Just wanted some opinions on my situation...Feeling depressed...Anyone else experience this?

Smile. Focus on your great accomplishment and opportunities waiting rather than the lows and immediate obstacles in front of you right now. I have a MA in Political Science also and even had immigration status issues, preventing me from working off-campus. Once I got my MA, I was left with little experience and a degree in a subject that really isn't worth much unless you work for the government or decide to take a very low-paying, non-profit job...so I understand.

Here are some things that may help you:

1- Don't focus on finding something within your major--A lot of us won't use our major, only our degree. See what other fields you can apply for. POLS is very limited. Ex. with a graduate degree, you most likely have excellent research/written skills. Try to find something that has to do with research or analysis, even journalism, etc. It is on you to convince them that you can do a good job despite the different qualifications you have.

2- Get your Yellow Pages and call companies up. Ask to fax your resume in...don't be discouraged. See it as an internship in sales, with finding a job as your payoff. It's all about increasing your likelihood by making more calls, you'll get more rejections but you're also increasing your likelihood of getting positive responses. Even if 10% want to see your resume, your efforts have paid off. Most jobs get filled before being posted so you have to aggressively look.

3- Show up with your resume. Make connections. You never know where opportunities are. You may meet someone in the elevator of that commercial building. Staying at home, stuck online looking for jobs won't bring you too many opportunities.

4- Apply for a government job. I know the process takes around a year or more, but you can start the process while working your lower paying jobs. Gov jobs pay great for our degrees. I know not too many of us want to work for the government but see it as a sacrifce to build your resume up. You can pretty much get a job in any branch of government with your degree. Don't worry about their postings. Get the local numbers of different branches and call them up & do the same as #2.

5- Apply for jobs in other states, but do not move until you have something stable. You don't need to physically be there to apply for a job. Most places will pay for you to move at least, if not for the interview. It would make no sense to just move, put yourself in more debt, get to an unknown territory, unemployed.

You can't climb a mountain by constantly looking at the top (buying a house, comparing with friends, etc.), you'll get too overwhelmed...only concentrate on your steps, the individual rocks you have to climb, and going in the right direction...you'll get to the top eventually...you got your education and nobody can take that away...so it's just a matter of time, attitude and discipline.

There is hope.

Yes i have experienced this, in many ways my situation is similar to your own. I won't get into it here, but... one difference is that you succeeded in completing your masters degree.

I don't know, I know; you feel time is running out, dimmer people made money faster, and it now seems like they made the right choice. Fine.

You can only start from where you are, and time passes no matter what you do. If that's the case, you might as well make the best of it. A truism, and not for nothing.

You can get work with an MA in political science. See if you can get temp work in the non-profit sector, for now. You may start out with admin, but it's totally possible to sidle into more of a research role (I did). Also look at www.jobs.ac.uk and the guardian for research assistant roles. (Lots of these are in London, mind... but many are not.)

Try to have a bit of fun, where you can... I know you feel you can't get away from your own thoughts at the moment, but even if you just get some sun, go for a walk in the park, talk to a family member.

The girl and house will come after you reestablish yourself and your self-esteem. My experience of academia involved long hours of neck bending (in study, and prostration). It hurts. It's anti-social, or can be. It often means you put off doing things that yield immediate results. I'm just recognising that autonomy and mastery over self are theories (or can be) until you've got a PhD (unless you're an academic star, I think). The only measure of worth in universities is intellectual, and this counts for little at the bottom rung of the ladder in the working world. Feeling let down, frustrated is a natural response, I think.

But you wouldn't have been happy doing sales, or marketing, or whatever it is people do that buys houses. You needed to explore those ideas. You fell into a world structured so as to make it difficult, unfortunately.

But - all you can do is build! There really are ways of using yourself. You're equipped for research and policy positions, PR too... advocacy and analysis are important. And feasible for you.

You are intelligent enough to find a way to talk about your experience, once you're in the right frame of mind... Try to put yourself around good people. Younger ones who are doing what you're doing, and have your interests, or are cosmo. Do things to make yourself feel all right.

I want to write more, and better, but have a bit of the flu. I just wanted to say I can understand you, but fight the good fight.

All the best, and happy holidays.

It is your decision and you should make that clear from the beginning because if you don't people wil always feel free to insert their opinions into your personal life. with being said, i have been married for two years to a man that i have known for 13 years. i thought that there was no way that i could learn anything about him that i didn't already know but there was a lot. marriage just makes things different and that is not necessarily bad. it is an adjustment no matter how long you were together before. there is something to say for at least waiting for 6 months-year or so. but do what you want - as long as you and your hubby are both on board that is what counts!

Post resumes on various job websites, and look on them as well.

Meanwhile, depending on where you live, you might be able to pick up decent money tutoring. There are also good psychic benefits; seeing someone who is failing get it together and succeed is a major upper.

Do NOT let depression get the better of you ! See www.nami.org for a local support group. You don't even have to say anything while there, but talking to others who battle depression can help a lot.

You can probably help the other people there too. It is always easier to see someone else's problems clearly....

A Masters degree in Political Science is a major achievement and you should be rewarded with great job opportunities. You should sign up with a local professional-based employment agency or headhunter. Again, the prime jobs are often handled by employment agencies and they are not advertised in local newspapers.

Good luck!

Have you considered Internet Marketing, I have come across so many people in a similar situation to you that have made the move and have been so grateful they did.

Just look around the Internet Marketing forums and see how many people with a degree have found that they could make much more money in marketing and have so much more freedom to do as they wish.

The best way to learn Internet Marketing is from two graduates that are now making millions of dollars a year, it is a very interesting story of how this came about. Check it out.

http://www.wealthyaffiliate.com/?a_aid=aCpMuah1