On the last day of my sister’s internship, my mom texted me with some good news: “Lauren got a job offer at Target [Headquarters]!” Later, she confided in me her relief at the offer. Lauren is a fashion design major, and throughout her higher education (of which she still has a year left), my mom kept envisioning her future as an overpaid fashion assistant to an unknown designer, unable to pay back her student loans or even rent.

With this economy, I almost feel bad sharing my sister’s good news with other people. This summer, I met up with a recent grad of Scripps to catch up. Although her (current) career interest is fairly basic—fundraising—she has been working at a couple internships this summer, unable to find real work. Luckily, these internships were paid, though not much.

Over cups of coffee, she told me about the countless job applications she has filled out and the lack of replies. The process sounds so discouraging—personalized cover letter after cover letter, perfected resumes, hours of searching for positions. She got accepted to a graduate school in New York City and is moving out there in a couple of weeks, but she has decided to defer further schooling and take the year off. I told her I have recently begun considering grad school.

“Unfortunately, lots of recent grads are going straight to grad school because there are no jobs available,” she sighed. I responded that I hope that doesn’t happen to me, because as much as I love learning, I will want a break after college and work.

I have always been confident in my abilities to have a solid job after college. I take pride in my resume and my activities at school, but my alumna friend was quick to point out that her resume is quite impressive too. It is too early to worry about not getting a job, since the state of the economy in three years is pretty much unknown, and plus… basically, the old saying goes: “you never know.” Even though I know my friend is supportive of me, it can be discouraging to hear such (even if truthful) comments.

At moments like these, I remind myself that I am doing, essentially, all that is possible to make me a good candidate for jobs in the future. (Even if publishing and writing are not necessarily the fastest growing fields at this time anyway!) Writing-related activities? Check. Personal blog? Check. Staying informed on the current world of literature? Check. Attending informative meetings, looking for internships, talking with Career Planning & Resources staff? Check, check, check. I also remind myself that, even if I do not get a job in publishing (or whatever I want, if my chosen field changes before I graduate), I may find a job in a different field and get a broader life experience that way. I also am surrounded by supportive friends, family, and attend a great school.

The economy may be down, but that in of itself is enough to worry about. I’ve come to realize that as long as I’m realistic—as in knowing that I must work in order to achieve my goals in life, such as being a writer—I still cannot spend my precious young years stressing out about the job market in three years, since it is out of my control.