Story by Gisselle Hernandez, Features Editor
As the season of internships and job hunting commences in about 18 days, many people’s anxiety levels sky rocket as the unfortunate, but sometimes inevitable, rejection letters start rolling in. The pressure to wear a crisp name tag following the graduation cap makes bad news almost unbearable to some.
Failure is inevitable, but we already know this. Supportive advisers and encouraging parents have been preaching to us about the obstacles that somehow make our path to an ideal job or internship seem nearly impossible. Still, some of us wallow in the disappointment. The thought of not being “good enough” creeps into the mind like poison, overshadowing the fact that one “no” doesn’t define the rest of your life.
I’ve had my fair share of failures, which usually result in me moping around my apartment munching on Cheetos while Michael Scott’s idiocy comforts me. But I try my best to pick myself up after a few days of throwing a pity party and get back out there – which, to be honest, is difficult sometimes. However, I’ve seen too many friends become discouraged after receiving news they were not excited about. I’m here to back up your supportive advisers and encouraging parents by spewing some cliché facts you probably have heard people mutter in hopes of comforting you.
Nine publishers rejected J.K. Rowling before “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was ever deemed worthy of being printed and distributed to the world. A film school rejected Steven Spielberg thrice. Oprah was told she was not fit for TV.
These might just be a string of letters in a sentence that means nothing to you, but they are just a few of the countless people who are described as successful and who faced rejection many times before “making it.” Give yourself credit and know that if that one company or one person didn’t recognize your greatness, someone else will.
Job hunting and scouring for internships to beef up your resumé can be quite the ordeal, especially when employers make you play the dreaded waiting game. But don’t let that discourage you.
I wrote a column earlier in the semester about not sticking to one major, one interest, one career. This is not that different. A job that you truly wanted perhaps wasn’t a job that would’ve helped you grow and sharpen your skills as a person. After all, that’s what jobs and internships should be about: growing and learning, not about the paycheck.
Of course, being a college student with gargantuan student loans makes any job that pays appealing. But in reference to not getting a specific job you wanted, there will be plenty of opportunities – both rejection letters and acceptance letters – to help you grow. It shouldn’t keep you back.
Imagine the world without the charming Ron Weasley or the lack of Oprah memes floating around the Internet. Does the world deserve the absence of your greatness simply because of one bad break?
