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First of all, long time no see. Life update, I quit my part time job to focus on school and get my grades up. In doing so, I realised something. Firstly, my grades did improve because I actually study now so that’s good. Things were going good until I realised, how intense the rat race is, especially when it came to finding an intern.

I have so far applied to 61 internships with only one reaching the final stage. I didn’t know how bad the situation is until I tried it myself.

Dehumanising video interviews, the sheer number of applicants in any job out there. The insane amount of experience required just to even be considered as a potential candidate. It’s out of this world. The amount of times that I saw an interesting position that I would like to try, the role prerequisites include: previous intern experience, knowledge in Python, R and C++, Ability to use CRM tools such as Salesforce, Familiarity in Excel (Pivot Tables, Power Query SUMIF). And these are just a few of them.

Over the years we have seen the inflation of our credentials when it comes to job hunting. “A degree is not enough, you need to have extra-cirriculars.” “Have extra-cirriculars? That’s not enough I’m afraid, you need to have prior experience before we would even consider you.” “Oh, and on top of that, did I mention that we require our candidates to have a good academic standing? By that I mean you’re on track to a summa cum laude :)” Bruh…

Being good is not enough, you have to be exceptional. This is why I say the job market is cooked. With the help of the internet applications have skyrocketed. Just imagine being a recruiter, having to go through hundreds of applications just to choose one person. Would you rather take a chance on a guy with no prior experience but has a heart of gold and is passionate about the job AND wants to stay long term? OR, would I go for the Dean’s Lister, with a prior prestigious internship who only views this internship opportunity as a stepping stone and nothing else. Yea I think I would go for the latter.

In conclusion, the average joe is cooked. Cross your fingers and pray to hope someone sees your potential. My best advice is to minimally excel in your academics. Happy hunting…