The Fear of Post-Grad

It’s graduation season and we often don’t know what we want to do for our careers. On LinkedIn, the job hunt becomes a part of our daily routine, like a race. “Who will be the lucky person to fit in the job? Do I belong here? What if I don’t make a good impression?” These are all questions I have going into a room for an interview. But what exactly is post-grad life going to look like? 

Well, here are the options:

• Take a nice vacation where all stressors are limited

• Apply to jobs

• Go to grad school

• Work until I find my “it” job.

  
  

These are all factors that I fear going into the workforce. However, in April 2024, I went to Atlanta with the NMGZ Community and saw the various options that life has yet to offer me. From visiting the Coca-Cola headquarters, The Home Depot, UPS, Team One, and Communications21, I saw places where I could eventually see myself working.

Coca-Cola showed me a world in which I had no idea what large corporations were doing to protect the environment. From having AI recycling bins to having a proper way of managing the disposal of products after a recall, I was astonished by all the efforts they were sustaining to give back to the environment.

Along with UPS, who would have thought that it takes a lot of training to deliver packages to your doorstep? The training vehicle gives employees scenarios of possible dangers on the road, such as how they label the packages and store them in the truck, which made me wonder about how UPS provides safe and sustainable ways of handling our packages.

Overall, this trip opened my eyes and made my next steps seem bearable. I still don’t know what I am going to do, but everyone has been saying, “It all takes time.” Well, let’s hope for the best, but now I feel more confident thanks to being part of the NMGZ Community.

About the author, Michael Gonzalez. Michael graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations. Michael is now pursuing his master's degree in digital media management from the USC Annenberg School for Journalism and Communication. For nearly a year, Michael serves as a community engagement and development intern at KABC (a Walt Disney Company) in Glendale, Calif.