So You Graduated, Now What?

It’s about that time of year where if you’re under the age of 22 you’re PUMPED for three months of summer bliss, and if you’re 23+, you’ve already forgotten what that’s like (unless you’re a teacher and for that, I envy you). Although I’ve been in the “real world” for six years now, it’s not easy adjusting to life outside of college. Regardless of the year you were born, I think this is something we can all relate to.

In my head, I only graduated college a few years ago, but considering things like Snapchat and Instagram didn’t even exist at the time, I am reminded of my class of 2010 status. Also considering everyone just wants to be Insta-famous and never have to work for anyone else, is also a sign of the times. So class of 2016…now what?

Some of us know exactly what we want — you want to be a writer, you major in journalism and one day you hope to have your name in the masthead of your favorite publication or you want to actually make money so you major in finance and end up as a financial advisor or something with hedge funds (something I don’t understand but I hear it pays quite well!) — but then there’s those who have no f-ing clue and can barely decide on a major (spoiler alert: if you’re currently in college, just pick something that you enjoy because in the long run, your major doesn’t even matter!) Fast forward to graduation and you still have no idea what you want to do. Does that make you lazy? Uninspired? Unmotivated? Absolutely not.

I happened to fall somewhere in-between. I’ve always had an interest in fashion but because I can’t draw or sew, I didn’t think I could make it into a career. I was one of those who didn’t know what to major in (as my school didn’t offer any fashion programs) so I did what everyone else does when they have no idea what they want to do…I became a marketing major. I actually discovered I really enjoyed marketing and it’s something I use to do this day (I mostly had the mentality throughout all of my education that I’ll never use this stuff…but I’m sure my parents will be glad to hear that tuition went to more than endless nights of Natty Light). Then next thing you know, four years is up and I’m like FUCK (actually, not really…I was pretty over college by senior year but I didn’t have a job upon graduation so that was a little scary). Thankfully [sort of] it was during a time where the economy sucked and I sure wasn’t the only one without a job post-graduation. I went to the job fairs and I applied for a handful of jobs I had no interest in. My particular college community was very corporate-focused, which is something I could never relate to. My parents owned their own small business so I don’t know why I had the mentality that I had to buy myself a “work wardrobe” and be in a “cube” 9-5 right away…but I did. And when I left Oxford, Ohio without a job I was worried.

At this point I had ChiCityFashion for less than a year and never thought to do anything with it as a career…it was just a fun project where I could write and hopefully people would read it. But it did land me an internship at a magazine here in Chicago, as well as my first paying job out of college (which I didn’t even start until three or four months out of school). What’s interesting about your first real job is that it’s actually pretty intimidating. Like someone is paying me to do something I’m not even sure I know how to do? It’s a lot of pressure! It can be both a confidence booster and a confidence killer. For me, it was a booster and I’m forever grateful for that. I was doing social media for an online designer consignment company (before I knew anything about social media besides creating a blog post and forming sentences under 140 characters). They thought I could do it because of my blog and I just rolled with it and figured it out as I went along (as I do with everything in life). This is where fake it ’til you make it comes in handy — pretend like you know what you’re doing and hopefully you’ll actually learn how to do it along the way.

Now I realize I kind of got lucky here but it also comes with some effort. I started my careers page because of hundreds of emails I’ve received about those looking for jobs / internships in Chicago. What many don’t understand is that you can’t just send your resume to 20 different places and assume you’ll be getting a job offer the next day. You have to follow up, make your resume stand out (whether it’s with the layout / design or what you’ve actually accomplished…preferably both), and show these companies why you’re the best candidate out of everyone else. We live in a time where we hear about someone who creates an app at 18 and they become a millionaire before they can legally drink. And it’s super cool that’s even a possibility but you can’t make it your only possibility. I have many friends with their own businesses and their biggest complaint is that it’s so hard to find quality employees. Everyone expects everything to be handed to them with minimal or no effort. So if you just put in some effort, you’re already ahead of the game!

So back to the question of “now what?” No job? No internship? No school? Well good thing you have all that time on your hands to look for work, right? 😉 Of course I want you to go right to Chi City Careers but you don’t all live in Chicago or want to work for fashion / lifestyle companies. LinkedIn seems to be the sweet spot for finding a job right now. You can always go old school and CALL (remember calling people??) some companies you’re interested in working for just to see if they’re hiring. And once you do land a job, know that you probably won’t be there forever…and it’s not the end of the world if you don’t like it. However, you still have to put in the time and unless you’re beyond miserable somewhere (we don’t want that!) I would give it at least a year.

Know that the time right after you graduate is going to feel very different (unless you plan on going to more school and not getting a job in between, then it would just feel like any old summer). Going out every night is not the same when you’re being paid to do your job the next day. Then there’s things like bills (which only ever go up!) and trying to understand insurance and 401k (something I won’t even try to explain, because I don’t get it either). It’s overwhelming to say the least…but it’s cool at the same time to take the journey of discovering what you’re good at and what you enjoy. You’re used to paying to be somewhere and now you’re being paid to be somewhere. And maybe it’s the years of unpaid internships under my belt but the working world isn’t so bad (regardless of what Britney thinks).

What advice would you give your recently graduated self? If you already have a job (especially one that you like) then emoji claps all around for you. If you’re still looking, don’t give up. My biggest piece of advice is the easiest one — always follow up. I’m convinced that’s the reason I’ve ever gotten any job / internship I’ve ever had. Sent your resume a week ago and didn’t hear back? Send an email or pick up the phone to make sure they received it. Show your enthusiasm for the position. Got an interview? Do your homework (I know school is over but that doesn’t mean homework is done). Research the company and the position. Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes and think that they’re going to see a bunch of other candidates, so what can you do to make them remember you? It may all sound obvious and straight-forward but you’d be surprised how many people just don’t know where to begin.

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If you’re a recent grad, what are your thoughts on all this? And if you’re like me and have been in the working world for a bit, what was your graduation story? How did you land your first job?

As we like to say in yearbooks (do they even have those anymore or are they just on iPads?) — HAGS!!

Images via Fashion Gone Rogue