Dear WiseCat,

I am currently a second-semester senior in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and am a little nervous about not having a job yet. All of my other friends who study in the other three colleges have already secured their jobs and signing bonuses. Am I far behind or right where I should be?

Sincerely,

Flying By The Seat of My Pants

Dear Flying By The Seat of My Pants,

First, do me a favor. Take out your planner and mark down these dates: Monday-Friday noon-1 p.m. and Wednesday 8 a.m.-9 a.m. Those are all of the available yoga classes you can take that will eventually help you find your center and locate that deep breath that needs to be scheduled.

If you don’t have a job yet, no one should be judging you. And by no one, I mean you most importantly.

Again, planning is key. You don’t want to be sitting and doing nothing this whole semester just waiting for a job to call you because that isn’t going to happen – no matter how talented you are.

So, take these steps toward securing your dream and your not-so-small box in the middle of Times Square, right next to that infamous cowboy.

First, if you don’t already have a spring internship, start looking for one. Internships, whether for credit or not, are key when looking for jobs. Today, having one internship is like having no internships back in the day. So unless your first one was with a really big name, I say you better have at least two in order to be competitive. Make an appointment with Career Services to talk with a career service adviser when devising a plan. They are here for you and willing to help.

All in all, I wouldn’t worry about not having a job right now. Depending on what field you’re in, it is usually common that the arts jobs become available on an as-needed basis, and normally employers don’t start looking for applicants until the middle of second semester. As for the science end of the spectrum, if you are not interested in being a medical doctor or completing research, why don’t you lend your abilities to becoming a teacher in a specific field?

Find your dream and go after it. Don’t let anyone or anything get in the way of what you really want to do.

There is one thing about dreaming. You can never be too much of a dreamer. Those who don’t dream are the ones who are criticizing you when you do something big.

Make it happen. Make a plan. Make yourself proud.

XOXO,

Tina