Progress Is Not Linear

Step 2 of reaching your new dream might involve applying for some jobs and figuring out how you're going to make some cash to live while you're out in the great wide somewhere. Can you work in a restaurant or spend time at a retail job while you look for your big blazer-warranting, adult-status job? Absolutely. Use your side hustle, use your connections, or keep selling on Etsy. Figure out how you'll get yourself to your dream city, and how to not live in a box once you get there! Or maybe you have your eye on something just around the corner from where you are now, but it feels like you have a thousand miles to go before you get there.

My first obstacle after figuring out where I wanted to be post-grad was: how am I going to get there?

And just as importantly: what was I willing to do to get myself there?

I really lucked out in my move to Raleigh; I had a great roommate with a stable job who was willing to help me get my footing in a new city. I know most people aren't this lucky. But if something is on your heart, I encourage you to chase it with everything you have.

Do you have a connection in the city you want to be in? Can you convince a friend to take the leap with you? Do you have family in an area you're interested in? Pool your resources and see where you might have connections. Reach out to college alumni groups, local organizations in your area, or connections through friends.

For the first month after I moved to Raleigh, I didn't have a job in my field. Before I made my trek down south, I contacted a Hallmark store to see if they were hiring, and sure enough, there is always a retail job to be found (I had worked at a Hallmark store in my hometown during my in-between phases). I also sold kettle corn at the State Fair. (To give some context for that one, a connection from the pizza shop I worked at while I was at home knew someone who had a kettle corn stand at the NC State Fair. I scooped kettle corn for some side cash, and it's truly one of the most random things I've ever done). My point here is: do what you have to in order to get yourself where you want to be. This looks different for everyone. Maybe you’re looking to create a life for yourself in a new place, or maybe you have your eye on something specific just down the street. Be tenacious in how you chase what you want.

I want to emphasize that progress towards your goals is not always linear. There will be days when it feels like you've made little to no progress towards your dream. Working a part-time retail job and waiting for a job to call me did not feel like moving towards my goals. Rejection emails did not feel like progress. But hear me out: there are days where simply not giving up counts as progress. And progress is not linear. You have not failed just because your college internship didn’t seamlessly lead into your dream job, or because you haven’t found a job in your field yet, or because you feel stuck where you are. Not every day is the day you get an exciting interview, make an important move, or get the big job offer. A lot of days feel ordinary, and a lot of days feel hard. But at the end of each day, you’re a little closer to where you want to be. If you’re chasing your dreams and not giving up, you’re making progress.