As a well-read young woman with ample free time on my hands, I decided to keep up to date on current events and read my horoscope for this upcoming week.

Homie Colin Bedell (the dude who wrote the article I read) seemed to think that for Scorpios this week, big things were in store for us, career-wise.

Maybe a promotion. Maybe a new attitude about your current position. Maybe, for an unemployed college grad in Fredericksburg, you might finally get your dream job.

And so, I started thinking about that concept, the “dream job.” I just got back from a lovely family vacation in North Carolina, and most of the time, when I was catching up with my relatives, I got the “so, what are you doing these days?” question.

And when I responded with some version of “you know, just sitting around, DMing celebrities on Instagram, eating my weight in kettle chips, applying for about a bajilion jobs, stuff like that,” I was always asked about my “dream job.”

“Well, what kind of jobs are you applying for?”

“Well, what do you want to do?”

“Well, if you could have any job, what would it be?”

Like any other unemployed-yet-religiously-searching college grad, I have a generic spiel that I give in response to these sorts of questions, but usually it’s not too in-depth, and generally it doesn’t reveal what I’m actually FEELING about my job search activity.

Luckily, I have a handy-dandy blog now where I get to dump these things and make myself feel better.

Based on every single piece of pre and post grad advice about jobs, I have decided that if you’re a go-getter, and you have the current financial means to go for that “dream job,” then full steam ahead. Some of us are not so lucky and can’t afford to go from partying (I mean, studying) in a dorm to getting the job of our dreams. It just isn’t feasible, and there’s no point in dwelling on that fact.

Personally, I don’t really have an idea of my “dream job.” I have a set of skills that I’ve honed through my experience, and there are any number of jobs that I know could make me happy AND make good use of the abilities that I have, but I have always been a practical person. I tend not to get hung up on dreams.

I know a lot of people aren’t like me in that regard, and that’s cool. But still, being hung up on getting a “dream job” right out of school isn’t healthy, in my opinion. Here’s the thing: we are young. We have time. We don’t need to have every bit of the rest of our lives planned out, and we damn sure don’t need to be having breakdowns left and right about it. Know yourself. Know your talents and skills and be as flexible as you can (and as you feel comfortable with). Some people have more of that flexibility than others.

Take me, for example. I live with my family now, rent-free, and I have access to a car that I only have to pay to fill up with gas (and even then, only occasionally!). I am out-of-this-world blessed for that, and I understand that not everyone else is as lucky as I am. I understand my current situation, and I am taking full advantage of it!

All I’m saying is that it’s the season for vacations with family, and you never know when a family reunion, wedding, birthday party or even just a run-in with an old friend at the grocery store (possibly while you’re buying your kettle chips) might lead to a discussion about your plans for the future.

If you’ve got a game plan, good for you! I am really proud of you. And if you don’t? Don’t sweat it. As long as you know yourself and the direction you want to go and have the patience to wait for the right thing for you, whether it’s your dream job or not, you’ll get where you want to be.

As for me, I’m still chugging along on Indeed (and Glassdoor, and LinkedIn, and the list GOES ON FOREVER), my hand in a bag of chips, waiting for Orlando Bloom to respond to my DM.

Your Still Unemployed Yet Determined Servant,

Em

(Thumbnail image courtesy of https://pngtree.com/freebackground/simple-office-decorative-background_396458.html )