Viewpoint: On the job hunt, be grateful for the chance to pay your dues

I pulled out a pile of crisp resumes. I looked around the main ballroom where over thirty different companies had set up shop for my university’s career fair. I, like many soon-to-be graduates have been searching tirelessly for employment after my upcoming graduation.

Today was the day that I was going to find my dream job — I just knew it. Why shouldn’t I? I was about to get a degree that I had worked hard to earn.

I pulled out a pen and began the walk into the ballroom. “Head up, shoulders back and be confid--.” I couldn’t even finish the thought as I clumsily tripped over my dress shoes.

Whew! I was still in one piece. I collected myself and continued my march.

Despite my nearly fatal foot fiasco, I felt pretty confident. I had carefully followed the list of ideas that the university had published on their website about being prepared.

I had written notes about things I could do for each company I was interested in on a small sheet of paper. I was even sneaky enough to keep the paper carefully hidden under my resumes. I decided to only look at my cheat sheet in between booths to help my “elevator pitch” to each potential employer.

I quickly moved from booth to booth trying to find a good fit for me. Some were promising but not what I wanted.

After a bit of searching, the only thing I had gained were blisters from my shoes. I sighed and moved along to another booth.

I looked down at my cheat sheet and got in line.

Could this be the right fit? I hoped so.

I finally got to the front of the line and looked up at my potential employer. I smiled and introduced myself. I then went into my twenty second pitch.

He just stared.

I began to think there was something stuck in my teeth.

He then asked me when I was graduating. I replied April. He then told me that I better start looking for a job — and quickly.

I looked around the room and thought to myself ‘isn’t that what I’m doing?’ but smiled and tried to chuckle along with him.

He asked again what my major was. I replied communications. He proceeded to tell me about how he’d hired a graduate student who had studied communications the previous year.

I started to feel a glimmer of hope. He then finished by saying he’d hired her as a secretary and he re-emphasized that she was a graduate student. He then smiled and looked at me.

I turned red and could feel myself start to sweat. I thanked him, and I left the booth.

It wasn’t that I thought there was anything wrong with being a secretary. It was the way that he made me feel like he was undervaluing my dreams and what I wanted out of life.

I wasn’t quite sure what to say or do. I stood in a middle of a sea of jobless soon-to-be graduates and thought, ‘what now?’ Are there really so many fish in this sea that none of us will ever find jobs?

Even if a fraction of us do find jobs, will they be jobs that we want to be doing?

I didn’t even continue on to last few booths. I slowly put the remainder of my resumes in my backpack and headed off to change my shoes. Who needs ‘em, I thought. Inside I felt more discouraged than I’d felt in months.

The next place I went was my computer. At least it wouldn’t judge me for being a communications major. I quickly brought up dozens of employment websites. I sent out emails to every contact... professors, previous employers and peers hoping that someone might be able to help me find a job that I’d like.

We’ve been told for years that it’s important to find a job you love — and that’s exactly what I felt entitled to. No one was going to tell me otherwise.

I later realized that I needed to take the advice that I gave a good friend over the summer. “You need to pay your dues and fares to the professional community before you expect to get a job that you love.”

The bottom line is, that jobs are hard to come by these days for almost any major. So, if you get a job offer, be grateful. Perhaps consider taking the job you didn’t necessarily imagine to be your dream job and keep looking. Jobs don’t grow on trees, and eventually, you might work your way up to something you love doing. I sat back in my chair and smiled to myself.

Currently, I am sitting with my crisp pile of resumes-- looking at other opportunities than I had originally imagined for myself. While the search still has its ups and downs something will come along eventually. I just have to pay my fare.

Katie Mussmann is a Spring 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about her here.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.