From Pessimism to Optimism

I started my first office job in April of this year and it has been such a blessing, I love working in an office.  This office is really special because everyone cares so much about each other. I have never been in a work environment that was this supportive. This new job has been going so well in fact that I was promoted from the front desk to a spot on the accounting team! I have more responsibilities, more things to keep track of but looking back a year ago at how pessimistic I was... I could of never imagined a job like this.

The saddest thing about my college graduating class was the speech that was given on graduation day and how true it actually was. It was entitled "You might be screwed" by Jefferson Smith.

The majority of young new college grads know this reality, and have worried about this day from the beginning. We go to college with the intent to learn more to be able to score the big jobs. But the truth of the matter is, there just aren't that many big jobs. Because of this most college grads are going to go through really hard financial struggles, depressions, and even doubts about our so called "Brighter Futures".

I recently watched the movie The Internship with my husband that really encompassed these feelings of despair and inadequacy. This is a quote from an article in New Republic magazine about the film.

"But not everything's rosy for the bright young things running around underfoot, either: The idea of full-time employment seems like an unattainable dream. Billy suggests their pessimism might just be a matter of perception. "It's not how we see it," says the perky intern Neha. "It's just the way things are now." 

This quote talks of the pessimistic views young people have on the world and the job market, before we ever enter college. As optimistically as we try to see it the truth still stands, it is just the way things are now. BUT our futures are dependent upon our actions now. If you never give up and keep looking for a way to achieve your goals you will succeed. I believe there are two major stumbling blocks in play here:

1. Struggling economy
2. An instant gratification generation

Most young people, (myself included) were raised in a world where you didn't have to wait for information, or an opportunity to come to you. The internet is both a blessing and a curse for this generation and it is just going to get worse. We don't have to search through the library, ask our elders, or even read the news paper anymore; everything is online.


In this struggling job market I count myself among the lucky ones, who pushed through the hard times, battled depression, and fought with feelings of worthlessness. I had to submit hundreds of applications, drive to dozens of interviews and be rejected by all of them. The job I have now came from a friend who asked me to babysit for a little while while she finished her notice with her job. Long story short she helped me to get where I am today.

In the new work environment I started a little garden at my window and to prove to my husband that I don't kill all plants I've started taking pictures every Friday of my plant's progress.

This is my plant at week one.

This is my plant at week two.

 

Coming next post... Zelda update, and prep for Kumoricon 2013!