Getting a four-year degree does not guarantee a career anymore.
As "millennials," we know this all too well. We spend countless hours studying something, sometimes something we don't even have a passion for, spending thousands and thousands of money we don't have, and then once we're close to graduating or we've already left school, we send out piles of resumes, fill out a ton of online applications, and even sign up for those websites that are meant to connect you to professionals looking to hire. But, as many of us have found, these efforts can be fruitless when sticking only to the field you studied in.
What they don't tell you is that you don't have to stick to the field you studied. You don't have to stay in the food service industry or keep folding sweaters until you finally find the career of your dreams. You can find a "big kid" job, even if it means stretching your learned talents and knowledge a bit. It's all about getting creative with your resume and finding something you can adapt into.
I graduated Eastern Michigan University this past spring with a degree in language, literature and writing with a minor in children's literature. I want to work in the publishing industry, but certain questions kept nagging me.
Do I have a career in the publishing industry like I had planned? Nope. I decided to take at least a year off in between degrees to give my mind a break. The publishing industry. As what? I'm not sure yet, but I have a passion for the written word that seems to outweigh anything else I've come across in my life.
Instead, I work at a quilt shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan. And you know what? It's been the best decision I've made my entire life.
This job, working retail and specializing in sales of sewing machines at Pink Castle Fabrics, has changed the way I think and do things in the professional world. I've learned many new skills that I may not have had I not found this job. Instead of sitting around a classroom, as I've been doing the past four years, just discussing things, I'm out there talking to customers, trying to up-sell them on the latest models of sewing machines. I'm also being paid to write. I've recently been assigned to write a few posts for the company's blog in order to promote the products we choose to sell.
Yes, it's still retail. I work weekends and I have to please customers' almost every whim. I still stress out through sales and sometimes have to stay late when someone decides to walk in ten minutes until close. And, yes, I'm still living at home with my parents, too, because I'm still establishing myself as a sales representative. But, it's a full time position, I earn commission on top of an hourly wage and have the opportunity for health benefits. Nothing makes you feel like an adult more than the promise of health insurance, especially when you're mere months away from being kicked off of the parents' insurance plan! (The panic is real, folks!)
But how did I land the job? Well, I've worked unconventional retail my entire working career, working the early morning shift at a gas station, cleaning tanning beds, renting out movies and working as a legal drug dealer (Pharmacy Technician), so the experience with handling money and customers was certainly there. I also had a minimal background in sewing, which was rather helpful when they trained me in cutting fabric. Other than that, I just charmed my way through the interview. Did I have any idea that this job would lead to working full time once I graduated EMU? Heck no! You never know what life is going to throw at you.
Being able to find a full-time job that pays well, offers benefits and doesn't make you want to scream is a job you should snatch up and keep. Well, keep until you find that dream job, of course!
This route worked for me, so why should it work for you?
It might not. You might experience a miracle and find something as soon as you graduate college. However, if you're given the opportunity to work a job that brings you out of your comfort zone while waiting for a position in your intended field to open up, take it! You're guaranteed to learn skills that you would have not learned otherwise, your resume will become more diverse and you may find that you have a new appreciation for your new field. Perhaps you'll have enough appreciation to turn this new job into your new dream career!
