Alas, here I am. Back on that road we call life: still no map, still no direction, still scared out of my f?!ing mind. But that's what being a post-grad twenty-something is all about nowadays, right?
Compared to how I was a year ago, however, I am much more cool and collected about this dilemma I'm in. No, I don't have everything figured out. Yes, I have bills and loans to pay. Yes, I worry about my future. And no, I don't want to settle for a job that I know I will hate. Which makes this whole process that much more complicated. So many post-grads settle for jobs they know are mediocre. I don't want to have to be that person. I'm lucky I have parents who help support me, but I certainly want to be independent—and the sooner the better!
It all just kind of sucks though, doesn't it? We not only have to compete with an atrociously awful job market but we also usually end up settling for whatever comes our way because what else can we do? It's even harder for people like me. I have a creative soul. I ooze creativity. I hate the regular 9 to 5 routine (but I know I wouldn't if I were doing something I love.) I have so many ideas and thoughts circling through my mind that I can't even sleep at night because my mind never shuts off. I wish I could use all of these skills and talents I have and actually make a career/income out of it, but in today's world "creative" fields are extremely difficult to get into. And even then, sometimes you have to settle for something that is only vaguely related to what you want to be doing in order to just gain some experience. Because how can we forget—they won't hire you if you don't have experience, but you can't get experience if no one hires you! Oh.
As you can tell, I'm a little fed up with this whole job searching conundrum. I'm kind of just fed up with everything a post-grad has to go through. I don't want to be bitching and whining about it all, but it gets terribly exhausting and discouraging. Our generation is so different from past generations (or maybe not so much that we're different, but older generations have forgotten what it's like to be our age... also we live in sucky times.) Post-grad twenty-somethings get such a bad rep and it really pisses me off. How dare we want something different than what everyone else is doing? How dare we want to change the world we live in? How dare we not have a job yet and still be mooching off our parents? There are so many jobs out there! Sure! I'll be a secretary/somebody's bitch! Sure! I'll work at a job that pays $10 an hour even though I went to school for four years in order to NOT have to settle for that! SURE!!!
Okay, rant aside and all, I don't want to sound discouraging. I know there are lot of people out there feeling just as I am or in similar situations. I'm annoyed, yes, but I haven't lost hope. It's super, super important to stay optimistic. Not only are you doing yourself (and your sanity) a favor, but the universe tends to throw good things your way if you keep a positive vibe. It's tough out there, but know you're not the only one dealing with all this BS. Life has a way of working itself out, so just hang in there. In the meantime, please feel free to join me in my rant and let out all that steam!
I SOOO get what you mean about "you can't get experience if nobody will hire you, but nobody will hire you without the experience." It's seriously SOO so frustrating. For me, even though it was only about 4 months, working in a SUPER small firm in my town (think, three attorneys, myself, and one other assistant.) really helped me to learn what it was like to work in that field (I LOVE it - especially the 9 to 5, but that's something I always wanted) AND it's experience to write on a resume. Also, turn everything into experience - any clubs you joined, part-time jobs you had. Take what you learned from them (time management, customer service, teamwork, learn quickly....etc.) and put that in your resume. It makes any experience you have relevant to the job you're applying for if you can say you've learned something from wherever you've been.
ReplyDeleteI know it's really frustrating, but you'll find something!!
I am in the same position. It sucks! I just had an interview and now I'm waiting for a reply (hopefully positive!) I'm also lucky that my parents support me too, but I'd like to be independent! It's so hard to try and find a job that seems fun. I'm the same way about wanting a job that I won't hate.
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