That’s how I really felt for the past 6 months.  

I remember when I graduated from college in May of 2011, I had absolutely no job lined up.  I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do.  The job market was horrible and the economy was and still is recovering from the economic/financial crisis.  There were some of my friends who landed great jobs, some who landed jobs that they just took because it was a job, and some who had no jobs.  

Ever since I was young, I was brainwashed in believing that a college diploma will land you a job and security.  Now we all know that that is a lie.  It’s simply not true.  There’s absolutely no such thing as job security…

 Bank of America is planning lay offs for over 30,000 people.  Big banks such as Goldman, Deutsche, UBS, and many more are following the same lead.  Some of those people have been loyal workers for over 20 years.  Now they’re laid off, with families and mortgages to worry about.  I remember my uncle telling me back in 2008 that his boss got laid off and that his boss packed up all his things in a little box and cried.  One-third of the workforce where my uncle was at got laid off.  I remember going to coffee shops and seeing a huge influx of dads and moms with their laptops looking for jobs online.  It was so sad.

But now we worry about the newly college grads.  Apparently, there’s a significant amount of people from my highschool who are still living at home (including myself) because they’re unemployed.

So what’s my advice to staying sane and not feeling discouraged?  Follow these steps…

1. Work out.  Join a gym, run at your high school track, or do yoga.  It’s important to exercise because it releases endorphins, alleviates stress, and improves your body image.  I personally like to run a lot because I feel like i’m running away from my problems and from negative energy.  
2. Take any job necessary.  It’s sucks being home…  I remember I used to sit around doing absolutely nothing.  I would literally just web surf and bum around the house.  After awhile, I would feel like I’m going insane because of cabin fever.  But now I took a job at a start up restaurant near my house as a cook.  I’m starting to feel a lot healthier both emotionally and physically.  I’m constantly moving around, constantly interacting with different people, and making money.  Though it may not be your career choice, do it for now until you land the job that you really want.  (You think I really wanted to be in culinary?) Believe it or not, you may learn something.  I’m not only learning a lot about cooking, but I’m also learning a lot about business and many great life lessons from my older bosses. 
3. Go online for job postings. Go to Indeed.com, LinkedIn.com, Monster.com, or Experience.com.  I remember applying to over 100 job postings and writing many cover letters.  It sucks but just apply.  If you have to, apply to at least 5 a day.  Eventually you’ll get an email or a call back.
4. Network:  I can’t stress this enough.  Utilize all your contacts.  Whether this is sad or good, it’s not what you know, but who you know.  I truly believe in that.  Most people who land jobs probably knew someone within that industry.  Call or email a friend and ask him or her for coffee.
5. Study the industry:  You never know if you get a call back.  Learn as much as you can about the industry or concentration you want to go into.  Read books on finance, marketing, art, film, or whatever that pertains to your interest.  I usually follow companies on Twitter and LinkedIn.
6. Drink:  I think it’s okay to have a glass of wine or have a brew.  It physically releases stress.  But not to the point of debauchery.
7. Have a lot of sex:  It’ll be better to have sex with a partner whose also going through the same position as you.  You both can release your frustration onto each other and go through it together.  
8. Read for fun:  If it wasn’t for me being unemployed, I would have never read 28 books since I graduated.  Yeah, I had THAT much time on my hands.  But I learned a lot about life from these books.  Some book recommendations that I have:  

-  ”The Alchemist” by Paulo Coehlo

-  ”The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch

-  ”Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom

-  ”How to Win at the Sport of Business” by Mark Cuban

-  ”The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemmingway

  Those books will change your life.  I promise.  

I promise you that the economy will get better.  We live in a trillion dollar economy and companies are sitting on billions of dollars.  Once we have more certainty on our future presidential elections and once consumer confidence starts to gradually increase more, I promise you that companies will start to hire again.  Hang in there.  It’s not just you but hundreds of thousands of other college grads that are going through the same thing.  

Anyways, what are your thoughts?  Have any advice?  Please share.

By tumblr chrisisgrowing