#PREPOSTGRAD SERIES: BUILDING WHILE UNCERTAIN

Let's talk about how it feels to be building your next chapter while a lot of things are uncertain.

Lately, I’ve realized job searching is one of the strangest experiences!

Not because I’m unwilling to work, and not because I’m unmotivated.

But because it feels like trying to plan a future you haven’t met yet. 

Right now, my life looks like a mix of tabs and timelines. Spreadsheets tracking applications. LinkedIn notifications. Resume edits. Cover letters. Asking for references. Lots of coffee. Job boards. Looking for advice online. Writing out my thoughts. Second guessing. Updating profiles.

And somewhere between all of that, I’m still living regular life too.

I’m still working as the Student Recruitment Assistant at CoMC. Still balancing blog writing, content creation, summer responsibilities, coursework, and trying to enjoy my final months of college before graduation in August.

That’s the strangest part!

The future starts asking for your attention before you’re fully ready to leave the present.

And suddenly, everyone wants to know the plan.

“So… where are you applying?”

“What do you want to do?”

“Do you have something lined up?”

I know those questions come from excitement and support, but honestly, I hope everyone knows that I ask myself those same questions every day! I am just as in the dark as you are.

But job searching has taught me something I didn’t expect:

Sometimes, uncertainty and ambition exist at the same time.

I’m applying for traditional roles in Dallas and genuinely excited about beginning my career.

I’m also learning more about myself in the process.

I'm asking myself questions like:

What kind of work energizes me?

What environments help me thrive?

What skills do I want to keep building?

How do creativity, purpose, flexibility, and stability all fit together?

I don’t think enough people talk about how reflective this process becomes.

You are not just applying for jobs.

You are quietly evaluating the kind of life you hope to build.

And maybe that’s why it feels so personal.

Some days, I feel confident and motivated.

Other days, I stare at my spreadsheet and wonder if everyone else secretly knows something I don’t.

But, I’m learning that job searching is not a final judgment of your worth, intelligence, or future.

It’s a process!

And like most meaningful things, it rarely feels perfectly organized while you’re in it.

What I do know is this:

I care deeply about meaningful work.

I love creativity, communication, storytelling, and building things that connect people.

I want to keep growing professionally while also creating a life that feels sustainable and aligned with who I am.

Maybe my first job will be exactly right. Maybe it will be a stepping stone.

I think both are okay.

I think that’s what I’m learning right now.

Not every decision has to be permanent to be valuable.

And maybe growing into your career looks less like having a perfect plan and more like continuing to show up before you have everything figured out.

So for now, I’ll keep applying. Keep networking. Keep building. Keep figuring things out!

And keep trusting that something meant for me is also finding its way toward me.

One spreadsheet row at a time!