As a New Grad am I Simply an Expendable Commodity ?

As new grads we have been very vocal on WTD about our struggle to find meaningful employment in the current market. As you are aware WTD is voiced by three female twenty-something English Masters. One of us is headed back into the Academic Arena in the fall for her PhD, one of us is working full time as an administrative assistant doing freelance work nights and weekends and one of us is fully devoting her time to content writing and freelance work. It hasn’t been a cake walk for any of us and none of us are completely happy or satisfied with our current position (only temporarily for one of us - so happy and excited for our future professor!) being out of school and looking for work has been hard, trying, testing and intimidating for all of us.

Source: We Heart It

Working as a freelancer and trying to carve out a space in the bustling metropolis that is the internet has been extremely difficult for us. Especially after studying English. Who knew I'd be more valuable with a one year marketing college degree than I am with an M.A. after my signature? I’ve been paid dirt for my writing and slighted more than once by big businesses and generally feel like what I have to offer is pretty worthless. Want to discuss theory, anyone? I have some really interesting thoughts on the New Historians! I’d also love nothing more than to write a really engaging piece of SEO content on Austen! Ha-ha, yeah, right. Instead, I’m learning about strategic development and human resources terminology. I'm realizing that I need to understand how the internet works and what makes content go viral.  I'm writing about industries and sectors I'd never even imagined knowing about. But I research these topics, learn and become an expert on them because that is the content the client wants and needs and my job is to deliver.

Most recently, I got slighted by a small company that I started talking to through the recommendation of close family friend. Based on our first conversation the work was mine if I wanted it. It was outside of my field but directly related to writing and we both felt confident that I could do it (and do it well, in my opinion). The following week the CEO of the small business decided it would be best if I sat in on a meeting to observe some of the language and terminology and to get comfortable with their business. I thought this was totally understandable and reasonable and (even better) she would pay me for the training. Following the meeting she decided I better do a “trial run” just to confirm that we would both be happy with the work I produce. Following the trial run I heard nothing from her for a week.  I finally followed up and we’ve been playing telephone tag for a couple days since.

Yesterday, I saw a job posting for the position online. 

I saw the posting and I immediately felt affronted with feelings of hurt, betrayal and embarrassment. I asked myself: why am I an expendable commodity as a new grad? Why did our verbal agreement that I was going to do the work mean nothing? This employer has met me, knows a friend of my family and knows that she had given me the work (I was supposed to start today) yet still doesn’t have the common courtesy to let me know hey, this isn’t going to work, i'm going to find someone else with more experience.

I took time away from my other more lucrative employment to immerse myself in the training for this upcoming gig. The work paid less but I was excited to work with this woman and learn from her. I felt like she would be an amazing future reference.  I will literally do anything to gain experience and add to my resume and portfolio. Even if it means taking half of my regular wage, working irregular hours and giving up my benefits.  I want to write professionally and there is very little I wouldn’t do for my future career. What a double-edged sword this dedication to writing has become! I realized that my obsession and drive is exactly why I am an expendable commodity in the market as a new grad. I, we, will do anything for very little with the glimmering hope of a career that somewhat relates to what we studied in Unversity.

I am exceptionally open to criticism. I would say that an academic’s ability to accept criticism (not unwarranted criticism of course but that from a figure like a professor or employer) is one of the most valuable assets I gained from my degrees and something that I think other non-academics lack in their training. If you don’t like how I’m writing for you I can easily transform what I’ve prepared into something entirely different that suits your needs. Why can I do that? Because I know how to write. I know how to manipulate the English language into something that suits any company’s needs. I know how to argue form a standpoint I don’t believe in. I know how to not only read something but how to interpret and engage with that material. I am a critical thinking ninja.  I can understand information that is outside of my “comfort zone” and make it into something meaningful because if I can understand Chaucer I can understand anything.

So why can’t I do this work? What went so wrong in my trial run that I couldn’t change or improve on? Preferably, this employer would give me a chance to learn and grow and prove myself. I am highly adaptable and enthusiastic beyond measure about my work. I would never submit anything I wasn't proud to call my own.

And if it really wasn’t going to work why couldn’t she have at least told me so?

I won’t get discouraged though. I will move on to the next and continue on my job search because I want to write and that is all I want to do. It won’t be easy to establish a career and I know no one is going to hand it to me. I’ll just have to keep trying and keep going until I can finally prove that I am a valuable commodity.

Source: We Heart It