Where I Wanna Be
What good comes from staying in your comfort zone? is a question that I ask myself daily and a question that life forces me to answer over and over again since I graduated college over a month ago.In Post Grad Blues, I was crying about feeling out of place and how down and out I felt about not having a job immediately after graduation. Nevertheless, I moved back to Chicago and after weeks and weeks of filling out at least 5 job applications a day and a few interviews later, ya girl has got a job for the summer with another one that starts in August!
However, as a true millennial lol, I'm still not content because I know this job isn't where I wanna be.
Some people get jobs or internships in their field immediately after graduation. Some of us will be on a 6-to-12 month job search before they find anything. The rest of us will work a number of jobs just to make ends meet, all while trying to pursue whatever it is that makes us happy.
Desperation doesn't mix well with decision-making but "tell that to the bills" is a general consensus I've gathered for those of us who are just trying to make adulting work out here.
So with the feelings of not being where we WANT to be, how do we navigate them? How do we keep going?
Get over yourself
Okay so you don't have your dream job and life isn't as smooth as you thought it would because you work so hard and we feel like we should reap all the benefits that come with being youthful and educated. UNFORTUNATELY, that's not how this works, that's how any of this works. You're gonna have to get out here and hustle. Your first job or first few jobs after college may have zero to do with what you got your degree in. Get over yourself and make it work.
Be Grateful
You may not be where you want to be, but at least you aren't where you used to be. I went from being unemployed for almost 6 months to getting a job 1 month after I graduated. Is it in my field? No. But is it making ends meet for now? Yes. I have gotten my sense of independence back and I'm just glad to be able to have some coins in my pocket.
Remain open to learning
Just because you're working somewhere that isn't necessarily ideal doesn't mean that you can't use the experience as a life lesson. I work with a bunch of different people each day, and I am always observing and picking up key things from them that I would like to use later on in my professional life.
Keep Grinding
If all else fails, keep grinding! You don't like the job you have? Take every day and apply for some new ones. Be intentional with your grind. Talk to people, continue to network. Even when it comes to doing what we love, jobs literally come and go. Grind enough where you develop a new skill or talent no matter where you go. Every opportunity won't be paid and that's okay. Don't be afraid to volunteer your services and get your name and skillset out there.
Take your Time
Just because you don't want to be where you currently are, doesn't mean that you know exactly where you want to be either. Take your time and figure yourself out. Give yourself room for trial and error. Your needs, wants and desires can change on the daily. It's all completely normal as we evolve and grow. Just don't give up on yourself no matter what you do.
Have you ever struggled with not being somewhere you wanted to be? How did you cope with it? What advice would you give someone currently experiencing this emotion?