Letters to My Daughter

"Sometimes in life, the (limited) choices we have are blessings in disguise." -a friend I applied to one business school-Stern- and didn't get in. I appreciate the wisdom of the admissions office. I feel I am destined to learn business somehow, to be involved in something so long as I keep my eyes and ears open, and start learning practical skills. I must enroll in an accounting class. I really loved when my father showed me his software program. I liked how you can input numbers into a program, and the computer can help you make sense of those numbers. It is elegant. My father not only empowers people in the community with his accounting service (literally helps people get money from the government), he also advises and consults new businesses and nonprofits. He has over 3000 clients that he handles from all over the continental US. He does this as his solo practice. I marvel at my father and his entrepreneurial spirit. He was motivated by the dollar. He left the world h...

Tom Petty said it best: "I'm free, free fallin.'" He might have been describing heartbreak, but I think the joblessness of my state, and that of the United States, are one and the same. I feel that my mental state has gradually withered away as I've received rejection after rejection--sometimes multiple rejections in one day! "It's not you," friends console, "It's the economy." As much as I would like to blame the ECONOMY for all that's wrong in my world right now, to do so would be irresponsible. In fact, my joblessness has much more to do with my lack of confidence, lack of engagement, and my lack of aggressiveness. I have had 12 callbacks in the past 2 months. And not a single job offer. My interviews were great, some lasting over an hour because my recruiters felt like long lost friends. However, at the end of the day, I am still without a job. What could have gone wrong? Did I smell? Was my hijab too tight? Did I not provide su...