Catch-23



Google Image, Searched Career Imagines

In the past a college graduate could find a career or full-time job easily in a field of their choosing. However, with the economy turmoil that we find ourselves in now, just graduating from college is not enough. We live in a Catch-22 (or 23 in my case) society where you need experience to be hired but no one is hiring for you to gain experience.

I know I have myself to blame for not working harder when in college to gain experience. I was focusing on just making the grades to be invited back the next semester and in my senior year of college I was engaged and planning the wedding along with graduating was my main focus. That is my own fault; however, there are plenty of young college grads that cannot find a fulltime career jobs immediately upon exiting school or seeing there is no careers available choose graduate school to just prolong the process of finally stepping into the real world.

One young college graduate that I knew in college had 2-3 internships/jobs at one time on top of a full course load, on top of being in a sorority and several clubs. She was a complete mess, stressed out and panicky every second of every day and was extremely emotional, due to a lack of R&R.  This girl made me feel completely inadequate in preparing for life post-graduation. However, she is now working for a company in a department that was within her field of study and I am working part-time as an office manager.

I am not complaining, because a job is a job for me right now and living in an area that is 3 hours minimum from any major cities (Chicago or St. Louis; I’m smack in the middle of the two), does not help my job search (and my laziness).

And there is that overwhelming sense of paralyzing fear of failure and the shame that would come from failing and letting not only myself down but now my husband and our families.

Is anyone else have a similar experience? Or going through this process themselves?