Refusing to Settle Look over your options before picking second-best

As August slowly nears, I decided to e-mail Rebecca (our Managing Editor) to discuss when to finalize the internship. We never actually decided a set date when I would be done, and I wanted to make sure that with my busy schedule coming up (weddings, trips home and moving into a new apartment) she would still need me to work. She mentioned me sticking around for at least another month to do one more byline for the September issue. An opportunity like that is hard to pass up. Not only will it be one more month of experience, but I can add that little extra to my resume.

Looking around at my friends that have recently graduated, I am quite content with the path that I have decided (or ended up with). Whether they are moving back home with the parentals to save money or continuing with their jobs they had through college, no one has really snatched a “real” job they love in a place about which they are excited. Since jobs are scarce all over, I see many students graduating and settling with whatever is thrown their way. I don’t want to just settle. I want to have my options.

I think the internship has helped me expand my experiences but also prolong myself from settling. If I had already graduated in May and done the internship last summer, I would be caught in a situation where I desperately need a job and must make a serious decision.

I have some advice for new graduates: R-e-l-a-x. Students need to relax, find themselves, then do the job search. If you don’t know where you want to live or what you specifically want to do in the future, then maybe an internship or side job is the best idea for a while. Any extra experience is an extra line on a resume. Plus, it helps you narrow down your options.

Since I have been working in the magazine industry, I now know what it would be like to do this for the rest of my life (or at least a glimpse of it). Is there really any rush to randomly pick a job that is willing to hire you and just settle? I know some parents may lean over your shoulders and force you to log on to Monster.com for four hours a day, but why not wait a little bit, figure out the best options and then go forward? Besides, it will be worth the wait if you end up with a great job (or internship) that will help you along your career path.

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by Whitney Riggs