In the current economy, some people think that education is somewhat of a safe haven. Little do they know that education is anything but safe these days. In my experience, education was a risk that has yielded virtually no reward. My most recent graduation was over 5 years ago, yet here I sit, blogging about the dreaded job search and the harsh reality of being overqualified in the face of a bad economy.
Over the course of the last 5 years, I have applied for well over 3,000 jobs and been on only a dozen or so interviews. I spent a little under a year working for a company that paid me no base salary and would have hired me despite my education. Desperation coupled with the hope of future networking opportunities and at least decent money led me to accept the position, but, after nearly a year, I realized that I was not meant to be there. The few subsequent offers that I received were for $12 per hour or less. That simply does not cut it when you have a student loan tab of a quarter of a million dollars.
Needless to say, the job search is disheartening at best. At one point a few years back, I came across a blog entry about unemployment-related depression and the woes of looking for jobs that simply are not there. That was the one time (prior to now) that I took the time to post about what is going on in the country today and in my personal life.
Regardless of what the news tells you, the economy--in terms of available jobs--is not improving all that much. Sure, unemployment rates may be decreasing, but unemployment rates do not reflect the correct number of Americans that are out of work. I, for example, have never collected unemployment benefits, but I have not been gainfully employed on a regular, full-time basis since June of 2007. Do I factor into the body of statistics that contribute to the unemployment rate? I think not.
What makes this situation even worse is the fact that my sizable student loan debt has made me somewhat of a prisoner. I am trapped in my reality and the realization that there are certain things in life that I am unable to do. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will probably not be able to buy a house -- at this point, I just want to move out of my mother's house. Don't get me wrong -- I am thankful that I have a place to live and a mother that helps me out constantly, but, still, this is not what I want(ed) for myself. I did everything that I was supposed to do; I worked hard, put myself through college, and continued to push myself academically for years (and multiple degrees) beyond.
As if my journey up until now has not been depressing enough, I find myself in the familiar position of being overlooked for job after job and continuing to search for what seems like forever. To illustrate how bleak the job search is, I decided that I am going to start chronicling my search. Feel free to read about it, wish me luck, or comment as you see fit.
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