There’s a certain pressure that comes with being a college student in the fall. Internship applications are opening, finals are approaching, résumés are getting updated, LinkedIn profiles are getting polished, and everyone seems to be making moves toward whatever comes next.
Lately, I’ve caught myself falling into the same mindset. I can have a week full of classes, meetings, projects, extracurriculars, and opportunities, yet somehow still find myself wondering if I’m doing enough. Should I have an internship lined up by now? Should I be making more professional connections? Am I doing enough to prepare for life after college?
It’s an interesting contradiction: being proud of how much you’ve accomplished while simultaneously feeling like you should be accomplishing more.
I don’t think I’m alone in that feeling.
Somewhere along the way, I’ve started looking at experiences through the lens of what they could do for my future. Is this helping my résumé? Is this a connection I should maintain? Is this something I could turn into another opportunity? Those aren’t necessarily bad questions. In fact, they’re part of being intentional about your career. But it becomes exhausting when you start asking them about everything.
We’re constantly encouraged to think ahead. Build your network. Gain experience. Find opportunities. Make yourself marketable. While those things are important, there’s a downside to always measuring your present by what you hope to accomplish in the future.
What if the reason we’re so afraid of slowing down is because we’ve attached so much of our self-worth to how much we’re accomplishing?
You start treating every experience as another bullet point for your résumé. Every connection becomes a networking opportunity. Every free afternoon feels like time you could have spent being productive. Before you know it, you’re so focused on getting somewhere that you forget to appreciate where you already are.
With Thanksgiving approaching, there’s an obvious conversation about gratitude. But I think gratitude can look a little different than making a list of everything you’re thankful for.
Sometimes, it’s recognizing that you don’t have to have everything figured out right now. It’s enjoying a conversation with a friend without thinking about the assignment waiting for you. It’s taking a break without feeling guilty about it. It’s acknowledging that not having an internship secured today doesn’t make you any less capable of building a successful career tomorrow.
And perhaps most importantly, it’s understanding that your college experience doesn’t have to be a constant audition for your future.
That doesn’t mean abandoning your goals or becoming complacent. Ambition is a good thing. Preparing for what’s next matters. But there’s a difference between working toward something and allowing the pressure of getting there to consume everything happening along the way.
As we head into the final stretch of the semester, maybe the goal shouldn’t be to squeeze every last bit of productivity out of ourselves. Maybe it’s to recognize that we’re allowed to be students, friends, and people outside of our professional ambitions, too.
There will always be another application to submit, another opportunity to pursue, and another goal to reach. But you only get to have this season in your life once.
So, by all means, keep applying. Keep learning. Keep showing up for the things you’re working toward.
Just don’t get so caught up preparing for your next chapter that you forget you’re already in one.
