Photo by Josh Sorenson from Pexels
Three years ago, I found myself at a crossroads. Fresh out of school, with a newly minted Bachelor’s Degree, in a new city, feeling full of inspiration to find my true life’s passion, but nothing to do all day except scroll through Indeed.com searching for a paycheck. Eventually, I found myself in a great position with a job that I loved, becoming a part of my new city. I even bought a house! I was feeling secure and grown up.
Now, three years later, I find myself in a similar situation. Wait— not just similar— the exact. same. situation. Like many others in the country, COVID has left me unemployed. So the job hunt is officially on.
Looking for work can be exhausting. Reading job descriptions, making vague connections to the things you actually know how to do, editing resumes and cover letters, and sending in applications can feel like a full time job itself.
But now, on top of the stress of job hunting and uhhh, like, the state of the world right now, I’m back in that same lost place, wondering what I want to do with my life. Three years ago, I found myself in a unique industry that I knew nothing about where I found passion through experience. I’m in a position now to be a little picky. I can explore my options a bit, and that’s great! But wait. What is my passion?
I’m the type of person that is always looking for a job. Even when I was working (and planning on staying at that job for a few years), I always stayed on the lookout for what my next move might be. I love fashion, so I always keep my eyes peeled for jobs in the fashion industry, but not living in New York and having no experience in the industry makes that a challenge. I love writing, but freelancing is a frightening and inconsistent prospect.
So, yes. The hunt is on. But not just the job hunt. The hunt for what’s next. This scary, stressful, impossible year has maybe become an opportunity for me to find myself (again). Maybe I’ll become a starving artist or a travel writer or an entrepreneur. Maybe I’ll fly to Paris as soon as I can and never be heard from again. The possibilities really are endless.
What’s more likely is that I’ll continue with my life as is. I’ll find a job that I’ll (hopefully) love. I’ll tinker away at my passion projects and hobbies and I’ll find contentment with however my life goes.
My very first sunday brunch post was all about standing by the safe choices that brought me to where I am today. But life has thrown us all a curveball. You can’t “safe choice” yourself away from a global pandemic or a wildfire. Your safe choices can bring you happiness, but they can’t control the world around you. Maybe this is our chance to shake it up and take a risk. I think there is some safety in that too, since any choice made right now will be a risk anyways.
Maybe it’s just my infallible optimism, but in this moment of uncertainty and fear, I can’t help but see all of the options and possibilities before me. Everything is about to change for everyone, forever. There is something exciting about that.