When I Stepped Outside My College Gates, My Real Struggle As A Fresher Began

I got my Engineering degree in the year 2012 with a distinction and to be very honest, I had not struggled much for this. The real struggle began outside the college premises when I was actually out of my comfort zone.

Our first college reunion was in the month of December in the year 2012, when many of my friends had already started working and were invited on stage to talk about their work, their company, work life balance and so on. There I was, sitting somewhere in the corner, trying to hide myself from the Dean and Principal, trying to control my emotions, and holding back my tears.

After many of my friends spoke about their career growth and life at work, my Dean asked me, “Would you like to come on stage and share your experiences?” I did not know what to do. Somehow the dean had noticed me and I could not say No.

I managed to gather all my confidence and as I stood up confidently, I could see that sometimes, confidence is everything. It is a quality that makes you look better, sound better, stronger and ensures that what you say is most likely to be accepted.

Though I had got an offer from three companies, I had not yet got the joining date. A few of my friends had already started working and earning. And here I was, standing behind the lectern, talking about my struggle. Trust me, it’s a horrible feeling and one that people who have gone through it will understand.

I spoke about my journey and ended up saying “College di gate de is taraf hum life ko nachate hai … te duji taraf life humko nachati hai” I said this famous dialogue from Rang De Basanti and there was silence in the college auditorium for a few seconds. The silence was broken when my dean, lecturers, and friends gave me a huge round of applause to build up my confidence.

We have seen the struggling actors saying things like “Mein pehle watchman tha, ab successful actor hu” (I was a watchman before becoming a successful actor) and stuff like that; so I thought of sharing a few of my experiences as an engineering fresher to motivate job seekers today.

• Every company wants an experienced person; so where should the fresher go? It leaves you wondering how you will gain experience without a job.

• After a while, you end up sending resumes to companies that do not even match your job profile. I find it funny now but I have given my resumes to the security guards asking them to give me a call when there is a job opening and to share my resume with the HR person. I am sure you are laughing, It makes me laugh too.

• As your friends get placed one by one, you are confused whether you need to be happy for them or sad for yourself. You feel sad when your friends fail, but worse when they succeed!

• You don’t feel like attending those marriage functions and parties with your family because you want  to simply avoid that question, “So beta, what’s going on in your life?”

• There will be a few people to add to your grief. “Beta, my uncle’s daughter got a very good job, pata hai she’s getting married soon, life set hai uska.”  I could never understand this equation, “Good job + marriage = life is settled.” Every individual has a different understanding, equation, and definition of success. So just leave it to them.

• When your dad says “Beta, take the car, I’ve filled petrol full tank”, you feel bad because you do not have money for petrol. All these years your dad has been paying for your food and your vehicle’s petrol but suddenly you start feeling guilty.

• When you are alone, far from away from home searching for jobs you remember your mom’s words,“Beta khana khaya…. kya banau tere like?” (Have you eaten? What shall I make?). And you cry.

Have you experienced this struggle as a fresher, the feeling of waiting for a job after college and getting nowhere? Share your experiences and feelings in the comments below!

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A version of this post was first published at the author’s blog.