Ask Blair!
Ask Blair is an advice column run by a GPHS student under the alias of Blair. Its purpose is to provide advice to students in search of it. Keep in mind that your responses will most likely be in the next issue of The Scroll. Scroll below to see the answers for last issue's questions!
TO OUR SCROLL READERS,
Last year, we launched the advice column Ask Blair! Everything is 100% anonymous, including my own identity. Though I go by Blair for the purpose of the column, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of you know me outside of The Scroll. I’m a student at GPHS, just like all of you. My goal for the column is to reach out to you guys and do what I can to help you during your times of trouble. Don’t be afraid to send in questions for next month’s issue, and I look forward to writing for you guys in the months to come. Scroll down to enter your own questions for me, Blair!
*A Note from Blair: Since I reach such a wide audience and cater to people of so many different lifestyles and beliefs, it is my goal to remain as unbiased as possible when giving advice. It is for that reason that I ask you refrain from asking for my personal opinions on politics and the like, as I don't want that to get in the way of being able to help as many people as possible. Thank you for helping me keep Ask Blair! a safe space for everyone!
*Editor's Note: The Scroll's Ask Blair! Column is to solely provide advice, care, and support to students in need. We want to hear from you, and we understand that some of the topics that will be discussed will be emotional and sometimes distressing, but this advice column is not meant to be used as an alternative to any sort of professional therapy or counseling.
Thank you 💜
What should I do while looking for a place to work? Should I prioritize the money or my enjoyment?
There are pros and cons to both options, so the best thing to do is find a happy medium! Pay can be really important, to an extent. If the job is really labor intensive or emotionally draining, or just generally really difficult, you shouldn’t settle for minimum wage. Ask employees that work there what they think of the pay, or how it scales up to the workload. That could also be a good question to ask at the end of the interview, if you land one. If you know you are going to be working long hours and putting all of your spare time into the job to make the money you need, you might want to aim for higher pay. The most important thing to remember is that the enjoyment (or lack thereof) should be worth the pay. That said, if you know you are going to absolutely love the job and the pay is not great, that is okay! If there is anything you are saving towards or if you have any kind of monthly bills to pay, just make sure you have enough for that, but otherwise, the pay does not have to be your priority! Remember to put yourself and your well-being first. The money isn’t worth neglecting yourself and your other priorities.
What drove you to pick the name Blair for your advice column?
Blair is the name of my favorite Gossip Girl character, and my go-to fake name. I use it at places like Mod and Starbucks where there is a name attached to your order, just because I think it is fun, and when we were coming up with names for the column, it was the first thing I thought of. I was kind of half-kidding at first, but it stuck, and now I cannot imagine using any other alias for myself!
Apple juice or orange juice? Why?
Apple juice. Please, my lovely readers, do not hate me for this, but I do not really like oranges. I do not like the fruit, I do not like the juice, and I simply can not STAND orange flavoring in candy and stuff. I just, quite frankly, do not like it.
Hey Blair, I want to thank you for being so helpful to our school community. Whoever you are, hopefully we meet at school sometime. I am a freshman and I have already heard people talk about you and say how helpful you are, so I want to thank you because I know I have someone I can talk to even though you don't know me. Good job Blair! Keep up the good work :))
Today is the first time I have almost cried while responding to a question. You are so sweet!!!!! I wish I could tell you who I am, but since that is not something I can do, thank you!!!! It is good to know people actually care what I have to say on here; it can be easy to forget at times that all of these questions come from real people and I am not just writing into the void. I really hope I can be helpful to you soon! I promise, you can always count on me. ;)
