Job/Career Life has given me a low opinion of myself

[Double J]

I've been searching for a job now for almost 5 months, and I'm starting to get desperate.

 

Truthfully, I'm the only one to blame for this mess.

 

I've had 5 offers - my reasons for rejecting some of them were legitimate. I rejected one because they refrained from telling me that the position required extensive travel - something I just don't wish to be doing, and the other because it required 50-60 hrs a week for very low pay and crummy benefits.

 

I decided to apply for two jobs that weren't really in my field just for the hell of it. Then after I got the offers, I said, "Why did I apply for this if it's not in my field? I wouldn't be happy in these jobs. Next."

 

The very first offer I got was pretty good, but I chose not to accept it because my girlfriend's brother happened to work there and I wished to any family drama.

 

I was invited for an interview (prior to the g/f's brother's job I just mentioned) but I cancelled because based on the web site, the company didn't seem large and established enough for me. I went through a bad experience with a really small company during my part-time days and, at the time, tried to avoid such tiny firms.

 

I'm a young man and am not afraid to admit I've shed tears over the past few weeks. I've made questionable moves during this job hunt as I continually searched for "the next best thing."

 

Seems like the best time to find a job was about a month before graduating (November) - that's when I was getting more calls/interviews. Since I was still in college and on the verge of graduating, I figured I owed it to myself to try and find the best deal I could (larger companies, etc.) but obviously things haven't panned out as I had hoped.

 

If I could go back in time, I would have probably gone to the small company's interview and accepted the job where my g/f's brother works. I was so callous throughout the whole thing that I'm ashamed of myself. I'm currently living at home and I guess I took advantage of the fact that my mom helps me out to try and find perfection - something that doesn't exist.

 

I really hate myself for the decisions I've made. I wish someone would have told me in advance that the economy was going to hit a downturn the way it has. I guess I know that in the future when I decide to jump from one employer to another, I'll know not to take job opportunities for granted.

 

Any replies welcome. Thanks.

[Mlost]

I know you know this already based on recent personal experience, but the first job out of college is never your dream job or your dream position. All it is intended to do, for the most part, is to build your resume and gain you experience for future prospects. You need to remember this for the next time you get an offer and you are iffy about it. If the money is enough for you to survive and it will make you more marketable in the future, you need to take it. And I guarantee you'll get bored within 3 months, but that's an entry-level job for you.

 

Graduating from the school of hard knocks is never fun, but it sounds like you've learned a valuable lesson about this.

[15 Storeys High]

You're 23. You're still completely at the beginning of any career ladder. In this day and age if you get a job, any job, related to your degree when you graduate it's a bonus. At your age you need to be prepared to start at the bottom and at the small companies and build yourself up. That's why they call it "building" a career. A degree is great, but it doesn't guarantee you a high paying job immediately. That is a mistake many, many people make, assuming wrongly that a degree means they can walk into a 30K per yr job. It just doesn't work like that. There's no point beating yourself up about your past decisions. Regrets don't get you anywhere. What you need to do now is take stock of your life...of what you've got, of what you need and of what you want and make choices based on those. You might not be able to get what you dream of right away. But you can take steps towards it. Everyone has to start pretty much at the bottom, regardless of what letters they have after their name.

[KAT MOMMY]

Listen no job is ever going to be the "dream position" and that is because we don't live in the perfect world. Graduating from college is a major accomplishment and congrads for the effort and rewards. YOu need to stop being so critical because chances are even with that degree you are not an asset. Trained, experienced professionals is what sells and you need all the experience you can gain. Thing about not accepting a position is that chances are the hiring managers in one small town or big city seem to know one another so the fact that you declined more than it doesn't make you look good at all When you receive an offer accept it-always remember that it's much easier to find another job when you already have one---no one wants to hire a recent college grad with no experience who is too bias.

 

Good Luck!

[thejigsup]

In today's economy, please accept the next job offered to you. There are so many people out there that need jobs badly. If you don't like the job, you can always quit six months down the road with both money and experience in your pocket. Good luck!