So, I’m going to talk about job hunting again. A few days ago I said that I had received a list of websites from the job centre that are supposed to be helpful in finding work.
To keep the job centre and my bank manger off my back, I decided to give the list another look, to see if I could find a part-time job that wasn’t anything to do with acting. I keep putting it off as it’s quite hard to find a job that would be flexible enough to let me go to auditions, have time off for doing acting work, and take me back after the acting job is over.
But I went online and gave the general job search websites a browse. I looked at cleaning jobs, pub work, even retail. I could tell by most job descriptions that they wouldn’t be flexible enough for my needs so didn’t think it was appropriate to apply.
There aren’t many shops left in Kettering that I would want to work in any more, I’m not being a snob about it, but I’d quite like it if I got a job that I actually liked. When I was at university I worked in a supermarket and once I left, I vowed that I would never work in another one again.
Therefore, I was quite pleasantly surprised to find a vacancy at Next. The job was only at weekends, and it’s not too far from where I live, so I thought that it was quite suitable. It always seems like a nice environment when I (rarely) go in, and everyone seems very friendly. I thought I’d fit in quite nicely!
I scrolled down the page to see if there were any requirements for the job. Depending on your thoughts on time, it was either very late at night or very early in the morning, so I thought maybe my tiredness was playing tricks on me when I read the words “Please note you MUST NOT have a DEGREE”. Excuse me?!? How on earth does having a degree prevent you from putting a hanger on a jumper? The number of people going to university these days is getting higher by the year, and with most of them not going into work in the area that they’ve studied in, they’re going to have to find other work.
Despite the fact that I didn’t really want the job, I was quite angry that I wouldn’t be accepted for it. Just because I have a higher level of education, it doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of doing the work. People would kick off if it was the other way round and they were saying that you had to have a degree to work there.
I really can’t wait for my next job centre appointment, especially if they ask me why I haven’t applied for any jobs outside acting. Although I know they’ll still try to come back at me with some snide comment when I tell them that I’m over-qualified for the job! (That’s a sentence I never thought I’d write!)
It seems that I can’t win. In their eyes, acting isn’t a good enough job, but now that I’m trying to look for anything else, I’m being punished for pushing myself further in education and having letters after my name!
Looks like my best option is that lottery win… or a millionaire ;)
Natalie BA (Hons) xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment