Olympic Dreams

In a week when the nation has been gripped by the euphoria of the Olympic Games, I have come to an unfortunate realisation; I am unlikely to ever fulfil my childhood dreams of becoming an elite athlete.

After trying my hand at a number of sports as a youth, I soon found that I was distinctly average at pretty much all of them. At the humble age of 23, in sporting terms, I am past it. Take the example of Michael Phelps: the man has won 19 Olympic gold medals, amassed a small fortune in career earnings and is about to retire at the age of 27. I've got 4 years on Phelps, so I either need to get training for Rio 2016 or make my living like a mere mortal.

This highly topical preamble brings me round to the main point of this post: the trade off between earning a decent living and pursuing your career goals. I have always been envious of professional sportsmen; to make a career from something you love doing, something that may well have started off as a hobby or pastime, must be immensely satisfying. Unfortunately, for the majority of individuals, there must be at least a degree of sacrifice. To earn in a year even a fraction of what a footballer may earn in a week, graduates may find their way into careers they may not have originally foreseen. This is not to say that people cannot grow to love and enjoy their jobs, but I find it difficult to believe that many young children lie awake at night dreaming of becoming a management consultant or chartered accountant.

Everyone has different motivations. For some, a generous salary and the accoutrements of wealth are the only motivation. For others, job satisfaction and a healthy work/life balance are of more concern. As for myself, I want the nice house and the foreign holidays but not at the sacrifice of everything else. There are plenty of supposed 'graduate jobs' out there. As I've discussed before, jobs boards are full of advertisements from recruitment consultants offering immediate starts, £20k salaries plus £30k+ OTE; what is more, they require no previous experience and aren't specific about the subject of your degree. If you can handle the intensely competitive and commission based nature of the job then it certainly seems tempting.

I've been seriously searching for approaching 8 months and it's true to say I've been fussy. I've so far avoided the scatter-bomb technique of sending out CVs speculatively to as many employers as possible. Instead, I have focused on jobs that engage with my interests. As frustrating as it is to be earning £6.13 per hour (a generous 5p above minimum wage), I'd rather not sell my soul simply for the sake of a graduate job I have no interest in. To spend 40 hours a week working in a role that you dislike must be utterly soul destroying. I need to put my efforts into something I care about, something that engages me. If it pays well that will be a bonus.

For now, I shall continue as I have been. I might also try a few more sports, there's time yet...

It's Not All Bad...

It has come to my attention, while perusing my first dozen or so posts, that perhaps my blog has taken an overly cynical and negative tone. This was by no means my intention when I set out to document my thoughts on the graduate job market. While it is certainly demoralising to make so little tangible progress in my search for meaningful employment, I will in future endeavour not to let this frustration colour my writing. I certainly do not want anyone to feel sorry for me, there are many other graduates in far more testing circumstances than my own. And so, I feel I must write this short and positive assessment of my current situation.

When I look at the facts I am in a healthy position. I am living at home and so face no costs such as rent and bills, giving me a more than adequate disposable income. I also know deep down that I have good qualifications that will eventually land me a graduate job. In addition, as much as I may sometimes complain, I do enjoy my work and it is gaining me a degree of useful experience in managing a small team and dealing with the general public. Anyone who knows me will also realise that I have for a long time been a little bit of a theme park enthusiast (the shame!) and so operating a £12million rollercoaster is significantly better than stacking shelves! It bears absolutely no relevance to what I want to do in future but we can't have it all. In some very tough economic times you must take what you can get.

I'm generally of the opinion that if I'm still struggling to find a graduate job by the end of the year, I'll likely leave the country on an elaborate travel adventure to some far flung and exotic corner of the globe. With time, the economic climate will improve and jobs will be more plentiful. Moreover, by then I would hope to have attained a little more relevant experience. Incidentally, if anyone reading has managed to combine travelling with gaining something meaningful and relevant to put on your CV I'd very much like to hear your suggestions.

To summarise this post: in future I'll be ditching the cynicism and reigning in the sarcasm. I may be frustrated but I'm also happy: I have a job, a home, a lovely girlfriend, lots of mates and decent prospects for the future. I have no excuse to be a miserable sod. What is more, I'm off to Barcelona on Thursday to enjoy some 28 degree sunshine and more than a little sangria!

I shall return next week when I intend to discuss the complicated art of CV writing. Until then, thanks for reading and keep commenting.

A Difficult Balancing Act

Like many before me, I face the difficult balancing act of staying afloat financially while searching for relevant work experience that will help me in my quest for graduate employment. It is perhaps my greatest regret that during my time at university I did little to secure the placements and internships that seem to be so sought after by employers.

Now, six months after graduation, I am in a tricky situation. I am already lumbered with £20,000+ of student debt and having received significant financial support from my parents over my four years of studying, I am keen to finally support myself. I currently work full-time for £6.13 per hour and it is a job that I do enjoy, if you had told my 14 year old self that I would be operating roller coasters for a living I would have been delighted. I bring home about £200 per week which is plenty considering I live at home; however, my work does little to gain me the kind of experience that will secure me that all important first graduate job.

I have set my sights on a job in politics or the media. Having submitted a number of applications for work as a political researcher with little success, I have come to the conclusion that I must be prepared to offer my services for free if I want to progress up the career ladder. There are many internships and placements that would appeal. However, given that our political nation is focused so heavily on London (a consequence of having one of the most centralised systems of government in Europe!), I am left in a financial quandary. These internships offer 'expenses' which amount to a Zone 1 railcard and a fiver for lunch - factor in living costs and twelve weeks working for free in London is an insurmountable financial barrier.

Lets look at some basic figures - a modest flat in central London could set you back upwards of £150 per week; a minimum of £1800 over a twelve week period. Add to this £40 per week for food and another £30 for having some form of social life then we are talking upwards of £2500. It would seem internships are the reserve of the wealthy, the privileged or those who are fortunate enough to live within commuting distance of the capital. I realise there are opportunities outside of London, but in certain sectors these are few and far between. It is a frustrating situation.

In addition, firms seem oblivious to the financial burdens that job seekers can face. Upon submitting an application to a London based media firm earlier this year, I was asked to 'call in for a 10 minute chat' to see if I was suitable for interview. Considering a 10 minute chat would require a £60 rail fare and an entire day off work I was understandably reluctant.

It would seem that for now I must content myself with earning a fraction above the minimum wage until I can find an affordable way to gain 'relevant experience'. I would be lying if I did not say that writing this blog was a shameless attempt to prove my employability and gain such experience in more unusual (and cheaper!) ways.

Thank you for reading, if you've had any similar experiences I strongly encourage you to comment...