Is this Society's Judgments and Perceptions of
Young People? --> misspelt title, lacking
(of).
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What
I've been doing *(words in white)*
I have been
searching for a vacation job since the last day of examinations,
but a little more than a week later, I remain unemployed. Right
after my examinations ended, I sent in a job application to
GameAxis/L33T magazine enquiring about the availability of a
position for a freelance videogame journalist. Yes, I know I have
applied for that same job at the same magazine a mere 5 months ago
enquiring about the same thing, and was so close to getting that
job, but got rejected in the end due to irregular school hours and
hence, the inability of committing a fixed time to the job. 7
working days after sending in my job application, I still haven’t
received a reply and that is certainly nothing short of
discouraging. Last Thursday, I sent in another job application,
again for a freelance videogame journalist, to Playworks magazine,
but 3 working days later, I have yet to receive anything from
Playworks. My dreams of becoming a freelance videogame journalist
during this vacation (and beyond even when new classes commence in
August) are diminishing fast. Every day, I check my e-mail inbox,
hoping to see the reply, but I have been disappointed time and time
again – those new mails are either advertising crap or some jokes
being circulated by my friends.
I have such an immense passion for games and
writing about them that it would be a pity if I don’t become a
freelance videogame journalist. While many gamers have been
harbouring dreams of representing their countries in international
gaming tournaments, I have been harbouring dreams of becoming a
videogame journalist since 2004. It’s a job to die for: you get the
exclusive sneak peek on forthcoming games, you get to play them
first, you get to meet the fantastic people in the gaming industry,
converse with them, and you get free games to play and write about.
Of course, the most rewarding part about being a videogame
journalist for me is that I would be doing a job that I love very
much and I believe that added passion will translate into
motivation to perform well, which would be a boon to whichever
gaming publication I am working for. Working as a videogame
journalist would also enable me to hone my writing skills and
improve them. I do understand that my young age (18) may be a
hiring deterrence, but I believe I have all the necessary
requirements of and the ability to be a videogame journalist and
should at least be given an opportunity before any judgment or
perception is passed.
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Judgment or perception is
another thing. If you are as young as me, and are also searching
for a job as a freelance journalist/editor/writer, be forewarned
that it would be a considerably difficult task to land such a job.
After combing through online job portals, I am convinced that such
positions typically require a few years of experience. But how can
you get experience when no one is willing to give you an
opportunity to start? Therein lies the flaw of the society – quick
and ill judgments or perceptions on young people like me. The
society seems to imply that young people, or rather
soon-to-be-young-adults teenagers, have no talent nor ability
whatsoever and are not capable of undertaking serious jobs. A
search on the daily job classifieds or online job portals revealed
that jobs for people in my category (18 – 21 years old) are usually
relegated to humdrum, no-brainers varieties – flyer distributors,
administrative staff, telemarketers, promoters, food tasters,
cashiers, packers and so on and so forth. Are we young people not
capable of more! I do forgive the society for thinking in this way,
though, as the majority of people in my category are still
undergoing education and may not be the most matured (work-wise and
ability-wise) of the lot, but I have to argue that there are some
hidden talents and abilities in some of these young people that the
society needs to realise!
I can’t stress how much I
subscribe to the said belief and I am truly disappointed by the
ignorance of the society towards the talents and abilities of young
people. For all we know, these young people may even better their
employers, be it now or in the future. If only the society would
provide a chance for the talents and abilities of young people to
be expressed … …
Am I forced to relegate
myself to such crappy jobs – flyer distributors and promoter etc
when I have the ability to be in a job that is more meaningful,
rewarding and fulfilling? Am I not going to be utilising what I
have learnt in my classes? Am I just another idiot without talent
and abilities that the society has perceived young people to be?
Now, I cross my fingers, hoping that the above 2 magazines that I
have sent in my job application to can provide me with a chance to
gain experience and yes – prove me wrong that the society does not
belittle all young people (job-wise, of course).