Introduction

Jennifer is eager to move to New York City and begin her marketing career.  She graduates in May 2009 from George Washington University with a MBA.  She has been applying to full-time marketing positions since the fall semester and knows that the economy is dismal and jobs are scarce.  As the days and weeks pass, Jennifer feels pressure to become more flexible with her job search.  However, Jennifer remembers her past work experience all too clearly – boring job assignments and less than desirable geographic location.  She wonders if she will ever find her dream job in her favorite city.

Background

In high school, Jennifer studied hard to earn top grades.  She took accelerated classes and was very involved in extracurricular activities.  She remained focused on developing the perfect resume and, as a result, Jennifer got into the university of her first choice. 

At college, Jennifer had a great experience studying business and making life-long friends.  She made time to study in Paris and work in London.  She was excited to see the world and become a professional.  Unfortunately, as graduation neared, there was trouble in the business world.  The dot-com bubble had burst and the stock market had crashed.  Jennifer and her classmates were having difficulty finding jobs.  Undeterred by this economic downturn, Jennifer remained focused on finding a job away from home.  She wanted to see a new city and experience a new culture.  She was eager to have any job in any location. 

Fast forward several years.  Jennifer felt stuck in New Orleans.  She was bored at work and homesick for the east coast.  She desired the fast-pace, challenging, multi-cultural environment that she found while working in London.  Jennifer applied to several jobs around the world, but never heard anything back.  She soon felt that the adult solution was to make the best of her situation and begin thinking of New Orleans as her permanent home.  After all, didn’t the definition of adulthood include making sacrifices and doing things that are not fun?

Jennifer’s “ah ha” moment came after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.  She was fortunate that the hurricane did not destroy her apartment; however, Jennifer soon developed serious medical problems.  One day after surgery, Jennifer began to think about her life, her dreams, and her accomplishments.  Jennifer realized that life is too short to be bored or to settle for a mediocre situation.  She missed learning new things and being challenged.  She was ready to move on and go back to school.

Professional Challenge

Jennifer believes that returning to school was the best decision for her.  She has made incredible friends, found her passion, and is happy to know that interesting opportunities exist everywhere.  Jennifer became president of a professional association and quickly learned a tremendous amount about leadership.  Also, during the summer between her first and second years of business school, Jennifer worked as a product manager intern at a Fortune 500 company in the northeast.  Jennifer loved every minute of her internship and looked forward to learning more at school.

After much research and experience, Jennifer knows that marketing is the career path for her.  The main obstacle that she now faces is finding a job during a time when thousands of qualified, experienced people are getting laid off.  Should she continue searching for a marketing position in New York City, knowing that there is a strong possibility of graduating with no job offer?  Or should she widen her job search to include locations and positions that are not as appealing, but will most likely result in high salary job offers?

Personal Challenge

Jennifer’s professional challenge has caused stress in her personal life.  She is in her late twenties and has been seriously dating her boyfriend for almost four years.  Her boyfriend, who is in his early thirties, would like to get married and have children soon.  Like Jennifer, nearly all of his friends are married and are living a domestic lifestyle.  He has little interest in moving to NYC, as he had previously lived there for five years.  In addition, he is a practicing attorney, which means that moving to NYC would require him to study and pass the New York bar exam – a timely and expensive endeavor.  Furthermore, Jennifer’s parents are near retirement and would love to see her with a secure job, loving husband, and healthy babies. 

Should Jennifer pursue her dreams of becoming a marketing executive in the city or should she come up with an alternative plan that would make her parents and boyfriend happy?  Is there an option that will satisfy everyone – Jennifer, her boyfriend, and her parents?

Jennifer feels like she is standing in the middle of crossroads and does not know which road to take.