In the 2022-2023 academic year, approximately 2,114,170 students were awarded bachelor degrees in the United States.
Yet, in a study conducted by Washington University in 2021, roughly 53% of college graduates were either unemployed or working jobs that don’t require a degree.
At the end of the day, it’s less about what your degree says and more about your expertise in the field. So, why is everyone hustling to get their degree if less than half of students actually use it?
This is exactly what TikToker @strangemeghan wants to know.
Pinned on her account at over 296,600 views, the young college graduate explains her difficult experience trying to join the workforce after her college graduation in May. Posted on Jan. 30, Meghan hunches over her home desk and asks viewers the question, “Why me?” as she walks the audience through her most recent escapade.
“I just came back from the most frustrating job interview, I- I have no words. Just kidding, I have a few,” Meghan began.
Much like thousands of other recent graduates, Meghan has been stifled by the hiring process due to her lack of work experience. While applying for entry-level positions, Meghan states that allegedly companies are only looking for applicants who have a few years under their belt.
“I have still not found one job that will take me.” Meghan said.
With a degree in both journalism and media communications, plus a minor in Spanish, Meghan sits up in her chair feeling uneased. Under the impression that no company actually cares about her credentials, Meghan states that no matter how long she tries, at the end of the day, these organizations aren’t interested.
“The people these companies are looking for are people that have been working in this field for like 5 years.” Meghan said.
“I’m sorry no one with 5 years professional experience is going to want to work at your job with that position.” Meghan followed, beginning to show her frustrations.
Meghan then goes further into detail about her personal and most recent affair. She explained that not only did she submit a resume and video of herself to one company, she also included a cover letter, which allegedly spelled-out her level of professional experience and education.
After this Meghan was invited to the job location for a formal face-to-face interview for a marketing assistant position, at which after driving 30 minutes to get to, she was quickly shot down.
“We talked for 5 minutes and the lady goes, ‘Yeah sorry, I don’t want to string you along […] Unfortunately all the questions I have are based on your experience, and since you don’t have any, I don’t think this is the right fit for you.’” Meghan said.
At this point in her retelling, Meghan grew teary eyed with frustration.
@strangemeghan live laugh love the job market rn #fyp #whyme #job ♬ original sound – meg 💌
“Anything you asked of me, I sent to you, you knew exactly where I was coming from, you knew exactly what my position was right now, my experience, what I’ve done professionally,” Meghan exclaimed.
Commenters were quick to respond to Meghan, nurturing her through jokes, explaining their similar situations, and even giving some tips and tricks.
“The biggest tip I could give you is DO NOT put your graduation year on your resume!! You will get so many more interviews that way! It only hurts you,” one commenter advised.
“I wonder which market is worse? The dating market or the job market?” another joked.
As Meghan’s story came to a close, she took a few deep breaths and asked her viewers for advice. She requested that if anyone had a job in the communications industry, to please reach out to her, as she doesn’t know what to do next.
“Please let a girl know, feeling pretty hopeless right now and… It sucks,” Meghan concluded.
The Daily Dot reached out to @strangemeghan for comment via TikTok DM.
