May 5, 2011, the day of my graduation. So many smiling faces to greet the soon-to-be-graduates. Everyone dressed in their black cap and gowns with sashes and other items to show their respective honor societies and distinguished awards. Everything was just great in everyones' world.
...almost everyone.
I couldn't help but feel that the music playing was like a death knell to my life as I knew it; the smiling faces, laughter, and outpour of joyous emotion could not slake my weary state. Deep down, I knew that this was the end of something great and the beginning of one of the longest, most hellish periods of my life.
Getting called up to go get my diploma and shake a few hands did nothing for me; I smiled throughout, but it was a fake smile, as were most of my smiles during that period. Walking onto that stage and getting that diploma was a 1-2 knockout to the life I knew and walking off of that stage was a deluge of cold water to bring me into the life that would follow.
I sat back down, wondering where to go from there. I had graduated a year early, my internship fell through, and I had no job prospects to which to look forward. On the opposite side of the scale, I had loads student through loans.
From that point on, I applied for jobs and internships everywhere. A few of "you're not what we are looking for", a couple of "the position has been filled", but mostly no responses whatsoever, as if to say "we don't have to tell you anything, so we won't".
Since that time, the number of applications I have sent is somewhere in the upper hundreds, maybe thousands.
Up to this day, I still haven't been able secure even a part-time job, let alone a full-time job using my degree. A couple internship interviews here and there, but nothing came of it; most of the internships I come across require college credit, and I can't seem to figure out how to get that, either.
This is a cautionary tale meant to deliver several warnings:
1) Go to a college you can afford; do not be fooled by the nice amenities they through in front of you. The surroundings may look nice, but the scenery will not get you a job.
2) Major in something useful and do your homework. Check how the job market is for what you wish to pursue and note the trends; avoid things that cannot be directly applied to a job. They may work as minors but avoid making them your major. My own personal advice is to avoid journalism; it is a dying field... trust me, I would know. Most of all...
3) Get an internship. Internships are entry-level jobs of years ago, whereas "entry-level" jobs today are not exactly entry-level anymore. Get an internship doing something; if you can get a prestigious internship, great. If not, learn to settle. Life is marathon, not a race.
If I can steer one person in the right direction to avoid the same hell I've gone through, I can feel somewhat at ease.
