Another side of unemployment

Another side of unemployment

From Pikiran Rakyat

I am ashamed of myself. Why? As a university graduate (in 1995, majoring in social sciences) and after having worked for about eight months for a relative, I am now jobless. Who is responsible for my failure and who am I depending on for my future?

Certainly I have sent applications to various big companies, but I always fall short when compared to other applicants with work experience. In the case of smaller companies, I am only suitable for employment as a salesman.

Not that I undervalue this profession. On the contrary I have respect for it and did try to register myself as one, paying between Rp 30,000 and Rp 75,000. I became a salesman for a month, and I had to confess I was not the man for the job -- another failure, with the consequence that my registration fee was not refunded. But I did not complain, as I fully realize I am entirely incompetent as a salesman.

Should I turn to the civil service? Everybody is aware of the situation. The chances of breaking through the dense wall of bureaucratic red tape are remote. It is like trying to dive to the bottom of the sea -- facing great failure for not arming yourself with the required deep-sea diving equipment.

What about aspiring for self-sustaining growth or doing business? Finding the right business is one problem, and the other one, and maybe more crucial -- is to provide the capital needed for starting a business.

Let it be known that I am not blaming the companies that only take experienced applicants, nor the bureaucracy and existing systems. I have accepted that this is my God-given destiny. I wish I had a better brain so that I could have greater access to employment opportunities.

DANI HAMDANI

Bandung, West Java