BA in… waiting?
author: destiny kaus | production manager
Credit: Rob Milsom via Flickr
No, this is not a “please help me I need a job” article in case you’re wondering…but if you do have anything available…
It’s always a wonderful feeling when you graduate from university with your Bachelor of Arts degree. Your horizons for employment widen and your dreams grow as you claim your dream job right out of university…accurate? Not at all.
Unfortunately, nowadays, getting a BA does not guarantee you a job after graduation. I have experienced this in my own life as I recently finished up my Honour’s degree in English with a concentration in creative writing, and started the job hunt. At the moment, I’m just looking for part-time work (no, this is not a “please help me I need a job” article in case you’re wondering…but if you do have anything available…) preferably in the area of communications. I’m assuming that with my BA – and yes, I could very likely be wrong because I’m wrong about a lot of things – I’m either underqualified or overqualified.
I’ve updated, smoothed out, and nearly perfected my resume. I’ve applied for numerous jobs: receptionist, administration, admin assistant positions, you name it; but alas, I’ve yet to so much as get a call for an interview. What happened to the good ol’ days when you could drop out in grade 9 and still find a kick-butt job to pay your bills? Where did all those part-time jobs in high school go that hired workers who were not really qualified for anything?
You’d think I’d at least be able to get somewhere with my concentration in creative writing, right? Wrong. It’s always a good time when I’m perusing the pages of Sask Jobs and there’s all these cool writing jobs available, but they require a journalism degree. It seems that the only way I’m snagging a job in the writing field is if I have that degree…man, I should’ve gone for a journalism degree…
In other cases, I’ve gotten so desperate that I’ve applied to the simplest of jobs in retail, like being a cashier at a grocery store or a shelf-stocker at a pet store. For these jobs, I’m guessing I’m just a little overqualified with my sick academic record. Sad.
Thus, I have come to the conclusion that with my BA, I’m either underqualified, overqualified, or maybe my resume actually just sucks. So, I might as well just go and get my Master’s degree while I wait for a job.
But, in the meantime, I will continue to apply for jobs no matter how discouraging the search becomes, and I will continue to be grateful for the education I do have, the opportunity I had to go to school at the University of Regina, and the lovely time of rest and relaxation in my life because so many years of university nearly killed me. Maybe not finding a job right away isn’t all that bad. Maybe what I need most right now is rest, and that’s okay.
