I like to think that I am a little ahead of others who are in a similar situation as myself. I write for several publications, I am capable of working in a variety of media fields and am multi-skilled and possess numerous interests which I actively engage whilst remaining dedicated to my writing; but there are a couple of flaws which seem to keep people such as myself in a perpetual state of searching and disappointment in regards to employment.
The first is the lack of positions. A quick search through the sites which list media positions shows that the only opportunities available are either strange and irrelevant, or are positions high up in the organization so you have no hope of jumping straight into it. There is nothing in Wales. Even branching outside of media you find there is nothing. I have been turned down for several positions in shops etc simply for being over qualified and for not being willing to sacrifice my extra activities in essence, they want me to drop everything including uni to come perform menial tasks for them.
Secondly, a lot of companies only seem willing to take on people who have had many years experience in the field, even if the positions advertised is entry level or states that training will be provided. I know there are graduate schemes and opportunities but the number of graduates applying for these overwhelms the places they have offered, meaning the larger percentage of young people applying still end up with nothing.
On top of this there are the endless issues I have with the new government, who seem to plan to cut Britain's debt and better the economy by making people unemployed, abolishing organizations and taking money away from the ones that are left. It may make perfect sense to them, but taking jobs away from people and decreasing the number of opportunities would logically make people worse off and it is these people who put money back into the economy.
It may just be that I am frustrated and impatient today, but these are issues that have been welling up in the back of my mind for some time and I know plenty of friends and friends of friends who find themselves in the same predicament, several of whom are immensely more qualified than I could ever boast to be.
