Will I Hate My Job?

"Will I hate my job?" Hmmm. Interesting question. I don't know... No fear, folks. This is not ME wondering if I'm going to hate MY job. At this point, I'm so far from hating my job it's not even funny! :) But, this was literally a word-for-word question from a student who came into the office today. She was essentially asking me to guarantee that she won't hate the job she gets after graduation. Let's back up. This girl has almost 2 years of school before she graduates. Two years! And really, how on earth am I supposed to promise her that she will just love her job that doesn't even exist yet?! Okay, I don't mean to sound insensitive. I, of all people, am fully aware of how painful and scary the whole job search process can be. And perhaps because I've recently been through it is the reason I was able to provide a rational voice of reason that helped calm her down rather quickly. I must say, I do give her credit for thinking about the future before it arrives--many students don't have that foresight. However, there's a line between thinking ahead and trying to control the world, and she had definitely crossed that line. The biggest thing I noticed with her throughout the entire conversation was that she was extremely worried about things that either 1) she can't control; or 2) haven't even happened yet. As evidenced by the beginning of this entry, there's a huge part of me that wants to criticize the shit outta her. And now that I'm thinking about it, by criticizing her, in a way, I'm criticizing myself in the process. I swear to God, I am the world's biggest worrier. In fact, I have a running list of quotes that all have something to do with either worry or the desire for control. Kinda makes me wonder why I had such a strong reaction to her approach to the conversation. Maybe because even though I worry A LOT, I've never once went to someone and asked or expected them to guarantee my happiness in any given situation. It'd be nice if that were possible, but let's be real, it ain't happenin'. Fortunately, because I have experience working with students who are fearful of the job market, and because I've also had several people advise me on how to let some of my irrational worries go, I was able to have my first succesful student appointment at the new job today. Wahoo! She left feeling better about her future, but I can guarantee you that I'll see her again, and I can guarantee you that she's not done worrying. But rest assured, I still cannot guarantee her a job that she loves or her infinite happiness. ;)