Your last semester of college is always the most exciting, or makes you want to pull your hair out, either way you're finishing up credit hours, working an awesome/awful internship, or simply having fun with your friends. But mostly, you are trying to graduate on time (kinda) with decent grades (hopefully).
Everyone tells you that graduation is a right of passage, they tell you it's fun and gratifying when you walk across the stage and receive your diploma. And you can't wait to do that. You can't wait to put your cap and gown and stoles and chords on and patiently wait for two and half hours to hear your name being called.
While all of that is very true, what they don't tell you about is the aftermath. After the grad parties, after the luncheons, brunches, and dinners, after all of your family leaves, it's all kind of different. You feel different but not really.
You feel like you should be taking this huge step forward. But a lot of times you don't feel like that in fact you feel like you're moving backwards. Especially if you move back home! You move home and it's almost like high school all over again, but with a different feel. A different feel like "Wow I'm an adult and I'm being treated like one".
Mom and dad ask you about the job search, family asks you about the job search, friends ask you about the job search. That's what it's all about, right? No, it's not. It's about being happy and proud of yourself for moving into the next chapter of your life. A lot of people don't even get that. They don't go to college and they don't graduate, but you did and that's what is important right now, that you did it!
It's okay to not have a job right out of college. Appreciate that time, appreciate the "break" if you get one. Most recent grads will move on to grad school or straight into their job from their internship. But there is a percentage of people who don't move on just yet.
Getting a job takes time. You aren't just going to apply for one and then instantly get an email saying you've got the job! It doesn't work like that. It takes at least 3-4 weeks, maybe more to even hear back about a job. Then you have the hiring process and everything like that.
Obviously keep kicking butt at job applications and resume builders, but don't get discouraged in those first two weeks after graduation. Accept it and don't rush it. You have the rest of your life to work a job or chase your dreams. For now just breathe, just relax, and get ready for the life you're on the road to creating. It's going to be full of adventures, lasting memories, and people who will be there for every step.
