Being the tender age of 18, I have been thrust into the real capitalist world, which is indeed obsessed with money . Naturally, not being a trust fund kid, I decided to seek out a job with nothing to my name but a decent Matric qualification and a whole lot of gumption. Surely someone would want to hire a dear ambitious teenager but alas the hunt is still ongoing and here are some reasons why finding a job in a 26.6% (South Africa) unemployment rate climate.
Must have prior experience
Dear employers, how do you expect fresh out of high school teenagers to have already acquired the necessary experience, if you will not hire them in the first place to gain it? We all need a springboard of launching pad to begin with.
How to curate a CV
Many wasted L.O lessons were spent discussing effective study tips or healthy eating and none actually used to prepare us for the real world. Taxes, bank loans, mortgages, jobs all very important factors in the big bad world that we have to endure are completely foreign concepts. Thankfully we do indeed resort to Google for aid but our CV’s end up being bland and often inaccurate, making the job hunting even more difficult.
Distance
There are indeed many jobs out there but some happen to be too far, and in this economy, I’d end up spending more on petrol than I would be earning.
Discrimination
You can throw South Africa’s constitution in my face all you’d like but there is still no denying that discrimination exists in the workplace. For instance, let’s take sales assistants at beauty counters, or just in general, all have to be of a similar skin tone of body built (so I have noticed) and this simply cannot be a coincidence. A personal example would be for a friend of mine who was asked if she would be comfortable removing her Hijab in order to work as a cashier. I didn’t know a piece of cloth on your head could hinder your job performance? These are just two small examples of the blatant discrimination that occurs daily for people of all walks of life and is somehow accepted and tolerated. People are then changing aspects of who they are and compromising beliefs to earn a decent wage and I for one do not see how that is fair or just or equal.
Ignoring Mental Health issues
On the many many job applications I have filled out many have asked about physical disabilities as opposed to any mental or emotional afflictions. Mental illnesses can be just as debilitating as physical ones and should rightly be acknowledged and accommodated for.
Exams
This year due to disruptions and protests for FEESMUSTFALL, my entire semester was pushed a month, set to end in mid-December . The festive hiring season begins in early December and runs throughout and so, as a result, yours truly will probably be jobless yet again in order to ensure the passing of this academic year.
Inability of hire myself
I am teeming with ideas of business opportunities and ventures to explore but lack the time, support and capital to put these into motion.
In all fairness, I am still thankful to be privileged enough to be able to seek employment and survive somewhat without it and the above factors are based deeply on personal experience. I just want to be able to live my best life and not ask or bother my parents who already have so much on their plate.
