Trials and Tribulations of a Recent College Graduate

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably realize that our economy is not doing so hot right now.  This is the case today, as was the case during my senior year of college (2000-2001).  Back then in 2000-2001 I was looking for a job – and even with my noble efforts – I kept coming up empty in my pursuits.  True, I had a less than marketable degree – Communications, but I had graduated from a prestigious university with stellar grades.  I had more than one internship completed, as well as some work experience.  I also was very involved in campus activities, and even had leadership experience in these activities.

I thought I was the “perfect” candidate and would have no trouble landing a job.  What I didn’t realize was how political the job process is.  It seems to me that 99 percent of the jobs out there (especially entry level) are attainable only if you know someone, or if someone you know knows someone.  Well I didn’t know anybody who knew of someone who was hiring, or anybody who knew anybody who knew of someone who was hiring.  So I was basically an outsider trying to break into an insider world.

Sure I got some job interviews, but I didn’t get anywhere with them because in reality the people hiring were looking for people with five + years of solid work experience.  They were not counting my internships as “real” work experience, and the jobs I had, up until that point, were mostly frying french fries at French Fry World, and doing other meaningless things like telemarketing.  Since I had only graduated just recently, of course I wasn’t going to have five years of legitimate work experience.  The only way that would have been possible is if I skipped college, worked a few years to promote myself to manager at French Fry World, and then went back to college.  Those people are referred to “non-traditional” students, and they are the minority – not the majority – in undergraduate school.

So I graduated from college, jobless, and then gave myself a full time job. Go move to City X and find yourself a job!  I did move to City X, lived in an apartment with four other people (one bathroom), with each of us paying $1000 (monthly) a pop to live there.  I only lasted a month in City X because I ran out of rent money – oh, and I left City X jobless of course.  Because of the same problems I discussed earlier (didn’t have five years work experience, didn’t know “anyone” who could get me a job).  

So after these trials and tribulations I found myself, a college graduate, living in my mom and dad’s house, unemployed and broke.  This scenario should sound very familiar to anyone who’s graduated from college in the last few years.  So basically, since I was jobless I tried to find any “legitimate” jobs in the area around where I lived.  And what were the results of this, you ask?  Well, I basically found what I had found all along – nothing.

Because of the lack of good job opportunities, I did what any desperate college graduate would do.  I applied for a $7.50 per hour sales job at a clothing outlet store; with most of my fellow co-workers being high school students.  To earn some additional cash, I became what every college graduate aspires to be – a substitute teacher!

Even though ringing up socks and sweaters on a register is what every college student aspires to do, and even though being a substitute teacher sure was living up to its billing of being unpredictable and interesting, I was still yearning for something more.  Since my Communications degree was having the worth of a roll of toilet paper in the current job market – I was trying to think of a degree I could get that could get me a job now.

It didn’t take long to come up with that answer – teaching!  So I spent the whole year while I was folding shirts, and sweaters, and substituting taking the GRE, getting recommendations, filling out applications, and doing every thing else it takes to apply to graduate school.  This book discusses in detail all that hard work, as well as my fatefully bad decision to choose the graduate school that I did – Crystal City University.

You will laugh and cry at my triumphs and hardships in looking for a job, graduating college, looking for a job some more, failing to get a job, moving home, getting a job that paid $7.50 an hour, substitute teaching, applying to graduate schools, and choosing the wrong graduate school.

I like to think that I represent the typical recent college graduate.  Listen to my story – and know that however bad you think you’ve “gotten it” recently – somebody (me) has gotten it worse.