Diary of a Young Professional (Volume 1)

6.1.2017

Dear Diary.

I figured out how to get everything I've ever wanted, and it's so simple!

But first...what a weekend! I definitely got to be social, (mostly) finished unpacking, and even tried a weekend class at the gym. The weekends feel more like how life was in college...free. I'm trying desperately to figure out how to spread that feeling into the work week.

One of the exciting things that I did this weekend was go out with David. We didn't do anything too scandalous – just a bowling adventure. Friday nights were notorious for having glow-in-the-dark bowling and blaring remixed pop music.  I won a plush turtle keychain from my devastating wins at skee ball in the arcade, an adorable trophy to commemorate our relationship. 

Our evening was fun, relaxing, and completely drama free.  I lost horribly at the bowling part of our date, but my crushing defeat was worth it.  David stayed over at my place afterwards, giving us plenty of time to connect over lazy snuggles and midnight kisses. 

By morning, I was groaning about him hogging the sheets and eating all my granola.  But I was mostly grumpy about my aching arm.  Apparently, bowling balls were heavy - who knew that bowling was a real workout?

Sierra heard me complain about my woes and workouts all weekend. I went to her apartment on Saturday afternoon and didn't leave until the wee hours of Sunday morning. We did all of our nostalgic college rituals: ordered delivery Japanese food, gossiped about the amazing things our friends were posting on social media, and binge watched insane amounts of television.

In between demolishing bottles of cheap wine and solving the world's problems (I think we found a way to end world hunger), we talked about my work obsession with surpassing Holly Clark.  And then, like a gift from God himself, we came up with it: the way I'm going to get to Asia!

Step 1: Befriend Holly.

Step 2:  Strategically ask Holly to become my mentor.

Step 3: Assist Holly with daily activities until I become indispensable to her.

Step 4: Suggest to Holly that she should ask for the Huaow account.

Step 5: Use records of me doing Holly's job and mine to justify me getting the account instead.

How genius is that?!  Walking out of the apartment on Sunday morning, I was ready to use the rest of my weekend to scheme my path to greatness.

But weekends end...funny how time works.

Showing back up at work this week felt like a milestone. Suddenly it wasn't my first week of working anymore - or even the second week!  The novelty of being a new employee seemed to have worn off.  After several weeks of forcing myself into the working girl routine, the complex relationships and skills required for production planning were still an enigma to me.

But I'm determined to make this job my playground.  Now that I have the five-step plan, how can I not?

For most of the day today, I job shadowed with a man named Evan.  Tomorrow I'm meant to sit with him again to see how what we (really, what he) did today will affect what we need to do tomorrow.

Next week, I start planning my lines on my own. A two-week Planning crash course seems brief, even when considering that I'm coming back in with some previous experience with the company. I guess that means that my boss has a lot of faith in me?

Brian - my boss - wasn't part of the Planning department when I was here for my summer internship.  How could someone who wasn't in the department just a year before suddenly make his way into such a high-ranking position?

I asked Andrew about our leader during my lunch break today; apparently, Brian took a management position with the department after working for years supervising production lines.  Something about Andrew's tone made me think that he was withholding information and that Andrew didn't particularly care for Brian's leadership style.

I didn't pry any further, but I definitely intend to go sleuthing for more information.

For now, my plan requires me to establish myself at my job and befriend Holly Clark.  If I'm good at my job, the rest is sure to follow, right? The picture-perfect marriage, the popularity, the public recognition...even the chance to go to Asia and get a hefty bonus. Could that all be mine?

I tried explaining my dream life to David, but he didn't understand why it was so important to me to get to the top. He just kept saying that I needed to slow down and make it through my trial period – the ominous 90-day period before a salaried employee is really permanent. To an extent he was right...but I had to ask someone else.

Sierra offered to hate Holly with me in silent support of my master plan, but that wasn't the response I wanted either.

Holly is much too nice of a person to blindly hate, even if I'm (slightly) jealous of her success. I just want to be able to compete with her and stand a chance, that's all!  Maybe my methods are a little questionable, but I've got to stand out somehow.

The only person who seemed to really get it was Mom – who I've called every day on the way home from work or the gym. All she really did was listen while I processed out loud how I've been feeling about everything.  No judgment.  No interruptions.

In truth, her advice was really similar to what David told me - but I won't be admitting that to him anytime soon.  He wouldn't ever let me forget that he was right and I was being dramatic.

But it somehow feels better – more real – when advice comes from your mom.

Talking to my mom makes me feel so much more grounded in reality.   Whenever she laughs and calls me 'Kels' in that special tone of voice, I know that I'm being absolutely ridiculous.  And when we talk I always end up laughing; a weight seems to come off my chest no matter how impossible my situation might seem.

I think I'll call and ask her if I can come home for a weekend to spend time with her and dad...and my childhood dog: Monkey.  With all of these changes, I need to get back to basics.

Will Mom be disappointed in me if I tell her my five-step plan?

~Kelsey