Unemployment, day 2.5

My internship was pretty exciting this morning. However, I was put in my place at the staffmeeting, where we learned how to use the new copier; one of the staff members was not there, and another said, "oh it's ok, Helen will just do the copying for him," to which another replied, "no, she's not his intern, so he's on his own." However, Melinda, Katie, Pam and I had a meeting after to discuss the Portland show, and I am very excited. It's going to be chaotic but interesting, I hope. After my internship, I went to a new Whole Foods. Since the folks at my old job designed all the Whole Foods stores in the Pacific Northwest, I knew this location existed but didn't realize it was on my way home.

I've only been unemployed for a week and I'm already starting to feel discouraged. It's been a week of official unemployment, but I've been applying for jobs for the past 6 months. I feel like I keep stepping backwards; I went from advising students and planning events to answering phones to now being a lowly intern. My first job gave me a completely undeserved level of responsibility, but it also showed me what I am capable of. I applied for an entry-level job today that sounded like a perfect fit, and the employer got back to me almost instantaneously to tell me I wasn't qualified. It was a part-time entry level bitch-work job! With three years of professional experience, I am still not qualified for entry-level bitch-work jobs. But, that's today's market: it's super competative. Everyone else is feeling it too. And three years isn't all that much experience in the scheme of things. I'm still young, and the first 5 years after college are all pretty much proving yourself no matter how much responsibility you hold. Hopefully this internship will look good on a resume. Still, I find it ridiculous how much experience is required for "entry-level" jobs- many want 2-4 years! Oh well, sorry for the rant. It feels good to vent.