A. B. Schwartzkopf

This has been the most depressing summer of my life. Now, I don’t say this for pity, but maybe it’ll help encourage someone. I recently graduated from university with the degree I worked so hard for. Proving my way into the working professional world wasn’t going to be easy, I knew that, but I did not expect to be met with absolutely nothing even after 80+ applications for basic jobs and internships.

I know I’m not the only facing this, but in the midst of the summer heat and vast emptiness in my horizons, I sure felt like I was alone. What was I doing wrong? All my life I had been told that if you got a higher education and made connections then all would be good. So… why wasn’t I good?

Truth is, sometimes that’s just the way things are. You work hard, and it takes even longer for anything to show for it. You overcome that by redefining what is important in your life and what your goals are. Do you want immediate satisfaction? Then sorry, a good job isn’t what you’re looking for.

I won’t sit here and say “Don’t worry, the right job will come along” or “Just be patient” because we’ve all heard that a million times… and after a while the phrases just make you wanna throw someone into a wall. And more importantly, the right job can’t “come around” if we don’t do anything to pull it closer to us.

And so I started expanding my network again, earning more certifications, worked on my writing again, entered into writing competitions, and got a blue-collar job just to feel more useful. And wouldn’t you know it, that job is actually allowing me to rewrite and update all their policies! All while knowing that I’m only planning to stay with them until a career job or internship calls on me. That in itself is a huge blessing.

In short, the lesson is this: you cannot give up. I won’t sugar coat this. You will experience let-downs and failures. Life won’t go as planned, but you are not the only one experiencing these things. You are not alone. Also, do not allow youself to get stuck in the rot of “I am a victim, woe is me”. The system never had the ability to adapt to the quick changes of life like a human can. You are so strong. Pick yourself up off the gravel and learn to enjoy the taste of the dirt. Nothing should be given to us just because we want it. That doesn’t make a good story. How much better is it to say “despite all this, I persevered” ?