"I Wonder if Going to College Was Worth It"

I have a masters degree, spent six years in the Army Reserve and was a teacher before grad school. Yet the only job I've found is as a security guard.

With new employment numbers due Friday, March 4th, we at FrumForum decided that it was time to listen to the voices of the young as they face the challenges of this economic crisis. Over the next days, in an exclusive series, we will be featuring a number of their first-person stories. If their experience is yours, we welcome you to join the conversation at Editor@FrumForum.com.

* * *

My experience is similar to the girl from the University of Chicago who couldn't get a job at Starbucks. I finished my M.A. in international relations in 2009 and decided to spend a year abroad in Mexico teaching English before I officially enter the workforce. As I began to think about my return to the United States, I knew that the job market was going to be tough, but I didn't think that it would be impossible.

After all, I had a decent resume. I had spent six years in the Army Reserve. I had taught history for two years in a high school while I was a graduate student. I had completed several good internships including one with the American embassy in Ottawa, Canada. Then there was my experience in Mexico as well and my ability to speak Spanish.

I really wanted to work in the federal government, so I sent off about 60 applications through usajobs.gov. I was rejected every time. I found out through an email that that many of the agencies are only hiring veterans. Since I was never deployed, my reserve status did not count.

I guess the most frustrating thing to me was the fact that I didn't even receive a phone call. I expected the process to be difficult, but I did expect at least to garner some interest. What was even more frustrating was that none of the private sector jobs for which I applied were contacting me either. I finally got my hopes up one day when my sister-in-law, who works at FedEx, told me she "knew somebody" in a FedEx retail store in Florida (what used to be Kinko's). This was very humiliating to me since I never thought I would be desperately competing for a Kinko's job.

However, that fell through as well.

Finally, after about 6 months, I have managed to find a job in Virginia as a security officer. It pays the bills and it could open up opportunities later, but it makes me wonder whether my education (and my student loans) was worth it.

Pablo blogs at The Cross Culturalist.

Tweet