During college, students are blessed with a great schedule – well, at least one that we get to create and a pretty easy way of life. Then suddenly, after only a mere four or five years of this magnificent life, we are thrown back into the real world. This is not to say that I am not really excited about graduating next May, but during a recent trip to Washington, D.C. with the journalism and corporate communications and public affairs department, I was reminded of what life after college may be like.
No more days of sleeping till noon on a Thursday or Friday just because I decided to start my weekend a tad too early. No more working out at two o’clock in the afternoon when the gym is empty and I can exercise in peace. There will be no more splurging on a beautiful bag or pair of jeans, just because I convince myself that I have to have them. Soon we will have bills and rent that have to be paid by us, not our parents.
I am really going to miss this life.
Sometimes, I do to convince myself that writing three papers and taking two tests in one week is excruciatingly harder than having a job. But, that was before I got a glimpse into the lives of some recent SMU alumni living in Washington, D.C.If there is anything I learned during my recent trip to D.C. is that everyone there is shopping. And you thought Dallas was bad. They are shopping for their next perfect job, shopping for the next big political scandal or story or shopping to get their cause heard.
Life in D.C. is extremely fast paced. People work 12-13 hour days, have virtually no weekends and practically give their lives to the senator, congressmen or cause that they are working for. Because of this hard element, the people working on Capitol Hill are mostly young people. I was shocked to be enlightened that men and women my age, in their early to late 20s, are the ones who are the gatekeepers, making enormous decisions, in many areas of the U.S. government. They are the legislative aides in a senator’s office, which means they control most of the issues that the senator hears, a deputy press secretary at a major government organization or an assistant to the speechwriters of the White House.
They give their lives for a couple of years to work in this stress-inducing environment for minimal pay, but they do it because they love it. They love the feeling and the power that Capitol Hill can provide to young people.
Brittany Espy, a 2002 SMU CCPA major, is now a legislative assistant for Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. Espy was drawn to D.C. after graduation because of an internship that she had in Isakson’s office while he was a congressman. Espy got to help him with his campaign for senator, and through that she got to move with him after he won. She said, “Life here is intimidating at first, but you just get sucked in because something new or exciting is always happening.”
Alan Abney, a 2002 SMU finance major, is now the spokesperson for the Midwest in the Media Affairs Office of the White House. He monitors for the president the issues that are going on in the Midwest and keeps the White House informed. Abney admitted that he was lucky to get his job in the White House. “It’s all about who you know. When you meet people in this city, be friendly, and they will notice you. Also, getting a job in the White House can be based on how much campaign work you did for the president to help him get where he is now,” he said.
The SMU Alumni Chapter of D.C. said that it has about 300 alums in the area. Capitol Hill is flourishing with opportunities for SMU graduates. If you are thinking about graduate or law school, a great way to be a step above the other applicants is to go to D.C. to work. I learned from the SMU alumni there that the knowledge and skills that they have learned in D.C. are invaluable and will help them in whatever they decide to do next.
“Even though it’s hard, I just remind myself that I get to be a part of something really magnificent and that is what keeps me going here everyday,” Espy said.
This trip was an eye opener for me. Always remember to savor college life. There will never be another time in your life where you have the opportunities or resources at your fingertips that you have here at SMU. Take advantage of the trips abroad or student organizations; through these you will meet contacts and lifelong friends. Who knows, they could be the next Laura Bush, Karen Hughes or Harriet Miers. Your friendships here will be the one thing that sustains you through the new life that will be waiting when you leave this bubble.
Take advantage of the freedom that you have now. Use this time to set goals for where do you want to go next. Keep in contact with professors and classmates, so you will have a network. Use your time here wisely, because it will slip away from you faster than you may think.
Renie is a journalism and English double major who is cherishing her final months as a college student. You can reach her at [email protected].
