One of the more prominent symbols in our culture, the North Star provides a stable vantage point both realistically as well as, and maybe even more importantly, metaphorically speaking. The North Star, or Polaris, appears stationary at all times, lying directly overhead as seen from the North Pole. The other stars in the Northern sky rotate around it, taking cues from this reliable lead. Enter symbolism. It is probably a safe presumption that most people are searching for their own North star, purpose or meaning of some sort. A destination we can strive towards, approaching ever slowly, but steadily. Other commentaries identify the North Star as a symbol of the fulfillment of dreams. Sailors aligned their coordinates in relation to this mighty star in order to return safely home, and so we too align our behaviors so that in time we may navigate this world and create our ideal life. For the past two years, I have been a little lost in terms of work and finding my place. That being said, it is quite fitting that this story would begin for me, a self-proclaimed idealist, at a company called none other than Look North Inc.
Relocating from Washington, DC to my home state of New Jersey brought me the opportunity to begin anew. And with some good fortune, I found my North Star. Situated in a charming Victorian home, this creative and technology studio has been in practice since 1996, providing the services of strategy and planning, user experience design, and web development among others for a slew of interesting clients. Their growing list of clients and projects necessitated the addition of another team member, a project manager, to organize the process. That’s my cue.
I graduated from Georgetown University two years ago with a double major in Marketing and Entrepreneurship and held a few positions that were less, well far less, than ideal. Here I was, a bright eyed recent graduate, inflated with the promise of a rewarding career and professional fulfillment that my professors so ardently instilled, stuck in jobs that felt quite hopeless. Day in and day out, I wondered if this was really what my schooling was supposed to prepare me for. So excited to graduate and start making my mark, I was left with a substantial void where my future prospects should have been, accompanied by a feeling of helplessness because I could not seem to figure out where I fit. I maintain it is important to have goals and to strive, but looking back I probably would have tempered those expectations just a bit. Ok, I should have tempered them leaps and bounds, but it was a chapter marked by much learning, a thicker skin, more realistic perspectives, and some needed patience. Are there greater sorrows in the world than an unpleasant work experience? You bet. But when conditioned to believe in the potential that life will hold, it can be quite demoralizing to leap into the unknown, lose your paddle and then have your compass stolen. Thankfully, supportive people I met along the way provided much needed light for my journey.