The Trouble with Jobs (Or the Lack Thereof)

Posted by Katy in Blog, Rebekah Havrilla      1 comment

Oct
3

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Rebekah Havrilla

I think I’m stating the obvious when I say that finding a job in today’s economy is not an easy endeavor.  In January, the unemployment rate for women veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan era was 13.5% compared to 8.4% for our civilian counterparts. This confuses me since supposedly veterans should be very marketable in the civilian sector. At least that’s what people kept telling me.

I was unemployed for 23 months – from July 2009 to May 2011. I tried to find work in three different states and I was willing to take pretty much anything. I went to bartending school. I applied at McDonalds, Chik-fil-a and Taco Bell. I applied for entry-level social work positions. I put in for government positions that I never heard back from. I even applied for explosive related jobs which I decidedly did not want to do but felt I had little choice after my savings had relatively exhausted themselves. Occasionally, I found the odd job here and there such as a bartending gig over the Christmas holidays. I tried to volunteer and get internships, but I had very little success overall. I graduated college in August 2010 with a degree in psychology. That frustrated me even more since it seemed the degree wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. I wasn’t able to support myself, and if it weren’t for family and friends would have been living in my car.

All of this took a huge toll on me mentally and emotionally. I have always been independent and able to take care of myself. I had to rely on other people just to have my basic needs met. Everyone I talked to said that I had lots of potential and so much to offer, but no one wanted to give me a job! I had struggled with depression since I got out of active duty and my inability to find employment threatened to pull me down even farther. I quit exercising. I drank more. I gained weight and generally just felt bad about myself. No matter what I did or how hard I tried, nothing was working, either literally or figuratively.

I know how hard it was for me but for all practical purposes, I still had it relatively well. I never had to sleep in my car or go without a meal. I never had kids to worry about feeding or a family to be concerned with. I managed to get my alcohol intake under control and one of my friends paid for me to take martial arts classes. Even without work, I was very fortunate. I found a mentor who helped me get my resume on track and my interview skills up to par. This is my story and I came out relatively unscathed. However, there are hundreds of women veterans out there just like me who aren’t that fortunate. Women who have children and are homeless and can’t find a place to stay since there are few places that house women and most of them don’t take women with children. Women who aren’t able to eat three meals a day and are living out of their cars, if they actually have one. Women who don’t have family or friends to help them out in their time of need.

This part of my story has a happy ending. I got a job here in New York City with a great organization that values my input and experiences, and understands where I’m coming from. I haven’t yet reconciled why all women veterans can’t have the same happy ending. If you are a woman veteran who is going through these issues, remember you can call our Helpline and we will work to find you the assistance you need to get your basic needs met. Also remember that you are important. You have value and you have worth and you have a lot to offer someone as an employee and as a human being. Don’t give up. Keep plodding along. At some point things will have to start looking up. Set your hope and your sights on that day even when it seems like nothing is going right and eventually you will be able to look back on this time and say, “Wow. That was rough! But I made it through.” Don’t forget that we are resilient. We are fierce. We are women and we are veterans and we will be okay.

You can contact our Helpline by calling 1-888-729-2089 Monday-Friday 10 am – 6 pm EST or emailing peersupport@servicewomen.org.