Three's a Crowd: You, Me, and Jane Austen

Faces on the Road - made possible thanks to Jane Austen & you!

When you work in the field of international education, most if not all the entirety of fall is consumed by making university visits and attending regional conferences. So here we are. All together again at the end of October, and finally taking a deep breath as winter encroaches upon Colorado. 

In the months since I've posted on WWJaneDo, I've celebrated the marriage of one of my younger sisters, traveled to Australia for WYSTC, moved apartments, and connected with many new and familiar friends on the road. A whirlwind? Yes. But the kind of whirlwind that keeps a smile on my face after every adventure has concluded.

As I settle into being home in Colorado, it struck me a bit by surprise this week to receive a unique notification from my LinkedIn account: it was a message letting me know that October marked the three year anniversary of What Would Jane Do. It was enough to make me smile once more. To some, three years might not be much, but this anniversary continues to hold a special place in my heart and in my professional life.

Girl in Transition: Two Years & Counting

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again."    

- C.S. Lewis

I've always loved that quote. I like to think that as you get older, it's discovering the magic in reality that makes for a true fairy tale. If we can discover the happy endings in every obstacle and challenge that comes our way, it's safe to say that one never really has to outgrow fairy tales.

Earlier this week, I marked my two year anniversary with GoAbroad.com and it's been a fairy tale of the best variety - filled with ups, downs, moments that made me laugh and cry, and the kind of learning that comes with a job you truly love.

Working in international education isn't everything I imagined it might be - it's more. It's more work, more persistence, and more passion than even someone as obsessed as myself thought it would be. And I'm not even close to done learning or connecting with others who dedicate themselves to international education opportunities. 

This is what they call a girl in transition. Or something like that. And on this #ThrowbackThursday, I'm jumping back to take a look at two of the biggest lessons I've learned about international education so far. Grab your coffee or tea. It's about to get all sorts of introspective up in here.

Three Reasons It's Okay to Make Mistakes With Your Job

It it a truth universally acknowledged that nothing ever goes according plan. 

The same can be said of your job responsibilities and projects not always turning out the "right" way.

And you know what? That is perfectly okay. More than that, it's my thought that you SHOULD have moments of failure and falling down - thus learning what it takes to stand up, brush your behind off, and try again. Or in some cases, try again and again and again.

Before you head into your weekend plans, be them exciting adventures or low-key relaxing, let's take a look at three reasons why making mistakes with your job is a good thing, and how they allow you to become a better employee and thought-leader in your field.


At the very least, these should help when you arrive back at the office on Monday morning ;)

Six Ways to Shine Like a Diamond on LinkedIn

I feel like I've been living on LinkedIn more often of late. Not only because I enjoy the platform so much, but all the recent changes and developments with LinkedIn have me thinking that being on this platform is more important than ever. 

Whether you're a college student, a post-grad, or have been a working professional for years, it's time to tune into how to make LinkedIn work for you.

My colleague, Kayla Patterson, recently featured a guest post on her blog about why it's important to be on LinkedIn (highly recommend reading this if you haven't already!) and it's inspired me to follow up on that post with some tangible ways to sparkle on the platform - or shine like a diamond, as Rihanna so eloquently phrases things. 

Why? Because as someone who was hired for my position through social media, I understand how hard it can be to walk the line of transparent personality and professional employee. To achieve balance, it takes a lot of practice - as well as a healthy dose of trial and error.

It doesn't matter if you're new to the platform, or already quite experienced, these tips should help add some extra pizzazz to your digital footprint!

If Happiness is a State of Mind, Why Change It?

They aren't kidding when they say time will fly when you aren't paying attention. I've heard that saying more times then I can count--and certainly believe it--but I never truly understood it until recently.

A little over six months ago I arrived to Colorado from California to start an exciting new career, and build upon the amazing experiences I'd already accumulated. Some days, it feels like no time has passed at all; on others, it seems like just yesterday that I was pulling up with a U-Haul to my new apartment. In between that spectrum, there are a range of memories and moments I wouldn't trade for anything.

The question is, though, if you've “arrived” to where you've worked your a%* off to be, what's next? How do you sustain the happiness and success you've found? Is it even possible? Here is my answer to that: 

Back in Black...Metaphorically Speaking

As you may have noticed (or not noticed if you don't even read this blog!), it's been a good couple of months since my last post. What started as a short break in order to focus on my new job at GoAbroad.com quickly became a challenge to even keep up with!

If you know me at all, though, it's these kind of challenges that I thrive the most with. That being said, I will be back tomorrow with a new post about all the occurrences and lessons learned over the last couple of months. It's been a roller coaster ride of discovery and emotional ups and downs---pretty typical I suppose when you're still trying to find your way in the world. 

In the meantime, you can find me over writing on the GoAbroad Blog where I get my fix of talking about all things travel related, and working with other bloggers who feel the same! Looking forward to reuniting with the blogosphere SOON :)

A New Year for Old Resolutions

I love the holidays, but I'm not always a fan of how they throw my routine off balance (aka making it difficult to find ANY time for a blog post). That being said, I love the fresh start that the New Year provides and the motivation it inspires to accomplish your goals--both new and old.

When I say old, I'm not referring to the completely-out-of-date-gathering-dust-in-a-corner resolutions that come and go every year (aka that gym membership you REALLY will use this time). Instead I aim to point out that yearlong, ongoing resolutions are just as essential as setting new goals. 

More often than not, the most important things in life usually take longer than a year to fully accomplish.

Staying true to who you are; Believing that you do make a difference; having the courage to take a leap into a future you're not entirely sure of; whatever it may be, these are the sort of the things that we strive to accomplish every day of our lives. 

As you set forth all your new goals, keep in mind that some are meant to last a lifetime.