Being a college student is really hard. One has to deal with schoolwork, friendships, family, and simultaneously finding oneself along the way. Apart from that, college students are frequently bombarded with endless work possibilities and hopes and dreams that seem impossible to achieve. As a person dealing with anxiety, having to worry about internships and job opportunities is often degrading, and it is even a disappointing process most of the time. Therefore, here are some ways to acknowledge your feelings and navigate them positively from my personal experience.
My current dream is to work in digital marketing; however, my major is psychology. This is a story all within itself, but I discovered marketing is what really incites me. For this reason, I’ve had one internship in relation to marketing and have familiarized myself with marketing concepts to be more knowledgeable on the subject matter. Therefore, as I was applying to marketing internships and kept receiving “NOs” as an answer, I thought to myself that I was maybe and simply not enough. However, the truth of the matter is that, well, they simply want marketing majors! Even though this is an outcome I don’t hope for, it did teach me a valuable lesson: it’s often not about you, it’s about them! I’ve had anxiety many times before because I often don’t know what I would do differently in an application if asked to re-apply, and this lesson told me that, oftentimes, nothing can be done to prevent that frightening and impending “no.” At the end of the day, it has everything to do with the company and its own priorities, so don’t be so hard on yourself. Someone will want you for all that you are and all that you do!
Moreover, I am a planner. I believe that some of my best assets are my organizational skills and my time management abilities. And this doesn’t only apply to schoolwork, it applies to everything in my life. I want to plan what I will be doing 5 years from now and know exactly how my life is going to be. However, life has taught me that this is simply not possible, and that’s a good thing! For instance, I dreamed of having an internship this fall, which I didn’t receive an opportunity for. However, I got offered a position to be an undergraduate research assistant on campus, investigating about a topic that interests me tremendously. I’ve learned so much from this opportunity and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Because of this, I came to the realization that everything will happen when it’s supposed to happen. My logic on this is that if you are constantly working hard towards achieving your dreams with grace and discipline, you’ll get results. Maybe they are not what you wanted, but they will surely be what you need. Patience is key because life will never stop being unpredictable!
I also wanted to talk about the most important lesson I’ve learned throughout this stressful process of internship and job-seeking as a college student. I’ve prioritized my schoolwork and applications so much, that I stopped going out for the most part and put my friendships in second place. It is SO important to find a balance because when you do get that job or internship, there’s nothing more beautiful and meaningful than celebrating it with the people that you love and that love you back. Always remember that happiness is not a job position. Work and schoolwork are urgent and important things in life, so we always try to prioritize that. And because friendships are important but not urgent, we often forget to put the same importance in them, but it is surely necessary.
Overall, I wanted to fininsh by encouraging everyone reading this article to enjoy the journey. Enjoy the butterflies, enjoy being naïve, enjoy the nerves, and the pressure. If you stand at the top from day one, there’s nothing to look forward to. I promise you’ll meet great people along the way, form new experiences that someday you’ll tell your kids about, and most importantly, you’ll be so proud of yourself when you remember all the hard work that you did. Just keep swimming!