Post-Grad Blues: Reflection on the Past Year + Thoughts on Entry Jobs

I didn’t have a conventional entry-level job out of college, and in some ways I regret it. And in other ways, I absolutely wouldn’t have wanted it a different way. 

Whatever type of job or school situation you find yourself in at this stage of your life, know that you have full control over how you feel and perceive it.

If you don’t find yourself excited to get out of bed in the morning, welcome to the majority of the population. It doesn’t really matter what you have or what you don’t, if you lack a certain spark in you to get up and crush your goals, life becomes extremely tedious.

It’s also your responsibility to make that decision for yourself. You either train yourself to become more intentional, purposeful, and engaged, or you find an environment where those things come more naturally.

Many of you reading this might be either searching for an entry-level job, are looking for a new job,  or have been in an entry position recently. Entry by nature implies that you’re entering into a new domain. It’s a transition period that evokes different emotions for everyone. And they’re actually quite difficult to obtain (based on the insights from friends, it can take up to months to land a job), and it’s going to only get more difficult moving forward due to the current economic downturn. 

Here are reasons why entry-level jobs are great:

• They provide entry into a powerful organization and you get paid (unlike internships)
• The learning curve is steep in the first year— you will be trained on many skills that will be useful in the years to come.
• The first year is also all about getting to know the organization, and your colleagues, and networking.
• You learn the internal bureaucracy and different levels of seniority
• It’s great leverage for another opportunity (recruiters are going to come after you!)
• The money is 5x better than when you were a college student and often salaried (security).

Instead of getting an entry job out of college, this is what I did:

• I traveled twice to Europe and had the trips of a lifetime.
• I got a writing job over dinner and started writing for multiple publications/brands.
• I helped write e-books (and got paid for them!)
• I discovered you could make money from writing (which I always thought was reserved for the Rowlings, Martins, and NYT journalists)
• Learned the inner mechanics of a budding startup
• Started a consulting side hustle for software companies 
• My words ended up in digital magazines like Entrepreneur, Rolling Stones, and Forbes 
• Started dating the love of my life 
• Moved into a beautiful downtown apartment

(not listed in order, by the way)

And although the year hasn’t quite come to an end yet, I can proudly say this:

I’ve been through a lot of changes. And it’s okay to feel overwhelmed at times. It’s okay to feel fortunate, yet still want more. It’s okay to feel like I’m behind because everyone around me seems to have full-time jobs (either entry, mid-level, or running full-time businesses).

Ultimately accept that I’m on my own path.

These are the words I often don’t tell myself when I’m looking at my experience on paper. “Well, you didn’t work for a big company, maybe you lack the skills that are required for this next step.”

Maybe that will always be insecurity, but I’m both proud and grateful for the journey that I’ve been on. Even the really tough months have taught me my weaknesses, my strengths, and most importantly, what I need.

I’ve been able to build relationships and learn things about entrepreneurship, investing, and business probably most people can’t obtain from a business degree. And the best thing is, I’m still so early on this journey and there’s still so much to learn in the days to come.

It’s easy on the day-to-day to focus on what you lack, what you haven’t yet accomplished, or compare yourself to your peers. But if you really took some time to reflect on what has been done, what you have, and what relationships you’ve strengthened, I bet your entire perception will shift as mine has.

As the year is coming to an end, I am excited and curious about the many things I will accomplish and the opportunities that will come my way.

Now I’m interested in getting to know you! What current job “situation” are you in currently, and what do you like the best about it?