Graduating with no job? It’s not the end of the world

There’s an unspoken expectation that if you’re receiving your college degree in May, you should have secured a job by May. Yes, most people work toward college degrees for the purpose of preparing themselves for a career and securing a job that’s much better than anything they could’ve snagged without a degree. But the whole stigma that you’re somehow a failure if you don’t have a job by the time you turn your tassel is totally unwarranted. Here’s why...

Looking for a full-time job and applying to full-time jobs is, most of the time, pretty close to a full-time process. If you’re a full-time student during your senior year, odds are you don’t have endless time to research companies and organizations, sift through job openings, hunt down contacts, network with relevant contacts, tweak and send out your resume, write and send out cover letters, and coordinate follow-ups and interviews. Add time devoted to jobs/internships, extracurriculars, and the occasional boozy night (which may not be so occasional since it’s senior year), and job hunting can easily be pushed to the back-burner. 

But guess what? That’s okay. No need to panic. Most students who have jobs secured long before graduation are business school students working for large corporations. So, you’re either lucky because you’re a business school student and have a job almost a year in advance, or you’re pissed at the business school students because they’re making you feel bad about yourself. Outside of the corporate world, most positions aren’t posted until spring, which pushes the application and interview process back until right around graduation time. Or, positions aren’t posted until they’re actually vacant and lacking an internal prospect, which makes them more sporadic and difficult to find. 

The fact of the matter is the job market still kind of sucks. Your college degree in no way guarantees you a decent entry-level job anymore. The hiring timeline in no way guarantees you’ll have a job and some personal relief by the time you’re leaving college for good. Your parents’ relentless pressure in no way guarantees that they actually understand what it’s like to leave college and find a job in 2020.

None of this is great news for soon-to-be graduates, but it’s the new reality of the college-to-work transition. So don’t freak out. Don’t beat yourself up because Bob scored one of the millions of consulting jobs that seem to exist and you’re still wondering what the hell you want to do with your degree. Don’t resort to feeling bitter or embarrassed or discouraged. Keep grinding, keep hustling, and keep seeking opportunities. You’re not a loser just because you can’t fully answer the question “what’s next?” the million times it’s asked throughout graduation weekend. You’re only a loser if you let your inability to fully answer that question prevent you from making things happen for yourself in the coming months. 

Go out with that degree and without that job, and make it happen. #dreambig #dowork #havefun