My situation has some similarities to some along with some differences.
Lets just say I graduated college back in May 2008. I was guaranteed a job at the place my Dad worked at for years back when I lived in the Midwest. Unfortunately, layoffs hit and they were no longer needing people. I had to start from scratch job searching (I didn't do a lot of job searching in college because my senior project was in trouble, and I had to make it work in order to get my degree). My education was getting a BS in an Electrical Engineering type major (one of the most difficult majors in my college with a GPA above 3.5). I was one of the top students and all Professors loved me. They wanted me to get a Master's. I wanted one, but would be in deep dept if I did, and I honestly didn't know where I wanted to go with it.
So anyway, I ended up being unemployed for a little over a year. I had a few phone interviews, but no luck due to not enough experience or other reasons. Also, since I was living in the Midwest at the time, finding a job there was very difficult.
In Feb. 2009, I get a call from a college friend who lost his job, about how he had an interview/test for some Electronics Technician job on the East Coast. Initially I never wanted to move to the East Coast, but after having no luck, I decided to call the HR and seeing if they'd be interested in me. While my degree exceeded the requirements (only needed a 2 year degree), I was just glad to finally be employed initially doing something. Funny because I contacted about the job in Feb. 2009, but didn't start until June 2009. I also felt the job would be temporary because I was planning to move into an Engineering position once my six months was up. Unfortunately, they stopped hiring entry level engineers after that (keep in mind that my friend and I had no knowledge about the positions until we got there). So I decided to at least stay at my job for over a year in order to keep my relocation funding.
Late last year, I started to really get sick of my job and feel the need to want out. I put my resume together again and started applying for other jobs within my company. My resume got some looks, but no luck. I did have one interview back in early March, but didn't get the job because they wanted someone with more related experience and MS degree who could help out sooner. I decided to start looking for jobs elsewhere in March 2011, no matter where (even if I prefer to stay in my area).
So far, lets just say that job searching has been a pain. I cannot tell you how many times I see interesting job postings, but they require 3-10+ years experience I lack. Some jobs I fit well and have 2 years working experience, yet they want directly related engineering, software, etc. experience i don't have. And some entry level positions (to give me the experience I need) only want those who graduated less than a year ago. So it has become REALLY hard for me to find a job I can apply to.
But at the same time, I've been getting a decent amount of phone interviews, and some in-person interviews (some I had, some are still coming). One I had on last Friday while taking me in, felt like the position would not be challenging enough for me. Some felt I would be too good for entry level, but not enough related experienced for level 2. I had some companies tell me I could apply for a tech job, and it's basically the same exact job I have now that I'm trying to get out of. I had many ask me why I want to leave my job (on interviews), and I keep telling them I want to do something I enjoy more, utilizing my degree and stuff.
Good news is my current job pays well and I'm employed. Bad news is my job is so restrictive on letting me prove myself, work awkward hours (making it hard for me to interview for other jobs), some co-workers are really immature (I can understand having fun in the workplace, but many go way too far), and I'm just not doing what I fully enjoy doing (which I went to college for). I don't care about taking a paycut, just want a job better suited towards my degree that I'll enjoy more. I'll be honest, most people would probably see my job as awesome because its easy and pays well. I want to be challenged a bit more and want something I can actually move up in (not just stay in the same position the rest of my life going no where, where my salary is about to hit the ceiling).
If I can't find another job by Summer, I may just leave my job and go back to school getting a Master's (I saved up money), then I'll restart the job searching again being fresh out of college.
I can understand all the crap people have to go through to find another job. Been there, done that, and doing it again.
