Being an adult...
Who would have thought it would be so difficult to get a job at the entry level? I have applied to approximately 45 jobs since September to try and find part time and full time employment, while also keeping my current position at a local non profit. The only jobs I am able to get called back for are jobs in the education department, which is completely fine... except they pay garbage or have inconsistencies. To give you an idea, I was originally hired as a Paraprofessional for a school district, where I was going to work with elementary age kids. My contract fell through and I was hired as a substitute paraprofessional at $13/hour instead of a contracted $19.54. That is a huge difference. I then talked to the HR for the district and got a substitute teaching credential and get paid $130/day when I can find shifts that are available. This is the hard part because there is a lot of competition. Additionally, I have had to pay for fingerprinting for all of these jobs, as well as tests that are all around $100-$300 each. To get an even better idea, for every school district as a substitute, I have to get fingerprinted. If I wanted to work as a paraprofessional in another district, the highest I could be paid is $15/hour. Of course, the benefit of working in schools is weekends off, holidays off, and set hours in the work day. The downside is the bureaucratic hoops you have to jump through to get the low pay.
In August, I am moving to Sacramento with my housemate, and I am extremely concerned about future job prospects as I do not want to continue working in education. All office jobs require minimum of 2 years experience, which is obnoxious, especially when they claim to be entry level... Any jobs in social media marketing require 2 years experience (which I have) as well as 3 letters of recommendation. At this point, I will either work in schools until I die, or I will be a waitress. Both aren’t ideal.
My point is, the job market is absolute garbage. Websites to apply want you to upload your resume while also filling out information that is already on your resume. They want cover letters that they do not read, which I know from experience of sitting in interviews and them telling me they hadn’t read it yet. They all want weekdays from 9-5 but also want you to give up one weekend a month for whatever reason they can come up with. I get it, the job markets are competitive and thousands of college students graduate every year hoping to get these positions, but at what cost? I have spent more time applying to jobs that reply with an email saying they are going a different route than I am comfortable admitting to. I have wasted hours commuting to job interviews, practicing interview questions, and faking smiles.
Needless to say, I am exhausted. I am 23 years old with a BA, with 7 years of work experience ranging from food industry to retail to education to office and clerical work. I have started my own blog that has been gaining mild success. I am a fast learner and extremely capable of working in almost any environment. So why cant I get the job?
This is yet another thing to tell my therapist...