I'm blogging now...mainly to document my apparent failures on looking for a job...no, a career.
I
suppose a few things have led me here, but chief amongst them is that
my current term employment contract is ending with the federal
government.
A little background:
I have
always had a job since I was 16. I worked utilizing the federal
governments "stay-in-school" (now Pathways) program, and enjoyed above
minimum wage for the majority of my high school years. Shortly after my
graduation in 2001, I attempted college but found myself bored. In 2003,
I decided to join the Army and utilize my four years there to decide
what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Did two deployments with
the Army, and finally exited the Army in 2007, got back into college,
and also snagged another "stay-in-school" position with the same federal
agency I had during high school.
Fast forward to 2012,
graduated with honors with a lustrous liberal arts degree -- Political
Science, and was hired as a term employee with the same federal agency.
Then in 2013, my Army Reserve united was activated and did a nice one
year stint deployed again. Returning to work, realizing that my term
employment is upon it's last few months...leading me here -- the job
search.
It is here that I started to fully understand
how naive I was at job hunting. Let alone career hunting. I'm a 31 year
old married guy with primarily administrative skills, and a degree that
leaves quite a bit to be desired. During my time in the military, and
even with the federal agency I always thought getting a job wouldn't be
difficult. Paying no mind to all those reports of people being
unemployed for months and years on end.
Dozens of job applications later, and only two responses that led to interviews. One interview put me on a "hiring list," and another I have yet to find out the results (took place today). However, the current job interview is for a position with a federal agency that has little in terms of advancement opportunities. It has turned into if offered the position do I take it, and take a pay cut...or hold off until something more appealing comes along. In the end...it's just frustrating.
Overall, one of the most frustrating issues is the glaring outcome of my decision making over the years. How did I find myself at 31 with hardly any marketable skills above administrative work? Sure, I can possibly get an administrative assistant job (though, I haven't gotten a reply to those I've applied to) -- but unless positioned correctly, I face little upward mobility there as well. I can't even apply for managerial positions with various retail outlets due to somehow failing their "pre-employement assessment" tests. Further, taking a minimum wage position literally halves my income, and leaves a lot to be desired in the "job security" department.
It is just downright disheartening.
