Hit 500 applications submitted last week and it felt weirdly empty

I've been tracking every job I apply to in a spreadsheet since January, and when I crossed 500 last Tuesday I expected to feel something like progress or relief. Instead I just stared at the number and realized most of those got zero response, not even a rejection email. Has anyone else hit a big application milestone and felt nothing but burnout?

3 comments

3 Comments

linda_clark18d ago

500 applications and all you got was a pat on the back from a spreadsheet. Sounds about right.

amy69218d ago

lmao my spreadsheet's been my only loyal companion through this whole mess too. 450ish deep over here and I think it's starting to pity me with those little color-coded tabs pretending like progress is happening. half the time I don't even get a notification that the job was filled, just silence and a vague sense of wasting a perfectly good afternoon.

the_jennifer17d ago

500 deep and honestly @amy692 is right, that spreadsheet becomes your only real friend through this nonsense. I hit 600 last week and just closed the laptop because what's the point of celebrating when 90% of those applications went into some black hole, not even an automated "thanks but no thanks". The worst part is spending an hour tailoring a cover letter for a job that gets reposted two weeks later with no one ever contacting you. It's like the universe is gaslighting us into thinking effort equals results when it clearly doesn't.