I graduated from a school ranked in the top 20 of the nation, with a Bachelors of Arts in Human Health and English, and no job. Now I know this isn’t a big deal these days. I have plenty of classmates still searching for their dream job. Or at this point, just a job. And less than 24 hours after walking across the stage and receiving a diploma that cost $60,000 a year, the majority of my friends moved back in with their parents. So did I. After four years of preparation for a career in the field that I loved, I ended up in my childhood bedroom attempting to pass the time by watching YouTube videos and Netflix, patiently waiting to receive an email that said, “Congratulations! We would like to extend an offer…” But I didn’t. Not at first. 

Let me take a moment and debunk the argument that college graduates are finding it harder and harder to find employment. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics 2017 report found that only about 2.5% of those over the age of 25 and have a bachelor’s degree, are unemployed. But that doesn’t change the fact I was upset that I couldn’t find a job. To be honest, those months where I watched friends get offered their dream jobs or booked airplane tickets to travel around the world were rough. The discouragement and jealousy were real.

Don’t get me wrong, I was proud and excited for everyone in my circle but I struggled with the idea that I had worked just as hard for the ability to be rewarded with a good job, yet was continuously rejected. My saving grace, as selfish as this may sound, was the amount of people that I knew who were in the same boat as me. To everyone who I high-fived after telling me your plans post-grad were still unknown, thank you. You know who you are.

Fast-forward to today. After countless interviews, disappointments, and lost hope, I was offered employment at an organization I’ve been dreaming of working for since as long as I could remember. But after celebrating and reality hit, I had a moment where I realized that I wanted a little more. I am so incredibly grateful for the job that I have. I am so blessed to be able to say that I will get to work 40 hours a week and learn and grow in a place that I have admired since I finally realized that health was my passion. But I had an epiphany.

It’s like I’ve been driving on a street headed towards one destination, but then got stopped at a red light and realized that where I was headed may not be where I want to stay. I’m going to continue to travel on the road that I have been planning to take all along. And so far I love it. My point? It’s okay to have a dream and wake up one day and realize it has changed. I am now committing myself to enjoying this phase of uncertainty, and am going where God leads me. Right now, I’m just trying to figure out my purpose.