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- Year Of Graduation: 2023
- College/University: University of Illinois Chicago
- Major: Criminology
What do you do for a living, or how are you supporting yourself right now?
I’m currently a cashier at a car dealership. It’s not the most lucrative job and I’m at the bottom of the dealership totem pole, but I get a steady income and that’s good enough for now. I should also mention that my parents happen to work there as well, which is how I got the job in the first place.
Can you share what a typical day in your life/at work looks like?
A typical day involves me processing payments for car servicing, parts, and sales. There’s a hint of office admin work in the role too, such as scanning/filing documents and answering phone calls from customers and other departments. On my breaks, I’m either doing puzzles or reading a book/manga. All in all, most days at work are pretty chill for me.
Of course, since it’s a public-facing role, I’ll occasionally be on the receiving end of some nasty remarks from angry customers. Although I’ve always kept my cool in these situations, it’s sometimes enough to ruin my whole day. I’d probably go insane if I didn’t have the support of my fellow cashiers. They’re great friends I’ve made during my time here.
Can you tell me about your experience finding a job after graduation? Are you happy with where your journey has led you so far?
I wish I could say I was prepared for life after graduating college, but I can’t even say I was prepared for life after graduating high school. I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to do for a career. I’ve thought about several different paths during the course of my life, yet I’ve never stuck with one. It didn’t bother me back then because I bought into the whole “businesses don’t care what degree you have as long as you have one” mindset. That may have been true for some, but it certainly wasn’t the case for me. I applied to whatever jobs I found interesting and felt I was qualified for, a process that left me unemployed for 6 months after graduating. I eventually managed to land a role as a legal assistant at a relatively small law firm after cold emailing the place. Unfortunately, I quickly found out the legal field was not for me, as did my employers, and the job fell through. I was unemployed once again for a good while until a cashier position opened up at the dealership. My parents urged me to come work with them, and I’ve been here ever since.
Am I happy with where I’m at so far? Well, I’m not exactly ecstatic at the moment. Despite my lack of direction, I still had high hopes for my post-grad life. But I’m at least grateful to be employed right now in this job economy. I’ve heard there’s folks out there with much worse luck than mine.
Why did you choose your undergrad major? Do you feel your time spent in college was valuable? Why or why not?
Truth be told, I chose Criminology for the wrong reason. I was undeclared for the longest time and gave up majoring in other subjects, especially the math and science heavy ones, because I struggled to pass those classes when I had to complete my gen-eds. In retrospect, if I had just gone to a tutor and pushed myself a little more, I could have learned to like those subjects. But for my whole life, I was never comfortable with asking anyone for help with anything, so that was out of the question. I told myself “I have to pick a major that’s easy or else I won’t make it to graduation.” I remember one day, I heard from some other students that Criminology was an easy major, save for a few classes. I took the introductory course sophomore year and sure enough, I found it to be much easier than any other class I took up to that point. With no other subject on my mind and the declaration deadline fast approaching, I chose Criminology as my major.
I definitely think I could have spent my time better in college. COVID certainly had a hand in it, but I still could have made more of an effort. I foolishly never went to a tutor or even a counselor for guidance. I didn’t network as much as I should have, either. Looking back, I don’t think I was ready for college at the time and I could have benefited from taking a gap year to really reflect on what I wanted.
What does purpose mean to you? Do you think you’re living a purpose-driven life?
Purpose, to me, is staying true to yourself and living a life that’s built on what you care about most. If the choices you make match the values you hold dear, then I believe you’re on the right track. You can seek guidance from others or follow their example but at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself if what you’re doing is truly what you want to do. For too long, I never asked myself this question and I just lived to please. I cared too much about what others thought. But now, I’m slowly but surely learning to live a purpose-driven life and it already feels liberating. I hope that one day, I’m able to look back on my life and say that it was 100% authentically me.
A quote I just recently adopted goes “It’s your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.”
What’s your biggest struggle right now? What led to it, and how are you moving forward?
Just figuring out what career I want. I used to be on the “passion over money” team, but I’ve never felt passionate about any line of work. And while there are things I love to do outside of work, I’ve never wanted to make a career out of any of them. So now, I consider myself part of the “money over passion” team. I’d like my career to simply be the means to fund my passions. The problem is, that still doesn’t exactly narrow down my choices significantly. There are many careers that can lead to a decent paycheck, so it all boils down to what I can tolerate the most and what aligns with my purpose. However, I have no idea where to begin with something like that.
I think I was destined to be in this situation ever since I was a child. As I said before, I was a people-pleaser growing up and most of the choices I made were for the sake of others. It got to the point where I almost completely relied on others to make decisions for me, and I’d panic if I had to make a decision on my own. I’m still a bit of a people-pleaser, I won’t lie, but my mentality has greatly improved these days and I’m beginning to take charge of my own life.
What do you want to spend more time working on, either personally or professionally? What’s stopping you?
Other than being more confident, I want to work on traveling more. One of my larger goals is to fill up my “patch board,” which is a cork board that displays patches I’ve collected directly from the places I’ve visited. Although the collection is small at the moment, I get excited whenever I envision every space on the board covered with patches. I’m also looking to add my first patch from a foreign country in the near future. I believe traveling is an excellent way to enjoy life, and it helps you grow into a better person.
However, I have this need to prioritize finding a career before planning a trip. I feel like instead of daydreaming about the places I want to visit, I need to focus my mind on figuring out what career I want. Money is also a hurdle, since my job right now doesn’t pay much and I have other finance responsibilities to consider. I guess I have this internal battle between my heart and my brain at the moment. My heart says to travel as much as possible because tomorrow’s never guaranteed, but my brain says we have more pressing matters to attend to first.
How do you define being a successful person?
Never giving up despite what life throws at you. We’ve all gone through moments where we feel like nothing’s going right and the whole world’s against us. In these moments, a successful person chooses to live on because they know it’s a temporary setback. Nothing lasts forever, and that includes the tough times. A successful person always pushes through, knowing the good times will return. They embrace the ebbs and flows of life.
To me, success is not determined by your amount of wealth or awards, but rather your zeal for life. If you have anything, big or small, to look forward to, you’re successful in my eyes. Do you look forward to celebrating a certain holiday? Owning a house one day? Enjoying your favorite snack? Contributing to a noteworthy cause or project? If there’s anything that brings you a smile or lights a fire in you to keep going, it’s a good sign that you’re a successful person. That’s what I believe, at least.
If we traveled three years into the future of your life, what do you want to achieve? What would you hope has changed?
I’d love to manifest this future: I’m a person who radiates confidence everywhere I go. I might not have all my ducks in a row, but I live each day knowing that’s okay as long as I never give up. I’ve finally settled into a career and I’m actively working my way up its ladder. My patch board has a few new additions and I’m currently planning my next trip, whether it’s by myself or with others. I have heaps of interesting stories from my travels, with each experience shaping me into a more worldly person. Oh, and I’ve gotten decent with a musical instrument. Probably a Piano.
What I hope for most, however, is that I remain true to myself and continue to live the way I want to. I never want to forget my sense of self.
What’s the biggest lesson or piece of advice you wish you’d known earlier?
You may already have an idea of what I’m about to say: don’t live solely for others! It’s great to be a considerate and thoughtful person, but don’t forget to take care of yourself. It’s like what they say in an airplane emergency: “Put your own mask on before you help others.” Don’t think of it as being selfish. Think of it as practicing self-care. I’m in my current situation because I didn’t prioritize my wants and needs enough, so please don’t make the same mistake I did.
Walk your road. And do it with courage and confidence.
Connect With Nicolas:
- LinkedIn: @NicolasRamirez
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