Life After University: Overqualified but Underexperienced

My friend Dave, recently posted about the confusion and unsettled nature of acquiring a degree abroad with new visa regulations (particularly in the UK). See: http://blog.grads.co.uk/2012/10/24/visas-and-their-discontents/ At a time when many, like myself, are struggling with what to do next, it is often disheartening to find out that some of your hopes, dreams, and goals are no longer feasible because you have to abide by a particular countries requirements to stay. At a time when the entire world is struggling economically, it is somewhat understandable as to why countries like the UK are closing their borders to encourage employment of UK citizens, while also faced with the ever-growing and less able to be regulated migration of EU citizens into the UK. Dave suggests that for many of us who have finished our degrees at UK institutions and have built lives, friendships, relationships, and love for the place, we are beginning to be forced to ask "Do I really want to stay here (UK)?" I find this question so true for me. I chose to come back to the U.S. because after reading the new visa restrictions I quickly accepted the unlikelihood of finding an adequate job and even more the unlikelihood of one that would be able to sponsor a visa that wouldn't get denied. I did not want to leave and everyday I think about what it would be like if I could have stayed. More and more students from outside the EU are being faced with this dilemma and it is an unsettling time for us all. My generation (and not just those of us who completed degrees abroad) are being faced with unemployment because we are either overqualified or we lack work experience. I find it hard to reason that an early twenty-something should have both when we are just beginning to step outside the realm of university. It seems almost impossible to gain both sufficient worth experience and multiple university degrees simultaneously. I, like many of my friends, chose to work simple part-time jobs and keep my grades up, rather than work too many hours and watch my grades fall. But even those who worked full-time jobs and finished their degrees are now still seen as lacking experience. It's a never-ending dichotomy that you need the degree but you need the work experience of 3+ years, but how can you get that full-time work experience while in school? The more I talk to my friends who are still struggling to find jobs after being out of University for over a year or those who I've just completed my master's with who are now back to working part-time jobs that they are overqualified for, I have become convinced that we are, as Dave suggests, discontented. We are also discouraged. We've pushed ourselves to excel in university courses to feel like we will succeed but we are finding that life post-university is anything but 'living the dream'. We are lost souls floating between the world and the afterlife. We know what we want but we are consistently being made to feel like we will never be good enough to get it.

A New Daily Lifestyle and an 80s Night

Along with waiting for my results, I've recently started a new diet/health plan. Now I don't necessarily mean diet- in the sense of constantly counting calories and not allowing myself to eat carbs. What I've decided is that I'm going to eat whatever I want but watch how much I eat and strive to stay away from but  not entirely cut out things that aren't very healthy- sodas, chips, fried foods, etc. I've also started a work out regimen that consists of walking/running while reading through my GRE Vocab cards. I thought this was a good idea as it forces a time for me to study and to be active. I'm also lifting weights and doing some crunches and other exercises with an exercise ball. So for now my goal is to work out at least 4 days per week for at least 45 minutes while watching my food intake. I'm finding that it's not that hard and I already feel much better. It seemed only right to take my unemployed, out of school time and turn it into something productive- like developing a healthier lifestyle for myself.

Part of this process has also led me to search for healthier recipes. I recently found one on Pinterest for Cauliflower Pizza. Cauliflower Crust Recipe

Now don't get me wrong- this is NOT pizza crust, it's quite different in taste and texture, but if you are looking for a good healthy substitute that's gluten free and you enjoy pizza, then it's definitely worth a try. My dad even enjoyed it!

I've also been experimenting with healthier baking recipes. I've recently made Banana Nut Bread and Strawberry Banana Muffins without oil/butter or eggs and both recipes turned out well! Hopefully I'll be able to post some photos and new healthy baking recipes soon!

On another note, I spent the weekend with Liz in Knoxville and we had a delightfully 80s filled night. It was a Fancy dress evening and everyone went all out in the 80s dress. We decided Liz was Madonna made over and well I just did the best I could to be 80s-chic.