This past semester I interned at Roxo, the student-run strategiccommunication agency in the Bob Schieffer College of Communicationat TCU. At the end of the semester nine students were accepted to a trip to New York City. I was one of the lucky ones.

I expected my four-day trip in New York City to be full of sight-seeing, selfies, and skyscrapers. And it was. But beyond that I was surprised to find inspiration. Everywhere I looked I found hidden truths, whether it was with locals I spoke with or scatterings around the city. This bustling city that was previously foreign to me ended up reminding me of some simple lessons that we all need to be reminded of -- especially those of us who, this week, are starting our last semester of college.

The pressure is on. TCU has provided us with education, resources, and connections to say the least. But with those valuable assets come a heap of inherent pressures that incite sudden panic about the future of our careers. This panic gradually creeps up on us starting with a few freshmen, many sophomores, most juniors, and eventually every senior will be absorbed by the thought of his or her career path.

We are well equipped for the real-world. But it feels like we are constantly being reminded of the terrible state of the economy and the dismal job market. On top of that we see recent TCU graduates with surprisingly impressive jobs.

The pressure is two-fold: we need to beat the odds of the job market and maintain the expectations that other graduates have set for us. When we stumble in our first interview or get our first rejection letter, we start to think getting a respectable job is impossible. It just isn’t going to happen. Or even worse, we think our job -- much less our very first job -- will define the rest of our lives.

Here’s a dose of reality, people: our career should not shape our lives, our lives should shape our careers. Do what comes natural. Do something you find valuable and fun. 

Ben & Jerry Give Advice

This was the first lesson New York City taught me. In a shuttle to the airport about an hour ago, I saw a faded Ben & Jerry bumper sticker that read, “If it’s not fun, why do it?” This will probably sound one of two ways to you: either obvious or absurd. If the former, you’re probably in the minority; if the latter, you’re probably thinking that plenty of things aren’t fun -- that’s just life.

As a whole I believe we fall into the latter. We view our professions like we do going to the DMV: painful but necessary. Why don’t we think of our careers like a high school senior who is choosing the college of their dreams? We wanted to get into the school that is the “best” for our specific situation and the one that we will be happiest at. Our occupation should be viewed the same way, or even more focused on what makes us happy since this isn’t four years -- it’s the rest of our lives we’re talking about.

Just Go For It

While visiting Razorfish, a digitaladvertising agency in the city, I spoke with the creative director about his career and how he got where he is today. He described his intricate and unexpected journey up until this point, but he stressed one thing: experience will only make you better. “Travel. Build furniture. Take up basket weaving. Do whatever it is that you’re passionate about at the time. It will only make you more experienced and you’ll have a great time doing it.”

Some may not be able to live in Scotland for a year, but his underlying point is valid. Just because the life formula tells us we need to find a high-paying job right out of college doesn’t mean you can’t create your own path. If getting a job makes you happy, go for it. If painting landscapes or learning HTML makes you happy, go for it. Would you marry the first boyfriend you get because the rulebook says you’re supposed to be married by 30? If the answer “No” doesn’t come automatically, we may have a bigger issue. But that’s a different article in and of itself.

The Wicked Truth

Many of you reading this have probably seen or heard of the popular Broadway musical Wicked. I just saw it for the first time two days ago, and as hilarious and ridiculous as it may be, there are plenty of fundamental messages throughout.

I picked up on a line that came from one of the musical’s songs that went something like, “I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason.” My interpretation may be different from the show’s intended purpose, but in that line I saw the actuality of our infamous catchword “connections."

We use this word anytime we talk about careers. Because of our cultural shift to digital communication, we’ve been told connections are more valuable than knowledge. “Who you know is more important than what you know.” This may or may not be true. But I’ve recently realized that a connection today isn’t what it was ten years ago.

The definition of connection is what? A personal relationship. A personal relationship is the emotional association between two people. We’ve turned vague acquaintances that have no real emotion into job opportunities. We lie and say we’re “friends” or “connected” with people on Facebook and LinkedIn that we’ve never met or wouldn’t say “Hello” to in passing.

People come into our lives for a reason and maybe their purpose is to get you that promotion you’ve had your eye on. But I think we should treat our connections with more respect than we do. If we take the time to have real relationships with these “connections” rather than forging them, we would gain so much more than a job or promotion.

Ultimately my point is this: life is short. Even if you live to be 102, life is short. The next time you’re stressing out over an entry-level job or how to perfectly formulate your cover letter, step back and think about what’s more important.

Is it the time it took for you to ask a friend of a friend to write a recommendation letter which enabled you to land a $1,000 bonus or is it the friendship with an colleague who would speak highly of your integrity and loyalty to anyone? Is it the 12 hours a day you spent stuffing envelopes at a law office or is it the hike you took across the Grand Canyon? Is it the $200,000 starting salary you make working 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at an investment firm or the awesome clients you work with at your own start-up?

There’s no right answer. Just make sure you do what makes you happiest. And if you’re still obsessing about a job, don’t sweat it. It will come easier than you think.