The So-Called Right Job Post-Graduation
Our guest blogger today is Cassidy Ktsanes, a client of College Careers Consulting.
After graduating college, I felt like I was left floating in this liminal space. I had known school my entire life, and now I was set free of a consistent schedule and space. I did not have my dream job lined up, let alone know what my dream job would even look like. I had spent five months sending out resumes during the end of senior year, and after interviewing for two possible jobs wherein they went with the other candidate.
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It seemed as though all of my peers and friends knew what their next steps would be. Many of them had landed jobs within their fields or they were in fellowships that would give them great connections to get where they wanted to go. As for me, I was headed back to my hometown to work in the bar I had worked at during my school breaks. I thought that if I could not get out of the bar soon enough, it was the end of my prospects.
I think there are certain times in your life that may feel like you are trapped in a space where you are not growing. After college, I went through three different jobs until I settled into one that I really enjoy. I am still working towards going to graduate school and pursuing a career that further fulfills me. I currently work as a substitute teacher and it has allowed for me to begin to build the foundation for the career—an English professor—that I eventually want to aspire towards.
It was after being mentored by Kal that I was able to clarify my goals and vision for my future. It was when I was pushing away from what I most loved, what I have loved my whole life, that I was unhappy in my job. I know writing is what I should do. If I can end up teaching it, I know that I will be in the right place for me. But it took trial and error, and even jobs that were mostly just a source of income. I had to do a lot of the jobs that did not exactly fit me, like serving and administrative work, to not only figure out what I do not like, but also build necessary skills that will help me later in my work. Serving cultivated more of my people skills, and my administrative assistant job allowed for me to become more organized and on top of multi-tasking.
Your goals will change and evolve with you. It’s okay to try out different jobs, because eventually you learn what feels right, and at the same time, you learn what you really don’t like. This is important. It helps you to figure out your skills, and what jobs align more closely with the skills that you do have. Each job that may not have been the right one puts you closer to your future career.
About our guest blogger Cassidy Ktsanes
Cassidy graduated from The College of Wooster with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and minor in Spanish in 2019. She enjoys writing, cross country running and long walks with her dog Chewy.