Shooting Star

"So, how is it going with your job application?" Sidney asked Ripley. Sidney was asking about Ripley's continuous applying and emailing numerous news station to work as a photojournalist, journalist or news researcher. She would take any work with any of those position as long as it was related or near related to the course she took in college. After being reminded about it, Ripley sighed, with a glum face, she ate a piece of cheesecake on her fork. As if to dispel her glum mood when reminded about her job applications. Ripley and her best friend Sidney was currently inside a dessert and coffee shop and eating some snacks. It was in the middle of the afternoon when they decided to meet up. "I'm still waiting for the other companies to email or call me back after sending my resumes and cover letter. While the others who emailed me back said that they would keep me posted once they started hiring employees again. And they also add that it won't hurt if along the way, while waiting for their email or call, I can apply to other company to gain more experience." Ripley made a face. "Isn't that just their polite way of saying I'm rejected because I'm under qualified. But how can I gain some work experience when I just recently graduated and I'm still applying for my first job?" she asked in exasperation. Ripley Summers was a 20 years old who graduated fron university recently. She had good grades with a bachelors degree with honors and recognition in her journalism course. She wanted to focus on photojournalism since taking photos was also a hobby of hers, so why not combine both, right? She also interned for a publication company that published newspapers and business magazines and also focused more as an online news web site and she had written a few articles and taken photos for those articles as well. Ripley planned to work for a few years to gain experience and then continue her studies to get a doctorate. She also planned and dreamed of winning awards with her photojournalism. And maybe even do an photo exhibit and publish some photo magazines as well in the future once she gained enough recognition and credibility. But for now, she needed to find work and have work experience besides her internship. All these things sounded impressive in her resume, but despite all that, she had no success into getting any interview from any serious news publication and TV stations that she applied at. Of course if those serious news program and publications were to choose to hire an employee from all the applicants who was applying to them, they would obviously first choose those who had good grades from good school with work experience already, and it was an additional boost to have connections as well. Ripley might have good grades and graduated to a good school, if not that super prestigious, but the only connections she had was through her family and they might be business people, but they were from a different industry. At the moment, she didn't have any hope of being hired to any of her chosen company. It was more than a month since they graduated and she had yet to be hired in any of the company she applied to. She was worried and desperate. If half a year or a year from now and she still haven't been hired in any company she applied at, she probably would end up giving up the apartment she was currently staying and go back home and work for her parents company. Her family had a wine business, they also have a distillery and vineyard in the countryside, and their wines were being imported to different countries. Her older brother was the one helping their parents managing it. Since Ripley's passion was really with photojournalism. So, she gave herself an ultimatum that she also talked with her family, if a year from now and she was still floundering like a loss fish in the vast sea of job hunting and applying, she would go back home and work for the family business. And that was the only reason why her parents and older brother agreed that she would also rent and stay in an apartment near the city proper and near the companies she planned to apply and work at. That was why before the time was up, she needed to find a job to pursue her passion. Thankfully, her apartment was already paid in full by her parents as their graduation gift from them, while her brother gave her a hot red sports car as a graduation gift. That was why she only have to worry about food and transportations. Her family had several car collections besides the car that was gifted to her, but she was in New York, it was easier and faster to commute rather than drive on her own and got stuck in traffic for a long time. Her older brother should've gifted her a bike or motorcycle instead, which she doubt he would do so, since he was quite protective and worrywart when it comes to her, who was always reckless and do the things she thought was a good idea at the time. Yes, she was impulsive and reckless. But Ripley's savings won't last very long if she couldn't find a job in the next few months. She sighed at that thought. "How about I recommend you to my current work place?" Sidney asked Ripley thoughtfully. Sidney worked as one of the newbie designer at one of the famous fashion house in New York. Luckily, after Sidney had shown her sketches and designs of clothings and accessories, she was hired as soon as possible. Sidney really had a talent with designing. "I don't know. I have no idea about designing clothes or accessories. I can take good photos of them but I can't design them out of thin air like you do." Ripley pointed out to Sidney. She knew Sidney just want to help her out. Ripley sighed. "Hmm. Maybe I should just lower my standards a little. It's not like I've tried applying at every magazine in the city, you know?" She told Sidney. "That's right. If you start applying and working at a less prestigious news company. You can just work your way from bottom to the top!" Sidney said with a gleam in her eyes. Already thinking who she could contact to see if there was any hiring with the same or near Ripley's course to help her best friend out. "That's right," Ripley said as she agreed with a nod to what Sidney said. All she needed to do was to look outside the box.