It really is true what they say.  There really are 6 applicants for every job opening out there.  I have been lucky enough to turn my part-time job into a full-time job.  But it isn’t as easy as it sounds.  Because I work at a public university, we had to advertise the position even though the job is mine.  We only advertised by one mass email and we had 8 applicants including myself.  I feel bad but it really hit home for me how bad the job market is.  This isn’t a glamorous job with big pay.  It’s an administrative job with lots of emailing, report writing, and data analyzing.  It is a job that has no real option for upward mobility, but it is a job at a university.  That alone opens other doors for future advancement.  I feel bad for those 7 people who won’t be getting my job.  I understand something that I didn’t before.  It really is tough out there in the job market.  I have been really fortunate all my life to have jobs when I wanted them and to have never been out of work (knocking on all the wood I can find).  But there are so many people out there who are educated and cannot find work and those who are less educated and  cannot find work.

I do know how lucky I am to have a secure job and be married to a man who has a secure job.  Our kids don’t want for anything they need (there are plenty of things they want), our mortgage is easily paid and we have extra for vacations and the unnecessary things in life.  So many of the people who are out of work aren’t out of work because they are lazy or don’t want to be bothered to look for a job, but because the job market is so tight that everyone is fighting over the few jobs there are.  Companies are filling their vacant jobs, they are asking their employees to work harder for slightly higher wages, but giving a few employees who are picking up the slack a few extra bucks is a lot cheaper than hiring another employee who needs benefits, etc.

I hope that someday it all bounces back and that most people who want a job can find one that pays well and allows them to provided for themselves and their families.  I know that we will always have a certain number of people out of work, but I hope that soon it gets better.  I certainly appreciate the opportunities I have.