Every twenty-something year old has experienced the quarter life crisis. This is the time in your life when you're afraid, confused, sad, frustrated, etc. Every person's quarter life crisis is a result of not knowing what you want to do in life, where you want to live, where your love life is going and more.
I experienced my quarter life crisis towards the end of my junior fall semester abroad. I lived in Florence, Italy for four months away from my friends and family. When I returned from Italy, all my friends had internships lined up and everything else in their lives was settled. This is when my quarter life crisis peaked. Not only was I feeling out of place because I missed four months at school but I didn't have a plan.
This freak out made me hungry to find an internship. I created a LinkedIn account, made weekly visits to the career center, participated in extra-curricular activities, applied to countless internships and still nothing. Though I never received an internship, things fell into place.
I went home for the summer and got a job at the bar down the street from my house. I was a waitress and made a lot of money that revived my bank account after Europe. Though I wore jeans and tee shirt serving beer rather than taking notes in a suit and fetching coffee, I did learn a lot. Not only did I learn about the different drinks and the skill of multi-tasking, but I had some great conversations with customers. Most customers were established business men or women. They all talked about how they worked their way up. This statement was repetitive. Yes, you worked you're way up but that's exactly what we're all doing now. We work minimum pay jobs and are full time students. The problem is there is a huge gap from college student to successful (insert job title here).
Since I worked at my town bar in the summer, many customers we're in college and like me we're struggling. Someone told me how their dad's cousin's friend got them a job. Others told me that they were in the same situation as me working as a lifeguard, a caddy or a camp counselor. This did bring me some relief and also to a realization.
Every person said "its all about who you know." Getting a job or internship is about networking now and not how smart you are.
I thought to myself, does this mean my college education was a waste?
No. Returning back to school as a senior this year answered this question. I came back to living at a beach house with my nine best friends. Still no internship but I'm happy. I'm not worrying about where I'm going to end up. I'm just enjoying my last year and appreciating everything that I already have. My advice to any twenty-something year old who is doubting themselves is stop planning ahead. Everything eventually and naturally falls into place. Whether you're busting tables or sitting in meetings all day, as long as you're happy that's what matters. That's what makes a person successful.
