University... life long memories and friends that will last till the end of time (well hopefully anyway). You work towards this day full of hope, with the promise that upon graduation the land of opportunity would be open to you with jobs galore. And the idea that you will be everything you ever wanted to be. But for a large minority of us it isn’t and that is the sad fact of life and education.
Our expensive degrees fail to cover one topic, how to GET A JOB. After your 3 years you find yourself educated but with nowhere to go. You feel bereft, lost at sea with no horizon in sight. One day seems like every other, only the clock and date on the computer you sit at daily, in your quest for the next job to apply for or the next agency to join up to, keeps you from losing track of time. You become a shadow of yourself until 5.30pm when you start to receive calls from your working friends inviting you out. For some graduates this is reality.
So some give up and run back to education, doing a masters just to get out before the cycle of monotony and depressing job hunting gets to them. Education has been a safe haven for so long and for some there is nothing better than doing what is safe and well known. But not all have this option, as the spiralling costs of studying are a big deterrent.
However, as with everything there is hope! The one good free thing available is INFORMATION. It is everywhere if you look for it. Coupled with that is people that are happy to listen and help. If you are one of the many out looking for a job and getting nowhere, don’t lose hope yet. There are many agencies out there made for people like you that are offering FREE! (I am sure there are many ex-students perking up at this), help and information on how to get where you need to be. So you are not alone.
A good place to start is your Careers Advisor at your university. Even if you have graduated they will still offer you their services, they will give you tips on how to write the dreaded c.v, and your oh-so wonderful covering letter that would make any employer fall in love with you to the point that they want to adopt you. More importantly they will sit and listen. And cater to your needs to get you that job or that course that you want to get on to or just to steer you back onto your path. Even the jobcentre will help (don’t sneer yet). The jobcentre is not just for people on the dole, if you actually check their website (YES, they have a website) you will find some good jobs on there and they also offer advice on job hunting. So all in all it’s not as bad as it seems.
Once you start with some of these agencies more pop up so keep hunting and don’t lose hope as all good things come to those who wait, persevere and more importantly keep working at it.
