I left the film industry because it's this subreddit's nightmare, a “revolutionary” contract negotiation to avoid an industry-wide strike over terrible work hours and wages and the most toxic working environment ever. The root of the issue was producers creating the health and safety department during COVID to enforce COVID policies, which was extremely expensive and other departments realized that producers kept saying they didn't have the money or ability to pay them better but had the money for an entirely new and expensive department. Well guess what? The contract changed nothing except now productions stick to a 12 hour day more religiously when they used to work 14-16 like it was nothing. People get paid a little more, wew!
I couldn't keep doing that. I have other goals, and the production department is awful. So my family helped me move back, and I've been pretty serious about finding a new job as I don't want to live on my relatives too much. I did it during 2020 after we all lost our jobs and some family, and that was hard enough. It was only supposed to be a month or two, and now we're in the middle of month #3. No one's pressuring me to get out, but I only have so much in savings to survive on. What's more, I have a college degree, extensive experience as an office assistant, social media management experience, management experience from when I worked in food service, I've had everyone and their mother look over my resume and…nothing.
I know this is pretty normal, but I'm so much more qualified than I was during COVID and all I see are employers crying about not being able to find or keep employees. I can't even get in the door. My friends are in similar boat too and some of them just got masters degrees.
(to clarify: I don't even WANT a job beyond writing, which is why I left film, to focus on my actual passion. I know that's not really going to put dinner on the table unless I produce something that can be sold, but I'm fine working until I can make that a reality for myself. My intention and ultimate goal for employment is it pays the bills, maybe it even pays well, and has an 8 hour day, ideally with little to no expectation of anything else. Maybe some insurance. I just need time to do what I actually want to do but now I feel greedy.)