It's not that there aren't jobs. It's just that there are so many jobs for people with far different skills than you have who have been practicing those skills for far longer.
As I look over sites like Monster and Indeed, I see postings for people with no skills, and postings for people with a great deal of skills - but very few for people with the ability to acquire skills. Perhaps this quality - and I call it a quality because I find that second only to "curiosity," it is an essential part of a great person - is difficult to prove. One's aptitude to figure out new things quickly and to rise to the challenges of any job is not a quantitative skill, and so, on paper, it appears that your only worth lies in the skills you have already acquired.
What jobs did you work in college? If you worked at all, you probably did not work in a field you want to see yourself in ten years down the road. Personally, I made it through college by waiting tables at Olive Garden. This is because, when I started college, I was not qualified to be a full-time writer, editor, teacher, or professional of any kind. But now that I've finished school, it seems potential employers only care about the work I have already done - not the work I am now capable of doing.
But it seems that by working for car dealerships at just above minimum wage and waiting tables to pay for school has only qualified me to continue doing what I did to get qualified to do something else.
But I will keep hunting - and hunting is the right word, because the animal known as "dream job" is an elusive and shy creature.
This is so true! I'm job hunting as well and I definitely would like to see more job openings that focus on what we can do instead of what we did do. Sigh :) Hope you and Caroline are doing well! -Amanda Franz
ReplyDeleteI wonder how that could be a provable skill though? That is the frustrating part - that you have to convince someone to take a chance on you.
DeleteYeah this is a tough one!
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, I've found that internships are the key here. Internships in college help build your resume and prove to employers that you've developed transferable skills that will be valuable to them. Once you're out of college, I think internships can still be a great way to build a resume because they're generally much easier to land than a full time job, but they still allow you to gain experience in your field.
I enjoy reading your blog, Stephen!
Grace