Two years since graduation, and the waiting is the hardest part

I did everything they told me to. I finished my degree, I kept my head down, I applied everywhere. Two years later I'm still at home, still explaining to relatives at every funeral and wedding why I don't have a "real job" yet.

The money is one thing. The harder part is what the waiting does to your mind — the way you slowly start to believe the problem is you. That everyone else figured it out and you're the one who's broken.

I'm writing this because nobody talks about it. We pretend we're fine. If you're in the same place: you're not lazy, and you're not alone. The economy failed us, not the other way around. Some days that's the only thing keeping me going.