It’s quiet sad really, the first half of my senior year at college is coming to an end.  With only one semester to go until dreaded graduation there are many things that I am both thankful for as well as apprehensive about as I look towards the future that is filled full of uncertainty and potential failure. My semester up until now has been full of career fairs, company presentation, resumes, cover letter and interviews, except for the last part.  You pay thousands of dollars a year in “out-of-state” tuition because of the business school ranking, you study hard, get the grades and put together a pretty good resume for yourself but why doesn’t it necessarily translate into interview and job offers…That is the question that I ask this holiday season.

Now I don’t want to sound whiney or overly cynical, because there is a ton that I am extremely thankful for.  This past year I have been afforded the opportunity to study abroad in London for an entire semester, travel Europe and see over ten countries.  If I am not thankful for that than I don’t know what I can be happy with.  It was truly the most rewarding experience of my life.  What I was able to learn about the world and myself will stick with me for the rest of my life, and it is something that never again will I be able to do.

But fast-forward not 11 months present day.  I am just another one of the hundreds of thousands of tiny fish swimming in the vast sea who are college seniors searching for jobs.  After rounds of resume releases, countless hours at career fairs and applications sent into over 50 places already this year.  So for a seemingly qualified senior year market major, with a decent GPA and plenty of real world experience I pose the question to you, how many of the, let us say 50 applications and resumes that I submitted resulted in an interview with the company.

ONE…ONE STINKING INTERVIEW

So I will leave you with this final question, my final thought and concern.  What more can I do?

Get the grades, get the internship, and learn to effectively communicate what you have learned and your goals for the future.  But I can be a first hand account of the gaping holes, and flaws in the current system.  Now I cant go pointing finger blaming the kid with the higher GPA, better internship or the worst of them, the ones with more influential parents, and look to myself for the appropriate answers.  And that is what I am thankful for this year. The ability to learn from my experiences and look internally for growth, which will in turn bring be success.

Thank you all for listening and allowing me to vent for a minute there.  And please, truly enjoy your friends and family this turkey day week and find something and someone to be thankful for.

 

 

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