Desk Jockey

Desk Jockey

Name: Sasha Muradali
Hometown: Miami
Education: University of Miami, MA in International Administration, Class of 2009
Plan A: International public relations
Plan B: Clerical work

Forget about moving from Plan A to Plan B; I'm on Plan C. Plan A was to do something in international PR: I went to school for it, got my bachelors in it and had a concentration in it. I grew up always wanting to be in the communications field, and the fact that I can't do that right now is killing me.

I did everything in my power when I was in college to prepare myself best for the working world; I wanted to have an edge over everybody else. I studied abroad, wrote a thesis, interned, went to grad school. I couldn't find a job in PR, which is what I want to do and am supposed to be doing, so I took a job doing documentation/clerical work for a freight forwarder—basically, a shipping middleman that works between the supplier and the shipping lines.

It's really not that exciting: I file paperwork, answer phone calls from people who mispronounce country names, check with vessels about shipping. My job doesn't pay me well at all; I've been here for about six months, no benefits, no accrued sick days, and I'm pretty much still on "probation." It's barely enough to cover the $1,200 in student loans I pay back each month. My car isn't new and I live at home.

That's right, I'm a 24-year-old with an masters and a poorly paying job. So Plan C is I network and job hunt on Twitter. I joined LinkedIn and I started a blog. I became a beauty blogger and literature blogger to get my name out there. I volunteer with my alumni association and have three part-time freelance jobs with PR firms—two of which I got through Twitter. Do they pay a lot? No. Is it a good experience? Yes.

That's Plan C. Plan C is doing everything you can to make it happen. It's getting creative and going above and beyond.