I am graduating in two months. It took me seven years from the moment I decided to become a nurse to when I started my BSN program. I thought I did everything right. Graduating Summa Cum Laude. Volunteering at every opportunity. Years of job experience in healthcare. Networking. But, I am getting turned down for every job I apply to.
I am still in debt, though I signed my life away for a scholarship that doesn't even guarantee a job but severely limits my employment options after graduation. My fiancé is talking about leaving me if I have to take a job that's not in a desirable area (even though I knew I might have to do that when I took the scholarship). But, even jobs that are considered "undesirable" won't take me. And it's not just me. It's all new graduates.
The best advice I could give anyone is not to pursue a career in nursing. I thought I was going to be an awesome nurse. I have the passion, the drive, the compassion, the dedication, the hard work--but that doesn't matter. If you don't have two years experience you can't even get your foot in the door. No one will take you.
I got one job interview but I flunked the "describe a situation where..." questions. The biggest employer in my area requires an electronic "talent" test and if you don't get the right algorithm your application doesn't even make it past HR, so it doesn't matter how hard you work. I regret the moment of "clarity" when I thought nursing was the right thing to do. Me, and thousands and thousands of other naive people who think they're actually going to make a difference in the world.
This is probably the lowest point in my life, and I've been through a lot. I thought I'd finally "made it". I thought I'd pulled myself up by my bootstraps. But I don't see any way out, now. I'm in debt and can't get a job, and neither can many, many other new graduates.