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catherine1

Hi,

 

I guess I’m feeling quite emotional and at a stand still. I have just competed a masters degree, three years after my first bachelors degree. I’m now job searching, and already feel at a loss. I’m passionate about the area I want to work in and have worked really hard to do well in my studies. I can just feel myself coming up against brick walls in terms of the job search.

 

I currently work part time, but have yet to make my career break. I have gained experience in my desired field, yet where I live is a city. A great city, but small and not the best for the field of marketing (which is my field) I find myself stuck in small companies with no marketing department,team and support.

 

I would happily move for my field and ambitions, however I have a life here with a partner who I love, family and friends who i also adore. I think I just feel at a loss, and feel pressure to get my desired job and start an independent life of my own, as well as saving to get on the property ladder.

 

I apologise if this sounds very “woe is me” I guess most post grads feel this after such an intense year of hard work and expectations.

 

Thank you

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Happy Lemming

Family & friends aren't going to pay back your student loans (if you have any). I have no idea if your partner has those kind of resources.

 

A part time job isn't going to pay the rent, utilities, car payment, insurance, etc. etc.

 

Moving away and starting your career is all part of being a working adult. You are leaving the "student" phase of your life and entering the "working adult" phase. You picked this career path, so now it is time to put that degree to use, which means you have to move.

 

I was nomadic in my youth, never stayed any place too long. I had a BLAST!! It was great, learning a new city, touring all the sights, meeting new people, etc. etc.

 

And yes (saving for and) purchasing Real Estate can be the ticket to financial independence and early retirement!

 

What is your partner's opinion of moving?? Maybe this person may like the idea of moving to a new city?!

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not denying that it is good to travel, however you appear happy in your personal life, so perhaps ideally you prefer to stay put?

 

How confident are you in terms of your ability to put your qualifications to use in the real world?

 

Do you have the "know how" to market yourself as an external marketing consultant who would be able to assist start up businesses get off the ground,

 

would there be a role for you at local enterprise centres and so on,

 

do you need some proper experience in bigger companies yourself first before you would have these competencies,

 

so two options perhaps

 

set up solo and stay where you are.

or move to a bigger city/other country to gain the experience you want,

 

most people will advise you to take option two for perfectly genuine reasons but just be sure you are happy to do that yourself rather than looking to please family and so on.

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salparadise

You may be falling victim to The Arrival Fallacy. Happiness is a complex concept, and not a place we finally arrive and then never have to think about it again. When you are committed to a goal and are working hard toward it, you may achieve a certain equilibrium, and then when the goal is reached you suffer the loss of the mission to which you were so dedicated. It allowed you to be focused, mission oriented, on a linear path with a meaningful trajectory. You don't have to obsess over big questions because you're micro focused and know exactly what your objective is.

 

I think you first need to relax and congratulate yourself on accomplishing your goal. Then start putting the new trajectory in place, but not letting the feelings of anxiety bother you so much (it's to be expected to a degree)... and not trying to think of many things at once. Envision the life you want to create, and make one decision at a time, taking one step at a time.

 

Check the link and visit the author's site (The Happiness Project). You don't so much have serious problems as anxiousness due to the empty feeling of no longer being locked onto a serious mission. When you set new goals and commit to them you'll get focused again, and the feeling will surely change.

 

That's the thing about feelings... they're always changing, and you can determine how and why to some degree. To the well balanced person, feelings are just feelings –– not who you are, not reality, not permanent, not a reason to get wound tight. Give your logical side the task of monitoring the feeling side, and examining the thoughts that create the feeling. Often these thought are generated from irrational beliefs. Challenge the thoughts, dispel the beliefs, replace with more objective, rational beliefs that will serve you well.

 

Check out Guide to Rational Living, Albert Ellis.

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Orokotikki

You are your first new client now!

Plan the marketing campaign of said individual and implement it.

 

Polish up that online portfolio so it looks like an experienced marketer with a master's degree in marketing has done it!

 

Be patient with yourself, but you can do this!

 

BTW when someone close to me got their RN ("highly in demand") it still took them 6 months to find a (tolerable) position.

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I have just competed a masters degree, three years after my first bachelors degree. I’m now job searching, and already feel at a loss.

 

It took a while to complete your education, a job search has a similar measured timeline. Few people get their dream job on the first try, so relax and enjoy the process. As is said, life is what happens while you’re planning to do other things.

 

I’ll echo what Sal said, congrats on getting a graduate degree, that’s a significant accomplishment. Use that same perseverance to begin your career, a path down which you’ve ‘just’ started. You’ll get there...

 

Mr. Lucky

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When I was 6 I wrote out a life plan. I didn't know it was called that then but I took some sheets of that penmanship paper with the dotted lines in the middle so you knew how to size the capital letters vs the lower case letters. Anyway, I wrote out my plan:

 

Graduate from 8th grade

 

Go to HS

 

Take the PSATs

 

Take the SATs

 

Graduate from HS

 

Go to college

 

Take my grad school entrance exams

 

Graduate from college

 

Go to grad school.

 

Graduate from grad school

 

Take my professional licensing exam

 

I had it all planned out. When I got the news that I passed my licensing exam I was elated. The next day I looked at my trusty life plan & realized I had achieved all my goals. There was no next step. I had no idea what to do next. I was 24 & clueless. I wallowed around for several decades after that trying to find professional happiness. I still don't have a new plan in place but that has become OK because I am freer to make more interesting choices. I guess that is not entirely true because I now have a 13 year plan in place until I can retire.

 

Step up your job search & talk to your SO about relocating if that is what has to happen.

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