i’ve written on here so many times but here i am once again 
so basically, i’ve graduated from poly but my gpa is genuinely a stinker, despite the fact i really tried my hardest to pull it up during my final year. i got rejected from the two unis i applied to, and now i’m currently looking for a job to boost my resume and maybe pursue a part time degree or full time degree once the time comes. but, the job hunt is genuinely going so bad… i’ve applied for multiple jobs (maybe almost 40?) and i’ve only received replies from maybe 10. it doesn’t really help that all i have is a diploma and a higher nitec cert instead of a degree.
what makes me feel even worse is that i’m seeing a lot of my peers having the time of their lives in university ori camps or their newfound jobs after graduation. i genuinely feel so disheartened everytime i see these things because it reminds me of what could’ve been if i had just dropped out and pursue another course in poly if i knew my diploma was hard for me to understand.
i can’t even talk to my parents or my friends about this too. my parents usually pull the “the only person to blame is yourself”, which yes i am well aware i am at fault for the situation i’m in now. my friends will say take a private degree, but i’m not exactly in the financial position to do so, plus i’d rather gain some experience before uni. but i can never seem to be happy with either response, like it feels that nothing they say will help me feel any better. i’m not sure if it’s because i’m just unsatisfied with my life now, or that i’m drowning with many, many regrets.
people would say i should be happy that i have a diploma, but it really feels like i have nothing to look forward to in life, and i feel so miserable because of it, and idk how to make myself feel any better.
tldr - got rejected from uni, hard to secure a job, and i’m absolutely miserable with life. thank you for reading this far!!! 
Hi there saranghaeonlyyou, thank you for reaching out today!
The fact that you are coming back to write things shows that you are processing things and that’s good! What you are going through is really tough. Trying your hardest and not getting the result that you hope for while seeing your peers sailing on to their next stage is really painful and difficult. Your emotions that you are feeling right now are totally valid.
The part on how your parents might react though, I do want to gently tackle it. It sounds more like what you are telling yourself instead of what your parents might or will say, like you have internalized it quite a bit. But struggling with a course that was hard to understand isn’t a character flaw. Lots of people find themselves in mismatched courses and it doesn’t define your ceiling.
I also hear you on your job hunting, and it really hurts to see 40 applications with only 10 replies but that is really not as bad of a ratio as you might feel right now. It might be worth thinking about whether your resume and cover letters are tailored specifically to each role, because that can make a real difference.
I do hope that things turn out better for you, if you need a listening ear or just a safe space to share your thoughts, you can call Mindline at 1771 or WhatsApp at 6669 1771.
Hi @saranghaeonlyyou,
It sounds incredibly exhausting to feel like you are doing everything right (i.e. trying your putting yourself out there with 40 plus job applications) only to hit a wall while watching everyone around you seemingly move forward. It is completely valid to feel disheartened, when the people closest to you either offer blame or solutions that just don’t fit your financial constraints right now. What I can say is, please give yourself some grace.
Navigating a tough job market (with AI, layoffs, outsourcing, automation and whatnot) with a Higher Nitec and a Diploma is an achievement in itself, even if it doesn’t feel like enough today. The jobs landscape is honestly cooked right now (for both fresh grads and experienced PMETs), and I admire your tenacity in submitting multiple applications just to get a foot in the door.
Your feelings of misery and of having nothing to look forward to are a natural response to a period of intense uncertainty, but this stagnant chapter is not the final verdict on your life or your potential. Even though the silence from employers hurts, having about 10 replies from potential employers is actually a very solid footing in today’s competitive market, proving that your profile is catching eyes. If the reply is positive, then it’s time to prep for an interview! 
I also want to point out that your plan to build work experience first and look into part-time studies later is an incredibly mature, practical path that many successful people take. It is okay to be deeply dissatisfied with where things stand right now, but please don’t let a rough transition period convince you that your future is empty. You are actively building career resilience, and things will shift in the right direction.