This is a little story about the best birthday present I have received in a long time

Yesterday was my birthday! Aside from a few books that I've been looking forward to reading, I didn't get anything especially exciting until later in the afternoon.

While sitting around the other night, I went to check my assorted Career-Finding-Website newsletters. Presumably if you have used one of these Find-A-Career Dot-Coms, you are familiar with these e-mails. One of them listed that The Examiner was looking for some columnists for their Society & Culture section. Familiar with The Examiner, I quickly skim the list of available Examiner titles: Linguistics Examiner.

"That's me!" I thought. "I could do that!"

So at 11:30 at night, I throw together a quick article about Twitterspeak and a little blurb about why they should hire me as the Boston-Area Linguist.

I receive one of those "we are now processing your information FOR EVER" e-mails. I don't really think too much about it. The next afternoon - on my birthday - I discover they want to give me the linguistics column! And I will get paid per article! (spoiler alert: probably very little.) AND it'll be a legitimate thing (ahem, Beer Summer.)

To recap: I get to write articles about things I already think about. These articles are then published! With my name attached! Other people will read them (maybe!) And then, I will (presumably) get paid for it. What's up, relevant resume expierence. I don't care any more, really, if I don't have a "real job". I am actually using my degree directly out of college! Not only am I going be a freelance writer, which is every English major's dream, I get to read about linguistics and think about language and THEN I GET TO OPEN THIS DISCUSSION FOR OTHER PEOPLE. I, for one, am excited. I hope you are too.