Graduates on their experience of the recession: 'You feel useless, bored of doing nothing' | Money | The Guardian:
"Ian White, 21, lives in London with his girlfriend's family. He graduated from Cambridge University last year with a first in theology.
'I didn't know what I wanted to do when I graduated so I went travelling for six months. Ultimately, I want to be a comedy writer but I knew that wasn't going to happen straight away so I've been looking for any work.
'Initially, I was looking for decent work - graduate schemes. I didn't want to do media sales or anything like that. I was looking at things like being a librarian, something more bearable. Now I've given up and I'm looking for anything: bar work, catering - I've been all around the shops in my local area. I can't even get those jobs."
Is it just me who lacks sympathy for this kind of situation? "I didn't know what I wanted to do"... "I'm looking for anything"... "something more bearable". It doesn't exactly shout 'I am the right person for the job, I have the skills, enthusiasm and drive you're looking for', does it?
Another quote in the same article:
"I won't apply for graduate jobs any more because it's so disheartening"
This from someone who's been looking for jobs for 3 months... max.
I'm sure I should have more sympathy*, but at some point they're going to have to realise that being a graduate is not the be all and end all to your life. To get a job you are more than the sum of pieces of paper you've accumulated along the way. Jumping the 'right' hurdles does not automatically award you the right to any job you think will do for now. Qualifications only open the door. You have to walk through it.
Good grief. I turned into a grumpy old woman overnight!
* I didn't automatically get a graduate job when I first left university and made the decision to go back to college to do further study and temped for a further year before getting my first permanent post
