It’s official.
I have started my final semester of my undergraduate degree. In less than three months, I will graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. I can’t believe that I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Things have been so busy in my world lately. I am still applying for countless jobs every single day, while continuing to work at the two I currently have. It’s tough, but I know that someday it will have to pay off! Right?
Last night, I came home to find Mark in my apartment with dinner ready. It was honestly the best surprise ever!
He made Gnocchi with marinara sauce. It was the first time trying it, and it was a nice change from pasta!
Sides included squash and zucchini…
…and chicken with a random sprinkling of spices.
I am very grateful. 😀
I didn’t get the job that I interviewed for the other day. I’m a bit bummed, but the circumstances don’t make the job out of the question in a few months. I’m continuing to apply, apply, apply. It seems like finding a job is a full time job in itself. It feels so cut-throat!
Have you recently looked for a job? How many jobs did you apply to before you found one?
❤ MegaNerd
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MegaNerdRuns 
It’s scary! I’m in the process right now… I hope we both get jobs!
Hey Megan! I found your blog recently through Caitlin’s (HTP). I’ve gotta say your post really scares me! I’m going to graduate in Mechanical Eng. next May (so at least I have 12 months vs 3) but still… scary thought! Anywho I’m also a runner, so I’m glad I found your blog!
Glad you find my blog! I’ll check yours out, too. 😀
I LOVE gnocchi!! Did Mark make it himself or buy it?
I remember applying for nursing jobs. I interviewed at 9 different hospitals all up and down the east coast before I got offered a Job where I am now at duke. be faithful, you’ll find something soon!
Mark and I actually bought the gnocchi at trader joe’s! we stopped there on the way home from NC! It was yummy. 😀
Are you applying out of state?
Yes, but I’m trying to stay in FL. I’m open to moving if I can find the right job.
I’m currently looking for a job. Every day I sit down and apply, apply, apply. I was laid off March 1st. I refuse to get bummed and mope. I just keeping sending out the resume!! I want to work for one particular employer and have gotten turned down every single time–but I’m not giving up on them 😉 I still apply to many others, but everyday I go to that employer’s site and apply for anything and everything I can do!!
I can totally relate to that feeling! Though… I graduate next May, but still it’s scary to think about nonetheless! I think about graduating and getting a job… and then that just seems so daunting. I love school so I’ve been toying with the idea of applying for graduate school… but that’s scary too 😉
Keep your head up and just keep shipping out that resume. I actually got the first job I applied for (I graduated at the beginning of May) and it’s turning out to be not such a good thing. I keep looking for a new one but it’s just tough out there right now! Whatever is meant to be will work out in the end though 🙂
I am in the Student Affairs field so we have to apply a lot! I applied for over 150 jobs in a year, had close to 50 phone interviews, 4 on campus (the next step) and 3 offers. It takes time and can be very frustrating and depressing in time but hang in there – it will work out and you’ll find a good fit soon.
Good luck on the next one!
Love a man that cooks for you!!
Good luck with the job search! I started searching for jobs the September of my last year in undergrad…and continued all the way until February after graduating! In the end it wasn’t about how many jobs I applied to or how much I worked on cover letters and my resume. The reason I got a job? Pure networking. Contact all the people you know in the field you want to be in. See if they know of any openings, or have any contacts. Most importantly – find out if they would be willing to put in a good word for you. In my experience, that networking goes much further than any paper application that you’ll slide across a desk and into a pile.
i applied for jobs for 4 months straight, tons and tons of them
then i got offered an absolutly amazing job which included traveling to china, america (im from the uk ) and germany regurly but then i got into the navy and had to turn it down!
typical huh :p
your get there! it just takes some time xx
Aww, I’m sorry about the job not working out. I spent all last year looking for a job after finishing my PhD. I did find one, but it took almost a year. That said, academia is notorious for being difficult and the academic job market is not representative of the “real world.” I’m sure something will come up! Just stay positive and keep chugging ahead!
PS- dinner looks awesome!
hey, ive read your blog forever now (even before you switched to this design!) but have never commented. for some reason i thought you were a lot older?! is your degree longer than normal because its engineering?
i know what you mean about the job search. im graduating in july as well and i freaked out all year before i finally landed an internship that starts right after. unfortunately it means that ill miss my graduation, but you do what you have to do i guess! good luck!
The job market is horrible right now. I applied to over 30 positions before hearing back from just ONE!
Job searching can be tough, for my first job I ended up at a place that inititally didn’t work out because I didn’t have my professional liscense in time. They held my resume and ended up calling me 3 months later when something opened up, so you never know what can happen! Hang in there, I think a lot of people out there can relate to what you’re going through!
Megan – it is so tough out there, so keep plugging away and applying and you will be sure to find something – the RIGHT thing for you!
I began looking in October and just started my new job two weeks ago. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your job prince 🙂
I am in a completely different realm (nonprofit administration), but I looked for a job from February until about 2 weeks ago…I start next week! It will happen for you, it’s just a long and frustrating process right now.
I’ve been in the working world for ten years and I can’t even tell you how many jobs I didn’t get. It is a bummer sometimes, but it happens to everyone.
My best friend was let go from her job in January and she just started a new one today. It’s so hard because so many people are out of work and looking for jobs, plus all the college grads too. I did what you did, just kept applying while I was working and finishing up school. Something will come around. Good luck to you!
I job searched pretty hard for close to a couple of years before finding something. I had a job in the meantime but it wasn’t career-related – just a job to “hold me over” until the right fit came along. But it’s worth the wait! 🙂
Keep your chin up! When I graduated I probably applied for 100 jobs – and only ended up with a paid internship (which, granted, led to a fulltime job at that company) and that was with a master’s degree, so I COMPLETELY understand your frustration. Try to think positive, that everything will fall into place and the right job will be yours soon enough.
Finding the perfect job is so hard- keep trying & looking for that perfect one. A job is so much better when you can enjoy it 🙂
I’ll be done this summer too and I don’t even know how many I’ve applied to. This week, probably 20? Applying online seems so pointless sometimes but I keep doing it “just in case” while trying to use networking and school alumni to give myself a fighting chance!
Hey lady!
I am a long time reader, first time commenter 🙂 I am actually a recruiter… I talk to so many people- daily-who are in your exact situation! don’t give up! Eventually the hard work pays off.
It is tough! i know that for sure… my husband and I recently moved from Greensboro, NC to Denver and I also had to find a job- it only took a few months but I think that is because I changed my strategy a little.
The best advice I can give you is to not stop at applying for jobs posted on the internet or in the paper. Decide what type of company you would be interested in working for (small, large, industry…) and send your resume directly to them. Smaller companies are the easiest to do this with, because the Presidents and high level managers are often listed on the website.
When a company posts a job, they will usually get hundreds and hundreds of responses.. so even after you apply for one online, make sure you also send your resume via email… and include a personal note that is tailored to their company. The best thing you can do is separate yourself from the huge group of applicants in addition to joining them.
I got the bulk of my interviews and my current job by doing that! I also tell my candidates to do the same thing and it works pretty well for them, too.
Hope that helps! you might also want to consider calling a few recruiting firms and see if they might be able to help… a good firm will never charge you money to send out your resume.
wow- that was alot of info- im sorry! I really, really hope you find something soon… you can do it!
Don’t be sorry for the long comment, it’s really helpful! That’d kind of what I’ve been doing since I’ve only actually seen 2-3 job openings listed. I’ve sent my resume out to tons or Orlando based companies and I’m starting to branh out from there.
Thanks for commenting!!! 🙂
Sent from my iPhone
Way to stay positive, Megan! Job searching can be really tough. Especially these days! Have you considered checking out a temp agency? I did when I was really struggling to find a job, and it seemed to be a good “hold me over” thing until I could find something more permenant!
I don’t have any idea how many jobs I applied to, but it was a lot. I graduated last May (09) with my Bachelors in Food Science. I had one or two in person interviews and several phone interviews and I didn’t start my current job until last November so it took a while. Stick with it!! Even in this tough economy there are jobs out there, especially in engineering.
Like Meryl suggested, I looked for jobs in Kansas, Texas, New Jersey, Philly, Detroit, Chicago etc etc (I was in Raleigh NC) and got lucky and landed one in Winston Salem NC (about 2 hours away) so I didn’t have to move far, but I was willing to go wherever the job was.
Both times I graduated from school (BS Textile Chemistry 2003) it took me about 6 months to find a job.. so it’s certainly a process!
I was really lucky because I was offered a full-time job after I completed my internship with the company going into my senior year of college. I graduated last May and unfortunately I have several friends who graduated with me that still don’t have full-time jobs. The economy is still tough right now unfortunately but something will come up! Good luck!
I actually just landed a job yesterday that is really close to my “dream” position, so I consider myself really lucky. It took 5 weeks between coming back to the US from traveling overseas and getting an official offer.
The best website I’ve found for job searches is indeed.com – it’s like a Google search for all the job websites.
I’m an engineer in Orlando and lemme tell ya, it’s not very pretty right now 😦 What type of Civil are you? Structural, water, wastewater, transportation, something else?
I moved here for what seemed like the only job in town for what I do, and it’s scary to think if I lose my job what would I do next – technical jobs in Orlando are hard to find!!
Don’t feel too bummed about the job. It could be a blessing in disguise because something better might pop up. I’ve definitely been one to take a job out of desperation and it lead to years of being unhappy. Anyway, I got out of that funk earlier this year, landed a better paying job and though it’s not in my field (I studied photography and am now working for a company that does food testing), it’s still interesting and does not involve the stress I was dealing with before.
I love gnocchi! Our high school cafeteria used to serve gnocchi on certain days and my friends and I would go crazy for it. Sigh…sometimes I miss being back in high school. It seems like things were much simpler then.
Anyway, I’m sure you will find something very soon; I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed.
Hey I was in your exact situation at the beginning of this year – I had just moved across the country and knew NO ONE… and had to find a job. I count my lucky stars that it only took me two months to find a job out here. Two months may seem like alot – but I’ve heard some wayyy worse stories.
My best advice would be to network, network, network. One of my former colleagues put me in touch with one old her old coworkers who had moved to Calgary a few years ago. Turns out she had a high-profile job with a big organization in town and she was able to put in a good word for me – I’m 97% sure that was why I got the job offer because I honestly didn’t think the interview went that well.
Seriously – its scaring meeting with people you don’t know – but can be so worth it. You’ll be surprised how much established professionals want to help those just starting out. Good luck!
I passed the Bar last Nov. and am still looking for my first “real” lawyer job. I have done temp. stuff but nothing full time. You are right that it is a full time job in itself.