Joining the Real World

This week, I had my last ‘first day of school’ as an undergraduate.  As excited as I am to be able to say that I’m almost done with school, the daunting task of finding the perfect job right after graduation has been hanging over my head already. Although I feel I’ve been doing everything I can to prepare myself for the real world, it’s a humbling realization when you think about the number of people across the country applying for the same jobs you are, and with similar qualifications.

One of the only things keeping me sane is a concept I heard recently from one of my teachers: the first job you get doesn’t have to be your dream job. In fact for many of us, it won’t be. What matters is that you learn something from the job that you get right out of college, and keep that training in mind for the future. All you need to do is figure out what interested you enough in the position to make you apply for it in the first place, and focus on learning more about that aspect of the job. As long as you can tough it out for a year or two, then you can always take one job while still searching for another. Who knows, you may end up liking that job a lot more than you thought you would in the beginning.

If you’re still unhappy in your first real career, hopefully after plenty of valuable college experiences and a few years on the job the stars will align and you can end up with the job you’ve always wanted. After all, it’s like the old saying: sometimes the harder you work, the luckier you are.