"Do you know what you want to do for a living?"
This can be one of the most stressful questions for someone who is about to graduate from college, a recent graduate or even someone who has been out of school for a couple of years and hasn't yet figured their life out.
This question can be very stressful because it is genuinely HARD for most people, to find a job in their field, that they desire, fresh out of college. Some people "know someone" and already have something lined up, prior to graduation, some people jump into a starter career after graduation just to get their feet wet, and then there are those of us who have no fucking clue what we want to do for a living despite going to school for 4-5 years with a targeted field in mind.
Lucky for me I fell into a position that leans toward my field of criminal justice. I work for UPS as a Security Investigation Supervisor in the Loss Prevention department. It is awesome and I love it, but when I started at UPS the summer before my last semester at Towson University, I started at the bottom and did not love it so much, nor did I see UPS as a career. I worked hard doing my job at its highest level while networking and learning about other opportunities at such a large company, and I got lucky to find a role so fitting for me. However, this is not how it works for everyone.
Before I received a few promotions at UPS I was a bottom level employee looking for my way out, and a way into a government job in law enforcement. I applied to many police departments and other agencies and did not have much luck. This started to break me a little bit. This broken feeling happens to many of us, as we don't find our road to success, after completing one of the most enriching times of our life... college. The high of walking the stage and receiving your diploma, followed by the low of getting continuously shot down by the employer after employer, can and will break anyone.
How do you avoid this from happening to you?
You continue to excel at what you are currently doing for a living while remaining patient. It is as simple as that. There is no need to bring unnecessary stress into your life. This life is already stressful enough, between social life issues like friendships/relationships and life events like moving out of your parent's house for the first time outside of the college experience.
I know a friend who struggled with this and to be honest when they were struggling through this I didn't really understand it. Despite going through the same situations at the same time, I was caught up in my own struggles. Good interview after a good interview and they still did not receive any calls back. Internship disappointment led them to feel as if they were stuck. On top of all of this, they felt the pressure of taking a job they did not want to do while making less money than what they were currently making. This person continued to do what they were doing at a very high level, for that matter. The patience and hard work eventually will pay off if you just continue to grind it out and stay focused like this individual did.
Life isn't a race. There is no finish line when referencing success. A lot of times the people who take their time, pacing themselves, are the ones who actually come out on top. Don't stress over things you cannot control. Continue to grind it out and success will find you.
