I Have A Degree

i have a degree.

a B.S.

in psychology.

from Missouri State University.

and i would describe said degree, along with a host of other professional experiences, as very broad. and at another time in American History I would have had no trouble finding work.

this however is not that time in American History.

i have managed to find a job in New York, finally. and before i tell you what it is i want to tell you that i have had more jobs than possibly anyone my age.

-Marshall's (Sales Associate, which is code for cashier)
-Deliah's (Sales Assistant, which is code for t-shirt folder)
-Southwest Missouri State Phone Campaign (Asking alumni for money)
-Campus Information ( glorified greeter)
-Telemarketer (1 day. aweful)
- United Home Craft Demonstrator (Saying: "Free Estimate? Windows? Siding? Cabinetry? Sunrooms?" To roughly 200 people a day. I lasted 3 weeks on that job, 1 person said yes.)
-Temp. (Receptionist, Data Entry, Administrative Aid, all of these are code for "copy girl".) I worked as a Temp off and on for about 4 years and the pay was great and i worked in approximately 12 different offices throughout the st.louis area.
- Waitress (and i use the term loosely. 4 whole days. i couldn't take it.)
-Intern for WHY Hunger in New York City (I intern on the National Hunger Hotline, and research different avenues for the Hotlines expansion. they pay me in peanuts.)
-Box office worker for and off-off-off Broadway Production (give people tickets, take their money)
-Research Participant for the John Jay School of Law in Manhattan (i pretended to be a juror. this wasn't so much a job, but they paid me.

and to be honest i'm probably forgetting a couple. the last 3 are all jobs that i was able to find after i had attained my degree. now of course i've heard that sometimes your degree is useless. but i thought for sure that somehow mine would mean something. to somebody.

but alas, here i am in New York City working as a petitioner for Gerry Esposito. He's running for City Council in the 34th District of Brooklyn. And he has to get about 1000 signatures to get his name on the ballot for the primaries in September. so yours truly is knocking on doors in Brooklyn collecting signatures to make a living. With all of that Bachelors level psychology in tow.

i was talking on the phone yesterday to a friend and she said to me,
"well it's kind of cool isn't it?"
she went on to say that this was life, and that we were all in the same boat. all of us recent graduates and young adults in the "real" world of work. she told me that it was a difficult time for everyone and we were all in it together. that this would be the time in our lives that we all sat around and talked about in 30 years. she said,
"it's like our own version of the '60's."

i hope that she's right. i hope that in 30 years i look back on this time fondly and with appreciation for humbling me and shaping my future.

and also hope that i still have a blog then.