You sit with your chin propped in your hand, perched on a plastic chair and staring at the snow outside your classroom window. It’s your second semester of senior year at college, and the thought of graduation is just as overwhelming as a surprise snowstorm on chilly April Fool’s Day.
Well don’t worry, Adult-in-the-Making! Not only will you soon discover that ‘The Real World’ is a sham, but I have discovered the perfect place for you to live, work and play post-college:
I recently took part in a series of webinars sponsored by the College of William and Mary’s Alumni Association. The program, called “Destination X”, gives seniors a window into the many different regions where W&M alumni currenty thrive.
I wish they’d had something like this when I was a senior, because Lord knows I had NO idea what I was going to do after college. I distinctly remember standing around a cheese platter during Senior Week, and as my peers rattled off plans like “Peace Corps” and “med school” and “Oxford Law”, I stuffed my face with brie and mumbled something about my parents’ basement.
Fortunately, ‘my parents’ basement’ was located in one of the most beautiful, stimulating, fun-loving places in America. So I’d like to take this opportunity to address those of you who are still trying to decide where to go with your life. The answer is simple.
I’d like to begin by discussing a few stereotypes of Dirty Jerz.
Stereotype #1: Jersey smells.
Let’s just get this out of the way upfront. A lot of non-natives believe that our entire state can be summarized by the Turnpike—that is to say, covered in concrete, lined with smokestacks, and capable of emitting a rather nauseating smell as you approach New York. People, THE TURNPIKE IS NOT THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. THE TURNPIKE IS A HIGHWAY. There is actually a whole of lot of state that you can’t see from the highway, and that’s the part I’m going to talk about now.
Stereotype #2: Jersey dudes get their GTL on the regular.
For the three of you who have never seen the MTV show Jersey Shore—and I’m one of you—GTL stands for gym, tan, laundry, the triumvirate of activities that keep “The Situation” and his cast mates looking fresh and fine for the ladies. Here’s the thing: people from the Jersey Shore TV show are actually pretty similar to some of the people you will find on the physical Jersey Shore. These people are not from NJ, however—the bulk of them are imported from Long Island and New York City, just for those halcyon weekends between Memorial and Labor Day. New Yorkers tend to be the ones wearing gold chains and too much hair gel. That being said, I do know native New Jerseyites who work out so much that their biceps look like cantaloupes. Presumably these people also do laundry, so maybe the GTL philosophy isn’t too far off.
Stereotype #3: People from New Jersey are unfriendly.
You’re probably thinking of this guy.
There is a level of truth to this. New Jerseyites—and people from the North, if I may be so bold—are not as overtly friendly as those south of the Mason-Dixon line. Not everyone will say hello when you walk past them on the street, and no one has ever addressed me as “Sugar” or “Darlin’” without a significant amount of alcohol involved.
Jersey exudes an air of toughness, but it isn’t exactly true. Like my coworker said when she talked about raising her kids: “My boys won’t ever start a fight—but they won’t lose one, either.” Finish the fight, that’s our belief; go big or go home. Our culture is one of speed, strength, and competition. People drive fast in expensive cars, and if you’re a pedestrian you’d better look twice before crossing the road. Jersey challenges you to be independent, to assert yourself without a lot of coddling. Ultimately, this attitude teaches you to forge your own path, to love who you are no matter what. And when you are the first one to say hello, the world becomes much friendlier than you expected. That guy in Dunkin Donuts who just barked his coffee order might actually smile—or even hold the door for you.
So now that we’ve covered the fluffy stuff, here are some facts.
FACT: NJ is at the center of the Northeast megalopolis, which basically means we’re right in the middle of New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, DC, and Boston. It’s less than 5 hours to any of these places from my house. Pretty sweet!
FACT: New Jersey is very ethnically and religiously diverse. It’s also the most densely populated state in the country. 8.8 MILLION people live here. This means that even though the cost of living is high, you will definitely be able to find a roommate to share rent with you. And when you want to get away from the 8.8 million people around you, you can go hiking in one of many national parks or go kayaking in the zillion rivers. You can learn to surf, like I did last summer, or volunteer at a local flowerbed or communal farm. Jersey is called the Garden State for a reason, you know.
We have a lot of plants. We grow vegetables and fruits and nuts; we have horses and cows and seafood aplenty. In the town I grew up in, there’s actually a buffalo farm across the street from the high school.
FACT: We’ve got CLUBS. If nature isn’t your thing, Jersey’s got you covered. From the gambling dens of Atlantic City to the mini-Manhattans of Hoboken and Jersey City, you can jam to folk and indie rock or drop it low to Top 40 rap. To draw a parallel near to my heart, Jersey is like a techno remix of your favorite pop song. If you like loud, pulsing rhythms and the impetus to dance, you’ll find yourself well-supported.
Of course, you don’t HAVE worship Autotune or a healthy dose of fist-pumping. In order to appreciate Jersey, you just have to love music.
FACT: The great NJ is home to waaaay more musicians than you realize. Of course there’s Bon Jovi and his hair. There’s Bruce Springsteen, who made Asbury Park famous with his E Street Band’s debut album in 1973. Among others, New Jersey also gave birth to Frank Sinatra, Lauryn Hill and the Jonas Brothers!
(Side Note: The Boss goes to my gym. I saw him there once; we almost bumped into each other outside the locker rooms. He gave me a once-over, looked disappointed, and walked away, so I considered it a success.)
Just to name-drop a little more: a lot of actors also get their start here, including my recent favorites Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, and, of course, our beloved Jon Stewart. It’s a great state for budding artists, not only in its multitude of theaters, playhouses, and comedy halls, but because of coffee shops. We have SO MANY, and they are the perfect for brooding. In high school, I was part of a Performing Arts Program, and when I wasn’t at the mall or eating pancakes in late-night diners, my friends and I spent countless hours in coffee shops, listening to Dashboard Confessional and angsting about boys. You, too, can relive these magical moments if you decide to embrace the Jersey Experience.
So really, you’ll have TOO MANY options for fun when you aren’t working. Because believe me, you WILL get a job, and then you’ll long for the days when you were a senior wondering what your job might one day be. So then, what does New Jersey offer for work?
Jersey is all about industry. This is the place where New York does its manufacturing, its engineering, its research and development. It’s a prime place for science and math majors looking to apply their learning to consumer goods companies like Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Merck, etc.
FACT: New Jersey is home to more scientists and engineers per square mile than anywhere else in the world. (Are you surprised? I am, kind of.)
But Jersey isn’t just a great fit for those of you who want to wear lab coats and those funny pants that look like they’re made of Kleenex. No, New Jersey is also home to major telecommunications firms, like Verizon Wireless and AT&T. Other big industries are shipping, food processing, printing and publishing, and chemical development.
I actually work for a chemical company—the twist here being that it’s a flavor and fragrance chemical company, so it’s actually pretty cool for someone with an English degree. After a year and a half as a Temp in the Marketing Department, I graduated to a full-time job here. Now I’m a big bad Marketing Manager, so I name candles, give trend presentations to clients all across the country, and generally smell things.
Back to my state, though. According to Wikipedia, “New Jersey is the ultimate bedroom community,” i.e. full of commuters. As a result, there are a heck of lot of jobs in retail sales, real estate and education. ‘Bedroom community’—it sounded like it was going to be more exciting than that, right? But seriously, it’s a great place for families—the public schools are excellent and our development of sarcasm at a young age is like none other. Also I like to say that if you can learn to drive in New Jersey, you can probably drive anywhere.
OK. So I’ve talked a lot about how great Jersey is, how fun and exciting and perfect blah blah blah. I say all this in my desire to clear up a few misunderstandings between my state and the rest of the country, but also because I know a secret. The Garden State, despite its labels, will not judge you. This is one place where you can become whoever you want to be.
There is a book that a dear friend gave to me, and it’s called The Poets of New Jersey. In the forward, Stephen Dunn writes a passage that speaks as easily to you as it does to me, to graduating seniors and dreamers alike. The power of New Jersey, Dunn suggests, is its lack of a clear identity. Unlike other states with their ravages of history, their conflicting strains of religion and individualism, New Jersey is in effect a blank canvas, one that liberates us “from any need to address some overarching sense of [place].” Put more simply, New Jersey’s gift “is that it’s a place of many places, essentially amorphous, freeing us to look at the world.”
If your mind and heart are open, you will find a different place than you’ve come to expect. New Jersey might just be perfect for you.
But no matter where you go, dear reader, whether you’re snow-covered or sweating in sub-tropical heat, you’ve already come this far. Like our worried college senior–or anyone ready for wind in their sails–your passions and questions will carry you forward, and the travelogue of your life will be written effortlessly, often without your noticing.
As a matter of fact, you’re already on your way.
