Disclaimer: Please note that this article is from our old blog site. This article was originally published on October 16th, 2020 and the original author of this article is Sneha Kad.
Recruiting Anxiety
As recruiting season is fully underway, the realities of life-after-college are setting in like an existential fog across college campuses. Some of you might be lucky enough to land your dream job in the first few weeks and then marinate in that joy while the rest of campus represents the This Is Fine meme. This article is not for you: It’s for your struggling friends. It’s for all the people who don’t know where they’re going or what they want to be doing when they get there. Scroll down to see a collection of articles that give you grown-up insights on how to handle the minefield of ethical concerns, the quarter-life ~what am I doing~ crises, or the general confusion and anxiety that comes with any major turning point in life.
Picking a Career:
As a college student, we have the university-given right to change our majors and our desires and some of you might be exercising that right this semester. You thought you were in love with the major you entered with but a 3000 level class has taught you doubt that commitment or that random introduction class you picked as an elective actually emotionally fulfilled you in a way that hasn’t happened since Parks & Rec left the air and now you want to become a full-time Basket Weaver but can’t imagine it financially sustaining your life-style. This article goes through in-depth techniques of determining what you are passionate about and what you need/want in a career. It’s partnered with some fun illustrations to make the topic easier to digest and a great starting point for self introspection.
https://waitbutwhy.com/2018/04/picking-career.html
Ruminating on the next sixty years you’ll spend in a cubicle until retiring at the age of 60 in an ever-warming climate? This is another way to think about time and a breakdown on how to prioritize the next amorphous blob of time post-college.
https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html
Do you know what you want to do but can’t seem to breakthrough whether it be in the internship hunt or looking for research opportunities? Here are some tricks and tips from CS majors at a completely different tech school that are still applicable to Yellow Jackets!
https://wics.ics.uci.edu/things-i-wish-i-knew-as-a-computer-science-or-related-major/
This article is a look into the culture of pressure in technology and on technology college campuses. It’s one person’s perspective and a great reminder to reach out to your friends and check in on the people in your life.
Ethics:
Do you know you want to work in technology but don’t want to be the next Tech Supervillain or employed by them? Here are some articles about how to find ethical technology jobs and how to measure the ethics of these jobs. (Also you should turn up to the ethical company showcases that Bits of Good is doing to get direct exposure to companies that can challenge you academically and be ethical while doing so!)
https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2019/6/236993-ethics-in-technology-jobs/fulltext
https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurencoulman/2018/11/30/where-is-the-ethical-tech/#7a28b20819c8
Serious Note:
On a more serious note, if you’re stressed out about a job or school or the current state of the world as we know it, you’re not alone. Please seek professional help if it is affecting the quality of your life or begins to feel overwhelming. At Bits of Good, we’re doing our best to help non-profits help others, but sometimes the best help you can do is helping yourself. These articles talk about the anxieties that Computer Science majors can face during recruiting season, but they do not and should not take the place of professional help. If you want to talk to someone but don’t know who, reach out to the BoG Exec Board!