Plan B is Important

Those times in life when you choose not to construct a "Plan B" is when you're actually going to need it. When you're incredible nervous and make ten different plans just in case, everything goes smoothly and you didn't need them after all.

Starting in about February College X took applications for summer internships with some of our academic partners. Some of these are REU's (Research Experience for Undergraduates), some are more like an actual job. The competition for these internships is pretty fierce - there are only about twenty slots, and about 60-70 people apply every year. That might not sound like a lot, but that means that more than two-thirds of us are going to go home in tears at the end of the whole process. And even if you get offered an internship, it may not be the one you applied for, or even one that you think you might enjoy.

I applied to work in South Carolina with loggerhead sea turtles, and was probably overconfident about getting the job. I went through a round of interviews and felt fairly sure I was going to get the job. I started telling people I was (probably) going to be working with turtles this summer, yadda yadda... You could probably hear the sound of my head inflating.

Things started to go south when the process came to a draw between myself and another applicant. I later learned that she was a firefighter (like me) and a Junior (like me) with lots of work experience (like me). The preserve in South Carolina ran a second round of interviews over the phone - seriously nerve-wracking. I hate talking on the phone. I really can't stand it.

I knew when the Internship adviser called me two days before Spring Break (when the announcements about internships were due) and mispronounced my name that they had chosen the other girl. I was utterly heartbroken. My senior research, summer plans, and future job plans had basically all hinged on getting that job. I was crushed.

In a day I had managed to pull myself together and start (a little late) a job search. Prospects weren't good. Then, the night before Spring Break, my adviser called again. This time he pronounced my name correctly - must be good news!

Another girl had turned down a fantastic job opportunity only an hour or so from my home town, and he wanted to offer it to me. It payed nearly twice as much as the one I wanted, the hours were much more reasonable (no getting up at midnight to look for turtle tracks) and they would enable me to do my Senior research.

I was overjoyed, and wanted to cry and scream and shout all at the same time. I think I did, actually.

So how is this relevant to anyone else? I have never been rejected for a job in my entire life. Never. I am used to generally getting what I want when I want it. Those few days of crushing rejection and realization that I had to start all over because of my huge ego was a gigantic bucket of ice-cold water. I was a lot more grateful for that internship when I was looking at a (possibly) jobless summer.

Be careful what you wish for (and expect) because you might not get it. You aren't entitled to it.