Help Wanted: From graduation to gainful employment

Amanda Hoffstrom

I wish I could say that I spent the last week actively seeking jobs to apply to, but that would be a lie. Since my last post, I’ve applied to one position: Interactive content editor for a fitness company in Minnesota.

I put off looking for a job last week to work on an article about student mental health and suicide. The article examines stress related to college life and how universities are trying to help students deal with the pressure. It was really interesting to talk with college counselors across the country and hear what outreach they do to help students in need.

While reporting, I found a poll in which 85 percent of students reported feeling stress daily—a serious statistic when stress can lead to depression. I also spoke to someone who said suicide in college is rare, partially because the routines that come with college are protective. He said summer is sometimes the worst for depression and suicide because students do not have as much to do.

After talking to him, I started thinking about how I no longer have a daily routine. I don’t want to give the impression that I am depressed, but I can understand the feeling of not knowing what to do without a routine. It’s been difficult to adjust to non-class and non-work life, especially when my roommates are taking summer classes and have summer jobs.

With that said, I am seriously thinking about finding a part-time job in Madison—something that will give me a routine again. I saw an opening for a part-time writer and editor at a real estate company over the weekend that I think I am going to apply to. Hopefully, I’ll have good news to report here soon.

This coming week will be much of the same in terms of looking for long-term jobs, because I will be reporting for a new nonprofit organization, The State of the USA. I’m working on an article about statewide smoking bans and whether or not they actually reduce the number of smokers. I think it’s an interesting time to be writing it when Congress just passed legislation that will allow the FDA to regulate tobacco products for the first time in history.