A real update

OK, so I have an actual factual real update for you all to enjoy.

First off, a little anecdote. Beth and I have been making smoothies recently, and I was one evening in the process of making a raspberry mixed berry banana smoothie for us, in our blender. Now, I like to fiddle with my blender as its blending, and help move the ingredients around to aid in the blend process. I normally use a wooden spoon to manipulate the top area of the blender vessel. So I am playing and blending at medium speed. But the mixing is not going well. So I begin more vigorously stirring the stuff in the blender, to help it all mix up. As I am doing so, there is suddenly a thunderous "CRACK!!!!" and I jumped back from the blender. As I did so, I jostled the blender vessel and splashed some of the smoothie around, and splashed some of the area around me. Beth suddenly gasps in horror and dashes into the room. Apparently, when she heard the crack, she looked over and saw me jump back, and she saw massive amounts of dark red liquid go flying, so she assumed that I have gotten part of my hand chopped off. We had a good laugh about it after I explained that it was only the wooden spoon that got mutilated, and not my hand.



And now on to serious matters. I am getting the feeling that I am in a limbo sort of place right now. Employment wise especially. I have not been successful in getting a job thus far, and it is frustrating. When I apply for law jobs, they do not hire me because I am underqualified. I have no real law work experience to speak of, and so they are immediately turned off and I don't get interviews. And when I apply for non law jobs, they do not hire me because I am overqualified. I am almost done with an advanced degree, and apparently employers feel that this is a bad thing to have. Now I know I am lumping all of the non law jobs together, and I'm sure that there are lots of non law jobs that don't worry about or wouldn't find me overqualified. However, the types of jobs I am forced to apply for (entry jobs mostly in retail) are certainly those that find me overqualified. I have talked to Sampson and Beth and probably a few other people about it, and it's true that you can talk away any worries people have about being overqualified. But I dunno if the places I applied at bought my explanation, or even paid attention to it. Take employer N. I submitted an application recently, and was called for and got an interview. At the interview, the manager did not bring up the concern of overqualified. The interview went well. I know I didn't do anything wrong, and I think I scored some telling points. Really the interview was more along the lines of her telling me what I would be expected to do if I was hired. Well, a week later, after not having heard back from her about whether I got the job, I went in and spoke to her and she said that they did not have anything open. Which really means they didn't have anything open for me. And I have to wonder whether it was because I was "overqualified".

I dunno. I feel like overqualified is a myth. I don't know why it exists, but it's a myth. Either a person can and will do the job, or they can't or won't. Underqualified certainly can be an issue. But overqualified? I have heard that it is linked to pay, but again I have a problem. If I apply for a job, and am told what the pay is, either I accept the job and the pay rate or I don't. It's not a matter of paying me what I'm "worth" but a matter of the employer paying, and me accepting the pay rate. If I feel like it's too low, then I probably won't accept the job, and the problem is solved. But if the employer unilaterally decides for me that I wouldn't be paid what I'm "worth", that bothers me. Pay scale is something that both parties have to agree to. Now, I suppose that it could be said that employers feel that most people in a situation similar to mine, with skills similar to mine, would reject the pay rate, and so the employer may not extend an interview. I mean, it makes sense economically. Time is money and all that, and managers' time is valuable. But if they give me an interview, then the issue of overqualified, if it is an issue, should be aired and figured out right away.

And really, I feel like, if I am applying for a job, I probably already have a good idea about pay rate. I mean, honestly, I knew that entry level employees at employer N made around 6.50 an hour. I knew it, and I applied. Because, of course, I felt that the pay was acceptable for me. So really, overqualified shouldn't be tied to pay rate, because I assume that most people are like me and they know roughly what they pay is before applying, and in applying are saying that the pay is acceptable.

So what else is overqualified thought to be? I have heard that overqualified means that you would be bored doing the job and would be more likely to quit should a better situation arise. Now, I have several problems to this. An employer is looking for loyalty. They are looking for someone who will be with the company for a long time, so as to make the training worth it. What about having advanced degrees makes employers think you will be disloyal?? Maybe they think you have to take a class in "how to get ahead" to get the degree?? Honestly, I feel like a person will be loyal or disloyal regardless of how much school or experience they have. Loyalty is not a product of degree or experience or anything. EIther you are loyal or you are not.

As for being bored with the job - sure, lots of people get bored with their job. But it's a job, not a video game. I suspect that most people with advanced degrees understand that your job is what you do, and sure, some parts will be boring. But you tough it through those parts and have fun with the fun parts that make it worthwhile. Really, I bet lots of people are bored with parts of their job. But that doesn't mean that they're gonna jump ship ASAP. They agreed to do the job, they do the job, and they like some parts and not others. But being bored does not make you more likely to quit. Least I don't think so.



Anyhow, enough about overqualified and my job woes. Although, as an end-note, it does bug me that employer N didn't call me back about whether I got the job or not. If I didn't love what N sells, I would boycott the place. Maybe I will, and go to it's competitor B for a while, just til I feel vindicated. Meh, we'll see. Oh, and Jason - Blog, or Post or Update or whatever the word is.