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Prime Minister Modi has completed a year in office and we are asking you, young job-seekers, to share stories of your job struggles.
In the fourth part of the series, a 21-year-old commerce graduate* shares the challenges she faced while searching for a job as a fresher.
I completed my graduation in commerce from a reputed college in Mumbai in 2014.
In the three years I spent at this college, the college did little in terms of equipping us with job-ready skills or helping us pick the right career.
The obvious guidance most of us received was to prepare for CAT and aim to get into a good business school which would guarantee us a job at the end of it.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised the nation that he will help youngsters find jobs, I was very hopeful.
I was hoping the PM would introduce employment schemes or career development cells for commerce and arts graduates.
Forget jobs, I had difficulty finding a decent internship to start with.
After completing my graduation, I registered myself on several job sites and lost count of the copies of CV I shared with my friends, seniors and neighbours asking them to recommend me for a job or internship in their organisation.
When I tried following up, either they'd tell me there are no openings or they'd complain I don't have relevant experience to start with.
I told them I was willing to work for free like an intern, but at least give me a chance to develop skills and prove myself.
I appeared for a few interviews too, but in the HR round, the managers wanted to know why I did not have any work experience.
Some of the companies wanted to know if I had coding and programming skills. I did not know what to do.
My friends suggested that I pursue CA or MBA to improve my prospects.
I did not want to become a CA or pursue MBA because everyone else was doing it.
I wanted to work for at least a year to know what I was good at and what domain I should master in.
I continued to visit the career sites of leading companies and e-mailed my CV, but I never got a call or reply from them.
A few months later, some of my friends and neighbours started avoiding me.
Maybe they thought I would bug them to find a job.
In fact I just wanted to get some good career advice, but all doors seemed to close on me.
In our society, if a graduate is not employed, s/he is a burden to the family.
Even my parents would get annoyed at me for silly things. At one point, they even wanted me to get married.
I am just 21 and I immediately rejected the option.
In December 2014, I told my parents that I would like to pursue an MBA.
They told me that they will not pay for my CAT coaching.
Instead, they wanted me to appear for UPSC and banking exams which according to them would offer a secure career.
I had already wasted almost a year looking for a job and did not want to spoil any more time just writing exams.
I realised that I am on my own now and I had to find a job, irrespective of whether it interested me or not.
In January 2015, much against my parents' wishes, I appeared for a BPO job interview and after four rigorous rounds of interview, I got selected.
I received my first-ever offer letter in March and I joined as a trainee executive.
My job timings are 10 pm to 5 am. My parents are not happy at all, but it was the only way I could start my career and learn some skills.
Currently, I am also preparing for CAT and other MBA entrance exams.
My commerce degree only got me so far, so I would like to pursue a master's in HR or marketing so that I can improve my prospects.
At the end of one year, I am very disappointed that like me, there are several graduates who haven't been able to find a job.
We continue to be at the mercy of our parents to fund our higher education and professional coaching.
If you're a girl, you are advised to get married and study later.
Education loans don't come cheap either.
For a middle class family in a single income household, an education loan of Rs 10 lakhs, Rs 15 lakhs robs them of any dreams they can have after getting a job.
The rest of your life is spent in repaying this loan.
A majority of youngsters like me are not happy with the job they are doing, but they have no choice.
They have no mentors to guide them, and most companies are not willing to hire freshers.
If Mr Modi believes in empowering the youth, he should definitely start a career cell in every college that will organise job fairs and guide youngsters on how to grow in their respective careers.
As told to Divya Nair/Rediff.com
*Name withheld upon request.
Image published only for representational purposes. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
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Dear young job-seekers, have achche din arrived for you in terms of finding a job? Or is finding a job as difficult as it was earlier?
What have been your greatest challenges in finding a job?
Tell us! Write to getahead@rediff.co.in (Subject: My job search) and we will publish the most relevant responses on Rediff.com