You may be looking around at classmates who have lots going on—they’ve lined up internships, they’re going to job fairs, they’ve got interviews, they’re meeting with recruiters, they’re joining the trade magazine mailing lists.

But you’ve got much less going on than that. You went to one job fair recently. You’ve flipped through trade magazines once or twice. And that’s about it. Your lack of progress, compared with the amazing progress your classmates are making, is starting to fill you with anxiety about the future.

What on earth do you do next?

Read on for inspiration. I faced this very conundrum and managed to not become homeless. You can, too!

You’re not alone

First, some encouragement. You’re not the first one to graduate and wonder what in the world to do. Many others have found themselves in this situation (including me) and most of them continued living, breathing and having a life worth living. The fact that you haven’t got so much going on as your classmates do doesn’t mean you’re doomed—it just means that you need a kick from behind to get things going.

What to do

1. Do work.

That phrase means exactly what it says. Why do your friends have so much going on? For most of them, it’s because they made those things happen. They do work. Sure, some may have a leg up because of who their father is or who their neighbors are, but not for all of them. If you want to have lots going on, you’ve got to make things happen. Solomon wrote, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10, NIV). That implies that your hands have to find something to do first.

One huge asset in making things happen is your student advisor. They are usually very connected in the community and know lots of avenues for moving forward. Your advisor is usually well-known in the industry you picked as a major. They say that getting a job is all about who you know—and advisors know a lot of people. Use that to your advantage. Ask them what to do, who to talk to, where to interview, how to prepare your resumé, how to interview, etc.

Another asset for graduates looking for work is LinkedIn. The sole purpose of LinkedIn is to connect people to each other in the professional world—once again, it’s about who you know. Fill out your profile (with a close-up portrait of just your face—photos make a huge difference) and search for the people your advisor has connections with. Try making physical contact with those whom you’re interested in interviewing with as you find them on LinkedIn—the more someone sees your face, talks to you or even views your online profile, the more you’ll stick out in their mind when they’re considering job candidates.

Don’t be afraid to ask for interviews, ask for help or ask for guidance from industry professionals. Most of these people are just that—people. They put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you do. Not only that, many of them found themselves in the same predicament 20 years ago that you find yourself in now. They aren’t compassionless robots. Ask for help (and mention that your advisor sent you) in getting interviewing experience, and you may be surprised—they just may respond favorably by saying yes. Even if they don’t have time and say no, guess what—they now know your name. That’s never bad when you’re looking for work.

2. Pray.

A wise man once said, “Work as if everything depended on you and pray as if everything depended on God.” You’ve absolutely got to make things happen if you want to find out your next step in life. But David wrote, “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). So which is it—do work, or wait for God to do work? Obviously, it’s both.

This is where prayer comes in. Prayer is absolutely critical in walking the right path through life.

But what do you pray about?

Before I answer that, let me say this: If your spiritual life is faltering or simply not all there, this has got to be the first priority. If your problem is in making time to study the Bible or pray (or meditating—don’t forget about that!), then the first principle comes back into play—do work. Pick your time every day to study and pray, then do that every single day.Nobody else will do it for you or can do it for you.

So, once you’re praying and studying everyday, what do you pray about?

Pray to God and ask Him to show you the right path. In other words, His will.

This is such a big deal that Jesus put it right there in the model prayer—“Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10). When Jesus said, “Your will be done,” He didn’t just mean on some global, macro scale. He also meant for God’s will to be done for you, individually, in your everyday life. And He didn’t just mean in some nebulous, vague, unspecified way. He meant for you to be a specific part of that will. Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50).

So what you’re asking is for God to show you His will so you can do it—so you can make things happen. Also, you should also remember that it is not wrong to ask God to bless you. The apostle James said, “…yet you have not because you ask not” (James 4:2). Ask with the faith that your Heavenly Father desires to give you good things.

Now, a disclaimer: God won’t always show you exactly what to do. In the Church, we often hear ministers talk about God “opening doors” and “closing doors.” Usually they’re referring to times when it becomes obvious that God wants something specific to happen or not happen. But a lot of the time, it’s not clear that God has a preference either way. That’s called free will, and you’ve already made use of it by choosing to go to college, choosing a major and following through with that major. God wants what’s best for you and knows what specific steps you should take on your path of life to make your life the best, but He doesn’t always make the steps clear and obvious. Sometimes He just lets you choose what you want.

This may be one of those times, so if it doesn’t become painfully obvious what to do even after you’ve tried to make things happen and prayed to God, just keep on keeping on. Make more things happen.

If all else fails, go to ABC

That subhead sounds like a joke, but it’s actually serious. Ambassador Bible Center, sponsored by the United Church of God, an International Association,is fantastic and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how awesome it is and how glad I am that I attended it after my college graduation. My spiritual maturity grew leaps and bounds because I attended ABC.

If I may make this advice column personal, let me tell you specifically how things worked out for me. After college, I went to ABC (which I had been planning to do since beginning college). After ABC, I looked for jobs and did exactly what I just told you to do. I eventually got two part-time jobs right after the Feast. I really hoped one of them would make me full-time, and they told me they really were working to make that happen. I found out about the job I’m doing now (editing this newspaper you hold in your hands) and applied, but still felt like the part-time job I was working would be better for me. I prayed that God make it clear which one He wanted me to have if He had a preference. If He didn’t have a preference, I asked that my part-time employers hire me full-time.

When they offered me the position at the home office, I asked my other employer if they could offer me anything. They said that there just wasn’t enough work yet to make me an offer. The whole time they were telling me this, I was smiling, because God had made it clear. My prayer was answered.

So if you’re beginning to feel that anxiety that wells up from the pit of your stomach because you haven’t figured out what you’ll do next, remember, you’re not alone. After you remember that, then start making things happen. But follow through all the while with continuous prayer, leaning on God and Jesus Christ. In short, work as if everything depends on you and pray as if everything depends on God.