How Long Does It Take?

Ever found yourself waiting? Endlessly waiting? Unnecessarily waiting? I have. I am. I'm currently waiting for Asda to get back to me on my application for Night Manager. A job I could do with my eyes closed. And blindfolded so there's no peeking! So why does it take so long? Just give me an interview and let me tell you why you should hire me. I can be awesome when I'm in the correct job. Take The Tube 80s Bar in Liverpool as an example. I rocked that bar. Alice Cooper, Bonny Tyler and Spandau Ballet blasting away, me and my friends serving drinks all night, earning tips 'cos we were awesome! I had a job I loved, £50 a week (not much, but I was only 19). Gave it up, came to uni and my life took a turn for the shitter. No job, no money, no social life. I met Matt, the best thing in my life, when I came to Bradford, I had a few jobs, mostly 'Glorified Cleaners' as no-one in their right mind would apply for a restaurant job at just above minimum wage and take the shit we did form Mrs Patel.

Why can I never get a good job? Pay me to write short stories, and we'll both make a mint. I have a mind of my own; I have an imagination; I have wants, I have needs, but only Matt seems to be able to figure out what they are. My parents have no idea how I feel because they're from another generation, where Higher Education was not a goal for everyone. If you had money, fine. But isn't that what everything boils down to these days? Who has money and who doesn't? The (I hate this phrase, and the rich bastards who coined it!) Credit Crunch is killing off the imagination of decent people who could be our next generation of Doctors, or Artists, or Archaeologists. Imagination is what makes us different from the Animal World, we want to be different so we dream up a future where we are truly happy. But this is to be our downfall, this dreaming. As no matter what you dream, it cannot be completely fulfilled. There are too many factors, such as background, opportunities, money and age. I always wanted to go to Uni, my cousins went when I was about 6 years old so it was always being mentioned,but it was NOT what I expected or, as it turns out, even wanted. I wanted to stay at college a bit longer, get better qualifications but I was offered a place at a university through the Clearing system and an ultimatum by my own mother. Get a proper job or go to Uni. Far away from everyone I knew. EVRYONE.

I was happy working in The Tube, I had friends, I had money coming in. I came to Bradford and that was it. I had money but I wasted it all on her, my rent and food. I never went out; I'd buy a six-pack of Heineken mini-kegs and watch DVDs on my laptop in my tiny room. On my own. She would visit, but it was always grudgingly. She hated my friends at uni, stole my friends at home. When we split, I left her for Matt. I'm so happy now, it makes me want to cry out "Why didn't I do this before?"

I need to get this job so I can set myself up and provide for a family in the future. I'd be happy to do a full-time job, work 60 to 70 hours a week, and leave Uni till later on in life, when we are financially ready, if we can be happy now, just for little while. In the middle of a recession, with tuition fees constantly on the rise, why should I keep sacrificing if I'm getting nowhere?