There’s a strange disconnect felt during college summers. You haven’t entered the world of true adulthood, yet there’s no way you fall under the same parental control standards of high school. Now add in the complexity of holding a job and commuting from home…. and “what kind of human am I?!” syndrome sets in real quick.

Over the past three summers I’ve done the commuting act. Driving to and from work, living at home, etc etc. This year I decided a break from WKOHAI syndrome was necessary before graduation. Sooo… I packed up a ridiculous number of suitcases, bought a bus ticket, and spent 2 amazing months in the middle of Manhattan. I got to manage my own schedule, live with two fantastic roommates from school, and spend my time working for an unbelievable company: Tory Burch.

Pursuing a personal passion professionally (say that 5 times fast) has always been a goal of mine. And throughout this summer experience I am beyond pleased with my choice. However, there are a few career lessons that I don’t think many young collegiates are considering when searching for that perfect fit.

1. Being financially stable is important but…

If you never have the time, nor the energy to spend that collosal excess of ca$h… it might not be worth the exhaustion. It’s entirely dependent on who you are. Work load + salary + need for social interactions + outside commitments + lifestyle desires = 938,273,049,748 different outcomes. The only way to know what works for you is to try out options. There’s nothing wrong with starting at a lower salary in a position you love to see if the lifestyle works. Hell, you’ve NEVER had a salary before this. How do you know what works or doesn’t work for you? You have time. Seriously. Like tons of time… calm yourself down.

2.  Senior managers are time machine mirrors to the future.

That manager who holds significant power, stays busy everyday, enjoys the company of his/her work buddies, and is dressed to the nines? It could be (and very likely WILL be) you in a few years. If you like what you see… that’s a good sign. If your boss looks miserable or what they’re doing looks miserable through your eyes, chances are that isn’t the job for you. Not getting the work you want right away? Relax. You’re a 20-something intern/new hire. Of course you’ll be given less responsibility and often times less interesting work. That’s how the world works. Put in the hours at a company you feel passionate about and ~climb~

Make old Miley proud.

3.  Humans are social creatures. People are everything to us.

The work I did this summer at Tory Burch was amazing. I felt connected to my team, useful during day-to-day operations, and impactful to the company as a whole. I’ll definitely be taking a fine-tuned set of skills with me. But more importantly… I’ll be taking my connections. Staying in touch with managers, VPs, and colleagues will ultimately prove more helpful in my career path than anything else. The true joy of this summer was getting close to interns on my floor. Being friends with the people you work with makes the day seem less like a job. If you dislike the people around you, how the hell do you expect to have a good time 10 hours a day, 5 days a week? Enjoy the environment. Your job is too big of a time-stealer to be unhappy in.

Getting to know a new city was vital for me to better understand where I want to take myself after the dreaded ~graduation from college~ I’ll miss New York. the squad. the food.

But vacation and Charlottesville are calling. Goodbye NYC… at least for now.

^Checking out People’s Pops 

Insert witty ending here,