As summer approaches, the stress of
figuring out summer plans hangs over my head. Similarly, many
of my friends are continuously applying for internships, waiting to hear back,
hoping to get an interview, etc. When did the idea of summer change from
something that made me so excited to something that causes me such anxiety? I
was reminded of this when I spoke to my Mom on the phone yesterday, and she
told me that I MUST call the woman from the company I’m trying to internship at
over the summer.
I realized
that it’s been drilled in my head that I MUST have two “career related experiences”
before graduating, to set myself up for finding jobs after college. I feel that
pressure from my parents, the Hamilton Career Center, and even my peers. The
importance of this is stressed so much that the thought of not getting an
internship this summer makes me feel like 1) I’m going to throw up, 2) a disappointment,
and 3) I will never get a good job after college.
When I take
a step back to look at this situation, I realize this probably isn’t normal or
healthy. Of course, this response is a product of manipulation. I have been
manipulated into thinking that I must find an internship this summer, or else I’m
just doomed. Is this true? Absolutely not. But then why do I feel like if I don’t
have an internship, I’m no longer on track?
I think the irony of the pressure for us to get experience whenever time allows, like during the summer, is that it is such a specific type of experience. We are supposed to be on the fast track towards whatever career we think we want. And of course, it is definitely important to be exposed to the part of the career world we are following. However, I think we have lost the experience of living.
ReplyDeleteLast night I went on a night hike in the Glen with two friends. We grabbed our rain boots and sloshed through the mud. I was nervous because it was so dark out, but also excited to be adventurous. In the end, I was soaked, tired, but also very content. I can't say that my night hike was a "career related experience" or write it down on my resume. However, I had an experience that made me feel happy and took me outside of myself. I hope that in all this pressure to get "experience", we will all be able to see "experience" as more than something we can write down on a resume.
I absolutely feel the same way as Sydney, the pressure to get a great summer internship has been lingering around my head and my mother's head since January. Since so much money is being spend in my education, getting a great internship during the summer is an assurance to my mother and I that the money is not being wasted. If I am able to get a great internship, then I will be able to get a great job. I am definitely being manipulated to think that way but I am not sure if the society is manipulating me or if my mother is manipulating me or am I manipulating myself.
ReplyDeleteI think your situation is one that many are in right now. When you think about it, the idea that you have to work towards a career is a condition of American society and culture. From a very young age, we are taught that we must work to earn a living and everything we do, everything we study, is all a grand prerequisite to the working world. While this is my first year, I've begun to notice that all you hear about summer is workworkworkwork.
ReplyDeleteAnd trust me, I know what its like to have all of this thrown at you. As a premed student, I've had so many people--my parents included--say to me, "You have to do research this summer", "You have to do clinical", "You really should call this doctor I know and get an internship". Then, these "suggestions" are consistently followed by a discussion of the dire consequences of not doing as I'm told. Funny thing is, I'm actually doing research this summer--as I was told to do. So as I'm writing this comment, I'm actually wondering to what extent are my summer plans a result of my passions and to what extent is it a mere consequence of my conditioning to follow protocol? I know I'm passionate about the things I'm doing this summer and I'm so excited, but still there's the lurking thought that my plans are just the mere product of many manipulations.