I have done it. I finished my degree. Years of my life at a highly regarded university, studying a topic I hope to enjoy working in for the majority of my future. Yet, trying to find work, trying to find a possibly doctorate position, has been difficult. Looking back at the stories I've heard from people with different professions saying "I studied and now I find myself being a bartender" I regretfully realise that I currently find myself in a similar position. My years of studying currently equate to a six month apprenticeship. I am not upset at that fact, I never expected myself to start off with a high-salary job, a "career hack", just by studying. But it is somewhat deflating my motivation. I guess it's the difficulty of finding work in a place unfamiliar to myself and more importantly by myself, seeing as I moved far away from the city I studied in. The other difficulty -my lack of actual work experience - is simple a matter of time. I do not regret studying, I do not regret the profession I chose. If I would try to explain how I see myself currently, it would be like this: I have climbed a hill and now I find myself at the base of a mountain. I am hopeful, I will find something, and years from now I will have established myself.
On a side note, it was always interesting to me, how going to university to get an education is perceived as "it". As if going through an apprenticeship as a carpenter is something laughable, as if being a maid or a taxi driver is something to be ashamed of. Perhaps it is because of my personal circumstances in which I grew up, through which it was ingrained into me and my peers that the only way to have a truly successful future is to get a degree. Perhaps it is our western society, though it probably is a bit of both.