“Following your passion is bul lsh* t ” and other adv ice for the c l ass of 2020
Gather round for story time from your elders, aka those who graduated during the last big recession.
Throw traditional job-hunting rules out t he window and get realistic.
“In downtimes, you don’t have much control over the opportunities that are presented to you, so ‘following your passion’ is bullshit. My experience after graduating in 2007 was like riding on a raft, grabbing on to any opportunities within reach. I held on to the ones that were interesting and used them to pull myself along. And I used the miserable ones to launch myself in a different direction. As I’ve floated down the river, I’ve collected a ton of ideas and experiences that I carry with me—and that make me very good at my job, even if it’s a million miles away from where I started.”
—LILLIAN PO NT I USGOLD B LAT T,
35, strategy director at a marketing agency
“It’s not about what you want—it’s about what you need. And necessity is the mother of being open- minded so you can get paid. I majored in journalism, but my first job was not a ‘journalism’ job. I thought I’d be breaking news. Instead, I wrote tips on how to style pillows. (Note: I say this as someone who loves to style pillows.) Point is, taking that job was a toehold. You may not start where you want to be. But every job will bring you closer to where you’re trying to go.”
—ELIZABETH K IE F ER,
33, features editor ( at this here magazine, where she finally landed her dream job!)