Author Ashlee Hall. Photo by Kylie Jordan. By Ashlee Hall, Lifestyles editor
I am writing this article as a senior who has no idea what my life will look like a month from now. I have lost track of how many jobs I have applied for. I have exhausted what seems like every option I know.
My job search began at the beginning of the semester as soon as applications opened. I have re-done my resume countless times and I have written so many cover letters that it feels like I am repeating myself over and over. Also, can we talk about how writing a cover letter feels like begging, but in a professional way?
I even started applying for jobs that aren’t related to what I want to do, just so I can get my foot in the door. If you suggest someone to email my resume to, I am on it. If there is a career fair on campus, I am there with my best “please hire me” face on—printed resumes in hand.
Working as a creative storyteller has been my dream for years. I came to Montevallo for that specific reason, and I can confidently say that I am graduating very well-prepared to enter the workforce. So why am I having such a hard time getting employed?
For the last four years, I have done everything by the book. I am by no means claiming to have done it all perfectly, but, since my first day on campus, I have worked hard to ensure I am successful not only in college but in my career as well.
As soon as I arrived on campus, I immediately got involved so that I could make the most of my time here. I joined Phi Mu, I started giving tours as a Maven, I was on Gold Side cabinet and I became the Lifestyles Editor for The Alabamian.
Aside from wanting to do these things out of my vast love for Montevallo and this campus, networking and gaining experience has always been a driving factor for my involvement.
I guess my frustration stems from having done everything right but having nothing to show for it other than my degree. Of course, everyone I talk to about this has just told me to be patient and that it will all work out, but I have been applying since January and my patience only lasts so long.
You will be hard pressed to find someone who loves Montevallo more than me. Ask anyone who knows me and they can attest. I have made the most of everything this campus has to offer. So, how am I supposed to leave with grace when I have no idea where I am headed?
This is the question that has been on the forefront of my mind. I could stop here, but the optimist in me can’t leave this sounding hopeless. I am so grateful for my time here at Montevallo and for every single person who has poured into me over the years. I understand what a privilege it is to have the opportunity to further my education, especially at a school as amazing as this one.
I thank the Lord every day for Montevallo and all that it has brought me. My journey to this campus is not what 17-year-old Ashlee had planned at all, but if I have learned anything, it is that His plan is always going to be better than mine.
Since senior year of college is feeling a lot like senior year of high school, I am choosing to put my faith in the Lord’s plan for my life and trust that whatever He has planned for me is so much better than I can imagine.
To some, this might not make any sense but I believe in working hard using the gifts you were given and trusting His plan– and it is all going to work out just fine.
Ashlee Hall is the lifestyles editor for The Alabamian. She is majoring in mass communication with a concentration in multimedia journalism with minors in public relations, social media administration and food and nutrition sciences. In her free time, she enjoys reading “Southern Living Magazine,” curling her hair and making niche Spotify playlists.
