Post-Grad Part II

Post-Grad Part II

When I wrote my first Post-Grad blog post I really felt like I had reached the end of the marathon to end all marathons and that the struggle would be unparalleled. Now that I am nearing the end of my second post-grad phase (after I earned my Master's degree in England), I now know that the post-grad struggle knows no bounds. I can say that my second post-grad phase was just as challenging as my first one: in fact, it was a continuation of it. 

The start of my second post-grad experience is excellently summed up by this article "The Hardest Part of Traveling No One Talks About." You are on a complete high and "then you return home, have your reunions, spend your first two weeks meeting with family and friends, catch up, tell stories, etc. You're Hollywood for the first few weeks back and it's all new and exciting. And then it all just...goes away. Everyone gets used to you being at home, you're not the shiny new object anymore and the questions start coming: so do you have a job yet? What's your plan? Are you dating anyone? How does your 401k look for retirement?"

I relate to the author of this article so much. I enjoyed being back in LA (after getting homesick towards the end of my stay in Europe) for about two months. I arrived back in LA on September 1st 2018 and the new sheen didn't wear off until after Halloween (my favorite holiday). By November 1st my honeymoon phase was officially over. I had been mainly applying to policy jobs in Washington D.C. up to that point because my Master's degree is in social policy (a field centered in D.C.) and I really liked D.C. when I visited two summers prior (winter, I'm not so sure about). I ended up switching gears because I was finding it difficult to land a job in D.C. when I was still living in LA (a lot of employers stated that they prioritize current D.C. residents) and I was also unsure of how I would acclimate to the cold East Coast weather. I am prone to bouts of seasonal depression and truly a creature of the sun.

It took one year and 6 months after finishing my Master's degree and flying back to the U.S. to get a job in my field. I have been on more than 40 job interviews, interviewed for 28+ jobs and reached the final interview round (with up to 3 rounds) for 8 jobs before securing an offer for my dream job. The worst rejection (or non-rejection?) I received occurred in September (one year after I returned to the states) and came from a policy job in LA that I was very qualified for. This job had 4 interview rounds: a phone interview, an in-person interview, a take-home research assignment and an interview with the CEO. I passed the first two interviews and then submitted a piece of graduate-level research: 6 pages single-spaced with a one-page reference list. I am proud of the research I did and how I formatted the four prompts within the paper, which took me until the assignment's deadline to finish. Two weeks passed and I heard nothing from my interviewer: I sent a follow-up email - still nothing. Finally, a month after I submitted the assignment I gathered the courage to call my interviewer and ask about the position: I was told that the position had already been filled and sorry they hadn't told me (and possibly other candidates?) This is by far the most disillusioning job experience I've had. I've been ghosted by interviewers three times during my job search. I've read accounts like this one that suggest that this behavior is getting more prevalent. A humble plea: being a job-hunter is emotionally, financially and even physically strenuous. For some reason (perhaps capitalism?) the job economy wants people to prioritize a professionalism that takes precedence over our humanity. I want to see workplaces implement policies and job hiring processes that account for employees' and job-seekers' humanity. This will make the workforce more humane for workers and hopefully keep ghosting out of the job hiring process. 

To say this job hunt was excruciatingly hard would be an understatement. Because my student loan payments started in March 2019, I started working as a caretaker for disabled adults in February. Although I loved working with my clients, the job was exploitative of both carers and clients. This position did not require a bachelor's degree, so it was underpaid even though caretaker work is essential to society, as is all care work. I witnessed office politics throughout the six months that I worked at this job. I continued to apply and interview for jobs in my field while I worked. Eventually, I resigned from the caretaker position to focus on my job search and/or find a less stressful interim job. I ended up working two other equally stressful, exploitative and underpaid jobs while continuing to job search and interview for positions. As hard as this period of my life has been, I am glad that I got that job experience. Working stressful jobs while job-hunting, living at home and even online dating took a serious toll on my mental health, which affected my physical health. Essential workers should be treated like they are essential all the time; this means better pay/a living wage for the area the job is in, safe working conditions and worker protections. If the country learns anything from this pandemic, I hope it would be this. I don't know how I would have survived this post-grad experience if it were starting now as opposed to one and a half years ago. I feel for essential workers and job-seekers including the class of 2020, who might have as hard of a time finding a job as I did, according to recent projections.

In between working stressful jobs while I searched for a job in my field, I focused on relaxing and volunteering for a local organization. I started therapy to begin the process of healing the intense stress and trauma my body and mind have endured recently and over time. This was always my plan, but I was forced to put off therapy because I couldn't afford it when I was working. I shouldn't have had to put off my mental healthcare due to expenses, which shows how inaccessible healthcare is in America. Before and after I got a dream job offer, I struggle to not conflate my identity with my job, career or career aspirations. Although I am proud of my (finally beginning) career, I still do not want my identity to be tied to my job title. I try to see myself as a whole, well-rounded person, and if my job has anything to do with who I am, it is because my character brought me to it. It remains upsetting that so many people are forced to work in poor conditions, abusive and exploitative environments and for low pay to survive. If I've learned anything, it's how this seriously needs to change for our society as a whole to have a fighting chance.


Related: Post Grad , Online Dating (on both sides of the Atlantic)