Entry Level - 2 yrs Exp. Required (F#$% My Life!)

Lost my job last week. Sucks, I know. I had just caught up when this happened so it feels like I am right back where I started. Losing your job can make you feel like you are losing your independence. It can make you feel worthless and devalue you as a person.

I am glad I started school two years ago. School is one of the things that has kept me moving forward over the last few years. Thank God for the stimulus and the fact that I was able to get Pell Grants to help me through Broward College debt-free.

Once I finish this semester, I will have my AA. An AA is about as useless as a high school diploma, so I am still focused on completing my Bachelor's and Master's in Computer Science (hopefully at Nova Southeastern University).

Even if I finish school though, what chance is there that I will ever find a job in my field? My sister has everything a corporation could want. She is detail-oriented, project-driven, geared for success -and- flexible. To top it off, she doesn't even drink AND has good credit!

She has her AA in Accounting. She has eight years of experience; it just happens not to be in Accounting. So, she invests all of this time and energy into learning how to become an accountant, but to get a job she has to have experience being an accountant.

How in the hell does one break into the industry if they have to have experience before they can? This gives me absolutely no confidence that I will ever be able to find the right job and makes me fearful that after I get my Bachelor's, I might end up still being a bartender.



Either way though, none of these doubts makes me any less motivated to finish school. College has been the best thing to ever happen to me. Being able to say I have a 3.66 GPA isn't boasting; it is pride because I never thought I could do that. I now know for the first time in my life that I really am as smart as I always told myself I was.

As a Nichiren Buddhist, one of the most annoying aspects of my religion is that when something bad happens, my Buddhist friends say, "Congratulations." Congratulations for what, I lost my job! Grr.

But that "Congratulations" isn't because of the problem. It is because my friends have faith that I will overcome my challenge and get past it and grow from it. If they believe in me, why shouldn't I believe in myself?

My sister is going to get a great job. She isn't going to find a good job because of a bad economy, poor jobs market, or Republican obstructionism when it comes to jobs programs. She is going to find a good job in spite of these things. And if she can do it, why can't I?

Even when you feel discouraged and beaten down, you should not give up. Your true courage shines through when you can conquer the challenges that are put before you. Life is not about what you do when everything is going your way, it is about how you react when everything is going against you.