20something profile: Lauren

This post was written by Lauren, who runs a blog about 20-somethings:

As soon as I stepped on campus at Elon University, I knew that I wanted to be in the communications building soaking up wisdom and inspiration from the myriad of amazing professors with powerhouse résumés.

For me, the years flew by in a stream of lectures, weekends, friends, internships, and experiences. The day I graduated, I had a plan and was on my way to a flawless execution…until life happened.

The job I had accepted was cut, the trip of a lifetime I had turned down for that job passed me by, and I was shocked — but soldiered on. My boyfriend and I moved cross-country, I found a fantastic job, and most importantly, I learned what I needed to have in a job to be happy.

For me, it all comes down to creativity. When I am creatively empowered, I flourish — and I know this is a similar trend with friends and acquaintances throughout different industries. Creativity is the backdrop for passion, excitement, and expression — feed on it. Make sure that you have a creative outlet and that it empowers you.

Today, it is blindingly obvious that it can be pretty tough, if not impossible, to find a job. So my advice is this: take as many experiences as you can. Apply for that internship — yes, even if it is post-grad. That school paper? Write for it. The TA position? Take it. Internship in a city across the country? Do it. Study Abroad? You won’t regret it.

These experiences all make YOU better, stronger, more creative, knowledgeable, powerful, personable, and most importantly, help you figure out where you belong, who you are, and what you want. Don’t let yourself get lost in the process of finding a job — I promise, there is one out there for you; it may just not look exactly like you thought it would.

You may have seen me on Twenty Something Living, my brainchild. If you haven’t, I invite you to come take a look! We are a global team of writers exploring the ups and downs of the defining decade honestly. You won’t find only positive articles, and you won’t find the same topics that are recycled through every magazine.

You will find stories that connect deeply with our writers, and readers, at their core. You will find some twenty-something flavor to the perspectives we give. Our goal is to create a community that empowers twenty-somethings to live life fully, to be open and honest about their experiences, and to know that even in the most trying of times, we are never alone.