Good afternoon kids! I hope you all are doing well and enjoyed my last post. I’m going to try to start a regular schedule so you guys know when to expect new content from me and can stay in the loop!
So, my last post dealt primarily with the topic of Financial Fear and breaking through those feelings to free your Mind. I received some great positive feedback so that made me super excited. If anything I write ever speaks to you on a personal level, feel free to comment or message me! I want to hear from YOU!
Alright, so let’s get into it…
In my travels, I once met an older, beautiful, intelligent, and supremely attractive Sagittarius girl who I knew was WAY out of my league at the time. But, for whatever reason, we grew close and developed a friendship. So, as a man, I’m thinking “OMG Yes! This can work!”, as men do ;-)
But, after a few more conversations, she dropped a bomb on my ego. She told me that while she enjoyed my company, she didn’t date men younger than her. Bruised but not beaten, I asked her why?
She told me that she couldn’t bring herself to do it because, “that first year out of college, when you’re looking for a job and trying to figure things out, that’s a very humbling period for a person. You learn a lot about yourself. So, having gone through it already, I can’t willfully fall for a guy who hasn’t developed that mindset set. Perhaps after that, but not before.”
Now, having not graduated from Undergrad just yet, this was definitely the finishing blow towards my hopes of a relationship at that time. But, I had to respect her for knowing what she wanted and sticking to those values. And eventually we parted ways amicably as friends.
Fast forward to present day, and I can’t tell you how spot on she actually was. The Post-Grad Slump is REAL, y’all. Just ask any recent graduate you know, or any Young Professional who’s just staring their career and they’ll tell you the exact same thing. We all hear the jokes that “a Bachelor’s is basically a GED” and such, and sadly, for many people that can be the case.
Depending on the field you choose, Graduate School may not be a voluntary endeavor but the only logical next step on your path to a career you love.
Or, if Grad School just isn’t an option financially, you may find yourself in a blue BEST BUY polo selling discount tv’s, wondering why in the HELL you’re 70K in debt with a Psychology degree you can’t use?? (Not to hate on Best Buy, just facing facts lol)
*EDITORS NOTE* There is NOTHING wrong with only having a Bachelor's Degree. As of now, I only have a Bachelor's lol so I'm NOT HATING!
My point is, Post-Grad life is something you aspire to so much while in school that no one ever actually tells you how tiresome and terrifying it can actually be. And as a result, you may find yourself working dead-end jobs just to keep up the rent, or selling everything short of your body and soul to a corporation trying to climb that corporate ladder.
Let me pause here.
Let’s talk about the concept of “Paying Your Dues.”
We’ve all heard it. We all know it. We all fear it.
You get in at your dream job/company working as an Executive Assistant to the Executive Assistant of the Supervisor of the Executive Assistant to the CEO. Or some combination thereof, right? So you come in bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed, ready to tackle the day’s work and do whatever you can to stand out and be noticed. And your Supervisor Brian is just SO GREAT and tells you as often as he can, without being creepy, what an AMAZING job you’re doing and how AWESOME your work ethic is. So you think, “YES! They love me! Keep this up and in 6 months I’ll be running this joint!”
~ 6 Months Later ~
Brian left the company and was replaced with Becca (Not REbecca, just BECCA) and your hate is mutual, the other interns/assistants have either quit, relocated, or actually moved up, and you’re still fetching coffee, writing expense reports, and answering questions about the latest episodes of Insecure and Power…
If you’re triggered, I apologize.
But this is just a taste of a worst case scenario that I and many of my friends/colleagues have either witnessed or experienced firsthand. So, what’s a Young Black Professional to do??
Well, first thing is to Pray. I believe in the power of prayer, as I’m sure many of you do, but the trick is to be SPECIFIC in what you pray for, as a friend once taught me. Therefore, if you want to be recognized more at work, pray for an opportunity to show your skills. If you want a new job all together, then pray for a new position elsewhere or in another branch of the company. If you want Becca to get hit by a bus on her way to work…well, go for it I guess? Just know, God don’t like ugly, and you may find yourself in a worse predicament than when you started, just fyi.
My point is, ASK and you shall RECEIVE. More specifically, ASK for it, then move in expectation that you’ve ALREADY received it, and it will manifest.
The second thing, is to remind yourself of your own worth. A lot of times we get so wrapped up in our work and other people’s perceptions of us, that we lose sight of who we are, and WHO’s we are. So, if you know that you have a full workload and you want to make sure that those tasks get done to the best of your ability, don’t be afraid to say NO or “Can you ask someone else, Becca already has me on a full plate, and I wouldn’t want to do a poor job on such an important assignment.” I promise you, your Supervisor will respect you a lot more for knowing your limits rather than taking on more than you can handle and allowing your work to suffer for it. That’s called Emotional Intelligence, which is a quality much more highly valued in corporate America than who can get the most done in the least amount of time.
The same goes when applying to positions. Don’t just take the first thing that pops up in your inbox if you know you A.) Won’t be even a LITTLE happy there, or B.) Won’t be valued for the work you do well. Believe me, I KNOW it can be daunting to be picky when it comes to jobs and if you’re not in a position to be that way, then don’t. But, if you can, try to find a place where you can do your life’s best work, or at least learn something valuable that will help you on your journey.
And the third thing is to reward yourself! If you know you just killed that last-minute presentation or you solved a problem that no one else even noticed, don’t be discouraged if no one noticed you. GOD NOTICED YOU!! He saw your effort and in time, he’ll repay it back 10x over!
So, in the meantime, take that check and go get some ice cream from your favorite spot after work, go see that movie you’ve been dying to catch, host a girls/guys night at your crib, splurge on the bag you’ve been eyeing on your walk home. DO SOMETHING FOR YOURSELF!
You deserve all the happiness and joy that life has to offer you, and I’ll be damned if I let you think you don’t have the time, money, or energy to reward yourself!
Alright…
So now that you know how to survive the Post-Grad Slump, I hope you’ll go into the rest of your week rejuvenated and ready to take on whatever comes your way!
Also, any recent grads that are willing to share their story of how they overcame the PGS, PLEASE comment or DM ME, so we all can be encouraged!
Too blessed to be stressed,
A Noble Negro