i hope you're all doing well….
i wanted to share a bit of my situation in the hopes that some of you might have some advice or words of wisdom to share.
i've been passionate about digital marketing and web design since 2020, and i've been working as a freelance digital marketer during this time. while it's been a fulfilling experience, it's disheartening to see that most companies in this field require “experience proof” that i can't seem to provide.
my freelance work has allowed me to sharpen my skills, but it's frustrating that it doesn't count as “real” experience in the eyes of these companies..
the most disheartening to me has been this… to share. i recently applied to a dream company, acing every interview and skill test they threw my way… the hr called, then their senior set up a gmeet, then i was given a case by case scenario. i aced them all….
but in the end, i was given pennies for the work that i had to do… pennies! cause in their eyes i will be a “trainee” or a fresher and i need “experience certificates” to prove otherwise…
i am so.. shit.
not just that, in most of these other companies i got rejected because i couldn't provide formal proof of experience. it was a crushing blow, and it felt like a disheartening reminder that skills alone often aren't enough in today's job market.
i cannot do internships as i already have a full time job that pays shit unrelated to my skills, but i atleast have to work somewhere else i will be without food in the next month. i am so tired of living paycheck to paycheck and these years and decades of skills not put in good use just because i have no connections to the internal of a company or any written experience on paper.
so, as i stand here, discouraged, i'm reaching out to this supportive community for advice, empathy, and perhaps some stories of your own struggles and triumphs, and a possible guidance of how to take my career further…