I got invited to join Phi Beta Kappa. Unfortunately, with so many national honor societies sending you letters and asking for membership fees, it's easy to automatically ignore and throw away all such invitations. But this one's different. Being a part of Phi Beta Kappa actually means something. And the cool thing is, USC is actually paying the initiation fees for all its students. There is no reason not to join!

I actually also got an invitation to Phi Kappa Phi, the all-disciplinary counterpart of Phi Beta Kappa (which is just for liberal arts and sciences), but I had to actually get recommendations for it, so I decided to pass.

I'm sitting at my computer dressed in a shirt and tie. I planned to go to the career fair today, which started at 10 am and was supposed to go to 2:30, but I knew that employers start leaving much earlier than that. I had class from 9:30 to 12, and I went back home to eat lunch. I put a pizza in the oven, and it was about 1 by the time I finished eating. I normally eat the whole thing, but I only ate half because I didn't want to feel too full or tired. I couldn't find my suit in the closet. Last semester, I went to the career fair and a couple interviews with just a shirt and tie. Going in a suit was overkill for me, especially since it was in the 80s and sunny. It was sweaty and disgusting. I don't feel that wearing a suit will make any difference at all, and I just kind of laugh to myself at people who come in a suit, looking all spiffy at a career fair where no one gets hired on the spot; they just tell you to come to information sessions and submit resumes for on-campus interviews and hand out business cards and brochures.

But today the clouds were out, and it was gloomy outside. So I thought, why not, just go in a suit. I couldn't find my suit in the closet, where it normally is, in the back rack. I got mad because I thought it might have been one of my roommates, who only stays at our house for sleeping and is known to throw out or move things that don't belong to him as he's cleaning. So I ditched the suit idea. Then just as I walked out the door, I noticed it was raining. That sucked, since I didn't have an umbrella, since someone stole it at UR (really miffed about that). So I texted my other roommate to see if he had an umbrella. No response. So I put on a rain jacket and walked outside. I stopped a girl who was walking by dressed in business clothes and asked her if she was just at the career fair. She said everyone was gone. I figured; it was raining. Sucked. She told me she thought the company I was interested in (I was only planning on talking to one company) only had sales jobs. Well, so much for career fair. So I went back inside and here I am, bummed out.

Job searching is a pain. The only jobs out there are for those with "experience," whatever that means. Companies think they can find the perfect candidate through case and situational interviews, but how successful are they really? Interviewees try so hard to impress when they probably won't even enjoy the job or when getting to the next round has nothing to do with skills or abilities but likeability. A thank you note seems pointless unless you really hit a note with an interviewer or recruiter. The whole process seems so contrived.

Here goes...spring semester will be about looking for a job. Kind of fun, because who knows where I'll end up. The net I cast won't be too wide, though. I want to get a job near home so I can live at home for the time I spend between college and law school. No point in paying rent in this economy if I can live with my parents. When I tell people that I'm planning to look for a job, none fail to remark about the economy and the rising unemployment rate. I feel like they're worried more than I am. I'll just do my best. I have so little to worry about compared to others.

Haven't written much in here lately.