So You Graduated… What Now?

Pursuing a degree in the Arts is scary, I’ll admit. When you first start the journey, no matter how you got there, you hear countless discouraging comments. They say you must not like money. They wish you luck. They joke about how you’ll be living in your parents’ basement (which, in this economy, is an entirely different issue that I will try to avoid in this post). You ignore them —as you should—and pursue the degree anyway. You take the classes. You pour your blood, sweat, and tears into your portfolios and, finally, your thesis. Then, you’re done. 

Now what?

Seriously.

Your options: pursue your masters degree, get a job related to your field of study, or get a job that isn’t in your field but will pay your rent. 

For a year now, I have been trying to get a job in a publishing house. I have applied for all sorts of assistant positions, from the desired editorial assistant to the not-as-favorable marketing assistant. I would even put myself on the publicity team if it meant working for a publishing house. On top of that, I have applied for proofreading jobs, transcriptionist work, copywriting, tutoring, you name it. It’s been a year, and I’m still looking. 

Additionally, I am trying to stay afloat doing things like keeping up with this website and social media. I finally sat myself down and wrote a posting schedule. Furthermore, I have started cracking down on submitting work to literary magazines again, hoping to add more to my list of published work. Keeping up with these things feels a lot easier now that I am no longer a student, but it also is not easy, especially when I’m not seeing any money coming in. 

There are plenty of opportunities out there, but so many do not respond to your application. Then, a too-large amount of places that do respond turn out to be scams. Scams are easy to spot. If an opportunity sounds too good to be true, it is. You knock them down by asking them to confirm the job title and pay, asking to connect on LinkedIn, or something along those lines that lets them know you’re suspicious without sounding harsh. They usually immediately cease communication. You want to let your hopes up, but you also have to protect your personal information. 

A huge part of the issue is location. There are not enough places with the work that I am looking for. Much less do they have a demand for beginners. Covid-19 moved many of these jobs into remote status, but they don’t want people from just anywhere, even though the job ad leads you to believe otherwise. I recently learned that companies outside of Ohio do not want to hire people to work from Ohio because income taxes vary between states. This can be the case for many other states, as well. So, I might just be stuck waiting until after I move to Seattle, even though the job might be for a company in New York. 

I still need to pay rent, though. Do I find a job in the town I live in for the four months I have left here? Or do I keep applying to jobs I actually want? The dream keeps changing. What I need to do is finish writing Outkast and get it to an agent, but I am far too worried about money to be living in my own fantasy world, which defeats the purpose of not settling for a minimum wage, wishy washy job for the time being. 

That is why I keep my head up and try to stay focused. I made my schedule and I will stick to it. I am planning and writing, networking and engaging, and ultimately doing the kind of work that I know needs to be done in order to further my writing career. It will take time, but it will be time well spent. My college career showed me that. If nothing else, it calmed my anxiety. And I know the power of that expensive piece of paper we call a degree.

p.s. Happy Birthday, Dad!