I graduated with my MA and I've been unemployed/underemployed since July 2021. I've been looking for jobs within my field since April 2021, and I continue to make it to the final round only to be told that I'm not quite the right fit, that I'm overqualified, that I lack one particular skill and it was a close call, etcetera, etcetera….
I took a cashier job in a retail store recently where all of my coworkers are high school and college students. That was at the beginning of March. Today, the day before my birthday, I was let go after my 30 day trial because I asked for a schedule change in order to attend an all-day final interview for a full-time position within my field. My former boss said that this presented a conflict of interest and they needed someone who was going to be there, not calling out all the time.
I can't help but feel like I'm being punished, not just for wanting to work within my field and make the amount of money that I should be making with my level of education (that many more people should be making based on the literal value of their labor). I feel like I am also being punished for having needs in the meantime. I can't get something to give me financial stability because they don't want anyone with other ambitions, or who needs to take time away for interviews. And I can't afford to starve before getting a job offer — I've been waiting almost a year for one already.
Capitalism has royally fucked me over this week, and if I got fired to interview for a job that I don't even end up getting, then what?