Ah, yes. The long awaited college graduation is drawing near. It is hard to believe that it is coming to an end, but here we are. I can remember being the little naive freshman I was, talking to one of my friends from home who was a senior at my university at the time. Robbie and I met in the atrium of one of the campus buildings to get coffee and catch up. All we were talking about was how my freshman year was going and how I was settling in. But I had to ask him how he was holding up with graduation getting closer. All he had to say was that he couldn’t wait to graduate and get out of there. Little did I know, Robbie was right.
As a second semester senior, I couldn’t agree more. I have to say, if it wasn’t for the pandemic ruining the last year and a half of my college career, things would be completely different. Classes are mostly online. Bars and restaurants are mostly closed. Sports are cancelled. Are we even having a normal graduation? Who knows. I think that right now, it hasn’t hit me because nothing seems normal with the pandemic.
The one thing that is bothering me is the future. This is the part in my life where I finally get to become what I wanted to become when I was little and asked, “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. However, I could not be more confused with what I want to do than I ever was before. With my graphic design major and double minor in marketing and communications, I could become whatever I wanted to in the world of arts and business, but still, I am yet to figure out what specifically I’ll end up doing.
Whenever I feel like this, I start to freak out because I only have so much time left before I am kicked out onto the streets needing to survive in the adult world. I however am not alone in this world of being scared about the future. I think it is safe to say that not one person in my senior portfolio class has figured out what to do when they graduate. This makes me feel better because at least I know that I am not alone, and neither are you!
Instead of sitting on my butt and pitying myself for all the unknowns in the future, I decided to actually help myself. Here are some of the things I decided to do that you can do to get out of your head about the future:
Fix up your resume and cover letter. This is one of the most important things I did to help myself get out of this rut. When I looked back on my past experiences in the field, I started to wonder how much my resume will change in the next few years and how these little paper documents could possibly land me my dream job. This got me thinking on how to make myself stand out from a piece of paper and show what I have to offer. These documents are the first stepping stones to get you a job, so make sure you get them right.
Start researching. This part is very important because researching a company can make or break your decision on wanting to work there. For example, when looking for an internship, you want to find something that will help you get your foot in the door and make connections. When looking for a full time job, you want to make sure the company you are going to work for is going to give you the best experience to learn and grow. You want to research benefits and whether you get a 401k, insurance, time off, locations, etc.
Apply to everything. This next step is huge. After doing my research, I started applying to almost everything that I saw was an opportunity. I think my application number is at an all time high of 20 applications submitted. With that being said, I have already been rejected from atleast 5 and not heard back from the other remaining companies. I have decided to not be picky with what I apply for because I want to keep my options open. At this point, I am going to take what I can get because at least it will provide me with more experience, connections, and a decision on what I do and do not want to do for my career.
Make connections. When I started to feel down on myself for not getting anywhere in my applications, I decided to turn to making connections. If you take anything from what I am saying, remember this. CONNECTIONS ARE EVERYTHING! You never know how far a simple chat can go and what it can do for you. For example, a family friend in the same industry as me decided to send a message to old co-workers that eventually landed me my first internship. Next, one of my professors is connecting me with a client. As you can see, relationships are very important. And who knows, it could lead you to your dream job!
As I am waiting for the adventure of a lifetime to come to me, I am still trying to work on getting there. For now, I am living in the moment amidst this terrible pandemic and reminding myself that everything happens for a reason. To all my fellow second semester seniors, happy job searching and good luck!