Jobs, jobs, jobs. Do you have experience?

I remembered when I was a kid, just starting the first grade and my mom asked me, "Maria, what do you want to be when you grow up?". As a kid, I had such an active imagination, so I told my mom  I wanted to be a princess, then a fish, later a mermaid you get the drill I watched way too much Disney movies. But as I grew older knowing what I wanted to do in life became more important to those around me. So finally that day came, I graduated High School. I was FREE, well not for long. I started college, industrial engineering was the plan. After five long years, I finally graduated from college.

What was the plan?

When I moved to DC I kept my eyes wide open to potential opportunities in my time there. I polished my Linkedin profile, opened a glassdoor profile, KONZERTA; you name it. I even went to networking events and did as many informational interviews I could. I did almost everything I could to make that unique connection that could get me a job.

To my surprise years of experience is more important than studying. Experience is essentially what you need to be part of the workforce these days. No matter how many internships you do if you don't 2+ years of experience you are simply not hireable.

When I came back to Panama I dedicated hours of my day to filling applications from different companies that by this today have never called back. By this point, I just entered into a state of anxiety. How is it possible I can't get a job? I saw my friends from college all posting about their jobs and how great they are doing. And here I am still here "UNEMPLOYED". 

Was I the problem? Was I too picky about what I wanted? Did I need more experience, if so how do you really start?

I've heard people say that they just grab the first job that's willing to hire them, no matter if they like it or not; that was the way to start. What was next? Complain about it every day.
If I ever find a job I want it to be one I love, where I feel comfortable and most important a job where I'm happy with what I'm doing.

The Aftermath

In conclusion, I've realized that good things take time if they are so good, they are not going to be easy to get. And being happy with what you do is more important than anything else because the happier you are, the better the work you do is. Just like in love, never settle down with the first option, its good to have many options before taking a big decision.

Do you have a job yet? How was your job hunt experience?

“Opportunities don't often come along. So, when they do, you have to grab them.”                                                                         
                                                                                   –Audrey Hepburn

Yours truly,
Maria