked around and went to the booth I was most excited about, which was City Year. It is a program that takes place in underprivileged schools, where Corps members work to improve the lives of students. I talked to Ashley, a City Year recruiter, at the booth, and she was kind and answered my questions. It seems like an excellent program. I told her I was planning on attending law school and asked if it would be a beneficial program to partake in during a gap year between college and law school. She immediately gave me a paper about why the program is perfect for that. It seems like a fantastic opportunity to advance me toward my goals. 

After that, I went to the booth which had information about becoming a U.S. census taker where I talked to a lady named Gloria, who was also a recruiter. She told me about the many benefits of becoming a U.S. census taker and showed me that in my county, New York, New York, I would make $26-$28 an hour if I worked in that role. In addition, Gloria told me I could set my own hours in terms of days of the week, hours and how many months I want to do it up until December of this year. All those benefits are quite appealing to me, but what Gloria didn’t tell me is what I would actually be doing as a census taker, so I will need to research that more to see if it’s viable for me. 

My experience at the career fair may have led to me finding something to do for a year after graduating by doing City Year, so I’m glad I went. I’m still extremely anxious and unsure of what I’m going to do, but it is nice to have an option that is somewhat attractive. 

Update: The photo turned out okay. 

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