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Quarter life crisis: get over yours with these job searching tips
You’ve hit the quarter life crisis, 25 years’ old with a university degree and about as many prospects as a panhandler during the American Depression. What’s more, you’re not alone. Thanks to the squeeze felt by many millennials, an entire generation is retreating to their childhood bedrooms because they can’t afford rent.
Anyone who picks up a newspaper understands the financial strain placed on the youngest generation in employment. Unpaid internships are rife and few employers are interested in ponying up salaries once an intern’s training period is through.
Fewer people can afford to live on their own, let alone shell out for a mortgage. Limitations in housing and employment options are leading more people to defer the idea of starting a family, creating a generation of people in a state of arrested development.
Those with university degrees in humanities or the arts suffer a little more, failing to earn the pay packets reserved for science and technology students. Government cuts are placing even more strain on universities, hollowing out and privatizing these once proud institutions and allowing increases in the costs of tuition fees (the cap currently stands at £9,000, but is likely to increase further).
Your quarter life crisis is looking increasingly well-founded. But it’s not all calumny and drama. With extra professional development, you could find yourself with a better job than your millennial pals.
So we’ve come up with a few ways to boost your prospects in the world of work – and they don’t have to impact your austerity budget.
Study online
You’ve already got a degree, but education doesn’t stop there. Your entire career should be a learning process, and you’ll be able to boost your prospects by adding an online degree to your CV.
If you pick the right, fully accredited provider, you’ll enjoy an internet education that’s eminently useful and flexible. The vast majority of degrees you’ll find are entirely vocational, bolstering your humanities degrees with tried and tested workplace assessments.
Price-wise, an online qualification is markedly cheaper than its brick-and-mortar counterpart, so you can enjoy an extra qualification for a fraction of the price.
Know your hobbies
Let’s be honest – most of the time, your hobbies involve sitting in your pants and watching the latest episode of Game of Thrones, usually with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s in your hand. But if you want to nab your dream job, looking motivated in your day-to-day life is a must.
Set up your own running club, become a gig coordinator with your favorite local bands, or become an adept artist. These aren’t only great ways to develop yourself personally. They’ll also pique an employer’s interest in your talents.
Get connected
To get the right job you’ll need the right connections. LinkedIn or local networking events are your best bet. Don your finest suit at a networking event and flick on the charm switch. You never know who you might meet.
