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- Year Of Graduation: 2024
- College/University: Oregon State University
- Major: Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing with a Minor in Studio Arts (Focus on Sculpture)
What do you do for a living? Do you see yourself continuing on this path, and how does it make you feel?
I am currently unemployed and it’s the worst feeling ever.
Can you share the most unexpected challenge you faced after graduating? How did you handle it?
The most unexpected challenge I faced was losing my sense of identity. Having trouble starting a career is to be expected so that wasn’t shocking to me, but the loss of identity is a crazy turn of events. Everyone spends at least a quarter of their life locked in pursuing education, but when the moment ends, it feels as if you’ve missed a step up the stairs. Now you are free-falling and you don’t know when you’ll hit the floor or if you ever will.
I’m currently handling these feelings by going to therapy since I also have underlying mental health issues to deal with. Other than that, I am trying to find what I “want” to do rather than what I “have” to do. But that also makes me feel bad, since I really don’t have the luxury to burn any more of my time figuring out what I “want” anymore.
Why did you choose your major, and looking back, how do you feel about that decision?
I originally chose to go into animation but switched to forensic science then jumped into theater. When I first started school at OSU, it was during COVID and I was a theater major. However, theater classes needed to be in-person, so I switched majors to creative writing since I thought I would be able to complete the major online. I also decided to pursue creative writing because it was the only thing I felt a connection to and was confident in succeeding in.
I do very slightly regret the decision since no company really appreciates the soft skills you hone in creative writing. Every job application feels like having to write to clear your name of murder accusations. I’m pretty much on my knees begging, “I promise I have useful skills beneficial for the company” and “I swear these skills are transferable and will support this brand achieve the reach they want.” You’d think that being invited into a prestigious liberal arts honor society and graduating Summa Cum Laude would help pull a little weight in the job search. Nah. It really doesn’t do too much lol.
If you could speak to your younger self right after graduation, what’s the one piece of advice you’d give?
That version of myself is only 5 months younger than I am right now haha. There’s not much I can say to them other than to bury yourself in creating more work to put into a portfolio.
What’s your biggest fear or insecurity right now? How do you manage it?
My biggest fear is never being able to land a job, start my career, and make enough money to survive in this economy. I’m not going to lie, as a means to cope I’ve been drowning myself in research to find other potential career paths that won’t waste any more of my time and youth. But deep in my heart, I still want to pursue something in storytelling, writing, and entertainment.
If financial stability wasn’t an issue, what dream or passion project would you pursue?
I would like to pursue my curiosity in the entertainment industry. Being able to make videos for YouTube, perform, or drown my sorrows with art and music is probably the route I would end up taking. If possible, being able to monetize my creative hobbies to fund my dream of traveling would be nice too.
What’s something about life after college that no one warned you about?
No one ever warns you about the sudden rise of depression. Once you are out of college, it feels like you are standing on the edge of a cliff with no safety rails, looking down at a 30 million ft drop into a void. For me, this mostly came from the lack of security in job hunting. I am stuck doom-scrolling LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter for entry-level jobs, only to see every creative job out there expects you to have 7-10+ years of experience in writing and other technical skills. Dawg, how am I ever supposed to get there when you don’t give me a chance to gain said experience somewhere?
Feeling DOOMED…
How do you define fulfillment, and do you think you’re on the path toward it?
I would define fulfillment as being financially stable, independent, and content with the career I am in. In order for me to feel properly fulfilled, I need to feel proud and content with the career I am working in. I sure hope I am on the path toward fulfillment. I’m not sure yet because there are just so many possibilities that seemingly all end in dead ends at the moment.
What’s one belief or assumption you had about adulthood that turned out to be wrong?
I always thought that once you hit adulthood you would know what you want and what direction you want to take in life. I thought that by now I would already be in a stable job earning a decent amount of money to survive on. Nahhh. Things are rough out here. This might also just be because I never knew what I wanted to pursue, or maybe I did but was constantly told I wasn’t going to be successful in it so I started to believe it. But at the very least, I expected I would know myself better than I did 14 years ago, and I still don’t. In fact, I feel that I know myself less now.
What’s a raw, honest thought you have about where you are in life right now?
“What am I even doing here? What am I missing? What went wrong? What should I have done?”
It is a lot of doubt and mental turmoil.
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