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Journal, November 5, 2011

Remember, remember, the 5th of November. While everyone else in the world is focusing on the economy (and apparently it’s “National Switch Your Bank” Day or something), I just want a job so I can have a little money. I woke up at 4am to make my husband’s lunch. He’s mandated to work 8 hours of overtime Saturday and Sunday this weekend, from 5am to 1pm. On one hand, we welcome the extra money, but on the other, it’s not worth it. They take out so much for taxes that he gets very little of his overtime pay, and it’s not worth getting no days off. I’ll never understand mandatory overtime. Regardless, we were up at 4am and at the Dunkin Donuts drive-thru at 4:30am.

Here it is 5am, and I’m ready to start job searching online. I don’t normally look on weekends; I try to give myself some time off. But since I took so much time off during the week, and since my husband has to work, too, I might as well do some searching. First, I check the website of the university where my sister works. I’ve been applying to every open clerk position there for years, with only one interview ever resulting from my attempts. Still, I won’t give up. Today there is only one listing and it’s for a bus operator. It’s tempting, as it starts at about $15 per hour, but I doubt I’d be hired. I’ve only had my license for almost 2 years, even though I’m 31 years old.

Next up are all the well-known job search websites which give me very little actual job postings. What they give me mostly are what I consider “scammers.” I’ve learned the keywords like “National Sales” and “Make Money from Home” which lead me to believe it’s too good to be true. A data entry job that pays $35 an hour? Why isn’t everyone doing that?

What really bothers me is that these scam artists are targeting people who are desperate for a job. While my husband and I were laid off after college, we fell for one of those scams. Back then it was envelope stuffing. You just sent a money order to an address for more information on this lucrative deal where you could make a living stuffing envelopes. It sounded way too good to be true, and we should have known that it was, but we were young and idealistic and desperate. We sent the money and never heard from the company.

The thing about job postings, at least in the area where I live, is that they either offer minimum wage, or they’re too specific. A job will require 3-4 years of experience within a very specific job area or skill, plus a specific degree and or skill. It’s like they already have one particular person in mind so they mold the job posting around that person. The reason I got a Liberal Arts degree is that I thought it would give me access to a variety of jobs. I thought it would look good to learn a little about a lot of different areas, and that’s certainly what I enjoy learning about.

Another issue I have with job postings deals with the following ad I found months back:

Part Time Program Assistant:

This position will require you to interact with individuals that have mental health issues in a homelike setting. You will be required to train individuals regarding the following: personal care, communication, daily living and social skills development.

Requirements (included, but not limited to): must be at least 18 years old, possess high school diploma or GED, valid driver's licence with a good driving record, background checks and pass physical exam.

This job doesn’t sound appealing to me, and it seems irresponsible on the part of the company. Working with individuals with mental health issues is a big responsibility. It’s huge. And all you have to have is a high school diploma? It probably pays minimum wage, too. There are not a lot of people living in my area with a college degree, so I already feel overqualified for many of the job listings.

My last job expressed concern because I have a Bachelor’s Degree. They were concerned that I would be looking for a better job while under their employ. I assured them I would be happy as an Administrative Secretary, but three weeks later, I was laid off. So it was back to going on unemployment and checking the job classified ads on a daily basis.

The “real” jobs posted today are for Class A Drivers, Analysts, and Sales Representatives. I’ll check again later. I usually check twice per day.

I think I’m beginning to come down from the high of yesterday’s meeting with the Dean. I felt so full of hope yesterday at the thought of continuing my education and/or moving to a new area. Today, though, reality is coming back to me, and I’m realizing it won’t be that easy. If I knew for sure that I could find a job after getting an MBA, it would be an easier decision. But I know so many people with higher degrees, with great backgrounds and experience, who are having a lot of difficulty finding a job.

I’m feeling slightly discouraged, too, because one of the places Dr. A mentioned was California, and when I mentioned that to my husband, he was really excited. I didn’t even know how much he wanted to at least visit, if not move to, California, but he was very animated about moving there. I wrote about it in an online journal at the end of the day and then got a comment from a friend who lives in San Diego. She wrote, “There are no jobs in California.”

It makes me question things. A professor can say, “There are tons of jobs out there if you know where to look,” but when it comes to someone living in that area, someone with a degree who is searching for a job, it can be a different story. This particular person has been searching for a job since she graduated college with a degree in English several years ago, and she hasn’t found anything yet. So are there really jobs out there? Is the economy as bad as everyone seems to think it is?

Maybe I should stop job hunting for the day and think about switching banks like everyone else. At least it’s good to know I’m not alone. We’re all losing faith in the system, I think.