How Unemployment Ruined My Life as a Graduate in College

After College isn't fun

Getting out of four years in college felt like a vacation forever. Spending some money for things you saved up, having fun with your family for a very long time, and exploring around the world wherever life takes you. For me, drawing comics for four or five hours of "work" felt like my dream as a comic writer was a reality. Finishing current comics I worked on, along with new concepts to make my career ongoing, and writing new ideas to build a portfolio. however, since applying to a comic career is super tough, I always go freelancing for my career to shine my ideas until I reach my goal as a famous but outstanding author. Willing to work for companies one day, I always am passionate to achieve into changing people's minds on viewpoints around the world.

The most embarrassing thing I ever did after graduating college around December 2023 was get a job that ISN'T related to my major (Visual Arts) as a server at Bally's. Working at a job that is nothing with your purpose is a waste of time and ruins my mental/physical health due to terrible conditions and management. After getting out of college was fine enough, the stress of finding my career is not very easy, and therefore applying so much with a perfect resume and cover letter, I still get rejected. Multiple times, every day, every week, every month. An upcoming prediction: Every year! It very sickens me that I got into depression which led to S%#$DE. It happens most of the time, staying at home isolated when my mom and dad work their butts to take care of two unemployed children who worked very hard to graduate with a degree of what they LOVE THE MOST! They are close to retirement and rushing a job/career had me grow old, sick, and sorrowful because I think people with perfect careers are selfish and do not care about people who worked very hard in college. Life is full of surprises, but there is something I feel like college is just the beginning of working where fun is just temporary. I mean, writing comics was the dream I wanted to achieve, but my mom did complain about my payments, jobs, and benefits. Felt like something was off while I was at college, I was one of the students who graduated in Fine Arts while most of my peers graduated in graphic design or art communications, and these positions will get into better careers than mine. Mine felt nothing like theirs and worried I would never get a better career. While I was in college, I applied to ALOT of jobs, including remote, no experience, and even art careers to get into something that makes me busy in life. But in the end, I got rejected ALOT. My degree will get into any career like an art museum, gallery, or even graphic design. But nothing worked out because many recruiters rejected me, not because of my resume, but just me in general.

Many people in college want to help the environment, entertainment, and so much more that can change the world's perspective. That is why college or trade school taught them to change the world instead of just complaining online. As an art major, finding a job for it isn't easy and it seems embarrassing at first, but you got this degree because you have a passion for something you love the most or someone like an author/artist inspired you to make a new and fresh start of your career as one of the best artist ever. Some people say a degree is useless but it's more about being yourself on who you are. A degree is only useful for a job/career just for recruiters to be looking forward to you in the position. Applying for a lot of jobs led to stress, rushing, and pressure I rather just write comics and books until I get an audience. With few followers, being rejected so many times, and poor setups to draw my comics, I continue to do this until I reach my goals as a famous writer/artist and look forward to saying I feel like I have a passion that will spark in the future. Successful people start slow and have a hard time living. Until believing in other successful people led to them being like them but in their self. That is what I want to be: SUCCESSFUL to everyone!! In the end, my career as a comic artist/writer led me to write as much as I could while pursuing any art field besides selling my art/commissions. I have been writing comics for six years, teaching people about mental health, trauma, and so much more about the real world. Educating others to be themselves in the further future.

Job Hunting is not the BEST!

Job hunting is something I have been doing since getting out of college and it was so bad that I had to apply to ACCC for Digital Literacy to pursue in librarian, but that position needs a degree from a college and I am not a fan of going to school, just to get a degree that is not for me and can be wasted on by getting rejected afterward. Job hunting from Indeed to LinkedIn was not the best and felt like I did learn something from cover letters to requirements, but there was one problem: most recruitment never want to hire anyone, not because of a bad resume, but because they think AI, inflation, and struggling job market are the biggest problems during this year. Most of the careers I applied like graphic design to art museums had me nothing from the recruitment. When the time of stress on money comes, I apply for casino jobs or useless jobs nothing relates to my major since I have NO CHOICE to pay back for my mom. Rushing a job application was something I felt like a waste of time. There were times I felt like I wasn't ready to start my career because of a couple of things like a portfolio or experience. I am still self-learning on those like graphic design and archives. Therefore, I have been gaining experience since I was in college, preparing for the experience, entry levels, and so much more to get recruited to work in professional fields. I am in love working for a higher position since I have a very great education in college, even know school wasn't my cup of tea.

I have applied to 1000 applications but only got three interviews so far. Most of the offers were rejected. Most of them were ghosts. My life felt like it was going to be the end. But I have a life as a writer/artist, goals to travel and visit many places around the world and have a loving brother and mother. I was about to take my own life over this situation with stress, anxiety, depression, and even the horrors of my previous jobs. I could not take my own life because I have a goal. My mom has taken pictures of me alot since I was a child and if I die, she will go through a massive depression. A ton of pictures from an album hurt another loved one if you die. I cannot die over something useless than my goals. Applying for jobs since December 2023, I thought my future would be awful over a small but useless thing in my life. I have always been a passionate person since eighth grade and show my talent and skills for the world. People do care is the resume, experience years, and what skills they need from you, not your style. It is hard to apply something with tons of passion, but people do care is a clear, persuasive, and not-so-creative style of the modern world where technology has taken over since 2010. It saddens me about the many jobs I signed but left with a rejected email, not even the low-wage jobs I applied for but rejected.

Why I do not like to go shopping?

Going to a store you visit multiple times is so boring. As an adult, going to the store, unemployed, and having barely money wish that I never went to that place. Employees are working their butts off at a minimum wage store and I felt bad for someone unemployed while working at an on-call job. I felt hated and wished I could make comics every day. Going in public after college felt like at first, you get some precious things you want to buy after saving bucks from college, until spending more on your favorite things feels like you need a job and save yourself from bills and taxes. It sucks for me to revisit the same boring places over and over and over again. Even I felt like a Karen to my mom, arguing from not wanting her to fight with employees to coupons that will stress staff. Worse of all, if I work at a store that I visit that long chances are I will not get hired as a regular customer. Second, working in terrible conditions with angry customers will give me a jail sentence. Seeing the "clean" marketplaces angers me with overpriced items and sick-looking staff pretending to be happy. Looking back, a store is all about no rest, rushing, and loud from the same music they played every day. I have been through customer service and shopping every Wednesday with my mom is off. I am sick from it but I always think of my goals while I shop around, mostly I spend around wandering to new places I have never been before, it makes me happy and learn something new. My place is small but not very adventurous since most of the areas we can go to are the Boardwalk and casinos, something I am not a fan of. As a kid, going there was fun, but as an adult, it was a work transportation, where I had to walk on the Boardwalk just to work at one lousy casino just for money. I always hate going there because it gets very boring going to the same place and wasting time. I had biked around the Boardwalk before and it was the best thing ever, but going there every day felt like I wanted to puke so much.

I want to talk about hanging out with my mom every Wednesday. Back when I was at school it was fun to spend time with my mom with shopping and going out to eat. But as a graduate, unemployed, not licensed, and going through financial problems, even now I am applying almost every day to pay her back and drive so she can retire from working as a mother. All those problems are the reason I hate going shopping. I always cried in front of her, saying that I would make the best out of it and she understood my struggle and wanted me to be happy anytime we went shopping. She always did her best to make me happy, but the struggle kept growing worse and worse after applying every day, practicing driving, and even working on my emotions after tough years of college. If I have my career or just a job, life will be happy for me and her to spend together, be useful, and be happy.

Financial Issues

I know I do my chores every day, but still with financial problems while working on an on-call job, it very sucks to the point that I am the useless one of the family. I also worked at a restaurant for two months before transferring back to my old position as an on-call server. I made a lot of tips but the job was very stressful. It was so bad to the point that I got into a panic attack and high blood pressure.

I have been saving up a lot of stuff just to move out of my hometown, but the pressure and stress of rushing a job is so tough that I almost gave up and want to take my own life. But I cannot do that because I have a goal, family, and boyfriend who supports me dearly. I continue my passion but when it comes to doing digital drawing, video editing, and many more, my mom told me to fork up my money just to work on software like this so I can get better recognition on my profiles and career. I could do that since my whole goal this year was to move out of the house. From January to September 2024, the pressure of moving was difficult, along my personality became weak, leading to no interest in life, and the anxiety attacks I was going through on jobs that I almost lost my creativity in making comics, projects, and so much more. One time, my brother told me about making DIY traffic cones for my driving practice. I told him that it was a good idea since January, but I never did that because I was broke at the time. After making the traffic cones, my creativity made me who I am as an artist. Money does not give you happiness. Passion makes you happy and I am going to continue what I love.

Eating Disorder

I have had an eating disorder since high school where I want to be skinny. I eat so much but am not a fan of showing it to my friends. I like to eat a little bit so I won't be called a fatty. It sucks to live in a world where not a lot of people have access to food. I grew up where food cannot be wasted and must be cooked within your best value.

I exercise almost every day and it makes me happy to be fit. But also eat a lot since the whole unemployment thing. I eat some amount of sweets and junk food whenever I feel like it. I don't eat three meals a day since it hurts and sickens my stomach. I consume only a big meal a day so I don't need to eat in the evening. It was terrible but I got used of it since I am a careful eater and have to stand for hours after a meal. I did get Gastroesophageal reflux disease or anything related to acid reflexes since I ate fast. But exercise makes my stomach get rid of gases. It affects my unemployment since I get used to eating food from the container I pack. I eat a lot from work since I move fast, but the amount of food I pack helps me not to be fit, but to not have a disease. I love to pack my lunch from home. My mom's cooking is the best. I also cook and be responsible for the food I bring. Food is expensive nowadays, as rarely I go grocery shopping because of the anti-social from employees and customers, but the waste of money on something that not all people can afford to eat.

Conclusion

I begged my mom that I have been wanting a job and driver's license since the end of college, but she always said, "Take your time. Don't rush and you will be old." I never control myself over stressful situations like job hunting and things all adults need in the future. When I control myself, I feel relaxed and everything will be fine. There will be times I will stress over unemployment and every one of my friends has a better career than me. There are times when writing comics will make my life a fortune than everyone else. I felt like this article was not over since I felt like adding something to this will be good for my upcoming book about my life after college and to educate people who are in this situation just like me. I hope this article helps your needs to survive unemployment. You are not alone in this. I will get the most precious moments in my life by believing in myself.

Written on October 15, 5:43 pm age 23