Wake me Up, When September Ends.

Green Day

September onwards is my months of hell. This is when Graduate schemes are open for applications. These months involve an enormous amount of endless application forms, a copious amount of thinking about “why are you ideal for this scheme?” and an unhealthy amount of trumpet blowing. These are the things us graduates have to endure – if you’re unlucky enough not to know anyone who can just give you a grad scheme place. I am dreading it. Last year I applied for a HR grad scheme with the public sector. I got to the penultimate stage, which involved horrible writing tests and interviews and group work. I thought I had done rather well. Turns out I probably didn’t as I wasn’t accepted. I was devastated, but after a few months, I learned from my mum’s friends, whose kids were on the scheme all had to be let go because of the government cut backs. And apparently it is really hard and life consuming. So it was a blessing in disguise. I won’t be reapplying this year as advised. 

This year, I was going to think outside the box, and apply for grad schemes that don’t have anything to do with psychology, and see if that gets me anywhere! I started one yesterday, for a PR scheme. It looked amazing; I wish I had done my degree in PR. So I got as far as the basics, filling in my name, date, education etc. Then came the dreaded “explain when...” questions. One of the first ones for this scheme was something along the lines of “Read the event scenario on page so and so, and explain what PR measures you would take to ensure that this event is not a disaster”.

I tried to google it and blag it, but to no avail. The cross was clicked on for that application!
I have emailed a graduate recruitment company who help graduates get a job in the sector they want. I have not had a reply. I don’t expect to either.

And so it goes on, just as it will for the next 6 months or so. To me, it’s a joke. Us graduates have endured 3 or 4 years of 4,000 word essays, 10,000 word dissertations, weeks of no life revising for exams, and the exams themselves. Then we are left lumbered with £15 odd grand in debt for a measly piece of paper that I could have done myself with word and posh paper and wax stamps from Hobby Craft. I don’t understand why then, after all of that, we have to go through tonnes and tonnes of more tests and interviews to get a job that our degree alone would have apparently “guaranteed” us of getting anyway. I really can’t get my head around why having a degree is not enough anymore. The whole system is corrupt. Like I have said previously, I could go on and on and on about it.
So anyway, that’s my rant about the forthcoming months. Many days and nights of filling out application forms and attending interviews lay ahead, most of which will probably a complete waste of time because I won’ t get the placement. Gahhh!