Thoughts of Desperation

May 16th, 2009, 9:30 AM: I graduated from Baylor University with a Bachelors of Arts degree in International Studies and a minor in Philosophy. I managed to have a wonderful college experience, including lots of play time along with study time. I had the opportunity to study abroad one semester at the prestigious University of St. Andrews in Scotland. I spent my summers working for Baylor and was basically paid to have fun and make friends (best job ever!). I worked on-campus jobs for extra cash to take care of random expenses and adventures. I made the best friends of my life, learned some of the most important life lessons, and was able to graduate without many regrets. I even managed to maintain a decently high GPA.

After 4 years of learning from a prestigious university, a degree under my belt, leadership experiences, work experiences, proficiency of a second language, and exceptional people skills, how on earth am I not employed?!?!

Well, many of the places that I’ve applied for have currently hiring freezes… thank you recession. Other places rejected me for being over-qualified or penalized me for not having the years of experience in the field. But I ask, how can I get such experience, if you don’t hire me?

I’ve lowered my standards for jobs I’m willing to take. I just want something that offers employee benefits and a salary. If I must take a job that pays by the hour, ok, but I think with a college degree, my hourly wage should AT LEAST be $14. I think I’d even settle for $12 if it really came down to it.

So, I think that next time I apply for something, I’ll just attach a link to the song “Take A Chance On Me” by ABBA along with my resume to my next job application or send in a video resume of me recounting my qualifications with that song playing the background. That’s all they really have to do… take a chance on me. If I don’t perform to meet their needs, terminate me, but I’m pretty confident I’m capable of just about anything.

In the mean time, I’ve just been merrily unemployed (for the most part). I had a fun summer with my friends and family, and for the first time in years, summer was an actual vacation. Now that summer is over, I feel the weight of unemployment more. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super grateful for this time off, but I’d really like to be working. I like being busy, having something to occupy my time, and making money. So come on, HR departments of DFW businesses!... Take A Chance On Me!