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[truepenny]

Have I mentioned I hate job-hunting?

There's nothing that makes you feel quite so much like a waste of carbon as getting turned down for a library shelver position. I didn't even make the interview.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

You were probably way overqualified.

Plenty of people have been talking about having to hide creds and dumb down in order to get hired.

[truepenny.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm simultaneously over-qualified and under-qualified.

I have the Ph.D. and the three years of college-level teaching experience, but I have no other work experience, aside from two summers doing secretarial stuff in college--which was, jeez, fifteen years ago. So if I don't have the over-qualifications, I got nothing.

This is, by the way and for anyone who's weighing pros and cons, an excellent reason not to go on to graduate school straight out of college.

[marydell.livejournal.com]

I did the grad-school-right-after-college thing too, but I didn't actually take a degree, which is a REALLY bad idea. If there's a temp agency in your town, that can be a good way to build up a lot of useful job experience really quickly, and in a small job market it also creates a lot of networking opportunities too. Most agencies, when I was starting anyway, were more interested in keyboard speed than in actual experience, too.

[/unsolicited advice]

[muneraven.livejournal.com]

Wow, you are even more overqualified than I am! I have an MFA and five years teaching at a university but I'm thinking your PhD tops my arteest-y degree despite my being insane enough to work at a college longer than you did. PhDs are just more intimidating, what with that little "h" in the middle.

I've experienced all that overqualified crap, too, and at some point you have to wonder about the constant message we spew at young people about education providing opportunity. Really? Then how come so many really nice, hardworking people with degrees are unemployed or underemployed? Maybe we need to tell kids the truth: Education, good timing, and luck matter in about equal amounts when it comes to opportunity.

I wish you the very best in your job search. ALSO I wish your book writing paid better and more consistantly because I truly adore your work.