Madeline Bryce/Daily Nexus

In the wake of the booming American economy, thousands of UC Santa Barbara students are taking to social media, overwhelmed by the countless number of high-paying internships and job opportunities they are receiving.

“It’s super exhausting,” Richard Small, third-year communications major, posted to Instagram. “All of these Fortune 500 companies like Google and Amazon are flooding my emails, offering high-paying internships and even high-paying jobs. I’m struggling to keep track of all the offers.”

This situation is becoming so extreme that some students are regretfully turning down dream summer opportunities that would have killed in a normal economy. Instead, they are opting for real six-figure managerial positions.

“I always dreamed of working as an actor. I got a position at a local film company this summer that pays $30 an hour, and it’s what I love,” another student posted. “But then Meta offered me a position of Product Manager for $20,000 a month, and now my old summer plans are ruined. How can I say no to such an offer? I’m being forced to choose between what I love and exorbitant amounts of money, it’s terrible! No one should have to choose between freely pursuing their passion and exorbitant amounts of money.”

In the wake of these struggles, the UCSB Career Center is intervening, creating a new workshop called “Saying No To Lavish Job Offers” in order to help combat the psychological strain placed on students. Lessons like dealing with decision paralysis and prioritizing personal values over vast financial offers are at the heart of this workshop.

“We have to be sensitive towards our student’s wellbeing,” Ash Ashley, head coordinator of the UCSB Career Center recently expressed. “Life doesn’t prepare 20-year-olds for the emotional toll of choosing between SpaceX and their dream job. It is a difficult time here at UCSB.”

Despite these undeniable hardships, students are staying strong. 

“I’m learning how to better deal with these floods of job offers,” one student who went through the UCSB workshop told the Daily Nexus. “I used to have mental breakdowns in the face of so many incredible opportunities but now I am learning to better tune these offers out.”

Our hopes and prayers are out there for every student forced to face these terrible dilemmas.

The Gentle Giant is busy rejecting job offers.