A Scary Time to be Young & Broke, a Note to Students During COVID-19
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My Winter quarter at college was cut short. My Winter Finals switched to online, the school gave me two weeks to move out of my apartment, and I was told all of spring would be online.
My sister just landed an interview, she was in middle of a job search when uncertainty struck. I myself had just applied to a bunch of internships. I got one email back within a week — “give us some time.”
I didn’t have it the worst though. People are dying. High Schoolers missing Prom, Graduation, their senior years. Families split a part, and it is recent graduates who have to face the true job market when unemployment has just skyrocketed.
Remember , life isn’t fair.
“If you think you have it hard, read a history book,” your ancestors struggled.
They survived the Great Depression, World Wars, Disease Outbreaks. I received this email from one of my favorite professors,
“September 11th happened right after I graduated from college and there were a lot of people on TV talking about how the economy was doomed and the world as we know it would end.”
These are talking points that a lot of the media mention about COVID-19 as unemployment claims spike, and a $2 trillion government stimulus package just got approved. People are concerned normality won’t return and the world will forever be changed by this virus.
He continues to say,
“It was a very scary time to be young and broke, and I’m so sorry you’re all having to deal with this at a time in your lives when you have plenty of other things to worry about as it is.”
People already have a lot to worry about, even if they are already struggling with finances. Not everyone has family to fall back on. People job search or are stuck doing risky jobs such as nursing, working grocery stores, or Ubering. It should be known that ‘everyone is in this together,’ a common phrase repeated by celebrities, news, and throughout social media.
He ends his note by comforting us, saying,
“Please know that this too shall pass. Do the best you can to stay safe, check in with friends and family, and reach out to people when you need support. Times like this give us all a chance to think about who/what we really value and what kind of a world we want to help build.”
Who or what do you value? Once this dust settles and all of this is in the past, how do you want the World to look? and how can you make that happen? It’s a scary and uncertain time for everyone, but like our ancestors we will persist. You can still follow your dreams and land that job you always wanted. In time. Good luck and God bless.
