So what does this all mean? Well, I think some archaic "rules" exist in our country, for example the gap in employment on my resume. A resume shows potential employers the qualifications of potential job candidates. The resume says "hey hiring person, this is what I've done for work and this is where I went to college." Why does it matter if I haven't had a professional job for ten months? I haven't forgotten everything I've learned or done at my previous jobs. To me, the gap in employment serves only as another device companies can use to say "no, we don't want to interview you." Looking at the interaction I had with the recruiter last week, I don't believe she gives a damn about me and how hard getting a job might be for me if I've been unemployed for a full year. I think she only cares because her job would be more difficult if she was trying to "sell me" to a potential employer. I do want to work and I don't want to make it hard for someone like this recruiter to help me find a job. My issue lies in how I got here. If I thought the best job I could obtain after college was paying bills, then I probably wouldn't have gone to college. I do believe an economic issue exists for Generation Y/Millennials with the increase in college attendees and graduates.
Sure, lots of people who go to college get great jobs and set down a very good career path. However, let us not forget about the people who, despite earning college degrees, don't find a great job right out of the gate. Unless you're a genius, someone like Bill Gates who doesn't need college to find success, the United States and I believe many other countries have adopted the ideology of college, an extended learning experience intended to foster a more intelligent work force. Here's the problem, earning a bachelor's degree now does not guarantee the same advantage it did even a generation ago. An increasing number of people with bachelor's degrees means more "qualified" candidates for positions deemed only for college degree holders. The types of jobs that have been presented to me over the past few months I believe are below my intellect, meaning I'm getting undervalued, and I think many more are in similar position. How do we as a country combat that? Go to grad school! I wonder if years from now graduate school will be the norm. Four years of undergrad, then one to four years of graduate school, and then you might be able to get a job paying bills! I mean, I know about synergy and vertical integration, what else do I really need to know?
One of the jobs pitched to me by a recruiter a couple weeks ago paid $35,000 annually. That's more than $10,000 per year less than what my previous job paid. Not to mention that the cost of living where I am now is generally higher than where I was living. I'm dumbfounded that one year of college costs more than many annual salaries of entry level jobs out there. Granted I did go to a private college, but the idea remains absurd to me. The aforementioned recruiter that began low key attacking me about getting something on my resume before a full year of unemployment asked me what I wanted to do. After the conversation ended, I kept thinking about that question. What do I want to do? Well, I know I don't want to pay bills or call people about money owed for the rest of my life. The real answer is I don't know. Really all I know right now is what I don't want to do because I've been there. I quit my job because I didn't like it and I realize not everyone can understand that or afford to take that type of action. But, given my position, I can leave my job and not end up on the street, for now at least. So you damn know I took that opportunity, not risk, but opportunity. Yes, there is risk in leaving a full time job at a stable company, but I also possess the freedom to explore other opportunities that have the very real potential to be better than what I was doing. And always remember, freedom is only a possibility if you're able to say no. I have said no to potential jobs over the past year because I'm holding out for something better. I don't see any value in going from one job I don't like to another job I won't like. Then the resume police would get on my case for job hopping, another resume sin to go along with employment gaps. What a load of shit.
Well, only time will tell if I'm doing the right thing or if I'm a huge moron. I'm not ruling out the moron part yet, but I'm definitely going to try to find the right job/lifestyle for me. I will not settle for a $35k per year job just yet. Lastly, if you've never read The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, please do, that story gets my full endorsement.
