Mr. Right Job vs. Mr. Right Now Job

They tell women to never settle when it comes to dating a man, so why would we settle when it comes to finding a job?

As our country sinks further into the economic quicksand, our careers continue to dance on the surface, slightly sinking, but not yet all the way. For those who have jobs, they may be stuck in a position they loathe, but decide to tough it out rather than search for a new job in the empty barrel. For the others who are looking for work, we find it almost impossible to find a position that excites us and exceeds our previous job in pay and responsibility.

Just like the tanking market of datable men, we are left with little options for our careers right now. Sell or sell-out, sister.

For most 20-something New Yorkers, our careers and our love lives might as well be as far apart as the East Village and the Upper West Side. However, I'm seeing a strong correlation between the two. For instance, we say that we don't want to meet a man at a bar, just as career fairs secretly make our stomachs turn. Both places have many candidates, but when you look closely you see they are really not your type: desperate, player, cheesy, obnoxious...shall I go on? Now everything is online: Match.com and CareerBuilder.com are basically the same sites. You upload a profile/resume to make yourself look good and search for options that seem like the perfect fit. After weeks of searching, your dream job and the man of your dreams seem more & more impossible to find.

He's just not that into you? How about, you're just not that into your job?

While I'm not going to dish my dating history, I need to clear things up about myself and my previous jobs: I'm coming clean, baby. After HOLLYWOULD (RIP) was shut down at the end of 2008, I took a position at a fashion PR firm. That's when my epiphany came. I quickly realized that I didn't want to work in the fashion PR industry.

I was not happy in this position, and I told myself that I didn't have to be miserable and struggle in an industry that I had no desire to work my way up in. If I had wanted to stay in the fashion PR universe, I would have stuck it out of course. But I didn't; I wanted a career change. It was time to follow my dreams! So I made the decision to leave the job after a very short time. Besides, our 20s are our experimental years, right Mom?

I'm happy with my decision, and although I'm having the hardest time finding a new job, I don't regret what I did. It seemed crazy to leave a job during the worst job market since the Depression, but I had to follow my heart.

I've been going on interviews, everything from editorial to marketing, but nothing has really clicked for me. It's like going on a bunch of blind dates I guess: I really don't know what to expect other than the little info I have from a third party. Sometimes there is a second date (aka: interview), but in the end we both decide that we are not right for each other. And so the cycle continues.

To my companions in the unemployment line, we need to keep looking hard and something great will come our way. Think before taking a job just to take it. Would you date someone just because they offer themselves to you? I say keep your standards.

Have faith and be passionate about what you do. We have to keep our heads high and continue to look. It's OK to be picky sometimes.

They say you'll meet someone when you least expect it - I'm hoping it goes the same for a job.