Katie Baker and her mom stand together. The two are very close and Baker, the writer of this article, considers her mom her best friend. Photo courtesy of Katie Baker / Snapper
Katie Baker
Opinion Editor
As the fall semester of my senior year begins to wind down and I prepare to enter Thanksgiving break, I am forced to begin facing the reality that is the real world. I know the holiday season is going to bring the haunting question of “so, what’s your plan after graduation?” to the dinner table. Unlike many uncomfortable holiday dinner conversations, I have no solid answer to shoot back.
I’ve almost completed four years here at Millersville University, I’m graduating with a degree and a minor. I have had the opportunity to participate in an NCAA sport, be an editor with The Snapper, and even join an honor society. Yet, even with a copious amount of extracurriculars on top of my academics, I simply have no idea what I want to do with my life. Everyone says that college prepares you for the real world, but I feel like college showed me that the real world is far more terrifying than I expected it to be.
I have to start my job search while on holiday breaks because most organizations have already begun their hiring processes for spring graduates. It’s a daunting task to sit down and attempt to create a flawless resume. It has always frustrated me that there is an endless number of ways to design your resume, and everyone always has a different suggestion that leaves me spinning in circles. How do you even find the energy to create a resume? I have an extensive list of jobs I plan to apply to, once I finally finish my resume that is.
After I complete that task, it’s onto the actual application process. There are so many different ways to apply for jobs, which is another frustrating thing. You can use Indeed, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, or just the specific company website. Again, a lot of options! Once I get past that fiasco, it’s onto the final step of getting an interview (Arguably the best step because that’s the most fun part).
It’s incredibly overwhelming to think about going through these steps over and over again until hopefully, one company believes in me enough to offer me a job. But before I can even get to that satisfaction, I have to decide what I want to apply for. The tailoring of my resume and my choice of job application both depend on what I decide I want to do for the rest of my life. And what really sucks is that I thought when I picked my major four years ago, that was me deciding what I wanted to do.
News flash: it wasn’t.
Graduating into the adult world is inevitable, I can’t avoid that reality. I can try to avoid applying for jobs, but eventually, I have to snap out of it and step up my game. For now, I plan to continue to cry to my mom that I don’t want to grow up, tell my grandparents that I have no clue what I want to do with my life, and cheer on my friends who have already accepted full-time jobs. I’m going to enjoy my own journey into adulthood and not compare myself to anyone. Cheers to not knowing what you want to do when you grow up.
