Career Archives - Beka Watts

February 1, 2017

Dear Lauren Graham

Between the number of hours I’ve spent watching Gilmore Girls and Parenthood, it’s safe to say you’ve had a strong presence in my life over the past decade or so. (And by that I mean I’ve probably spent more time with you than I have with some of my actual friends. Sorry, three-dimensional people.)

But even though Lorelai Gilmore and Sarah Braverman have taught me many good things, none of them compare to this:

In contrast, a few months after the book was published, I got word that Ellen DeGeneres’s production company, AVGP, wanted to option it for television.

September 22, 2014

Dear Victoria: An open letter to career confused creatives

Victoria and I met through the wonder that is blogging and social media. Please consider this a PSA that you should also meet Victoria through blogging and social media. Her blog, Vicstorya, is awesome, as are her Twitter and Instagram feeds.

Recently, in an exchange longer than 140 characters, she asked one of my favorite Frequently Asked Questions:

What was your major? And what exactly is your job/how did you get there/how do I best go about having your life in a few years?

Oh, Victoria.

She had no way of knowing that she would receive a dissertation in … Continue reading

June 25, 2014

Clearly, I was spot-on

When I was in the first round of interviews for my job with CURE, my interviewer (and soon-to-be boss) asked if there was anything specific I needed in order to do my job. Was there any accommodation or computer program or asset I would find particularly helpful should I end up working for CURE?

The first and only thing I knew I needed was freedom. I needed to know that it would be possible for me to work from home or from a coffee shop a few days a week. I had spent years engineering a freelance life that could … Continue reading

May 27, 2014

For the writers at the bus stop

I find it fairly bold to call myself a writer. There is nothing published under my name on the shelves of Barnes & Noble. Readers are not flocking to this blog in droves numbered by the thousands. (Likely because I write about deep and complex life issues, such as my disdain for indoor pools and high heels.) But in an increasingly significant way, both my career path and post-collegiate life as a whole have been driven by writing. And as someone who stood at the career bus stop for years with the end goal being “something with words,” I … Continue reading

May 19, 2014

The career bus stop

On Friday night I had dinner with Morgan and covered our conversation with more exclamation points in an hour than most people use in a year. There are many places in life right now for which there are no words, so I’ve taken to filling those places with exclamation points. I wouldn’t question a person who decided it wise to offer me a sedative. It probably seems like I need one.

Which only made it more impactful when we recalled that less than a year ago I sat in Morgan’s passenger seat after going out for breakfast on a rainy, … Continue reading

April 28, 2014

What I’ll be doing for the next 2 weeks

Last night I experienced the poverty that is The Empty Refrigerator Before Long Trips,

which is why for dinner, I selected items from the almost-gone/almost-expired menu: hummus with the rest of the bag of chips, a cheese stick, some pepperoni, the end of the granola with the last of the milk, and a coconut water/Emergen-C cocktail.

And the butterscotch blondie my kind neighbor gave me as a snack for the plane.

It was a unique dining experience, but a good one.

In other news, for those of you who have asked what I do when I travel with CURE, I … Continue reading

April 26, 2014

Hello, Africa. Farewell, Football.

Well there’s a blog title I never thought I’d write.

But don’t panic! It’s different than it sounds. Kind of.

Let’s just go ahead and talk about Africa and football and all the things, really. Starting with football.

(I mean, is there any other way?)

When I think about what football means to me, I don’t think about banner-moments of fandom: watching Brett Favre run around the field as a kid, going through multiple packets of tissues while visiting Lambeau for a day, experiencing the 2010 Super Bowl season in the most amazing way.

The first thing that comes … Continue reading

March 14, 2014

The day I met Kevin and Amazing Raced through JFK

Before I wax poetic about all things Dominican Republic, let me tell you about two moments that set the tone for the trip.

On Tuesday, I was scheduled to fly from Harrisburg to Detroit to JFK to Santo Domingo. To some, this may sound like an unfortunate loop of travel, but to me, this was paradise. I love flying. I love airports. The more the merrier.

My affection for airports was proven as soon as I landed in Detroit. I was making my way to the gate for the second flight of the day and was on the moving walkway … Continue reading