As a child, especially in middle school, teachers always encouraged my peers and me to go to school. Oftentimes, the "motivation" came as one line, "get an education so you don't end up flipping burgers at McDonald's". As an adult with a Masters Degree I see that this line could potentially ruin someone because life rarely turns out EXACTLY the way we want it to turn out just ask college grads because according to a 2012 McKinsey survey, half of those college grads are working jobs that don't require a degree. From talking to people who I identify as successful, I have not heard or read a specific strategy. Everything sounds like "right place right time" stuff. So you may or may not end up flipping burgers but there wasn't much that you could have done to prevent that outcome. Just because you are flipping burgers doesn't mean that you can't do anything else because your job is not a reflection of your potential. By all means keep applying for other jobs. I have a friend who did just that.
My friend Hannah worked at museum in member services. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Mass Communication; for fun she volunteered at a church. At that church, among other things, managers assigned Hannah to transcribe youtube videos so producers could reproduce those videos. At this point, Hannah amassed experience as a staff writer and as an instructional television worker. Clearly her skills qualified her to do more than transcribe youtube videos. She got her education and though she was not flipping burgers her job was not a reflection of her potential. Fortunately, Hannah received an opportunity. She now works as a senior script writer at an advertising company. Hannah did not become qualified to be a senior script writer when she got that job, she was already qualified for that job and SO MUCH MORE!
Your job is not a reflection of your potential, whether you have a degree/diploma or not. Sometimes flipping burgers may be the only job offered to you, sometimes you may be looking in the wrong place, other times your fabulous education may "over-qualify" you from flipping burgers when you really need a job. Either way, if you work in an industry that society does not esteem, please don't let it affect your self-esteem. Those people flipping burgers are capable of doing so much more but just like the rest of us, they need jobs. Please stop belittling the service industry; honestly, the entire society relies on these people and we should hold them up in higher esteem while saving some of that high esteem for ourselves.
In case you are wondering, I'm not flipping burgers. I do contract work through a company that I established 3 years ago, ByJRochelle. I established this company after I couldn't even get a job flipping burgers! I still had my skills but no one wanted to pay me to use them. Emphasis on pay, because I do a lot of volunteer work. I volunteered with Hannah and her new step in life is encouraging to me. Hannah didn't have to get a job as a copy editor, then an associate writer, then after years become a senior writer. She went from A,B,C to H,I, J. I can do that too, and so can you!
In case you are wondering, I'm not flipping burgers. I do contract work through a company that I established 3 years ago, ByJRochelle. I established this company after I couldn't even get a job flipping burgers! I still had my skills but no one wanted to pay me to use them. Emphasis on pay, because I do a lot of volunteer work. I volunteered with Hannah and her new step in life is encouraging to me. Hannah didn't have to get a job as a copy editor, then an associate writer, then after years become a senior writer. She went from A,B,C to H,I, J. I can do that too, and so can you!
