About the Blog

Thoughts off the cuff about life and it's wonders
Introspective fluff meant to recount the blunders
Take it at face, If you must take it all
For it speaks to us both, Who feign standing tall

Monday, April 6, 2009

Shit, I went to college...

Mid to late 20's, college degree and cordial... but unemployed?
Over-educated, under-appreciated and worst-of-all, under-paid?
What the hell happened to the world my parents promised?

Oh, I forgot, they're the baby-boomers who won't retire and open up job slots.
Or, wait, aren't they the ones who sent my entry level job overseas? 
And then complained when the trickle worked it way upwards, pushing them into the same lot.
Now the economy's a bust because the adults got greedy... credit-default swaps, sub-prime mortgage bundles, and 30:1 debt to equity ratios??? 
What the hell were they thinking?

No, no, no. I must be mistaken. Apparently, this is all my fault. 
Silly me, I didn't work hard enough, or make the right connections. 
I got out-paced by the shrinking world. 
Spent too much time facebooking, blogging and twittering to make a meaningful contribution.
Racked up a few grand in credit card debt.
Enjoyed life a little too much for someone who hadn't "earned" it yet. 
They say I think I'm "entitled" to a life of plenty. That I failed to build the proper foundation.
That the jobs went away cause I couldn't do it. 
I guess my Excel skills and insta-googling detracted from my paper education.
So now I'm fucked.

The quarter-life crisis, I've heard it called. 
I can feel it deep within my being.
Mounting frustration at the house my parents built. 
Both the blame and the future fall squarely on my shoulders. 
They're just trying to make it to retirement at this point. 

And me? Ivy-undergrad and law school to boot.
But not a reasonable job in sight.
Struggling to find my way.
But finding only criticism from above. 

Not exactly what I thought I'd get barely a quarter way through the big game.
Shit, I took on nearly 200k of debt and 7 years of school for this?


11 comments:

  1. Amen, brother. You said a mouthful. Keep the faith. Things will turn around soon. No doubt.

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  2. Thanks Sank. Hopefully the journey will not be for naught...

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  3. Funny thing about the journey is that its the whole game.
    At the end, you die. You don't get to pause and watch the victory board. The heart stops beating, blood ceases pumping and your breath you last. Poof... you're gone. Who knows, maybe you get to punch in your initials on the high scoreboard in heaven. But that's neither here nor there. The point is, you're absolutely right, the journey is just beginning because its never ending. Each day is a chance to do something. I've only recently realized that, given this series of chances, I have the opportunity to string my days together and go for something bigger. Not the stars or the moon (though those certainly would be nice), but rather just a sense of accomplishment. I'm 27 and I'm just waking up. Life's tough but shit, man, I've got many years ahead (knock on wood, if you're into that).

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  4. Shaker, you are fucking talented man! Just keep doing what you're doing; good things come to people like you. And, in the meantime, thanks for giving me something new and awesome to read everyday.

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  5. Thanks Brandon. I appreciate that. I'll try my best to keep you entertained. Word.

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  6. PPShakes - like "peepee shakes", as in "I shake my peepee after I tinkle?"

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  7. Oh petey, the things you say are frustrations we all share, fine, but for you to be down is absurd. I've heard this before, and we've discussed before but I know you appreciate what you have, so I won't get into the "count your blessings" speech. But take into account the following:

    "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4

    Everything we all go through helps us become the people we are.

    And to add to darth vader's comment: No matter how much you shake and dance, the last two drops go in your pants.

    Alright brother, I'll see you next saturday night looking spiffy in your Easter suit.

    -K

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  8. DV. PPShakes as in a nickname for PeterPaul Shaker (that's me). But yes, the mental play was intended. Tough I'm considered renaming... we'll see.

    K. No doubt man. Perseverance, character and hope are right on point. And honestly, me being down is absurd bc I'm all good. I'm just reflecting on the past few years of coming into my own. In fact, I feel really good. I'm slowly hitting my goals and forging ahead. No one said it was easy, but with focus at least its attainable... word.

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  9. You're entirely too smart man, which I theorize is your downfall. You put no effort into getting your ivy-education while the other side of the spectrum struggled just to break into the higher end of the curve. If you're not getting any payoff imagine what the people who put in unseen time and effort are feeling...or in my case "may" feel. But I have aspirations so maybe my struggle comes now and yours came later. HIS hands maybe? You decide…

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  10. Not sure whether this comment speaks to me personally or to my generation in general. On behalf of my generation, I'd like to say that we worked murch harder than anyone has ever given us credit. It's not our faults that education isn't as challenging as it should be (and is in many other countries). Since the work was too easy, we all embraced the technology that flooded our age group. Nintendo, CDs, cell phones and computers all being implanted during our maturation period. We took advantage. Any kid in my generation, who some older folk might call "entitled" or say "didn't work as hard as we used to," can navigate the tech terrain and get efficient, high-quality results. We could do your job in a third the time and would accept half your salary. But, we don't even get the chance because you're all entrenched in your jobs and you're "close" to retiring. It's not our fault we're unemployed, it's yours. We are more than capable, despite your feelings of our lack of effort, to be highly productive members of society. We've just not been given the opportunity to prove ourselves.

    As for me, I put plenty of effort into getting my Ivy-education. I honestly worked my ass off in grammer school, junior high, and high school. I earned my education because my parents (who immigrated here from Egypt the year before I was born) pushed me so hard. I'm proud of my foundation. I also worked hard in college, though I focused my energy on learning outside of the classroom. But, I'm an independent-minded person and those pursuits aided in my maturity. If not for my college experience, I might have stuck with my first job instead of chasing bold opportunities. Sure, I might fail. But I can always fall back on what I've earned.

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