Attention blogging world: I got a job.

I repeat: I got a JOB! 😀 After nearly five months of being unemployed, I’m back in the working world again!

It’s true. It’s finally happened. My hopeless, daydreaming, somewhat pessimistic rants about my desperately determined job search are over. Allow me to tell you the story.

It happened on Wednesday. Well, actually, it first started last week, when I received an e-mail from a recruiter asking me to give her a call. I called her this Monday, and we chatted for about five minutes, in which she talked briefly about the job I applied for online (that’s right, after my countless methods to find a job, calling and e-mailing and asking people with nothing following through, it’s the very first method I went with, applying for a job online, that finally worked out), and she scheduled to meet with me on Wednesday.

I wore a nice black dress and my mom’s red heels, and I went on the interview, where I met her in person, as well as two other women, one of whom started as an intern. I could tell right away that it was the kind of place that I would fit right in and do well at, as it’s a family-owned business, and there’s the potential to grow there and eventually be promoted to a full-time position.

So, yes, the position I’ve been hired for is actually a paid internship, and therefore only part-time, but if all goes well, eventually, I’ll be promoted to a full-time role. When the woman called me a few hours later offering me the internship, I was flooded with a state of overwhelming relief and happiness. I was proud of myself. I was excited. I couldn’t believe it, but at the same time, I had a feeling that I would get it. I just didn’t want to jinx it, haha.

I start on Monday. I’m excited and nervous, as I always am whenever I’m beginning a new chapter of my life. I can’t believe this is finally happening. I was in such despair for what felt like such a long time (when, in actuality, it was only for a few months). I always knew in the back of my mind that I would get something eventually, as countless people have told me, but I didn’t want to settle on something. I’m happy that I’m going to get to work somewhere that I’m confident will lead to greater opportunities down the line.

I’ve mentioned in my previous blog posts how I hated not knowing where my life was going, hated how I couldn’t seem to figure out how to take the next step in my life to begin reaching my goals. I think everyone experiences that on some level after graduating college, some worse than others, but we can all relate to the feelings.

When you’re an undergraduate in college, there’s a feeling of security, yet at the same time, ambiguity. You’re there for four years, where you choose a major based on what you’re most interested in and what you want to do for the rest of your life. You spend those years trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be. Then, when you graduate, you’re thrust into the cold, harsh reality of the world, left to fend for yourself using only the knowledge and skills and networks you’ve garnered from your college career. It’s terrifying.

But now, finally, after this grueling, mystifying and frankly, downright frustrating transitional period of my life, I can finally begin to bridge the gap between graduating college and not knowing where I’m heading, to starting my first job after graduation.

So, the main thing I hope you’ll take away from this blog post is that, whenever you’re feeling discouraged, know that it’s only temporary. As long as you never give up, you will get where you want to be one day.

-Ali