After the Master’s Degree (Pt. 2): The Job Search

After a week or two of celebrating graduation, the reality of unemployment came roaring back in full force. I have never been very successful at finding a job right away, and my focus has been very distracted with school and family issues taking up all the space in my mind. At first, I was fine with the slow process and occasional rejection letters. I had a good interview though I didn’t get the job, but I wasn’t disheartened or too discouraged by it. More would come.

Now a month has gone by and the initial panic is starting to set in. I write endless cover letters that are starting to blend together and send resumes into the void of the Internet called Edjoin. I can’t help but compare myself to others who’ve gotten jobs right away or have tons of interviews lined up. I question my self-worth and wonder if there’s something wrong with me that keeps me from getting any offers. Once again, I am on this journey where I can only see the day of job applications ahead of me and nothing else.

In short: job searching is depressing. 

I know that my self-worth is not and should not be attached to a career path or how many interviews I’m able to score, but I can’t help it. I can’t help but compare myself to others no matter how much I tell myself not to, no matter how I try to distract myself. Despite all of the advice and help I’ve received in this process, I can’t quite figure out what I’m doing wrong. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.

Sometimes it’s invigorating not having the future mapped out, but at times like this, it’s scary.

I would have hoped that by twenty-seven I would have had it all together, but life continues to throw me for a loop. Let’s be real: getting another expensive degree does not guarantee a job. It should, but it doesn’t. I wish we didn’t treat it as though it does.

But–and here’s the silver lining–as I have seen over and over again these past several years, timing is everything. So, I guess that means I just have to wait. And apply. And wait some more. I guess I’ll read some books or something while I’m at it.

If you have job searching tips, leave a reply below! I would love to hear your thoughts.

After the Master’s Degree: Foggy Future, Presently Proud

Just five years ago, I never would have imagined I would pursue a Master’s degree. Since childhood, I always earned mediocre grades, hated being told what to do or believe, felt suffocated by rigid schedules, and never liked learning in a classroom. I couldn’t wait until I graduated from college and would never have to return to school again. But, as fate would have it, I made the choice to pursue more education. I mean, I guess school isn’t terribly abhorrent.

This week, I officially graduated from University of San Diego’s M.A. program, and I feel pretty spectacular about it. The past two years have been an emotional rollercoaster, but I can now say that I am a Master and a credentialed school counselor. A quote from Socrates sums up my entire graduate school experience perfectly:

Let him that would move the world first move himself.

The amount of self-reflection that goes into counselor education is incredible, but I feel prepared. I’ve got my practical work hours, my counseling skills, my newly minted counselor friends, and connections. The only thing I need now is a job.

And, once again, I don’t know where I’m headed next. 

It’s strange being in the same position I was five years ago after graduating from college, yet the feeling is so different (you can read about one of my post-college existential crises here). Then, I was confused about what I wanted to do, frustrated with the job market and my home situation, and struggling with what I wanted to focus on in a career. This time, I know what I want. I have the experience I need. I know my worth, and I know what I am capable of.

Even though life is an endless journey of self-discovery and learning, right now I know myself better than I ever have, and that is something of which I am proud. Before, no matter what I had accomplished, I was always so focused on the next step or making everyone else around me happy that I didn’t let myself just bask in and enjoy the present moments of celebration. Now that I am older and know better, I’m recognizing how important it is to soak in and process all the highs and lows before life moves on as it always does.

I don’t know where I will be going in the next few months, but somehow I don’t feel stressed or worried about it. I’m not having an existential crisis about the future (yet)–God knows I’ve had enough of them in my twenties to last a lifetime. No, instead I am focusing on the present moment: allowing myself to be proud of what I have accomplished and appreciating the people I care about that have supported me so much. All of us graduates should be so proud of our hard work and take the time to party it up!

A post like this must end with my favorite quote from Paulo Coelho–words that have shaped my perspective on life so much these past several years:

I don’t live in either my past or my future. I’m interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living now.

The Joys of Returning to School

At this point in my life, I had imagined I would be finished with school after seventeen years of it, maybe put my degree on a stick and wave it around to show everyone “I did it!” “I’m an adult!” “Give me a job!”

Yeah, wishful thinking on my part.

I’m in my first semester of graduate school and it’s been a serious trip. It’s not easy going back to full-time school after working and enjoying life for the past three years. Immersing myself into the world of academia, missing the comforts of home, adjusting to a new city and classmates, and learning material I wish I’d at least exposed myself to in undergrad has been (just a tad) overwhelming.

My college degree and my graduate program have zilch in common, so most of the time I feel like I need to do some major catching up.

Got the Degree… Now What?

Over hundreds of American college students may be in the position I am now. If so, I sympathize with you. In fact, I dedicate this post to you because, heck, we all deserve to have something dedicated to us, don’t we? After spending years at an academic institution, we’re flung out of our nests into the world where we have to learn how to fly all over again. Moving back home, for some of us, is the default option (i.e. the last resort). Being home means re-adjusting to human beings we didn’t choose to live with and a great lack of privacy. It also comes with the inevitable question asked of any college graduate: what happens next? Their guess, as of now, is as good as mine.

I studied English literature at Knox College (central Illinois, lots of farms, liberal arts, you get the picture) and I graduated this past June. My futile job searches led me to finally start a blog—you know, the normal 21^st century-existential-crisis sort of reaction. In July I watched the World Cup religiously because I had no other schedule to stick to. It felt a little bit like I was going through withdrawal. But late at night I would frantically apply for jobs. To all the companies I’ve applied to so far, the email stamp will consistently read about one or two a.m., if they even bother to look. My dream job? Get paid to read books and write stories or articles and travel the world. Doesn’t that sound great?

Yes. Yes it does.