I’ve always thought it funny that the French for ‘graduated’ is also the same for ‘unemployed’*. I like to imagine that the odd French person might have to specify which category they have fallen (quite literally, in some cases) into. Some French people might even find themselves in both categories simultaneously, living in the sorry state of je ne sais plus quoi faire. Now, I might not be French (although I *can* pull it off on the Paris Metro so long as I don’t attempt a conversation), but I feel a strong affinity with the licencié of today.
I’ve graduated after four years of self-inflicted MFL study from a ‘top university’ and am now the proud owner of a piece of paper and a ginormous student loan, the sum of which I am yet to work out. But that’s okay, right? As long as I don’t earn over 15k**, then I never have to worry about that. And if my current state of unemployment lasts more than thirty years, or if I journey away to anywhere else for five years, then my debt is cleared. Right? Right?
Wrong. Even if the rumours were true, I still have an ever so tiny problem. I need to move out, pronto.
I love my family. We all do, in some way or another. But I love them even more (!!!) when we’re living in different cities. As they say in some film I can’t recall, this town ain’t big enough for the both of us. But don’t worry, oh sweet family of mine, I’ll make the sacrifice. I’ll leave and find somewhere where you can visit me…once a year. I’ll fly the nest, and if I can’t afford the airplane, then you could always loan me the money?
Point is, I’m packing my bags and heading off in pursuit of independence. Not I’m-pretending-to-be-all-independent-but-receive-all-my-money-from-the-state independent. Real independence. And for a while, everything seems great. You, graduated and in control of your life (?), heading off to find your own American Dream. But even then, you need a sponsor. Someone to help you get where you want to be. Someone to keep you paying the bills and buying the food. Now, most people find their sponsor in the form of an employer. Crazy, right?
Except I’ve been having trouble getting myself one of those. [Stay tuned for stories.] But don’t you worry, I’m working on this. I’ll have a job before you can pronounce licencié with a correct French accent. And that, my fellow bloggers, friends, and people I don’t know, is a promise.
*Okay fine, it doesn’t exactly mean ‘unemployed’, it means ‘dismissed/fired/made redundant’. (You get the point.)
**I’m one of the ‘lucky buggers’ who got into university the year before they raised the cap on tuition fees, sorry.
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