It’s becoming that time. The end of the year is near; the smell of graduation is just around the corner; and the act of finding a job is scarier than ever – at least if you’re anything like me. 

I probably apply to at least five jobs a day. It would be more, but my pickings are pretty slim. With my major and my location, job openings definitely aren’t posted every day. I have even started applying to jobs that don’t fit in my major. And not just jobs that are slightly out of my major – jobs such as a server at Applebee’s and a bartender at Buffalo Wild Wings… because that’s exactly what I want to be doing with the rest of my life (note the sarcasm). 

At the beginning of this semester, it didn’t really hit me that I needed to be looking for a job (and that’s probably why I don’t have one as of now). I didn’t really see it as a daunting concern that a job wasn’t in my near future. I can’t exactly explain it. Maybe it’s just because I hadn’t run into the wall of “oh-my-gosh-I-graduate-in-less-than-50-days.” 

Needless to say, I hit it pretty hard. Right about the time spring break ended. I was officially mentally checked out of school, but I knew that searching for a job should become my pastime. And it did. 

Lately, I feel like all I see are dollar signs. There are many things I would love to be buying and spending money on; a new tattoo; weekend travels; even something as simple as groceries. No, mom. I can’t afford to eat this week! I have no money! How could you think that!

You can definitely say I’ve been freaking out about not having a job. And it probably doesn’t help that most of my friends at least have an internship lined up. Me? Nada. 

It wasn’t until I called my mom this week that I came down off the panic train. I had this entirely new plan for saving and making money and I was completely convinced it would work. “I don’t have a job lined up mom, and I’m paying for a wedding, and…” before I could even finish my thought my mom quickly popped that bubble. She reminded me that panicking about not having a job is doing nothing. Yes, I am currently jobless. And unless something happens within the next month, I probably will be at graduation. But that’s okay. 

On average, it takes a college graduate 3-6 months to find a job after graduation. So, I guess it’s reassuring to know I’m part of the majority. According to an article in The Atlantic, 53% of recent college graduates were jobless or underemployed. Another article from the same website said that, according to a survey, 11% of college graduates were still unemployed by October of that year (taken in 2011). 

Are these stats meant to freak you out? No. Is this column supposed to make you feel bad about not having a job? No. This column is supposed to make you feel better. I know, it’s a little ironic and a little weird. But, look around. Raise your hand if you don’t have a job for after graduation. Chances are, most people don’t. And that’s okay. Statistics show it’s unbelievably (emphasis added by yours truly) hard to get a job after graduating. 

So, stop feeling down about yourself. Stop feeling worthless. Go look at your résumé and remind yourself of how great you are. You will find a job and everything will work out. 

You may not be ready to start on May 11, but you will find one. And until then, you can hang out with the rest of us that don’t have jobs. Let’s just hope we can find a place big enough for us all.