Fall Semester Anxiety has Already Skyrocketed: The Result of Job Searching
We are back, better than ever, at an exciting but nerve-racking time of the year. As college students, we always get asked, "Do you know what you want to do after college?" or “What does your major even mean?”
These enraging questions build stress and cause many a complete identity crisis. Every year, professors stress the need to get on top of finding and securing an internship or a job, but this need to find one drives pressure and comparison. Job search anxiety is a REAL thing, and we cannot ignore the fact that everyone wants to succeed in the future. Unfortunately, we need to start now in order to flourish in the future — this is what we’re told. Many mistakenly believe that their “future" solely depends on their match with an internship, which does not help those college students who have no clue what they want to do in the real world.
The unknown is okay! We want to clarify that not knowing everything about your life is completely normal, and one shouldn’t try to diminish others because of their unestablished career path. We are here to provide tips to manage stress during an attention-heavy semester.
One consistent reminder everyone should say to themselves is that everything happens for a reason!
AVOID COMPARISON
Avoiding comparison might be the hardest act to accomplish, but we promise when one learns that every person’s experience is unique, you will find that the outlook on life is of ease. Comparison fosters insecurities and unnecessary pressure. No one is focusing on your experiences; you need to strive for your goals and opportunities that will come your way.
MAKE A PLAN
The job and internship process takes time and is an easy way to make yourself feel like you are on the way to integrating yourself into the real world. For instance, write your resume, create online portfolios such as LinkedIn and search for positions that might interest you. Establishing goals and keeping yourself accountable on a daily schedule helps create an achievable and sustainable plan for the future.
CONSIDER WHAT'S “Good Enough” FOR YOU
You may not get the job or internship of your dreams, or it could be considered “not good” because it isn't a known company. But if you know you are gaining an experience that will benefit you, then you have achieved greatness. Your gut is important — listen to it and give yourself thanks for trying during a stressful environment.
We could go on about how stress will be an uncontrollable emotion that arises, but we have shown that these emotions can be controlled and handled with grace. We hope that reading this will make you feel less anxious and give an idea of how to go about job and internship searching.