We've seen the numbers, read all the articles and heard horror stories from undergrads of the past. They are calling our economical state the worst down fall since the great depression. Great. I am so glad I have a degree! And congratulations to those of you who have found a job since leaving college life behind. Kudos to you! Either God really loves you, you have great luck or you are just that damn good. But for the rest of us unemployed and struggling undergrads, we will mush together and become the new yearly statistic in The Wall Street Journal. I always wanted to be famous, I just never knew it would be anonymous.
For those of you who decided to go back to school for a higher degree, awesome. Stall, stall as much as you can. As long as you can afford it, over qualify and stall. For those of you who chose a recession proof major like health, medicine or criminal justice, you are smart, very smart. I must have missed the list of worst and best jobs in Forbes because journalism was definitely on that worst list.
I will spare you the numbers and facts you already knew about the aftermath of graduation. Instead, you can read about my experience for the next couple minutes. Maybe you will relate, maybe not. You might laugh at me or just be sad for me. But really, I know most of us are in the same boat so bare with me.
It has only been over two months since I graduated from SUNY New Paltz and about one month since I received the piece of paper in the mail that cost me my blood, sweat, tears and oh right, money. My childhood dream was to become a doctor, but I got my journalism degree instead (that is another story for another day and blog). Do I like to write? Sure. Do I think journalism is the best thing that has ever happened to me? Not quite. But for now, that is the job market I am getting myself into. So far, I am 43 applications into the process. Enough? Not nearly. I know people submit 100 before getting an interview. I'm not a mathematician, but that means I will have to painfully submit 57 more applications in hopes of one actually contacting me and then calling me in for an interview. If I decide to submit to 5 jobs a week, it will take me over one month to get an interview-an interview that 50 other people just like me are going to have. 50 people, half of which have been searching longer than I have, two or three years maybe.
Then there is option two. Go back to where I started. I can apply to the types of part time jobs I left - the ones I left in order to start a career in the first place-just to pass the time and make money so I can live. Of course, now I will be over qualified for a cashier or associate position. So, this brings me to option three. Go back to school, for my master's, a second bachelor's, anything at all because right now, I am a sitting duck.
According to the dictionary, a sitting duck is a helpless victim or easy target. I don't consider myself a helpless person or a victim by any means. However, in my current situation, I have fallen victim to a well known phenomena of this country. A route that young people all over the country take every year. Over qualify yourself in order to stand on the production line, waiting for someone to call your number, waiting for the person ahead of you to fall so you can take their place. Helpless in the sense that at 22, when I should be starting my life, I am simply delaying it for God knows how long. Living with my parents for at least five more years. Working for hourly wages when I worked so hard to make a real career for myself so that I would be happy, but I am just becoming more frustrated and miserable by the minute. Everyone tells me that something will come up and that I have to be aggressive for what I want in life. I knew it wouldn't be this easy, but I thought I would have a better chance.
They say there is a light at the end of all dark tunnels. Although it is far from view, I would like to think it is going to be here really soon.
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