A graduate with a goal but no glory has to find alternative methods to distract themselves from the frustrating job market and depressing lack of interviews; my little slice of escapism is found delving deeply into a world of news, gossip and fashion magazines. As I become heady from the intoxicating sight of red-soled stilettos and jewel-embellished shift dresses I'm brought down to earth with an almighty, eye-opening thump. Hidden in the depths of catwalk catfights and label lust was an article so poignant that it stopped me in my tracks. It was a Grazia piece written by the journalist and television personality Lowri Turner exploring a recent scientific study that suggests that working in a bad job could cause more risk to your mental health than being unemployed. A disturbing discovery when I'm a disgruntled graduate stuck in a tedious temping role who's still desperately reaching for my dream job.
However, it isn't just my favourite fashion rags that have been besmirched with the woes of my fellow minimum wage warriors – the media has recently reported a frenzy of stomach-churning statistics, including plummeting youth employment and shrinking graduate opportunities. When our government makes a U-turn spectacular enough to impress a stunt driver on university fees and graduates are viewed as the "untouchables" of the employment market, it does make me question how people are expected to want to continue into higher education when there is little to inspire them to do so.
I graduated with a 2:1 Bachelor of Arts with honours degree almost a year ago and have since been stuck in a temping job as I desperately hone my CV, write and rewrite cover letters and face the daunting prospect of repaying £30,000 of student fees with a pitiful salary. However, my email and Twitter account is inundated with updates from acquaintances who either failed university or chose not to go and are excelling faster than those with degrees thanks to the time spent gaining experience. It makes me wonder if I would perhaps be in a better situation if instead of spending three years studying intensely, I had bulked out my CV with voluntary experience and unpaid internships. Of course, it would mean that I would miss discovering my flatmate in the early hours sandwiched between an adolescent and a drag queen and other invaluable experiences that can only be had at university, but are the Sambuca-fuelled stories worth the struggle after our studies end? Now, with also apparently my mental health threatened by my menial job and my motivation reaching an all-time low, I'm beginning to wonder.
Attending university was often seen as a rite of passage, the barmitzvah of your education if you will, and was entered into as a routine thing to do – school, university, the inevitable gap year, then onwards to that career that graduates are assured will be waiting for them at the end of their studies. However, with attendance fees rocketing despite government promises and the youth job market drought, is it worth going to university any more? With student debt potentially reaching £90,000, graduates outweighing employment opportunities, and even my sanity possibly compromised, if I were asked to do it all again I'm not sure I would, knowing what I know now.
As an advocate of having no regrets, I continue to look forward and strive for the dream job . I worked very hard to achieve my degree, and will continue to work even harder for the role I crave so badly. I may not have achieved as much experience as those who could afford to work for free or those who chose life experience over education, but I cannot change time and can only hopefully shape my future. As of this week my job rejections went from 200 to 202, so in preparation for a decline in my mental health I'm collecting copious amounts of cats and have began to sign off covering letters 'Yours Sincerely Rosie Percy, Mr Fluffy and Snuggles'.
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