An Australian woman has opened up about feeling like she 'wasted her time' at university after applying to 100 jobs with no success.
Trying to get your foot in the door of an industry can be tough, and one person who knows that all too well is Shakira Coldwell, from the Gold Coast.
In a post on TikTok earlier this week, Shakira explained that she spent three years in university to earn her Bachelor's degree in the health profession, and has spent the last month applying to jobs.
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"As a new grad it is so hard to get a job with no experience," Coldwell said, before going on to ask the age-old question: "How am I meant to get experience if no one will employ me?"
It's a dilemma many people will be all too familiar with, with even many entry-level jobs requiring at least some experience in the business.
"I'm literally struggling to get a job in hospitality at this point, even with a Bachelor's degree," Coldwell continued.
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The TikToker revealed she'd applied to more than 100 jobs, but only heard back from about three of them.
After struggling to get a job in the health sector, Coldwell went for an interview at a local theme park but unfortunately failed to land that opportunity, either.
Making clear that she was 'not trying to insult' anyone who does work at a theme park, Coldwell pointed out that you 'don't necessarily need a degree to work there'.
As a result, it felt like she had 'wasted [her] time' at university if she 'can't even get a job in what [she] studied in'.
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Coldwell shared the TikTok with the caption 'Anyone else struggling to get a job at the moment?!', and was met with dozens of responses from users who shared in her struggles.
"Girl I’ve been applying for 2 years," one viewer commented, as another wrote: "It’s not what you know it’s who you know…"
"It’s no joke, it’s been rough, I’ve been looking for work for over 9 months, with a university degree, even after applying for jobs in my field," added a third.
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Other viewers shared tips to help Coldwell land a job, with recommending she 'pay to get [her] resume done', while another suggested 'interview coaching'.
"Start from the bottom," another added. "Entry level roles such as medical receptionist, admin etc. if you can’t find it look into traineeships/apprenticeships."
Emily Brown