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Some people want to get paid more money. Others just want do something that they don’t completely hate. Me, I would have settled for just some appreciation and a little work-life balance if I couldn’t have the first two. So here I am trying to find a job that really speaks to my abilities and interests, while also being very anxious about my unemployed status. It’s put stress on my relationships and my bank account. I’ve applied to nearly 100 positions since resigning from my previous job. I’ve had one interview. In the last two days I’ve had two rejection e-mails come in.
It seems for most millennials they’re stuck in situations where they are either over educated, cannot find jobs in their areas of study, are lacking experience, or none of the job managers actually think they can do the job. I went to law school, I’ve written appeals, surely I can figure out how to write up some safety claims.
I remember a couple of years ago when I first started to feel like I had made a terrible mistake becoming a lawyer, I went out and bought a book entitled The New What Can You Do with a Law Degree: A Lawyer’s Guide to Career Satisfaction Inside, Outside & Around the Law ; I read it from cover to cover and set out about applying to the jobs it said I had great skills for, thanks to my wonderful lawyer training. I didn’t get a single interview for any of those jobs. It seems that the days of lawyers being able to bounce over to human resources are over. I blame all the highly specialized degrees these universities are pumping out. It not only forces you to decide what you want to do with your entire life at the very discerning age of 18 but it also leaves you trapped because your degree, a piece of paper, is all people think you’re capable of.
I wanted to do business transactions but since I can’t get any experience post-law school doing that I’m forever the debt girl. No amount of writing about my critical thinking skills or ability to tame the most insane clients will convince these job managers that I’m more than that. And how can you make them see it when your only tools in a world of restraining orders and terrorist lists are a cover letter and a resume.
So maybe ladies and gents the answer is you make your own job. The hard part there is deciding what you want to do in the first place. Because when the day comes that you’re your own boss there won’t be anyone to blame for your job dissatisfaction but you. And maybe that’s what we’re all afraid of. Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of.
If you’ve been going through something similar let me know in the comments. Maybe together we can discover our destiny.
