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Writer's pictureGema Elamae

What It's Like to Graduate During a Pandemic

I was supposed to graduate today.


Had the timeline continued as normal, I would have walked across a stage, shaken some hands, and I would now be in the middle of taking a million pictures with what I hoped would be my entire family (there's about 20 of us altogether so that was already a tall order). As it is, I'm sitting in my boyfriend's apartment about 250 miles away from school, and I haven't seen anyone in my family other than my dad and brother since winter break.


The world as we know it has changed forever. No one knows how to navigate it, especially a doe-eyed college graduate with no concrete experience in the working world. A lot of working professionals have assured us that we're all going to be okay, but this pandemic is so unprecedented that sometimes it's hard to believe that's true.


Despite all that, I've found that there's a lot to be grateful for, too. For me, this pandemic has been a blessing as much as a curse somehow. Yes, the world as we know it has changed forever, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all of the changes have been for the worse. I didn't get to participate in my graduation ceremony today, but I did get to sleep in for 10+ hours after a full week of sleep deprivation (I had to finish my final project).


For those wondering what it must be like to graduate in these times, here's what my experience has been like - both the bad and the good.


I want to preface by saying that I am in an incredibly privileged position. I have many people I can depend on who have stable jobs and are still very healthy. Someone else is capable of paying for my living expenses while I figure myself out. I personally do not know anyone who was directly affected by COVID-19. I recognize that I am better off than many people, and I am incredibly grateful to be in this position.


The Unfortunate


1. Cut off access to campus resources

One of the things I was sad about leaving behind after graduation was unlimited access to state-of-the-art lab equipment, technology, and tools basically for free (I mean, my incredibly expensive tuition was paying for it, but no extra money came out of my pocket for all of this). I didn't even get to use any of these things in the past semester before the school was locked down. My class was focused on UI/UX projects, so I didn't need to use any special equipment. I did want to work on some personal projects after spring break, but we never came back after that. I am lucky that my class was able to transition to virtual meetings because of our UI/UX focus, though. I'm sure other classes suffered without access to the labs.


I lost access to more than what the School of Art and Design offered, though. Before I left, I was attending an art therapy group every week. It had actually been helping. If nothing else, it was something to look forward to every Monday. Unfortunately, they couldn't keep hosting it virtually. I couldn't even schedule an individual virtual session with one of the group therapists because they can't offer therapy outside of the state of Illinois. Though I understand licensing restrictions prevented them from doing so, it seems pretty ridiculous that exceptions can't be made during a global crisis that puts everyone's mental health at risk.


2. Jobs have dried up

Design jobs are already hard to come by for a new graduates because most places are hiring for more senior positions. Plus, these are mostly concentrated in major (read: expensive) cities, so I was already at a disadvantage for constraining myself to the Madison area. But since the pandemic really hit the US, places looking to hire emerging designers are nearly nonexistent. Again, I've been mostly looking in the Madison area, but even jobs in other locations that I had earmarked to apply no longer exist. It could be that they already filled the position, but it seems more likely that they can't take on new hires now.


I want to acknowledge that pretty much everyone is going to be negatively affected by this, if they haven't been already. As we're entering into what is possibly the Second Great Depression, nearly every job seems to be teetering on shaky ground. There are already millions of Americans out of work and millions more were supposed to enter the workforce around now. This is a bad time across every industry. But what will it mean for emerging industrial designers for whom entry-level opportunities were already few and far between? I was hoping to find something in Madison so my boyfriend could keep his job and we could be within driving distance from my family, but just like everything else in the wake of this pandemic, that may have to change.


3. No stimulus check

Most college students were completely left out from receiving a stimulus check. If someone can claim you as a dependent on their taxes, then you're disqualified from the stimulus. People were supposed to receive $500 for every child in addition to their $1,200, but only if their children are under 18. So my parents didn't even get that for me or my brother. It stung when my family was telling each other how much money they were getting. My parents, my sisters, and their husbands are all fortunate enough to still be working. But I couldn't go back to my restaurant job in Champaign. I couldn't even stay in my apartment that I was still paying $610 (plus utilities) for in rent. It didn't seem right.


The Silver Linings


1. Reunited with Partner

My boyfriend and I have been long distance since he accepted a job in Madison after graduating last year. We were also long distance for a year when he was transferred to Champaign and I was still at our community college. That's about 2 years of separation out of our nearly 5 years together. I was planning on moving in with him pretty much immediately after I graduated. When he picked me up for spring break and the school announced its closure, we made a last minute decision to take me back to Madison instead of my parents' house. We went back to Champaign a few weeks later to get all of my stuff out of my apartment, so I'm fully moved in now. I have been here for about 2 months. He makes a comfortable living that can support the both of us, so we're doing okay. I don't have to worry about contributing financially right now. I still worry, but I don't have to.


2. More opportunities to connect

I knew before getting here that I would have to do a lot of networking to get into the Madison job market. This absolutely terrified me because I didn't have a lot of experience with it. What little experience I did have mostly involved trying to get someone's attention amidst a sea of college students sweating desperation (that's not a dig at my peers, as I was also a drop in that sweaty sea). It was a nightmare for someone as shy as I am. However, all opportunities to meet people moved to virtual platforms. As mentioned in my previous post, I never would have been able to attend so many events or talk to as many people if we weren't forced to do everything online. I can attend design conferences now. What would have cost me $500 to attend (let alone fly out there) now only cost me $20 to watch at home. I've even had several one-on-one conversations with design professionals. People know my name! I don't know if that means anything yet, but it's a whole lot better than if I were left to my own devices at a networking event. That alone empowers me to keep reaching out to people.


3. Less pressure

I was facing unemployment even before the pandemic and was planning on putting my full weight behind the job search after graduating. While I'm still planning to do that, the pandemic has paradoxically created a lot of pressure and eased some pressure, too. On one hand, job insecurity is rampant and there's going to be a lot more competition in the coming years. Finding a job is going to be a lot harder than usual. On the other hand, it feels like there's a lot less pressure now that most things are on hold. Everyone is just trying to figure out how to get through to the other end of this thing. Sometimes all you can do is get up and feed yourself to make it through another day. If you can just manage that, then you're doing okay. The world seems more forgiving now.


In the meantime, I'm just glad to be able to do things for myself now. There are countless design and non-design related projects I want to work on, including teaching myself new skills. I'm excited to create just for creation's sake. I'm lucky to have the capacity to do so at this time.


To all of my fellow graduates, I'm sorry that we didn't get to celebrate together. I was looking forward to commemorating our last 3 years together before we all went our separate ways. If you are in an uncertain position, too, don't despair. There are silver linings. For now, our jobs are to take care of ourselves and look out for one another. There's still so much time ahead of us. I look forward to seeing any and all of you again.


While you're here, check out the BFA Exhibition for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign here. You can look at submissions from all majors in the School of Art and Design (including mine!).

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