Everything Happens for a Reason
“Everything happens for a reason.” Oh, how many times have I heard this phrase after getting rejected by fifteen companies for an internship? It is a stressful feeling when you were the smartest kid in high school but suddenly when you transition to college you are no longer the smart one. You start competing with people that are on the same level as you and now you have imposter syndrome. Rejection is something I did not encounter until I started college. I did not quite understand this concept of ‘everything happens for a reason’ until something good finally came along.
As a responsible college student, I felt heartbroken and insecure with each rejection on an internship application, especially since I felt I had tried my best, stayed active in school, and had a better than average academic performance. Was there something wrong with my accent, my style? Was I somehow not smart enough for these jobs? There are many times I wanted to give up and never try again for an internship, job, or even a leadership position. That is when I encountered mental health problems.
It is not fun to be depressed and sad and stressed all the time. It affected my academic progress. I could not concentrate in school because I felt like it was pointless. However, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Coming from a South Asian household, I have seen my immigrant parents who came to this unknown land, having the same feeling where they are lost and stressed. No idea where they might get their next meal. I used their hardship as my inspiration to never give up and to keep moving forward. I utilized three techniques to overcome my rejection by continuing to: move forward, keep trying, and networking.
Moving forward
When it comes to rejection, it is best to move forward because taking things personally will not help you move forward in life. You can be sad and depressed all day, but that won’t help you get the job that you desperately want. Yes, rejection may be the worst feeling, but opportunities are always within our reach. Learning to trust the process is the biggest confidence boost anyone can ever have.
Stay active and keep trying
Life is not always perfect nor is the internship search process. The feeling of repeatedly applying and facing rejection can be a miserable feeling. It can be a tough pill to swallow. However, rejection helps build character. From my experience, I was living in my bubble thinking that just getting good grades would lead me to what I wanted. Rejection helped me realize what I was doing wrong and what needed to be done to better myself and work on my confidence. I was overconfident about my qualifications. After getting rejected, it felt like all my effort was going down the drain. However, it is vital to get back out there and try to be positive. What could I do to improve my applications or to improve the experience I could bring to an internship role? Rejection should not be seen as a sign of defeat but opportunity to learn from an obstacle.
Networking
Sometimes meeting people and getting feedback helps us improve on a critical element that we may not know we needed. Networking is something I was unfamiliar with until I got to college and can be the biggest factor for landing a job or internship. I met various people that have so many points of view about life, job, and business. The new information I obtain from each new network connection is inspiring and helpful.
There are many times in life when we will have to deal with certain factors that will make us feel down. The bitterness and insecurities may never fully go away. Dealing with potential rejection from internships or future jobs that we want desperately, or perhaps a relationship we are trying to build is inevitable. There is no say what will happens next. If I did not get rejected from all the companies, I would never know what I was doing wrong. I feel like a different person because it helped me build character. I have more leadership roles than ever. I also got an internship for next summer at a prestigious company. After networking with the directors of the Embry Riddle Aeronautical college research program, I was offered to be part of the abroad research program for my spring semester. Time is something we need to trust. The important thing to remember is that ‘everything happens for a reason’.
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About the author
Tahmina Tisha
Tahmina Tisha is a first-generation college student who moved to the US about 9 years ago from Bangladesh. At Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, she is majoring in Computer Science with a concentration in Business. She is fluent in four languages: Bengali, Spanish, Arabic, and English. She is a member of ERAU Student Government Association and the youngest member of AAUW (American Association of University Women). She is the Assistant Director and Public relation (PR) for Latino Pilot Association. She enjoys being a Pearson Campus Ambassador on her campus. She is currently part of the Social Media committee for Pearson. Her goal is to help girls from countries where access to education is nearly impossible and help them get into STEM fields.
