Ahh, January: the month of new beginnings. Some people have resolved to get in shape, to eat well or take a break from social media. January is a time for self-reflection, and maybe even relaxation. Put the computer away, turn off social media, be in the moment, live life: these are the makings of a great start to a new year. But odds are that for those graduating soon (or already graduated), putting the computer away, turning off social media, being in the moment, living life, and relaxing aren’t quite the name of the game currently. Personally, the only “relaxation” I have seemed to find has been in my time on the sofa, sitting behind the computer, sipping on coffee or tea (or whatever the soul needs) and browsing the Interwebs for jobs. Forget winter: it’s job searching season.
Now to be clear, I am not stressed…yet. I mean, it’s only January for Pete’s sake. There’s still so much of the semester left, and that means I have so much time to actually learn how to efficiently and effectively apply to every possible conceivable job on LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, Indeed.com, Glassdoor, etc. I’ve tried lots of combinations for jobs in the search bar. I actually think I’ve become more creative as a human being just by trying to enter in different jobs or job descriptions. One could say that the creative juices have been flowing.
I’ve also gotten to participate in the fun game of “How Many Tabs Open at One Time Can You Have?” (if you haven’t played, I truly recommend). I always thought that my tab-obsession was just reserved for the weeks researching and writing big papers, but that’s been disproven. Having nearly a billion tabs open at any one time is no longer an anomaly. And having a handful of those billion filled with half-filled applications is even less of an anomaly! What’s the hold-up on finishing those applications, you might ask? Why so many half-filled apps (clarification: not the yummy kind of apps)? Is it sleepy WiFi? Or another Portland Flats power outage? Honestly, I wish. But let’s be real, it’s the cover letter – the biggest roadblock known to mankind. I’ve tried getting in touch with the Guinness Book of World Records to let them know about this, but their phones lines have been busy. But seriously, who actually knows how to write a cover letter? If you do, please let me know because I don’t. Or at least I don’t think I do. I honestly have no clue. Which leads me to my next point: I have no clue!
I have no clue what I what I want to do with my life or where I see myself in 5 years or how I envision the way I can positively impact the world. I can, however, list of a number of things I won’t be doing: Engineering, Architecture, Nursing, Politics, etc.. So at least I’ve got that going for me. If there were a job listing for “Cluelessness – Spot Needs to be Filled Immediately!”, I’d already be getting paid without even filling out the application. But until then…
Now to be serious, the job search is actually a bit exciting. I’m ready to get out of the classroom and into the world to learn new skills, do something with purpose, and get the many other perks that come with working (9-to-5 days, no homework, etc.). And it’s neat seeing all the kinds of jobs out in the world and imagining how I might fit into these jobs. With a Media and Communication Studies major, I also have lots of options, even if I don’t yet know which options I want to capitalize on. There is a lot of cool stuff out there, I just have to find it.
So as Syllabus Week comes to a close and school kicks into gear (and thus my timeframe for job searching becomes a bit more crunched), I’d like to raise a toast. Cheers to college, cheers to senior year, and cheers to the future. I don’t quite know where I’m headed, I don’t know how long it’ll take me to find out where I’m headed, and I’m still not sure how to write a cover letter; but I do know that these past four years have been incredible, senior year has been unforgettable, and I know that the future holds great things. I just have to find it.