The paradox of my life

For half of my life (since I was a freshman at The University of Georgia at the age of 18 – do the math) I have been a Bulldog. Unlike many of my friends, I was not born and bred a Bulldog, but I still bleed Red & Black. My home has touches of Athens, the Bulldogs and red & black throughout. Both my bachelors degree and MBA are from The University of Georgia, and I am currently finishing up a certificate “Social Media for Business Use” through UGA’s Online Continuing Education Program.

So it will be really odd to walk into my new place of employment, Georgia Institute of Technology, in 10 days and market on-campus housing and conference services. The Red & Black part of me is screaming “WHY??” and the logical, responsible, bill-paying part of me is saying “YAY!” The Search Committee for this position asked me several times about being a “Double Dawg” and working at Tech. I put them at ease by referring to UGA as “the other school” (the humorous part of the interview process) and then stressing the importance of education in the development of our next generation (the serious side of the interview). I pointed out my experience in tutoring college student-athletes, and that I told several students who were bragging about being the first in their family to gain college degrees, that the most important thing about going to college is not getting the degree, but getting the education, and using the education wisely in their future careers. The other aspect of college education that I stressed during the interview process was the massive amount of student debt that is being amassed by the current crop of graduates, and that it will only get worse if costs aren’t kept in check.

I read this article a week before my first interview, and it stuck with me so much that I mentioned it during my in-person interview, and I think that this is one of the reasons that they picked me over the other candidates. I am a marketing guru by practice and education, but I also thirst for knowledge, and want to know why. If presented with a situation or problem to solve, I will look at WHY the current situation happened, and HOW best to solve it, and how to prevent it from recurring. This applies to not only student debt, but also my employment situation.

I know that while Georgia Tech may not be my favorite college sports team (HA!) it is definitely a great academic institution (do not call it “a university” – they hate that!) and it is a public education resource in the state of Georgia. In that manner, it is a great choice for a place of employment, and one that I feel I can succeed in marketing on-campus housing and conference services. I look forward to the challenge, and joining my fellow Bulldogs that work at Georgia Tech!