Breaking the Stigma of Getting a 9-5 Job Post Grad
The dreaded time has come for juniors in college: The job search. Whether we’re ready or not, the idea of applying for jobs has started to lurk over our heads. I keep getting LinkedIn updates from my friends who have internships for next summer at huge corporations and jobs lined up after college (don’t get me wrong, I’m so happy for them). Meanwhile, I’m waiting to hear back from the 50 jobs I’ve applied to.
I frantically scheduled a meeting with a career advisor after scrolling on LinkedIn, convinced that I won’t have a job lined up for post-grad. She calmed my nerves by saying that we are all on different tracks. As a communications/journalism major, I am going to have a different plan post-grad vs. a business major. This helped me realize that just because so many of my friends have their future plans all set up for post-grad, this doesn’t mean that I need to follow in their footsteps.
The stereotype with life post-grad is that you need to get an office job from 9-5 and move to New York or Chicago to start making a ton of money. We need to break the stigma that forces us to think that the only way we will be successful is if we follow in the footsteps of the older generations.
For me, I feel that there is so much value in the experience. Whether this means getting internships to gain hands-on experiences in job fields that you’re interested in or traveling, you gain real-life experiences. Whether you want to become a podcaster, influencer, travel blogger, social media manager, etc., your dream job might not be in an office in Chicago, going to work five days a week, for eight hours a day. Your dream job might be in Bali or Paris or Rome. I know it can be discouraging to compare yourself to everyone on LinkedIn, in your friend groups or living up to your parent’s expectations, just remember that everyone’s success is measured differently. You don’t need to follow the path that others create.