If you are a student at Miami University this time of year, you understand that you cannot spend more than 30 minutes on or off campus without hearing the words "career fair" at least once. Your teachers stress it is the "most important event of your Miami career," your friends claim it will be the reason for panic attacks and withdraw from school altogether and your parents will call you fifty times a day to make sure you have "all your ducks in a row" beforehand, but really mean "we're spending a small fortune on you to go to this public Ivy for a liberal arts education, you better get a damn good job." But how are you supposed to feel when the time for the battle of Career Fair comes around?
If you're anything like every other student, you'll get waves of:
Panic
"What do I wear? How do I talk to these professionals? What if I forget my name? Should I lie on my resume?"
Denial
"Actually, I'll be fine. I have an hour before career fair tomorrow, that's when I'll review my resume. Career Fair is really not that big of a deal!"
Hopelessness
"I'm never going to get a job. My resume sucks, my GPA sucks, my life sucks and Miami sucks. I might as well start looking up 'How to be a Hobo' on Wikipedia while my parents are still paying for my wifi, and order a large pizza to eat my sorrows away."
Excitement
"Okay, so this company I really love is coming! It's basically my dream job, so it must totally be meant to be! I'm going to kill it."
Overwhelmed
"I'm right up against another fifty other students, all in the same major as me and in a black blazer as well. Where do I move? How can I stand out? There are so many booths, where do I begin? Is it too early to run away?"
Relieved
"It's over. It's finally over. I have a whole year before I have to endure this emotional roller-coaster again."
Panic... again
"Okay, it's been 24 hours and I still haven't heard from Susie Smith at my dream job. Do they not want me? Was it not meant to be? When will this nightmare end?!"
Overall, Career Fair is nothing to be scared of. It's only a few hours during one single day. Most of all, it's an opportunity to shake what your Momma gave you. So take a deep breath, listen to some empowering Beyonce, and own Career Fair before it owns you. That's how you'll get the job.
