four things i’ve learned from four days in new york

1) Traveling around New York by yourself is incredibly valuable. The times I’ve felt the most at peace in this city so far have been when I’m walking down a busy street alone or stuffed into a packed subway by myself. Not only is this experience good for learning to navigate a foreign city more efficiently, but it’s also incredibly humbling. It’s a beautiful thing to be constantly reminded that the people in this city aren’t really concerned about you or your life. They’re busy focusing on their lives and wants and needs. You’re free to be invisible if you’d like, and as a very introverted person who likes to observe, I find that very comforting. Going through New York with groups of talented, admirable peers is exciting. Braving the city alone is necessary.

2) Sometimes New York is exactly what you’ve seen in the movies or heard from family members or read about in books. There are bags of trash lining the streets and flocks of pigeons ruling the city. Cars honk abrasively at pedestrians and then those pedestrians stand in the middle of the road to yell profanities at the driver. If you’re in someone’s way, they’re going to tell you to move. (I particularly really like this about New Yorkers. You need directions? They’ll help you out. You’re standing in the middle of the sidewalk blocking their path while they’re trying to get somewhere? They’re going to let you know. It’s honest and it feels refreshing.) On the other hand, this city feels ALIVE when you’re moving through it, just like everyone always says. There are opportunities around every corner and seemingly unlimited things to do, see, and experience. There are many things in New York that will take your breath away. The important part is to let yourself form your own opinion of the city. Sometimes it will fall into cliches and other times it will pleasantly surprise you. Let your feelings come naturally without interference from the outside world.

3) Don’t waste people’s time. If you’re going to raise your hand during an agency visit, don’t ask something that they just answered in their presentation. Don’t ask something that could be answered by Google later. Don’t ask a question for the sake of having your voice be heard. Raising your hand isn’t going to land you a surprise internship if your question feels forced and it just causes the person speaking to lose time where they could have been giving actual valuable insight. Likewise, don’t meet someone for coffee and show up unprepared with no questions ready and having done no research. The people in our network are gracious and generous and they want to make a genuine human connection with you, but they’re not here to be your friend. They’re here to help. These opportunities are like having a free Google search engine that is specifically tailored to your dream job. Don’t throw that away by wasting their time.

4) The subway actually isn’t that hard to figure out. However, don’t get too confident about your subway navigation skills, because before you know it, the Universe will check your ego and knock you down a peg. Suddenly, you think you’re in Brooklyn but you’re actually on the opposite side of the river and then you’ll be late to an important event. This particular lesson may or may not be from a personal experience earlier today. Consider my ego checked.

-Adriane Hershey / 5.9.18