Will I ever get a job?

[Anonymous]

I feel like my whole life has been a quarterlife crisis. Ever since I graduated college my life has been hell. I graduated in May, 2000 with a BA in psychology. In school I had a high gpa of 3.88 and was active in student government where I won numerous awards. I then went to graduate school in psychology where I was miserable. I hated it and realized it wasn't what I wanted. So I dropped out and have been looking for a job for months now with no luck. Nobody is willing to give me a shot because I've never held a job before. Despite my high GPA my lack of work experience is preventing me from getting a job. Most jobs even say they require experience but nobody can explain how you get experience if you need experience for a job. It's impossible. What I really want to do is go into politics. I've been volunteering on some campaigns for a few months but all they have me doing is menial grunt work. How am I supposed to get a job out of this when all I'm doing is sitting and stamping literature. That's not exactly something that makes you marketable. What I'm finding in politics is it's impossible to break in because people only get ahead through political payoffs and such. Nobody is willing to help a young person who wants to break in. What do I do?

[Anonymous]

yes you will get a job. Think positive. I graduated in July 2001, and there was 11 people in my class, i did a Msc, i was the youngest in the class, having come straight from a Bsc into a Msc, while the others had loads of experience in this particualr field. I was told by a lot of my so called "peers" that id never get working in the one place in the country that they all aspired to end up in, cause of my lack of practical experience. Oh boy did i prove them all wrong, I bombarded the company with my CV, via post and E mails nearly every week for three months, my peers laughed at me. I had the last laugh though, when one day i got a phone call from the company, and they invited me for an interview, for maternity leave cover, and i got it, for a period of 4 months. At the intrerview i bought along 4 copies of my CV, as i started the interview, i said would you like a copy of my CV, my employer laufged and said, " I think we have enough of your CVs in here" it really broke the ice. I got my foot in the door, and i worked hard, i learnt a lot. 6 months later im still here! So i dont know if they will keep me long term, but boy am i enjoying it. As for my so called "peers", 3 of them stayed on at the college as research assistants,(Crap money) two went into compters, and two entered a rival institution, though they are not as well respected and paid as well as this company! So stick with it, im here now and i intend to enjoy it, even if im let go tomorrow, i still have it for my CV!!!!

[Anonymous]

I too feel your pain.

[gamecocks]

Believe me, I feel your pain! I have been looking for a job for 8 months and have found nothing! I have a college degree and 2 years of sales experience. Not to mention the fact I am living at home with my parents. It has been a nightmare and I wish I could give you some good advice. The only thing I can offer is to hang in there and know you are not the only one going through this!

[hope]

I have a BA in Psych too and a degree from a tech school. I left a comfortable teaching position I was in for 4 years to work for a computer company, just to get laid off 10 months later... right before a promised bonus!.. somewhat of a blessing in disguise. I began hating everything about that place before the lay off. I have been looking for a full-time job now for 7 months.. unemployment checks have run out.. thinking of going back for my MA in Psych or Social Work.. still I'm managing a few bills with a part-time child care job with a friend but that money won't last for very long.

What I do know is that this tough time will pass.. and we will all be working again in something we enjoy so we can't lose hope.. no one is alone in this. It all takes time.

[bren814]

I also understand your frustration with not being able to find a job because of your "lack of experience." I graduated in June and have been endlessly searching for jobs. Its really disappointing when you hear the interviewer hesistate in hiring because of the lack of experience especially since a lot of employers are looking for people already well trained because they don't have the time or don't want to train you for the position. As with the person who posted the original message...how am I going to gain experience when it seems as though no one wants to take the time to give me experience?

[S]

Most jobs even say they require experience but nobody can explain how you get experience if you need experience for a job. It's impossible.


Before I plunged into the job search, I assumed companies filled at least some "entry level" positions with recent grads, but that's not true. Most job postings that use the term "entry level" also request 2-3 years of experience.

If no one wants to be a recent grad's first full-time employer, where do companies think the experienced candidates they do want to hire get that experience?