Holly Grande: Short and Sweet

This post is a part of 20SB’s Looking Back Blog Carnival, and Ben & Jerry’s is awarding free ice cream to lucky bloggers and readers!

Although I started this blog so I could talk about technology, communication and my job search, my initial entries are embarrassing, to say the least. I think I tried to hard at first, trying to straddle the line between relating to other 20-somethings and keeping my personal life private. Most of the entries are saccharine, superficial and...boring. I did find one, though, that I think shows how much I've grown as a professional (and a blogger). Fired was originally posted in November, 2007.

Speaking of new technology, a friend of mine was recently fired from her internship.

It's really an amazing story. Kate* is very intelligent and field-savvy, and she got a position with a very important news source. As part of her learning experience, and to use in her final project for school, she created a blog in which she wrote about her experiences. Kate is very witty, and it showed in her entries. Unfortunately, the newsroom director was not amused and had Kate fired. She will not earn credit, she will not pass go, and she will not receive her $200 stipend. Kate, understandably, was very upset by this development, especially when she learned that the HR department had been calling her internship adviser and promised that she will never work for this very important news source again.

When I found out, I was stunned. Kate was not writing about the sexcapades of politicians. However, she must have written something that the news director thought portrayed the very important news source in a negative light. I would tend to agree with this news source, especially if Kate had breached her internship contract, but I do not think they handled it well at all.

As I mentioned earlier, the internet is so new that we don't know what to do with it. This is also the age of Ugly Betty, Back to You and Devil Wears Prada. We love to hear about the behind the scenes scandals of big-name companies. It the grand scheme, Kate's blog was harmless, and probably would have served to humanize this news source.

Should Kate have remained anonymous? Absolutely. And it is unfortunate that the news director found out about the blog. But should the very important news source have fired Kate? No! With her writing ability and witty tone, they could have capitalized on her, granting her some guidelines about what should and should not go into the blog and a general time frame for when information can get out.

It's unfortunate that Kate lost her job over a blog, but it is more unfortunate that these big corporations aren't better taking advantage of them.

* not her real name

Posted by Holly at 4:07 PM 0 comments  

Labels: career, communication

A few weeks ago I drove 11 hours to visit my parents in Atlanta. I had been meaning to have my car looked at by our mechanic, and an interview in Atlanta offered a good opportunity. It was a long drive, but I passed the time listening to news radio and, for about an hour in South Carolina, rocking out to a local Country station. I left at an absurdly early hour, so I got in in the late afternoon—my dad and sister knew I was coming, but my mom had no idea. After she yelled at me for keeping it a secret from her, she admitted she was glad I was visiting.

It was the first time, I think, that I felt like a “real” adult while at my parent’s. Sure, my old room was converted into a guest room four years ago, and I have been living pretty independently since junior year, but for the first time, I felt like a guest as much as a daughter. It was nothing outright—maybe it was in the little differences, although I am not quite sure what they are.

It’s strange how people evolve. In a moment of reminiscing, I pulled out some old photo albums one afternoon and looked at photos from elementary school. At 23, I’m the oldest daughter, and it is weird to think that my parents were my age when they had me. My dad likes to joke that I was the “beta version” (insinuating my little sister is the better version, of course). In a way, it’s true. Every experience, every new thing I learned, was new for them, too. Even this is new for them, and I can only imagine what it is like for them to have an adult child.

When I left to come back here, something even stranger happened, though. As I walked through my front door, I thought, “Oh, it’s nice to be home.” I caught myself as I thought it. I live in a house with two other girls, and while it’s a nice place, I had never thought of it as home.

For most of my post-high school life, my parent’s house was home. No matter where I was—New York, Boston, DC—my parent’s house was home. I know it’s not anything monumental, but it’s a pretty big moment for me.

Posted by Holly at 3:06 PM 0 comments