Things are looking up? Maybe.

So, after I told myself that I wouldn't get into freelancing again, five(ish) different freelance opportunities came to me. All of them are through my immediate network, as opposed to friends-of-friends-of-acquaintances. That's pretty exciting and definitely reassuring, although most of them are still very early on in the negotiation process. Projects at work have also started to pick up, which has been putting me in a pretty good mood lately.

Today was the CED career fair on campus. It was a pretty hectic day, and I probably didn't prepare as much as I should have. I rushed to print and assemble my portfolio, and asked a lot of favors of people. I was able to talk to the majority of the different firms there, but that isn't really saying much. This year there were about 12 different firms, which is about half the amount of firms there were last year... and last year's turnout was half the amount of the year before. And to top that off, a majority of the firms I talked to said they weren't hiring (surprise! ...). I found it amusing that when I mentioned graphic and web design to some of the recruiters, their tone sort of suggested I should pursue that instead of architecture.

Overall though, I'd say that reception to my portfolio has been mostly positive, which is a relief considering it took me so long to "finish". I've accepted the fact that my portfolio is something that constantly needs to change and evolve. It may feel complete for about 5 seconds after it's printed, but it will never be "finished"... until I retire. It's just a shame that it costs $40 to print every time. And I'm not making much money. At all.

So now what? I need to stay optimistic and be prepared to wait it out some more. Sounds like a plan..

Day of Remembrance