I (24F) initially graduated from college 2 years ago. I thought I'd go to law school to pursue environmental law until I realized law school actually looks like Hell on Earth (for me, personally, between the dryness of the material and the insane debt that is almost impossible to pay without being forced into corporate law)
I ended up being accepted for an internship I relocated for (sponsored housing) and it's a very long story but I was essentially doing the work of 2 people (other person dropped out last minute) and when I couldn't keep up with their demands, they let me go :)
I moved back in with my family and have been here ever since. I resorted to serving jobs just to get some kind of income. A couple months ago I had a genuine breakdown over the combined impact of issues in my home + work life. I decided to leave my latest job and transition to trying to apply to jobs that are better paying and are actually relevant to what I actually want to do (I realized eventually after my internship that I was truly drawn to clinical psychology).
I went to a decent school. I have both part time and internship experiences. I have basic tech skills.
I've applied to 60+ jobs now. 3 interviews. I genuinely thought the first one went well but they rejected me soon after. The second one was met with a rejection and then an offer for an "unpaid 3-4 hour/week experimental position" due to her being "impressed with my passion." The third was a great position that miraculously popped up 15 minutes from me. The interview went wonderfully and she told me she would be in contact soon and would just need references.
I reached out about where to send my final reference contacts. No answer. I followed up. Ghosted.
I've since been picking up shifts at my previous job just to get some kind of income in the meantime.
I don't want to learn new AI-adjacent skills. I don't want to read 50 posts on how to make my Good Little Worker dating profile attractive to literal robots. I'm educated and fully capable of any of the bs entry level jobs I've been applying to.
And I'm one of the lucky ones!!! I am extremely privileged to have parents who were willing to keep supporting me. There are people out there who are just taking whatever they can just to survive.
It's all extremely, extremely depressing and it has made me wonder how people can seriously think there is some benevolent force behind it all. We are fighting and clambering just to be chosen to W O R K, to give away our time to an organization that likely puts millions in the pockets of some guy out there each day while we're just looking to get the basics and a little extra. Like, wow is this really the reality we just have to deal with?