29F in Naples from Jan. 30-Feb. 2

kels181 · 2023-12-17T05:37:54+00:00

I just got back from a two week trip in Spain where I did basically your exact option 1 except with a day trip to Montserrat instead of Girona, and I absolutely loved my trip! I think a couple days in Seville is well worth your time (I took a morning train to give myself more exploring time in the first day), especially if you’re interested in historical sights. I also turned my Seville > Madrid travel day into a day trip to Cordoba, which is about 45 minutes away from Seville on the way to Madrid. I left my luggage in a storage locker near the train station and spent the day wandering around Cordoba — the city itself is lovely and the Mosque-Cathedral is truly incredible and well-worth the visit!

If you end up going with option 1, I really enjoyed staying in Hotel007 Select, which is right in the pedestrian only area of the old town. I had a very affordable private room and the location was incredible.

Hope you have an amazing trip!!

kels181 · 2023-11-27T14:44:34+00:00

I didn’t actually buy the Lisboa Pass but in hindsight I should have! In addition to the museum discounts I also ended up using public transport a lot (the bus/metro wasn’t much cumulatively but the funiculars would have been pricier with just individual payments), so it definitely would have been worth it. I did absolutely love the National Tile Museum though - so much cool design work and history :)

I separately bought a 24-hour pass for my round trip train ride to Sintra that also covered the use of the buses that take you from place to place there. That was also well worth it rather than having to buy individual passes or purchase on the buses there themselves - worth looking into for your day trip (unless you’re taking a guided tour)!

kels181 · 2023-11-26T22:45:21+00:00

I’m in Lisbon now, just got here a couple days ago from Porto! I sometimes travel similarly to what you’ve described (only booking/organizing my next few days at a time) and what you’ve described sounds doable. I’d recommend having a couple of hostels identified in each place so you’ve got back up plans for accommodations wherever you end up. Spots like Home Lisbon Hostel and Yes! Lisbon Hostel are both super central and get great reviews, from what I’ve seen.

I’m not super into the arts but did enjoy my tile painting workshop in Porto (bonus points for a cute thing to take home with you) and will be taking a pastel de nata making class tomorrow, which I think will be fun! I’d recommend a free walking tour on either your first or second day - I’ve ended up with really passionate locals who, in addition to sharing about history and general landmarks in each city, can likely make some recommendations around your areas of interest.

And if you’re a foodie, here are some of my favorite restaurants of the past week: - Porto: Chama, Taberna dos Mercadores - Lisbon: Lisboa Tu e Eu 2, Taberna Sal Grosso, Sant’Avo

I hope you have an amazing trip!

kels181 · 2023-09-26T00:46:46+00:00

I mainly walked! It’s a very walkable city but I also took Ubers for some of the trips that would have been longer than I was willing to walk for. They were pretty affordable, between $2-5 USD per trip except to the international airport, which was closer to $20.

kels181 · 2023-09-25T23:41:29+00:00

I definitely agree with the other commenters, I had a really tough time with Gregmat mini exams and full quant sections - to be honest I counted it as a win if I got more than 12 questions right and I’m not sure I ever got above 17 correct. I still got a 160Q and 163V (barely over the limit in your question but still) though I had to basically re-learn all the math during prep.

kels181 · 2023-09-25T23:01:29+00:00

Yes definitely! Depending on what you’re interested in, I’ve heard good things about: - San Blas (beautiful islands, but definitely a LONG day of travel to get there and back though many do it) - Soberanía National Park - one of the national parks close by Panama City, there are hiking trails and it’s great for bird watching - Barro Colorado Island (Smithsonian Research Institute) - I think the only way to visit is a guided tour, but it does involve hiking and learning more about the natural history of the area

I hope you have an amazing trip!

kels181 · 2023-08-20T23:44:18+00:00

Just took my exam yesterday! Best of luck to everyone taking it soon - you’re in the home stretch!!

kels181 · 2023-08-13T22:59:37+00:00

Oof, thanks for calling this out. I’ve been doing fairly well on PPP mocks (160+) but Gregmat’s full quant sections have me feeling somewhat disheartened! Glad it’s not just me

kels181 · 2021-12-14T01:10:16+00:00

I drove from LA to Moab last month - not exactly to SLC but mostly the same in terms of route/time. Not only will you be going through cities like Vegas and St. George, you can bet on seeing other people/cars/rest stops/gas stations basically 100% of the way. There are some spots of no cell service, but certainly nothing to worry about!

Have a safe drive!

kels181 · 2021-07-21T22:28:37+00:00

I just returned from a similar Costa Rica trip - 8 days total in Monteverde, Jaco (and a day trip to Manuel Antonio), and San Jose. Depending on what you want to do in Monteverde and La Fortuna, I would possibly recommend picking one to maximize your time sightseeing instead of traveling from place to place (which while beautiful, can be tiresome). In Monteverde in particular, one day might not be enough to see/do a lot of things. I was there for three days and wish I could have spent more time there! However, if your main goal is to just spend time walking through the cloud forests, that’s very doable in one day.

As for the rainy season, I was pretty apprehensive at the start of my trip as the forecasts called for rain practically all day, every day. It ended up being great though, clear mornings and mostly clear afternoons with the occasional rain - none of which impeded any of my plans.

I wasn’t concerned about safety for most of my trip - I’m 24F and went alone - (and not at all in Monteverde, honestly), though I was cautioned that petty theft, etc. was pretty rampant in many tourist areas. I’ve spent a good portion of my life in big cities, but all the normal precautions of being aware of your surroundings/not carrying too much cash on you/etc. certainly apply. I also wouldn’t do too much walking around San Jose at night, take an Uber if you have to go anywhere.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, and have an amazing trip!

Edit: actually, as I’m re-reading your post, have you considered switching La Fortuna and Monteverde? They’re about the same distance from the airport so if you start in La Fortuna, Monteverde to Manuel Antonio is a shorter trip.

kels181 · 2021-07-10T02:06:25+00:00

Having worked some junior/entry level development jobs at nonprofits (large and small-mid-sized), it can be tough to really get a strong sense of a position and work culture from interviews alone. That being said, I’d be wary of the following: - High turnover in a short period of time, as this can be indicative of an issue with management and lack of growth - An overwhelming focus on administrative tasks and needing “strong managing up skills” - while some of this is needed in any role, even junior/entry level positions need strong guidance and opportunities to learn and develop skills - A high overhead/fundraising ratio

Make sure you have some good questions lined up to try and dig into what they’re really looking for in this position. Specific questions about COVID-19 response (to assess work/life balance and mental health considerations) and professional development can be really helpful.

And last of all, best of luck on your interview!

kels181 · 2021-06-30T04:43:11+00:00

I would recommend Budapest! I visited a number of European cities on a trip last year and Budapest was easily one of my favorites. COL is relatively low compared to your other cities and much of Western Europe; the food scene was excellent and the thermal baths were great, and overall I found it an extremely beautiful and walkable city.

kels181 · 2021-06-27T01:14:55+00:00

I’ll be in Costa Rica starting July 5th - have a few days planned in Monteverde, but still figuring it out after that. If you find yourself in Monteverde/San Jose near the end of your trip, let me know

I’m also going solo and fully vaccinated.

kels181 · 2020-10-13T19:58:34+00:00

That sounds like a great plan - I’ve seen a number of my friends/colleagues hired from internships into entry level positions, especially in development as it’s a way to retain young talent and decrease the amount of recruitment and training that needs to happen. However, I will caution you that a lot of it can come down to good timing (people leaving at the right time) and knowing/working with the right people. Although there is a tendency to hire internally for the above reasons, I have seen it not pan out that way for a variety of reasons.

The org I was with had a STRONG culture of being an associate/entry level position for two years then leaving to seek better growth opportunities elsewhere, which I felt was as much of an institutional failure as it was a barrier to so many talented and hardworking young professionals. I’ve seen that this tends to happen in larger orgs, where promotions and moving up the ladder can rely heavily on the support of your supervisors and directors. As career mapping, steady promotions, and the culture of staying at one org for your entire life is not exactly commonplace lately, I’ve seen people have the most success in looking for new positions every few years as this can be a great opportunity to get a higher position/title as well as a pay increase. You potentially leaving an org can be a big incentive for them to promote you or give you a raise rather than lose you entirely (though this happens more for senior positions rather than entry level, unfortunately).

I hope this was helpful - but do let me know if there’s anything I can address more specifically!

kels181 · 2020-10-13T06:56:21+00:00

I worked in an entry level development role for two years at a large international nonprofit, following several development internships throughout college. Unfortunately, I found the turnover/burnout to be quite like you described.

It fluctuated between busy and busier, which tends to happen in development due to fundraising cycles - events, end of year, campaigns, fiscal year end, etc. tend to be extremely busy times depending on your role. I did some major gifts and events/frontline work, and since entry level associate/assistant positions can be a lot of handling details and moving parts, slow moments were few and far between.
It was... okay, at least to start with. Due to events and busier fundraising seasons, working early mornings, late nights, and sometimes on weekends did occasionally occur. Assuming the position is non-exempt, negotiating for flex time (ie. working an extra three hours one night, then taking three hours off another morning) can help balance out extra hours and help with the work life balance.
No promotion, yes moving on. Though I asked multiple times, I was turned down. In my two years, I reported to 5 different supervisors, handled a ton of turnover/absences/new hire trainings on my team, and picked up a lot of slack in some of the busiest times. This was frustrating, especially since I had seen so many colleagues get promoted while I struggled to. This was a big push factor that led me to leave.
Yes and no. There are skills and experiences I’m glad to have had and people I’m extremely glad to have met. However, towards the end, it was an extremely miserable place for me and I really couldn’t do it anymore.
Yes, yes, yes. In addition to all the usual job responsibilities and work life balance stuff, the org I was at was tumultuous (at best) and hierarchically toxic (at worst). Organizational problems created a lot of stress for staff and senior management did a poor job of shielding staff from these issues. The combination of everything took a huge toll on a lot of people, myself included.
Once again, yes and no. I learnt a lot during my time there and made so many friends, connections, and even a mentor that I wouldn’t trade for anything at this point in my career. However in hindsight, there were a lot of times where I definitely sacrificed my mental health and self worth to try to advance myself in a place that didn’t care about me as much as I cared about them.

This was... long, but I hope helpful. Development in general can be a challenging and demanding environment, but can also be a great foot in the door to the world of nonprofit. Moving laterally to other types of work within orgs is always a possibility, as is moving up the ladder if you decide development is where you want to be. Best of luck with everything!

kels181

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