Ah, finals are finally over. It feels great to be back home, not having all the stress of studying and assignments hanging over my head. Unfortunately, now I have to worry about finding summer jobs.

Honestly, I started looking for internships immediately after last semester ended, but most of the opportunities I was pursuing fell through. It's okay, though, I did this last summer, so I know what I'm doing.

1. Finding an actual opportunity.

First you have to go to a job site(one I like is indeed.com), then search for jobs in your field of interest, winnow those down to the ones in your area, and then the ones that actually sound interesting...only to find that they don't take undergrads. Wonderful.

2. Filling out the complicated web application

So let me get this straight. First I select the position I'm applying for, then a separate selection for the location I want to work at, and then I get into the application itself, which is...okay, NOW I make a username and password? Fine....Cover letter? Okay, let me just--wait I can't save the application? Whatever, one sec...So i wrote up a cover letter real quick--what do you mean, "locked out of the application"?!....

3. Finishing the application

I did it. I bloody did it. I filled in all the blanks, filled in the blanks I somehow missed on my last sweep, attached my resume, and then hit the submit button. Now all I have to do is wait for the follow-up email.

4. The waiting, the waiting, the WAAAA-AAITING

You wait for days, weeks, sometimes months, refreshing the inbox of the email you gave them countless times--only to find nothing. Of course, you can't just email them just to see how it's going, there was a clause against that within the labyrinth of the application. You can only wait.

5. The polite rejection letter.

And then, when you hear back, it's "we have chosen to pursue other candidates". In other words, you did not get the job. And then you respond "Thank you for your consideration." while internally wailing.

Applying for jobs is stressful, time-consuming, and maybe even more work than having a job. But, I keep at it, knowing for certain that one day there will be a job that fits, I ace the interview, and I'll be happy. If only because I'm not going back to food service.