The pursuit of happiness

The conversations always start the same. “So, what are you doing after graduation?” I’ve been asked by family, friends, old high school acquaintances I mistakenly friended on Facebook and never deleted. Even my dentist broached the subject over winter break.

As she slowly reclined my chair, and I gazed into the light, I thought about how I would answer The Question.

“Well,” I said as she poked and prodded around my mouth. “I’m going to Virginia for an internship.”

“Oh,” she said, clearly unimpressed, “and then what?” Silence.

She talked about her son, a high school classmate of mine well on his way to becoming a doctor, and another friend who had spent his summer in the White House. I felt like a failure.

All I could manage to say was, “I don’t know.”

The job search is daunting. Broaching the subject results in heavy sighs and visible anxiety. One college student compared it to asking a 45-year-old woman when she’s ever going to get married. The hunt for employment shouldn’t be this taboo.

Let’s look at the facts. The recession is still hurting employers, and the unemployment rate continues to hover at a shockingly high level, 8.9 percent, as of February. But to understand what that means for us, we have to look beyond this single statistic.

Dig deeper into the data and you’ll find that candidates with bachelor’s degrees are least affected by the recession. These job hunters comprise only 4.3 percent of the current unemployed population. And while this number changes from month to month, the percentage of unemployed college graduates is generally decreasing.

These numbers should encourage us, not bring us down. Yes, getting your dream job right out of college might be impossible; but getting a job, one that pays the bills, isn’t.

Here’s the truth: There are jobs out there. In fact, we can even be a little picky about the jobs we take. But in order to reach this state of job nirvana, in order to move past the awkward dentist chair conversations, we need to stop panicking and start prioritizing.

While blemish-free resumes and eye-catching cover letters matter, a successful job search hinges on something more important: an honest assessment of our values.

Does location matter? Do you need to start work immediately, or can you afford to hunt? These are both questions an advisor at the Career Development Center asked me when I stopped in during walk-in advising hours.

Sitting at the CDC, I found myself debating more than a job. I was thinking about where I wanted to start my life and what that life might look like. Was I ready to move to a state where I had no friends or family? Would I be content?

Unfortunately, they don’t make comforting, pastel-colored handouts to answer these big questions. This deep introspection only bubbles to the surface after several glasses of wine and, perhaps, a panic attack.

When I searched for a post-grad internship this fall, I sent out 11 applications. I told family and friends I was willing to work anywhere, for any pay, at any company. I just wanted to get my foot in the door. But when it came time to seriously evaluate my offers (and rejections), I found myself struggling to decide which criteria mattered most.

I decided on this formula: I can work for a company I hate in a city I love, or I can work for a company I love in a city I hate. One way or another, I needed to find some joy.

The combination of factors is different for everyone, and anyone who says they have it all figured out, well, they’re wrong. Even the people with the seemingly perfect post-grad plans get overwhelmed and confused.

My roommate, a business student, went through a completely different process. She interned for a large firm after her junior year and, upon completing her summer, was offered a job for after graduation.

At first I was jealous of her security. She would be able to go through her entire senior year without the stress of finding work. But the more time passed, the more I began to see her worry. She’d ask, what if I don’t like my job? What if I don’t like the city? What if it’s not the right fit?

It’s time for us to dismantle the unemployment myth.

In the process, we’ll need to make some sacrifices. Those of us wanting a job immediately after graduation might have to give up location and salary criteria for expediency. Others who value location might need to come to terms with a longer jobsearch timeline. Either way, we will find work. We’ll even find happiness.