Notes about the generation that got skipped
I don't understand something. When I was unemployed and looking for work fresh off a BA degree (or should I say, BS in English?), all of the entry level jobs were going to people with wayyy more years of experience who suddenly found themselves out of work and needing SOMETHING, plus employers probably preferred people who were older and more settled at that time.
Now with arguably 5 more years of (erratic) experience and looking for work again (and a grad degree?), I'm looking in two industries - nonprofit and copywriting - both of which pay drastically different and both look more for personality than anything - and I'm coming up with nothing or second best. I get leads on entry level, but more than one of them have warned me that I'm overqualified. Now it seems all of the entry level jobs are going back to people fresh out of college (and rightfully so). I have no trouble getting interviews, it's getting pass that point where I get stuck. I've worked temp jobs that range from $9 to $50 an hour, but my first year of running a self-employed editorial business netted me $20k and that’s it. I've never been offered a stable annual salary with benefits for a company. I’ve noticed that no matter how I rearrange my resume or retell my story, my job history is tainted by these dark years in labor practices following the economic recession. And I know I'm not the only one.
So, did everyone who graduated between 2008 and 2012 get skipped or something? For years, I thought it was better to alternate your time job hunting with more skills based learning or more humbling volunteer times spent taking care of elders or youth (or zine librarianship, which has always been a hobby/lifeline and not something I try to leverage or anything). Are we expected to sit on our couches all day throwing out cover letters with the Netflix on, showing no progress or skills-based learning? I know men who do that and then suddenly they get multiple job offers at once, both double or triple in annual salaries than what I've ever made, so I've been trying that methodology. And they don’t volunteer for shit.
I'm insecure, but I'm thankful that I have had the chance to work so many different (and erratic) jobs. I'm thankful I've gotten to meet so many different people and learned to work with personalities that I otherwise wouldn't have chosen to. I'm thankful I've had the chance to live in four cities across the country and that I learned enough about those cities to be your tour guide. I'm thankful that I am finally in the state of being able to settle down in one city, even though I'm still looking for work. I’m thankful for friends who have given me leads, and hey! Always accepting and appreciating more! My work experience is a product of the recession after all! Despite what you’ve been told, the economy is not better. The unemployment rate may be less than 6% for the first time since 2008, but I’ve never been counted. I’ve never been counted because I’ve never worked a full-time permanent job. And I know I’m not the only one.
