The Stress of Finding a Job

Does anyone want to explain to me why I have 5 pimples on my face currently? I mean, I wash my pillowcase every week, have excellent hygiene, AND I’m not even that stressed out with my classes at the moment. So what is it? 

I’ll tell you what it is. It’s the insane amount of stress I have when I think about finding a job for after graduation. I am a senior in college and it is November. I don’t even graduate until May, so why am I already so stressed out?

The pressure to find a job right after college is crazy. I didn’t even realize it until I started my senior year. Even in August, my friends and I had been discussing where we want to apply and how we plan on landing these dream jobs. The conversation comes up several times a day, which makes it absolutely impossible not to get caught up in it all.

So, I panic. I make myself nervous, I apply for jobs that I don’t even want, and instead of focusing on class and keeping my GPA up, I prioritize the job search. It has literally come to the point where I can’t even log into LinkedIn and see other people's success without feeling upset and unaccomplished. 

But WHY? It’s actually completely normal to not have a job right after college. Now, I’m not saying you should avoid all job searching responsibilities. I’m proud of myself for trying to network, chase my dream job and plan ahead for my future. But, there isn’t a need to stress about it as much as I, and most college seniors, do. 

You know what this feels like? This feels beyond similar to the college application process that we all went through our senior year of high school. Conversations between friends REVOLVED around college. “What schools are you applying to?” “Have you heard back?” “Do you think you’ll get in?” It took up my thoughts every single day. When I got home from school, the first place I’d go is the mailbox to see if I had heard back. And when I didn’t hear back or when I saw people posting on their friends’ Facebook walls congratulating them for their acceptance into my dream school, I’d once again feel upset and unaccomplished. 

That time in my life was also unbelievably stressful. But it worked out, didn’t it? I feel like it always does in the end. There were colleges that I didn’t get into, which made me question my entire life. But I ended up at the school that was right for me. And I know that there are jobs that I'll really want, but won't get. And I'll be sad at the time, but eventually I will realize that the job I end up with is the job that I was meant to have. I know that as long as I keep trying, set realistic goals, and stay positive, everything will work out. 

And when the time is right, I’ll get a job. But for now, I need to remember not to rush things. Time is already moving so fast, and by stressing out about the future, I’m only making it go faster.