Hanging over my Head

Every one of us has one time or another heard this response during the job search you didn’t get the job because you don’t have enough experience, and then you respond well how can I get experience if no one will hire me. Well this is my struggle. I did everything “right” growing up. I focused on my academics taking all higher-level courses, I did the sciences and the maths, I made honour roll countless times. I achieved in grade 8 the following awards valedictorian, the history award, and co-shared overall female academic. In high school, I achieved honour roll every year.

Then right after I graduated high school I went to the University of Ottawa to study Chemical Engineering with a scholarship. After one year of that I switched my major due to lack of interest in that program and because of low grades, and did a double major in Psychology and Classical Studies (ancient history). I managed to raise my GPA from a 2.4 to an 8.8 out of 10. In order to keep on track to finish the program within 4 years I stayed in Ottawa during the summer and did courses. I managed to graduate from university with an Honours Bachelor of Arts and graduated Cum Laude.

I tried to find work in the psychology field after that but all I could get was part time jobs in retail and teaching computers to those that wanted to learn how to use the computer, those trying to upgrade their skills, and those looking for work.

I went back to school to do a graduate certificate program at Durham College in Addictions and Mental Health. I even participated in placement and yet after graduating I still can’t find a job with both my psychology and addictions and mental health program.

I understand a lot of it involves volunteering and that is something that I may need to do but right now I must focus on paying rent and paying back my student loans (around 30 000 dollars worth), so I need a job to bring in the income and since I can’t get a full-time job or anything in my field, I have to work part time and in a retail job. It is incredibly frustrating knowing that I have this debt over my head that is preventing me from living my life how I want (to go on trips, to take the next steps in my life and get a house) and it is frustrating that I can’t get work because of my lack of experience.

I was always raised believing that if you studied hard, studied the right things in school (sciences), got good grades, and went to university you would get a good job. This is not the case for me.

#World