The Indian Elephant in the Room

My inability to get a job in a career that I want to be involved in has led to, lets say, a "re-imagining" of My Plan. Having assumed that 2011 would remain achievement free (a defeatist opinion, I know) I decided to plan a month long trip to India which would coincide with a trip the family was originally taking to Sri-Lanka in order to visit the extended family who live there.

This two month vacum would allow me to inevitably do what a lot of students end up doing after they finish their degrees. Go travelling. Though for me, it would be on a much smaller scale-I'm not made of money!

I've wanted to go India for a very long time and I'm really pleased that I'm finally getting to go...

...however, let's not mistake this trip for what it really is; a diversion.  

Yes, this trip requires planning and it will be an amazing experience blah, blah, blah but the reality is that it is such a FANTASTIC excuse to not apply myself and search for a job. 

The trip was also used as an excuse when I had the previously mentioned conversation with my mum about finding a job. 

Obviously, having written this out for 'all' to see I am well aware of how I use this trip to avoid job-hunting, so rather than this being a post about how gaining experiences is a great use of your time whilst job-hunting. What I am really trying to show is my ability to use this trip to fuel my laziness. It's quite shameful really.

I kind of feel like I'm the only one being like this. I don't expect that a lot of people read this blog but many people that I know have been very productive. It's great to see in people but hard to execute within yourself, at least for me. I need only make you aware of Rule 6.

Expectations

Hello there!

I hope you all enjoyed my poem. Evidence of my productivity when trying to produce something else completely different; otherwise known as procrastination. In my naivety I thought that possibly this was something that I would be able to transfer into my job-seeking, post-graduation...the productivity, not the procrastination.
 Unfortunately this has not turned out to be the case. When I graduated I was aware that finding the right job would take time. I'd seen my older sister and two cousins spend at least a year working, doing odd-jobs before they found something relevant to what they wanted to do.* In that sense at least my expectations, though not necessarily low, were realistic.

Rule 7: Realistic expectations are important.

Though I must point out that I have always been a glass-half-full empty kind of girl. Realistic expectations don't stop you from 'realising your dreams' but they do help in trying to stop the abject despair that can so often come hand-in-hand with trying to find a job (having said this it didn't stop me from falling straight into a pit of it whilst working in my previous job). Finding a career that you want to be successful in will take time, patience and hard-work. In today's society that can often seem quite frustrating, but when looking at people you admire remember that you will rarely see their struggles only their successes.

Try breaking down your goals. Things will be more achievable that way.




*please note the use of the word 'relevant' in the sentence. It took  a little bit longer before they were in jobs that they were really passionate about.

Procrastination

Time does not stand still for those
who waste their hours, though they know
The stress it causes, time and time again
It shall be a lesson never to amend.

YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
Have ALL taken me to the shitter.
They shall be the end of my degree
It's THEIR fault, you see?! Not me!

Alas! No self-restraint nor focus have I
But if this is the case then tell me why
I have written this poem, is that not suprising?
Not really. Because I should have been revising.

 R.H.W

Seven months

Seven months into my life as a graduate and the inevitable happens, the conversation you dread the most;

"So...when are you going to get a proper job?"

The pit of your stomach curdles when you hear those uneasy words, everything else in the room disappears except for you and the questioner; my Mother. Like a Stasi interrogation it's a battle; reveal enough information to survive but withhold the most crucial.  

To be fair to my mother; what she actually said was:

"So I thought you said that when you got this new job you'd have time to look for a proper one..."

So yes, it was ultimately my words which prompted this conversation and as conversations go it wasn't that awful. Although I did speak hurriedly and was quick to bring the conversation to an end. However, as I sit here writing this I can't actually remember what it was that I said. I think words like 'un-paid internship' or 'volunteer scheme' were involved and something along the lines of me needing to keep my part-time job in order to do these sorts of things was said.  

Somewhere deep inside I knew the time would come for this type of conversation and I didn't really answer the question just avoided it with style I'd say. When the equivalent happens to you I hope that you deal with it much better than I did. If you've been applying to jobs and researching then you'll be prepared in your answer, in my case...well...it was not the case.

I have to admit that recently a mixture of complacency and apathy has washed over me, finding myself in a retail job that I don't despise as much my previous one leads me to become almost content in my situation. Then I become aware that I don't even work full-time (which is why my reading levels have increased  in order to counter my lack of productivity and mental stimulation) thereby prompting previously discussed questions from The Parents. The apathy comes from perusing various job websites and gearing up to apply to these vacancies only to talk myself out of it. Telling myself that I won't get it and there isn't any point in applying. 

That's not really a way to behave. Nor is it a good mindset to have in this situation. Especially because I believe that you can learn much more from your failures than successes. So I'm gonna start trying again. Make an effort. 

Have you had similar problems, or am I the only one?

It's Been A While...

Hello there, you millions and squillions of people that read this magnificent blog. Yes. It has been a while, a very, very long while. Those months that I disappeared from the blogosphere were spent pondering and procrastinating. 'What from?' I here you ask, well my friends, I am still finding the answer to that question...


many things,of note have happened which, I have felt ashamed for not informing you about, though none of them have been particularly exciting.


Obviously I won't be divulging all the (non) exciting news in one dose. Like all the best drug- dealers I'll release my sage advice like they deal crack; a little at a time so you get hooked on my job-weary woes.*


Looking forward to the next few posts!


Ru




*I don't really know whether this is what they do. Though it might be a possible job option for myself.

Staying Positive...

...is hard work.


Rule 6: TRY to stay positive.

My Plan: update

My Plan My New Plan
a) make my part-time job my full time job thereby earning money whilst...
b) looking for new (less soul-destroying) part-time job, applying for work experience, volunteer stuff and internships.
c) make contacts through aforementioned work experience, volunteer stuff and internships and get permanent job.
d) quit previous soul-sucking full-time job with some sort of clever/self-aggrandising outburst at manager. (hair-flip non-essential)
e) become astonishingly successful and rich.

Managed to find new (less-soul destroying) part-time job! Which, I have realised, makes part d) of My Plan redundant! Though I do enjoy a good hair-flip. 


Temp jobs are funny though, because your constantly on edge wondering if you'll get a permanent job out of it. 
 
I was offered a promotion with my old job too which would have been a route that I would seriously have considered had I not spent over £9000 on university fees and zero effort looking for jobs. 


Hopefully something will happen, if not I can always go back to that promotion. 


Rule 5: Back-up's are always a good idea.