I recently graduated from college with a History degree, and as I started the job search process, I was fairly optimistic that I would hear back from the random jobs that I was applying to through monster and from the finance and trading firms I was applying to in Chicago, NYC and DC. I understood that with my dearth of experience I was not going to be hearing back from many places, but I figured if I could get an interview or two, I could get myself a foot in the door. When I heard back from no one, short of an insurance company working on pure commission, I realized I had made an egregious error.

For the past 6 years or so, I worked every break from school I had in a family business where I could get long hours at decent pay to put away money for the one thing I've wanted for a long time: an '8. I remember when I was a junior in high school reading sam mitani's review of a preproduction LY RX-8 that he drove in Japan, and I was pretty sure that the car was perfect for me. Thus, I worked as many hours as I could since then, and in January of '06, I was able to get my low mileage SS GT 6sp, and I've been happy as a clam since. That is, until I realized no one would hire me.

So I ruminated, and realized that I don't need this car, and probably don't deserve it. My parents helped me out with a portion of the payment, which I have been gradually paying back to them, so I will have paid for the car by the time I'm done. But even if I had bought the car on my own, what the hell do I know? It's physical transportation from one point to another. This car could be boiled down much the same as my handmade speakers that I bought as a sophomore in high school (again, working a lot for a family business)...yeah they sound great and look great, but they're just speakers, and the '8 is simply a car.

I realized that while I was working hard and saving for something material, a position I was in only because I was fortunate enough to have my parents pay for my undergrad education, I was not making a personal investment. I was investing time and effort into an object, rather than myself. And that, is half past retarded. I felt, and feel, guilty. All that time and effort could have been expended in externships, internships, ensuring that when I exited school, I would have a litany of different things to put on my resume, making me an attractive candidate for a finance company (despite my social science degree). But no. I was shortsighted as hell. Saw the car, and the means to get it, rather than the fact that while it would be nice to have the car, I could forgo it for say, 7 years or so, have come out of college with a few thousand in savings, if that, and a huge amount of invaluable experience that would pay dividends in a myriad of job opportunities right out of school. I look back and say, what the hell was I thinking?

I have already set myself back a year or two because I wanted this car. And I have it, which is phenomenal, don't get me wrong. Driving it makes me supremely happy, and it's vehicular catharsis for everything else going on in my life. It is perfectly suited for my personality and temperament (and wallet...kind of). But I could have had this a few years down the line anyway, or an RX-7 equivalent, if I had simply had the prescience to say "If I invest now to get the experience, the monetary benefits will crop up later, and I will get what I really want then".

I feel physically guilty now with this thing. How did I miss something so patently obvious? To anyone my age or younger who might be looking into buying or leasing an RX-8: if you have the means to get a $30k msrp car, I implore you, forgo it. It will make you happy, yes, but only in a transient, fleeting manner. Like every other one out on the road, it is just a car. A great one, mind you, but in the end, it's a means of transportation. If you can look beyond the shiny, waxed hood and the short throw 6sp shifter, you might realize like I did that this won't make you happy like having the job you want in the field you want will. You'll be running a lot longer than your car will.

 

What kind of job were you expecting to get with a history degree?

But you were working in the family business. Can you pump that up in your resume, to demonstrate work and responsibility? Less snob appeal in that than in cool internships, but a lot of companies look favorably on real world work experience.

If money gets tight until you land a job, you can always sell the car. You'll lose a bit, but it's not like everything you spent on it is down the drain. No need to feel guilty for transient joy - that's one of the features of being young.

Ken

 

Haha I've had deep philosophical rants like this before. Don't worry man. Yes it's just a car. Clothes are just clothes so why splurge extra for that Zegna Suit? You just splurge sometimes. I doubt having the 8 has kept you from getting a job. Everyone has trouble with their first job, especially going with a liberal arts degree into a competitive business world... Just give it time and you'll be glad you have the 8. I mean what else would you get? When everyone else is rolling up to the business meetings in their beemers and benzes, you at least want to be in something that looks nice. Sure every business has that frugal guy who makes everyone think he's smart because he's saving money with his prius... but everyone still giggles behind his back that he drives a prius.

Long story short, live life without regrets. You have an 8 and it's paid for. You'd lose money if you traded it in. Keep on looking for that job, and do constructive things in the mean time.

 

You feel guilty only because you don't have a job.

Ah.. ever thought about going door to door.

Go knock on some doors of places you would like to work.

Internet sucks. A good face to face and gumption that a young person shows by knocking on my door will get him a interview anyday.

 

Agree'd.

Internet isn't the best place to go to start getting a job.

Go hound on people and get one. Go to a place, app and then if you don't hear anything in a few days, go up there again. Stay on them until they turn you down. People like persistance, it will show that you're really interested in working there, and have lots of motivation and drive.

My mother didn't go to college again til her early 30's, she came out, tried to look for a job, had the same luck you've been having for about a month, then she changed her attitude, one of the last places she applied to, it had been a week before they called her.

She went to the guys office and asked him what the hell? (not literally), she said he was trying to decide betwee her and some guy that had more experience in the field, but because she took the initiative to come down here and follow up on the job, he didn't have to think about it after that, and she was hired on the spot.

Places like Monster are great and all but it's a double-edged sword...People just see your resume, never get to meet you and be "wow'd" by your personality and things like that.

It's great because you can send your resume out to tons of places in no time at all, but it sucks because you're just another sheet of paper to them and makes the whole hiring process very impersonal and unless you look like Jesus on a resume, then you're not likely to hear anything back..

 

yep

i actually just had my first interview with a law firm in downtown philly...guy who runs his own practice. went about two hours...he asked me to summarize a bunch of political thinkers' writing and also dropped in a really obscure star trek reference which i got. it was nice though, and he said i'm certainly in the running but that he had a few more interviews to go. i am going to sit down and send him a thank you note, drop a piece of information that i couldnt think of off the top of my head when he asked me it, and go from there. any suggestions for approach? he seemed like a reasonable guy who was receptive to my experience...

 

First and foremost if you do go up there again, be confident. Speak calm, cool, and collect.

Just whenever you drop that off just ask him if he's come to a conclusion yet and with that note just be like "I felt pretty bad leaving without answering that one question properly and it ate me up with every step I took away from the office and just thought I'd come back to give you an answer"

Then after he's wowed by that, just be like I also just wanted to see how those other interviews yet and wanted to see if you've made a decision yet and if so, when do I start?

Just toss in a joke about something that'll make him laugh etc etc.

That's how I'd do it, after that he should be pretty upfront with you about what he's going to do etc etc.

If he says he doesn't have a decision yet and he'll know tomorrow then just say you'll see him tomorrow, not in a scary "IM IN UR OFFICE STEELIN' UR JOBZ" way, just a "Hey I'm pretty concerned about getting this job and I'm a damn good guy to pick, and you'd be a moron to not give me it."

If he says he's made a decision and didn't pick you, thank him taking the time out of his day to see you and that you appreciate his kind words in the interview and then just say goodbye

If he's impressed with all the effort you've made to try to get the job and wants to hire you, he'll do it right there since you're already in the office, after that it's all gravy.

Anyway, that's what I would do. And there's only been 1 job that I've not gotten when I applied and 1 job I've had to apply to twice to get.

Every other job I've applied for, BAM. On the spot when I have my interview. And I've applied to atleast 10+ jobs in the last 3 or so years. To me it's just all about confidence and being wity and what not.

The only thing I can't do are those stupid personality tests. I "fail" them everytime I guess you say, even though they say there is no wrong answer. 2 jobs I've applied to have them and I still got hired at one anyway after speaking to the manager that was interviewing me.

 

I'm just a lurker here, because when I was in the same situation I chickened out and got something cheaper last summer, an '02 Miata. But I've pondered the question a million times, and I still chastise myself for getting the "it'll do" dream car instead of the "this is what it was all for!" car. Either way a decision is never settled.

You're right, in the long term there were more useful ways to spend the money. I'm sure you'll do so in the future.

But you do deserve it - you earned it, by working when you could've been taking it easy. That's money you might not have been motivated enough to make without the goal of an '8. And I don't know about you, but by the end of college I was burned out as hell. I learned that if you don't sometimes put yourself first, you can lose your energy level and then you're not going anywhere.

It sounds to me like you're close to a state of panic. Relax, acknowledge past mistakes but accept them, and come up with a plan for the near future. Don't blame yourself for not knowing exactly what you should've done a few years ago, how were we to know how it all works? And don't think that everything would've gone perfectly well if you had taken a different path, either.

What matters is that you take your career and your finances seriously (not that common) so in the long run you're going to be okay, unless you stress yourself out to an early death.

Peace, and long life!

 

thanks shini. to be blunt though, your approach i don't believe would be terribly well received. this guy has his own law firm in downtown philadelphia and was asking me questions about a whole series of different political philosophers and books that i'd read in the past year or two, so i don't think the "you'd be a moron to not give me [the job]" tack will work well. that being said, i intend to write him a thank you letter tonight that i will fax over to him in the morning. i am going on a trip and am working all day tomorrow, so physically handing him the letter isn't an option. he seemed receptive and appreciated certain aspects of my resume, so hopefully ill hear favorably. thanks for the advice though...for a slightly different position i bet it would work well.

 

Do it exactly like you said: send him a thank-you note, and include the info you now remembered. Don't get cute or put in a high pressure sales pitch for the job. He still needs to interview the others who are in line, and nobody likes to be crowded.

The last time I went job hunting (in 1972) I followed up by doing some calculations that came up during the interview. I called the guy a few days later and gave him the results. Didn't nag about the interview status or anything; just a follow-up conversation on a technical issue of interest.

I got the job. And still have it.

Ken

 

hey dude, if you want the car, FIGURE OUT A WAY. You own it now! Enjoy it and find a job. Im 18 and own my own RX8 that I paid for. Sure I dont many other bills than my $400 monthly payment, but my point is when theres a will. theres a way!!!! Your car looks great and you said it makes you happy, so dont worry about it and keep searching for a job!!

 

Holy crap!! What are you, Woody Allen? Stop over thinking everything and just enjoy where you are in life.

 

Sad...all kinds of sad. I don't think you should've bought this car either. You should've waited until you at least got the job. Good luck though, I wish you the best and hope that you don't have any problems with the car. I, on the other hand love my 8,have a well paying job, and got my 06 Shinka for 23k, sucks to be you.
Just kidding, had to mess with you a little bit. Your young and have your parents to fall back on and have your degree. Remember, you can always become a gigalo and get yourself a nice sugar mama. Live life without regrets.

 

+1...except I have a job that I like and don't feel guilty about my 8 purchase and actually pushed me ahead one or two years and am still feeling that "fleeting" happiness. Maybe cuz I waited to buy the 8 til I had a job and graduated with relevant work experience and never thought of buying this car until I knew I can pay for it myself.

ok ok so maybe it's a -1.

 

haha. thanks...

no the points are well taken, but i have plenty of faith in myself and that things will turn out. it's not like i can't get a job...i could do sales, insurance and what not, but law or finance would be preferable. at this point, im waiting to hear back from the lawyer who i interviewed with who, interestingly enough, was an older jewish guy who reminded me of woody allen.

as for rotten42...while it may be trite to say, i firmly believe in the notion that the unexamined life is not worth living. as a matter of fact, man, the lawyer spent the first 35 minutes asking me about political philosophers, what i was interested in my studies, and what i found so intriguing about theories of the mind (which is stuff that i read up on in my spare time). so while sitting back and enjoying life is nice from time to time, one might also become complacent and settle rather than constantly striving to be better.

christ. don't mind me, im fresh out of college and enjoy a little intellectual masturbation from time to time. self reflection never hurt. hell, while i find him whiny as hell, woody allen has done alright for himself...

 

School job fairs work well.

I already had a job when I received by B.S. so I wasn't really that aggressive in pursuing a job after graduation. I went to the job fair at my school (University of Central Florida) and hit it off with a lady who who would eventually become my department manager. After a series of formal interviews, I landed the job and started working about 4 weeks after that initial meeting. This was about 3 years ago when the job market SUCKED.

Seriously, the degree/resume is a piece of paper, it gets you in the door. Your brain gets you the job. Do a little research in the companies attending, shake some hands, give them your best smile, and you'll find a job in no time.

The internet thing didn't work well for me either, and from my own experience and that of several of my friends, face-to-face situations seem to work out more positively. Don't regret having the car, you just might come upon an interviewer who has an RX-8 poster on the wall of their office.

 

Meh sorry it's always worked for me, I didn't really know what type of person he was, good luck with it though.

 

Guilt sucks, man. Just keep pounding on doors and enjoy being a young guy with such a cool car.