The Great Recession: Lessons from Graduating During a Crisis

I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree during the Great Recession.

To understand how important and impactful this was for me, let’s take a journey into my family’s history.

My Dad

My dad draws the most fun and animated stick figures. I look forward to receiving greeting cards from him just to find what he’s drawn for me. For most of my life, I didn’t know that he drew me stick figures because he could not write well.

My dad was removed from school when he was very young to work in the fields with his family. Like me, he was (one of) the oldest and with that, came the responsibility to provide.

My Mom

My mom is the most independent and resourceful person that I know. Caring for others drives her (seemingly) limitless energy.

This started early on in her life when she had to navigate uncertainty associated with trauma, changing family dynamics, and poverty.

Together, my parents worked very hard to provide for my sisters and me. I benefit from their sacrifice and thanks to their love and stability, we will never know hardships like those endured by them as children.

Me

Fast forward to me, their oldest daughter. Given all of the barriers that my family had overcome, my graduation for my undergraduate college degree was monumental. It was our degree - a culmination of every sacrifice made to get me there.

The Great Recession

And, then with the Great Recession, it felt like it all fell apart. The future I had planned so carefully was now in question. My Dad lost his job, and my mom became the only and main contributor in their home. I applied to several full-time opportunities but was unable to secure a new post-Bachelor’s degree job.

I wasn’t alone, many of my peers had the same experience.

Thankfully, while in college, I worked as a Behavior Therapist and as a Manager at a tutoring center. I enjoyed what I did and continued to do that while applying to full-time jobs. During that time, I added a third (35 hours/week, technically part-time) job as an Elementary School Librarian.

I worked 6-7 days and between 50-60 hours each week. I was often tired but felt grateful for work that motivated me.

It’s easy to look back today with gratitude, but no doubt about it, I was often stressed. Searching for a full-time job in the midst of working all of those hours was exhausting. I learned so much during that time and hope that you can learn something from it too. Here are some lessons that I learned.

Lessons

• It won’t last.
  Even this pandemic, one day, we’ll discuss it as something that happened in the past. It will shape every one of us in a different way and can either become an excuse or a character builder.

• Keep learning.
  The internet is rich with resources and tools to help you learn anything you are interested in. Always make sure that your sources are credible and seek the modality that works best for you.

• Explore.
  The world is changing and risk is subjective. Pivot and take risks that you wouldn’t have under more planned and expected circumstances.

• Focus.
  Here’s a lesson from me about what NOT to do. While things worked out for me, I do not recommend that anyone work three jobs and that many hours a week during challenging times. In your journey of learning and exploration, find what you want to focus on, and follow through with that. If it doesn’t work out, find something new to focus on, build goals, and follow through. Repeat this process until you have found something that drives and motivates you.

• Let go.
  Let go of pre-conceived expectations and ideas of what this period of time should look like. I was not comfortable with moving back home after college. It added to my feeling of failure, which was not fair to me or those supporting me. I was far from that. It was simply a part of my story, the story that brought me all the way from San Bernardino, CA to New York City.

  
  More about that later.

A recession is not the same as a pandemic. I hope that the lessons above help, but understand that nothing can compare to what you are experiencing. Wishing you safety and comfort.

Comment below to share resources and tips for those struggling at this time