I graduated last July.
Since then, I have been made redundant four times - such is the wonderful world of temporary employment. I have also been sacked once (for the heinous crime of being ill.*) Just to make matters even better, it was a few weeks before Christmas and everyone had taken on all their staff, so precisely bugger-all was available in the way of work.

Now work is the major driving force in my life, so unemployment is a dire punishment. There's nothing quite like barely getting enough money to cover your rent and being treated like a third-class citizen by all and sundry to spur you on. Eight weeks later, just as my sanity was about to give up the ghost, I finally got back into work.

I have learnt many lessons in the meantime, the most pertinent being that if you have a few letters after your name but no actual experience, you effectively spent 3-4 years of your life working towards an expensive bit of toilet paper with your name on it. On the plus side, it's a nice change to actually get some acknowledgment of and reward for your work (even if it is only the minimum wage), and no matter how crappy the job, I've always taken a philosophical approach; as in, "I'm here, I'm doing the job - sod it, I'm going to do it well". That said, this view is somewhat biased as I've never worked in McDonalds or a call-centre - and hopefully I never will.

But do you know what? If I could go back to last July and make the choice again, I'd still choose this - going out into the world and experiencing the rough with the smooth - over crawling back home to mummy and daddy, moping around my room being an idle waster.

Of course, it helps that I live in a relatively cheap part of the country with no shortage of work even in a full-blown recession!

* As in, shaking uncontrollably and retching into the bog. Despite paying nearly twice as much as everyone else, this particular employer is notorious for dismissing temporary workers at the slightest transgression.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Sun 5 Apr 2009, 6:10, Reply)