Reality set in after I crossed the stage to receive my diploma. Here I was, among hundreds of graduates, wondering, who has already secured a job? And most importantly, why didn’t I?

During my last semester, I hated the question, “What are you doing after graduation?” As a person who always had everything organized and figured out, it felt embarrassing to simply answer with, “I’m not sure yet.” It seemed like every guest speaker that came to my classes talked about how depressed they were for either months or years before they got to where they were. Freaking everyone out, all I could remember thinking was, “I don’t want to be in that predicament.” Then I came to realize, “You don’t have to be in that predicament.” Not everyone’s journey is going to be the same. Someone’s chapter 27 might be your chapter 5 and vice versa. If I wanted to reach my goals, it’s going to take:

Patience.
Taking a risk or two to get to where I need to be.
Instead of freaking out, I’m going to have to grow up.

Although I did not secure a job before graduation, I made sure that I put myself in a position to get a job as soon as possible. I secured an internship in my last semester of college, so that I could possibly have a higher chance of getting a job opportunity with that company. I also applied for a program that would give me more training and is known for offering students jobs right after it is completed. Most importantly, I reached out to major connects who are already in the industry that I am interested in, to not only show interest, but to get an advice on what to do next.

As I walked out of graduation with my diploma in hand, I was no longer asking myself, “why didn’t I have a job?” and started to ask, “Why am I doubting myself?” I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was proud of my work ethic and I knew I was going to be okay. Fast forward, in a few weeks I will be headed to Washington D.C. for the Media Sales Institute at Howard University. I think one of the most bittersweet things that I am learning post-graduation is that, I graduated knowing that there I still have a lot to learn and experience. I broke down multiple times in college because of the things I thought I could not overcome, and yet, this is just the beginning. That’s the beauty of it all.