The Hunt

Growing up they, meaning your parents, teachers, advisors, and mentors, tell you that you can be whatever you want to be. All you need is personal drive and a college education, any degree will do. Well, it turns out, they were wrong. It seems that you need a little more than that. Job experience, for one, seems to be the most important asset a job hunter can have... which is ironic considering if you had a job, you wouldn't really need another. As for a non-specific degree, that seems to be total bunk as well. I have finally finished my degree in Sociology which seems to be about as useful in the real world as memorizing the answers to Trivial Pursuit, 1957 edition.
So what is it they are looking for out there? Since I have graduated and have been actively looking for work, I have discovered that I am over qualified for the jobs I am used to having (retail and receptionist work) and underqualified for anything else. Even "entry-level" positions require experience and in some cases, a specific degree like Finance or Accounting.
I foolishly thought that if I dedicated myself to my education for a certain number of years, by the time I earned my degree, I would somehow have the tools and know how to find a good job. Instead of working, I attended classes full time. It turns out I would have been better off taking classes only a few times a week and either held down a full time job or pursued unpaid internships. At least, if I had done that, I would have some experience to bulk up my resume. Obviously I can't just hop into my time machine and do things differently. I can't go back and tell my 19 year old self to step away from the anime and video games and go find an internship. All I can do now is keep on keepin' on.
It's hard to keep a positive attitude, which is so vital to a successful job hunt, when getting shot down for lack of experience (for entry-level positions!) feels not at all unlike going to bars to meet new people and being rejected over and over because you don't look cool enough to hang. But my advice, from one of the educated unemployed to another, try to see the silver lining. Yes, we may be stuck waiting tables or serving coffee for a little while longer, but at least we have a little more time to hang out in college land before heading out on the road into the real world. And at least now we don't have any classes or exams to study for.