I can’t even remember when my big city dreams started. Maybe
it was when I saw New York in movies or on TV. Maybe it was when I read about
the city in a book or a magazine. Or maybe it was once I learned that New York
was a place where you could see Broadways shows every day of the week, all year
around. I honestly don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be fabulous and
live in New York City.
I took my first trip there the summer I turned thirteen. It
was a gift from my Nana for my birthday and I was SO excited to finally see the
city I’d been dreaming about. I remember my first glimpse of Times Square, the
yellow cabs racing by. I remember the weird smells that grossed me out at first
but then just became normal NYC scents. I fell in love with all of the buildings
that had been built years and years before. The city just held so much history,
but was full of people who just wanted to create.
Getting on the plane to leave that very first time, I
remember crying. It may have mostly been due to the fact that I was exhausted
after four long days in the Big Apple, BUT I recall being so sad about
leaving…I didn’t want to go! Luckily, I was able to visit the city several
times after that first visit and every time, my love for the city grew and my
desire to eventually move there strengthened.
When it came time to select location preferences for my
auditing internship last summer, I knew New York was number one. It was a
little bit discouraging when I heard it may be difficult for me to secure an
internship in NYC due to my GPA; It is good by most standards, but New York
usually looked for higher. I almost cried thinking my way to the city may be
thwarted because of my GPA! Needless to say, as the recruitment process
continued I was so ecstatic that two of the Big Four firms’ New York offices
were interested in me. My advisor told me to prepare to be asked why I wanted
to intern in New York. I told him I’d always wanted to live there after college
and he said that was an excellent answer. As the story goes, eventually I
decided Deloitte was the firm for me and so began a year-long wait to finally get
to experience life in the city.
The weeks leading up to my stay in New York, I started
getting anxious, as any normal human being would. I was concerned about the
internship, worried I wasn’t prepared enough or that I wasn’t going to like the
work. Fear of the unknown, mostly. I also found myself getting nervous about
living in the city. I was terrified that I would get there and end up HATING
living in the city I’d always dreamed about living in!
As I’m sure my blog posts over the past few months have
alluded to, I absolutely LOVED living in New York. I miss so many little things
about it now that I’m back home and back to my college student lifestyle. It’s
a place of opportunity and endless possibilities. You can feel it in the air
and see it everywhere you go. Looking at people as you walk down the street,
you can’t help but wonder what they’re doing in New York. What are they trying
to achieve?
The biggest shock of the summer was, honestly, how much I
enjoyed my internship. I went in with so many preconceived notions (which is
NEVER smart, people!) but that’s just how I am. However, I will be the first
person to admit I’m wrong…and I was wrong about the internship. I am so thankful
that I was put on the client I worked on all summer because the engagement team
was so amazing. They took care of us and helped us get the most out of our
eight weeks there. Had I been assigned to a different team, I think the
experience could have been a lot different. Accountants get a stereotype of
being boring, serious people but the team I was on was full of people who liked
to joke around and have fun, while also being productive and serious when
necessary. It showed me that accountants could have a good time! I made two
wonderful friends in the other interns who were on my client and started
creating a solid network within the firm.
On the last day of my internship, I was given an offer for
full-time employment with Deloitte in their New York office beginning Fall
2015. Such a wide mix of emotions settled over me in the moment they handed me
the offer letter. Excitement, relief, pride, and…a touch of panic. I was going
to have to decide my future in less than 30 days…and anyone who is close to me
knows I don’t handle making big life-changing decisions easily.
I had this amazing opportunity sitting in front of me that
would allow me to move to the city I always dreamed of, work for an incredible
company, have a pretty good salary, and have the ability to get through my last
year of college knowing a job was waiting for me. The answer seemed simple. Why
wouldn’t I take it? But as usual, the what-ifs started floating into my head.
All of the little things that stress me out about decisions. The big “what if
this doesn’t make me happy?” It was all there in my head…and for the first
time, I pushed it all out. I wanted to make this decision on my own and I
wanted to be proud of that decision.
The fact of the matter is, this summer I was happy. I never
dreaded going into work. I was confident in my skills and in the education I’ve
gotten from Texas A&M. I was proud of everything I did while I was
interning. I was proud of myself for taking the chance to go to a city where I
didn’t know anyone so that I could intern doing a job I didn’t have any
hands-on experience doing and finishing it strong!
I find myself thinking about the path I’m on and convincing
myself this isn’t the right path and I should be doing something else. I’m
meant to be somewhere else. But the truth is, there’s a reason God put me on
the path I’m traveling down. The decisions I’ve made over the years have led me
to this and I made all of those myself. At the time they may not have been the
choices I wanted to make, but I made them and that’s how I got where I am
today. God gives us the free will to make these decisions. Maybe one day I’ll
make a decision that changes my course in life, but right now I’m sticking to
the path I’m on.
I have officially accepted my offer of employment from
Deloitte and I’m oh so excited to say I will be moving to New York City next
Fall. If you would have told my 13-year old self that I was ACTUALLY going to
move to NYC one day, I doubt she would have believed it. Hard work and
determination can get you anywhere. These are qualities my parents instilled in
me and I am so thankful that they did.
Dreams do come true, everyone! It may not be the way I
always thought it would happen, but it is happening. I’m so excited about this
new opportunity and can’t wait to see what the future holds.
A big thank you to EVERYONE who has always been there for me
and encouraged me along the way. Especially my parents, grandparents, aunts,
uncles, cousins, friends, teachers, etc! I love you all!!
Until next time,
Alex
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