If you didn’t already know I was a twenty-something, entry-level, quarter-life crisis-enduring, trying-to-make-something-of-my-life individual, you could easily guess by taking a look at my Facebook feed. On any given day someone on that list has posted about their new job, their unemployment, their recent engagement, or their European backpacking adventures. Sure, FB is a great way to share photos and life updates with your friends, but let’s face it, it’s also a great way to say, “HEY PEOPLE I KNEW IN HIGH SCHOOL! LOOK HOW GOOD I AM DOING AT LIFE!”
While I do appreciate posts of the wedding announcement and/or traveling the world variety, the ones I am most interested in are those that are job-related. Who’s doing what? How’d they get it? Who’s still looking? Who’s making big bucks? Who’s totally abandoned their degree and gone in a completely opposite direction?
Earlier today I logged into Facebook and saw this:
(Obviously the names have been changed to protect those who don’t realize their status updates are fair game for blog fodder.)
I found this comment so intriguing, because I think it says a lot to the frustration and pressure a lot of young people are faced with after graduation. In the case of good ol’ Brad here, he actually did have two Honours B.A.s – which as anyone who’s struggled through even ONE Honours program can tell you, is a lot of work. Chances are good he graduated last Spring if not sooner, and yet, here he is, relieved that he’s at least scored some seasonal work at the neighbourhood liquor store.
In all likelihood, Brad probably just need some income to help stay afloat and pay the bills. But just as Jen pointed out in her (arguably somewhat rude) comment about his, like, 3 BAs, the only REAL answer one can seemingly give post-graduation that will mean you are winning at life is “my internship offered me a full-time, permanent position once I graduated that pays well above average for my experience level and also offers great benefits.”
It can be a rude awakening for students who have laboured through a university program to come out and realize that in many cases, it guarantees them, well, nothing (a stark comparison to the message we were getting from high school teachers and guidance counselors, who essentially said “get a degree or flip burgers”). Given the current job market, it definitely seems like it is a particularly bad time to be out there sending out resumes. But I have to wonder if perhaps the pressure is generally greater today than it was in years passed. Pre-Internet you just had your ten-year reunion to worry about. Thanks to Facebook, you now have to prove yourself to your peers almost immediately.
So tell me, fellow Facebook creepers, how are you finding the post-graduation “real world” adjustment? Do you secretly enjoy keeping tabs on everyone’s employment progress? Doing really well for yourself and love the satisfaction of broadcasting it out to 200 of your closest random acquaintances? Still unemployed and kinda wish everyone would just keep their mouths shut about how much money you spent on that degree?
I learned two important things after graduating university. One, job hunting sucks (let's be honest). And, two, it's even worse when you've just spent the last four years at school with little more to show for yourself than a fancy piece of paper and a large debt load.
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I think people nowadays feel more pressure about finding a job not only because you have done all of this schooling, but theres this expectation that your degree will transform your life from part-time, minimum wage work to a career. and facebook just makes it worse for the majority of people who cannot find work in their field because your info tab and status updates highlight your frustrations.