I feel like giving up

[Boz]

Ever since I graduated from university, I have been looking for a job, for what feels like an eternity. I have tried everything. I tried doing an internship (for free!), it hasn't helped me even a bit. I tried to sign up to a recruitment agency, which hasn't worked either. I have even tried to pivot, but I cannot do that. I tried data collectors, retail, and my field, all the same response, which is no response. I just feel so tired, I really, really, feel defeated. My spelling has worsened; I feel guilty for reading, writing, playing games, watching movies, etc. My motivation is so low at this point that I might as well stay in bed. My life couldn't have just amounted to this, right? There has to be more to it than this? I feel stuck, I really don't know what to do. I have lost so much confidence that I can't even bring myself to try. I have given up on everything. Pyschologically I feel I have lost. I originally wanted to be a teacher, but my family insisted I do something in STEM. Now that I've graduated, I find myself stuck, with no future. Even if I get an interview, I just get rejected. I honestly just wanted to vent. Thank you for reading.

[Psychdiaries2]

Hi there,

Welcome to the forums, I'm so glad you're here!

I'm sorry to hear about the hard time you're having right now with job hunting. I can understand why you feel stuck and defeated. I hear the job market is unfortunately really tough right now. 

I know you mentioned that you have applied to loads of jobs and gotten rejection and even did an internship. May I suggest trying volunteering? Perhaps you could volunteer in your field of STEM if available to gain some experience. I guess you have to ask yourself what do you really want to do? Is there a pathway that you haven't discovered yet that you could research and try? Just because you're struggling to find a job right now, doesn't mean that it will be like this forever. I imagine it feels like such a long time, but it is only temporary. 

I wish you the best of luck,

PsychDiaries

[trying_my_best]

Hi Boz! 

I actually really resonate with this! Whilst I am not graduated yet, I did have to move a significant distance to come to uni, and unfortunately when I moved I also struggled so much to try and find a job, any job, to support me. 

When I was in this situation I almost unhealthily hyper focused on learning all of the best tips and tricks from my universities careers counsellor- are you still able to access yours? I know some uni’s allow you to book in with the careers counsellor after you have graduated to get feedback on your resume and help with the graduate job market!

I also signed up for career mentoring and watched too many YouTube videos on how to write effective resumes and cover letters. I also signed up and did so many short courses (often free because I can’t afford many of the paid courses) that are related to my field. And doing all this, did help, but didn’t help as much as growing my confidence in myself. 

However, if you take anything from this away, I would say definitely look into whether you can get in touch with your universities career counsellor! 

Please also don’t forget to take care of yourself! Job hunting is so draining and doing things to care for yourself mentally is so important! 

Wishing you the best! 🫶