Slave to the Grind

I do NOT want to work a
nine to five
the rest of my life!

Going into college, young people are asked to make a life altering decision in the form of a "declared major."

With this question hanging heavily in the air, all of your dream jobs from childhood are put into perspective. "How realistic are my aspirations when trying to find a corresponding college major?"

When I was a wee tike, I desperately wanted to be an entertainer --- a singer/actor/dancer. I even told my Mom that as a back-up career, I would go to school to become a teacher in case my artistic aspirations didn't pan out!
But by the time freshman year of college rolled around, becoming a teacher no longer held the same allure and even becoming a famous entertainer failed to tickle my fancy. I desired financial independence and after researching my future tuition costs, I decided the only way to make the next four years of education pay for itself was to go Pre-Law.
It seemed like a good idea at the time; I was a skilled public speaker and loved to argue!

So I punked out on pursuing my childhood dreams
in order to begin building a "financially secure future."

Two weeks into my first college semester, I realized the Pre-Law thing wasn't going to work out (LOL). I removed myself from the program but kept my English major and declared a writing specialization (essentially a major within a major.)

Now that those four years of analyzing Charlotte Bronte and Beckett are finished, I feel like a college freshman all over again. The only difference is that now I have the added stress of wondering if

maybe I have a degree in the wrong thing.

These days I have a very carpe diem attitude towards my career and future. And this new 'tude has me considering going into graduate school to educate myself on the things I have genuine interest in. Despite what my transcript reads, reading, analyzing and mimicking the work of dead authors doesn't really rock my socks. What I really want to know more about is the music industry and talent management.

The cost and worth of continuing education is best saved for another day, but I do strongly believe that anything worth having is worth fighting for. And having a "dream" career is not a luxury reserved for children, so I'm preparing for battle and fighting for my dream! Even in our twenties, we have an abundance of time to start working towards a lifestyle and career that truly satisfies us.

If you have already finished or will soon finish undergraduate school and are toying with the idea of a enrolling in a master's program as I am, my suggestion is to take your time with the decision. Graduate school will not cease to exist in the time it takes us to properly research and decide whether it is something we want to pursue. Let's make this a wise decision for our betterment!

I have known it since I was a child that I am not cut out for the daily grind of a nine to five; my heart is set on a much more atypical lifestyle. And I know my childhood dreams are indeed achievable if I only give myself the chance!

Do you think graduate school is worth it? Leave a comment!

Love My Work, Not My Skirt

To my horror,

I saw one of our twenty-something peers walking into work this morning in a tube top and mini-skirt and toting along a hooded sweatshirt. Of course I was sympathetic to her attempt to look cute, and she did look pretty, but
respect in the workplace needs to be earned through proper presentation.
Working in Manhattan you get to see a lot of different expressions of personal office style. Young women in their twenties are especially skilled at being fashionalbe and professional simultaneously. However, as our friend in the tube top reminded me, the transition from college dorm chic to office diva is not always a smooth one.

As I strutted down the runway [sidewalk] to my office this morning, I passed dozens of twenty-something women in fabulous attire.

There were mix-and-match peices from blazers, ruffle blouses, pencil skirts, scarves, pretty jewelry, suit pieces worn individually and all sorts of feminine and fun prints and colors. They make it all seem effortless as though looking fabulous at work happened over night for them.

But it didn't happen over night for me --- and judging from Tube-top Girl, I'm sure I'm not alone.
By the time I earned my Bachelor's Degree in English I had managed to purchase two super-cute office outfits. And that was fine for the couple of months of interviewing that I endured. Once I had to start looking office-chic every day, I had to get more creative.

Reaching deep into the depths of my wardrobe, I separated tops that thoroughly covered my back, tummy and shoulders (with my humble chest, plunging necklines are not popular in my drawers...but others should take heed that mega-cleavage is not okay at the office.) Then I found all of the skirts and dresses I had that made it reasonably near my knees or below and paired them with the tops. This make-shift office wardrobe held me down until I had put together enough money to expand.

Going to the office does not mean that you have to dress in a matching suit and pants, but it does mean that people should not be distracted by your "assets" when they should be looking into your face.

Perhaps Tube-top Girl did not have any clothes that made it over her shoulders or any pants devoid of patches on the back pockets. We will never know.

But as a pretty-faced young woman in her twenties with a job in a nice Manhattan building, measures need to be taken to avoid appearing like a ditzy beauty queen.

We know the ditzy women exist and they can be quite adorable and loving people, but if you are a woman who takes pride in your talents/skills and intelligence,

Make The World See Beyond Your Beauty.

[The first image can be found at greatglam.com --- This site has a lot of really sexy club and dressy-casual styles. Most of them should not be worn at work! lol]

Styling HELP For The Office: When you are ready to start filling your closet with work clothes, try visiting H&M, Forever 21 and Bebe to find reasonably priced and very fashionable styles. These stores have been a bigggg help to me as I have been transitioning!

Pretty. Profound.

Hello beautiful people!

Allow me to introduce myself...I am Uptown Ari. Yeah, that's me over there on the left!

Young and armed with a Bachelor's Degree I'm braced to take on the world in this cool economic climate. And I gotta tell you, I've done it all to stay afloat in this fabulous city of New York. Entertainment is a great interest of mine and I have done modeling, joined an R&B group, worked for music companies and even worked at clubs as a "party motivator!"

But this blog is about more than city life and being pretty and flashy; it's about educated women utilizing everything they have going for them. It seems that at times young women are made to feel guilty about being pretty in a corporate world as though nothing they achieve was "earned." Naturally, not every corporate environment is alike and there are both negative and positive stereotypes surrounding attractive corporate women.

I'd like to use this blog to explore the ins and outs of this societal group and open up discussion on different topics surrounding it. More directly, I'd like to address the concerns of we young women in our twenties who are driven for success!

More often than not I find myself feeling challenged and frustrated with the direction my life is headed, or isn't headed. For far too long, I have achieved by relying on wit, charm and beauty. Now that I have finished my undergraduate studies, am in a stable and happy relationship, I'm stuck with the question:

What's Next?

And let me know if I am alone in this because it seems that it is way too early for me to get married, and yet there is not enough time for me to figure out what I am supposed to do with my life before I exit my "prime." College was supposed to be the best years of my life and now they are over.

Can I go back for a little while?

If there is a topic you would like me to explore,
let me know and I will open up a "profound" discussion
that will challenge us all to be
Wise Beyond Our Beauty.