To wonder why I bothered doing a degree?

[KrayKray00]

I graduated last month with a 2:1 and I feel stuck and can’t seem to move forward.

I’m a mother with two children one at school one at Nursery (one day a week) on that one day I volunteer in my local court with victims and witnesses.

I want a job! But all the jobs I have looked at want experience. I managed to get to the video interview on the civil service fast stream but failed

I want to work in a crime related job either probation, offender management, offenders families, victims of serious crimes ect ect but these areas want relevant experience work wise which I do not have.

Other graduate scheme I have looked at are based up north or mainly London, I live in the Midlands.

Does anyone have any advise at all. It is triggering my anxiety and I really feel like the debt and past 3 years at uni was a waste of time. My university career advisor told me to look at the council and housing but that’s not really what I want to do.

Does anyone have any help or advise. Please tell me what you did once you graduated!

How about volunteering with the police force to get some relevant experience?

www.police.uk/volunteering/

Further down the line, you'll realise that your degree was worth it. I'm twelve years post masters and up until a couple of years ago I was on minimum wage. My career has now taken off. I would suggest that you do a career focussed masters for instance social work and then go into criminal justice. It's meaningful, less stressful that children and families and you'll be using your skills. Good luck! Don't give up!

*fund yourself

There are loads of volunteer organisations working with offenders. Worth seeing what you can do to help something local to you, to build up experience in the field.

Apply for the civil service more generally. Even in a different area of work as once you’re in, it’s easier to transfer.

I agree that it's a lot easier to get a job once you have any job because you don't have to feel anxious about the applications any more because they're just a step up rather than the first step.

I hope this doesn’t sound harsh, but what we’re you expecting a month after graduating?

It doesn’t need to all happen at once. Take a look at the jobs you want, make note of the requirements, and then work to get those. It might mean working in a slightly different role to start with, but see it all as a stepping stone rather than end result.

But you do have some relevant experience - you are volunteering already in the relevant area. So use that in your application. It takes more than a month to find something. Don't be disheartened, just try and tailor whatever experience you do have into skills the employer wants.

Everyone is right I'm afraid. It takes ages and you've still got to start from the bottom.

A degree just means that you might get higher than half way but you still have to have work experience and be good.

Get a job! Any job just do it and get some volunteering in. Be proactive and realistic. Your unlikely to walk into middle rate jobs with a 2:1. Graduate paths are usually flooded with first degrees only.

Apply to be a support worker with a scheme for young people likely to be at risk of involvement in crime.

When I graduated (with a First from a Russel Group - not bragging, just illustrating how meaningless it all is!) I continued to work in a bookshop while I looked for a job. I wanted to get into marketing but couldn’t afford to do an unpaid internship so knew I’d have to take a bit of a roundabout route. So I made sure I did all the marketing and events for the bookshop. After about a year I got one working in an office (part events, part admin) and essentially, ingratiated myself with the marketing team until they offered me a secondment. That was almost a decade ago and I’m now a comms manager. But I started right at the bottom, and didn’t really get a job related to my degree for a good year after I graduated - and that was back when the job market was slightly better!

You’re expecting too much, too soon! It takes time. Get any job for now, and keep doing your volunteering. Good luck!

I agree with several other posters. Firstly you are very unlikely to get a job in your chosen field without experience just because you have a degree in a similar subject. I am guessing something like criminology. So you need to build up your work related experience. The local police forces recruit admin roles quite often. I can't say too much but someone very close to me did a similar degree and was taken on after graduation for the local force working at the head office in a support role on a huge and very public case that is still ongoing and covers a number of different forces.

Something like this would be a good starting role I would have thought. Then build on it, apply for promotion, diversify, be flexible, Karen as much as you can then move onwards and upwards.

That is it works I'm afraid, and it can take years. Good luck.

• learn not Karen! Who knows earth is Karen?

I’m feeling very much the same OP, I graduate next week (finished uni in June) and I feel stuck.

However you have one up on me cause at least you know where you want to be!
I have no idea what I want to do and it worries me.

I’m currently working in a shoe shop! I hate when anyone asks what I want to do.
I’m going to start volunteering one day every other week in an area I think I’ll really enjoy in my subject area. It’s a start! I’m hoping it’ll give me some direction. I also volunteer in education so I’m thinking to keep that on and go every other week with that too!

Both positions will give me different experiences and possibly even contacts (I find that a lot in life) so who knows.

As long as you’re moving forwards it doesn’t matter how long it takes, or that’s what I’m telling myself

I can also suggest that you Karen as much as you can, everyone should aim to be more like Karen.

Great autocorrect HotelEuphoria