I read an article a couple of weeks ago about a PhD graduate in the US who had to deal with unemployment for the past two years. I only have a master’s degree and the frustration of not getting a job sometimes gets to me. I can only imagine what this guy must be feeling, living on food stamps and temporary teaching gigs – not a good example to show kids who are breaking their backs studying. For me, more than the disappointment that higher education could not get companies to take me in was the frustration of not being able to use what I’ve learned. It’s either the companies are undervaluing my degree or that I have placed too high a value on education.
Just a few days ago, the Social Weather Station released a report based on a survey they conducted stating that the unemployment rate in the country is at an alarming 34.4%. According to the Labor Force Survey of DOLE, on the other hand, unemployment rate is only at 7.2% or 0.2% lower than last year. Quite a large variance even if, as they say, social surveys were historically larger than the government-conducted study. Whichever is the more reliable measure of the real unemployment condition, one thing is still clear to me. After more than a year of looking for a job, I am still unemployed and I am officially part of this sad statistic.
Aside from the economy still not producing enough jobs in the country, I will have to admit that there are still reasons why I still haven’t landed a job. First, I have become too picky in applying for my next job. It’s just that I have had too many jobs already with different companies and my experiences have not been all too good with regards to the management, working conditions and sometimes the compensation. Second, there were also months, especially during the first several months after graduation, that I did not make any applications at all, confident enough that my new degree will attract employment. I wonder if this confidence is really complacency in disguise… I hope not.
Well, there may have been plenty of opportunities I let pass by but I am also with the reasoning that at my age, I cannot afford to get into one company and just leave after a couple of years. I’m still searching for that elusive green pasture where this old goat can graze peacefully without fear of getting butchered.
Like the unemployed PhD I mentioned above, I turn to part-time or project-based work. I’ve worked as a ghost writer/editor for some professional journals. I was also recruited as a consultant for one month. The money was good but in the end, I still have to contend with the fact that the money, like the jobs, were fleeting and would not sustain me for long.
So, back to the rat race.
