Hustlers By Necessity
Do the hustle. Get on that grind.
I am a student scheduled to attempt entry into the workforce at a time when corporations are cutting costs, by replacing permanent jobs with part-time or temporary positions and eliminating benefits; when older workers are occupying high-skilled and well-paid positions; when unpaid internships, juxtaposed with high living costs, have become the norm (Gillis, Sorenson). I began university thinking I would increase my chances of securing a stable source of income by attending a good school, studying hard, and engaging in strategic extracurriculars. Now, faced with bleak job prospects, I am making efforts to better understand the true reality of the job market that lay in front of me.
As a student of political science and international development in my last year of study, and from a family with no connections to speak of whatsoever, I know what it’s like to not get a position right away. During the summer after the second year of my undergrad, I moved to Ottawa to live with an old friend of mine with the sole intention of finding a paid or unpaid internship/position/anything related to my field of study. I applied for one hundred and twenty positions and heard back from none. I was angry. I was confused; I wondered: how did the system work? Who exactly won these internships? It was tempting to nestle into a sense of entitlement, sustained by sentiments of betrayal, anger, perplexity, and despair during this difficult time. I believed whole-heartedly that I was owed a position by virtue of the fact that I attended a respected university, engaged in several relevant extracurriculars, and had learned a second language.
I needed a cathartic way to deal my frustrations: I wrote all of these thoughts and uncertainties down in a sad article, but didn’t submit it to anyone. Rather, I opted to bite the bullet, started doing yoga all the time, and got two restaurant jobs. As a result, I had the best summer of my life.
But others have submitted such articles about my aforementioned vexations to well read platforms like the New York Times and MacLean’s Magazine. Several others. Scholarship-supported Joint Honours Graduates on the Dean’s List students who have volunteered for twelve months in Nepal at a progressive orphanage, who remain burdened by debt and unable to find entry-level positions. I don’t deny that this shaft seems unjust. But what irks me when I read these pieces is the way in which the authors, and others who are in the same boat (read: sinking ship), have chosen to approach their reality. We (ie. the group of individuals graduating with undergraduate and graduate degrees in the humanities and social sciences during a time of such economic uncertainty) believe (probably because we were told by our parents, high school counselors, and society in general) that we are owed a career after having completed a degree and satisfying an honours requirement.
Curious as to where the disconnect between the lofty dreams and stark realities lay, I did some research regarding the current situation that many graduates and soon-to-be graduates are or will be facing. I found that there were 280 000 more graduates in 2010 than there were in 1992, (Statistics Canada) creating a clear supply and demand discrepancy. There are simply too many well-educated twentysomethings vying for too few—at times seemingly non-existent—positions. Consider further the fact that Canada is actually in the midst of a labour shortage; again representing a discrepancy in terms of supply and demand. Additionally, a survey conducted by Ranstad Canada in 2012 concluded that almost two-thirds of employers are having trouble finding qualified people, because the economy has been producing jobs in industries such as engineering in resource sectors, health care, advanced manufacturing, and business services while many high school graduates have been encouraged to pursue a university degree, in hopes of obtaining a career as a doctor, lawyer, or teacher (Gillis, Sorenson). In my personal experience, there is an ominous stigma attached to pursuing a college education or apprenticeship in lieu of a university degree. But, as it is growing more common for university graduates to pursue a post-graduate college degree in order to obtain a skill and thus make themselves employable, it’s time we stopped idealizing university educations and started spreading accurate information about the reality of the job market for post-university grads.
Needless to say, not everyone is cut out for a career in Resource Engineering. And if it is the case that you did choose university and your program of study because you knew it was the right place for you, fret not. Rather, begin accepting the fact that the future isn’t going to look like that of your parents when they were freshly minted graduates. We likely aren’t going to find well-paying jobs straight after university that develop in a linear fashion into respectable careers, progressing from entry-level positions, to mid-level positions, to top-level positions. We might not be able to buy a house for a very long time—if ever. We might not be able to go on annual vacations to Florida. We might not be able to install in-ground pools or have three cars.
While this reality initially presents itself as disappointing and terrifying, I have come to realize that having the odds stacked against me in this way is actually a blessing. It is now up to us, through various new resources available (blogs, online platforms, communities, tutorials) to create the lifestyle that will serve our needs and satisfy our wants. I, for one, don’t want to go on annual vacations to Florida. I also don’t want to have three cars. I prefer to live in a city where I can walk and bike places. I also would prefer to have an apartment rather than a house. Perhaps the novelty of a swimming pool would wear off very quickly and I would be left to deal with all of my bothersome neighbours finding their way into my backyard every weekend (attracted by said pool) depriving me of my only downtime because I work a nine-to-five job from Monday to Friday every week at the same office that, at the end of the day, leaves me with just enough energy to cook dinner, sit in front of the television for two hours, and go to bed at 9:30PM. In this way, what my parents have is actually my worst nightmare. What initially presented itself as an anxiety-ridden and uncertain future actually provided me the chance to reassess the kind of life I want and to hustle hard towards it, with all of the tools at my immediate disposal.
For others facing this post-grad conundrum, I ask: why not broaden your skills by taking a photography class, learning to edit video, or studying HTML and CSS? Why not start a company selling trendy granola in mason jars and market it on your free wordpress blog and with business cards printed in Myriad Pro font on cream paper using your free trial of InDesign? These are very specific examples of the possibilities available to us. The point being that we are in a unique position to pursue whatever we want by utilizing the diverse tools that were all previously unavailable, say, ten years ago. Juxtapose this access with the fact that there is no longer a clear “safe bet” in terms of career security, why not do what you love? The best way to start anything is to muscle your way into it and see what happens. Get out there; experience things; figure out what makes you passionate, and grab what is in your immediate reach and work from there. A little hustle goes a long way.
As Mark Twain once put it, Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first. We know the reality of our present; it’s up to us to shape our future.
Originally Posted on ConversationX
