Jobless

I was in desperate need of a job and not just any job, but one that would add color to my resume, provide me with the skills necessary to get my foot in the door and one that was convenient for me in terms of transportation.

In search of a job, I took some advice and applied for fifteen on-campus employment positions everywhere, from the Office of the University Registrars, to Student Affairs and even the TAMIU Police Department. I'll be bluntly honest when I say that the application process was not an easy one. I had to write an outstanding resume that outlined all of my college accomplishments, fill out the standard Student Employment Position application, create a profile that every job I applied to would be able to access and go on an obscene amount of interviews.

So what could be worse than taking the time to apply for 15 jobs you may ask? Applying for 15 jobs and not getting hired by a single one of them. You can only imagine how disappointed and confused I was.

I mean, I did everything right. At least, I thought I did. I was early to all of my interviews, I dressed for success, I made the interviewers laugh and I was a good student.

I knew my grade point average couldn't have been the problem because, at the time, it was a 4.0. I had many jobs before. I'm an Honors Student, cheerleader, reporter for the school newspaper and I am an active participant in community service. So what was my reason for not getting hired anywhere at TAMIU?

According to Financial Aid, I was on a "non-need basis" and was "too qualified" for any on-campus positions. When I heard this, I couldn't help but laugh. How is it that a nineteen-year-old student in college was too qualified for a minimum wage job? And how is it that I am on a non-need basis when I get no help from my parents? It was then that I was informed that, because of the scholarship I was awarded, I did not need the money, as opposed to a student who was not on scholarship.

But I did need the money. Yes, I had the great advantage of being awarded a scholarship, but that money went directly to school. I saw none of it. I still needed money to live off of, to buy groceries with, pay my phone bill and gas with.

Could it be that TAMIU is becoming a little too strict as to who they choose to hire for on-campus positions? The answer is yes.

Since I was unable to find a job on-campus, I had no other choice but to apply off-campus. While I love and enjoy my [current] job as a trainer at Curves, I must admit that it takes a toll on my schedule. I work six days out of the week and my days do not end until 9:00 p.m. Having an unreliable car and taking sixteen hours only makes the situation harder, but I do it because I have to.