A year on..

I have seen a fair amount of stuff around over the last year about the post-university struggle and thought I’d offer my take on how the last year has panned out.

So, up and down to say the least. Confusing, depressing, anxiety fueling, frustrating, saddening, boring! But, also, opportunistic, progressive and an opportunity for real self development.

My Masters year ended with the obligatory last 100-yard dash of final edits before the dissertation required binding in time to be posted. It was a brilliant, fast-paced and inspiring year. I learnt more on that History course than I did during three, painful years of an English undergrad.

Filled with the hopeless optimism that all – reasonably successful – graduates feel, having had “you’ll do great”, “you know loads”, “it’ll be tough but it’s worth it”, “getting a job for you will be easy..” rammed down your throat over years of following the traditional education system; I set off into the post-graduate world of unemployment and living back home with my parents. (Now, although my relationship with my parents is great and living at my childhood home is a breeze – there is nothing quite like the unfiltered freedom that being a university student, living away from home brings.

“Find a job, boy! You’ve got rent to pay. Life ain’t free anymore.” I heard, first morning I wake up after a boozy night in the local pub reconnecting with friends. Ahh, awesome. Time to do some adulting… I can do that…

So, weeks turn into a months and I manage to land a job as a teaching assistant in a local primary school. I’d always thought of being a teacher; having the idea thrust on me a few times by a few of my school teachers who I quite liked and respected. Hmm, why not. Let’s give this a shot – I need a job, after all.

Wow, haven’t kids changed. They now answer back and are just horrid little sweary things that encourage a change in the education system – if the Totnesian model of ‘free-education’ has been proven not to work, I don’t know why the lack of discipline nowadays wouldn’t be any different. Anyway, 3 weeks later I left. It was a disaster and has certainly offered a sourer taste of teaching than I needed to pursue my pre-university intentions.

I’ve never wanted to be bored or content at work, or doing anything, to be honest. I have always enjoyed being challenged and stretched and learning. I knew that this needed to be my new criteria for the job search. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

So, I found myself a job helping to manage an office in London. “Okay, cool! The big smoke.” Failing to anticipate how expensive living to London would be, or how irksome commuting from Portsmouth to London every day would be – I eagerly accepted the role. It didn’t last very long as the monotony of working and commuting all the time got to me and being 22 with no social life and being unable to afford renting in London, I had to leave.

Now, I find myself incredibly bored, working in a law firm for an embarrassingly low wage – I know, I have a job, I should be grateful – but it is not for me and I have lost interest.

Thankfully, I have a couple of interviews lined up so hopefully things will start to change.