In a story that highlights the harsh reality of student debt and the challenges of job hunting in today’s economy, A. Rasberry, a 38-year-old African American woman from Virginia, is opening up about her four-year search for employment in her field.
Despite holding a doctorate in business administration from Saint Leo University in Florida, Rasberry has yet to secure a job that matches her educational qualifications.
Instead, she has pivoted to a completely different career path just to make ends meet—all while saddled with over $250,000 in student loan debt.
A Degree with a Cost
Rasberry’s academic journey, which includes a bachelor’s, master’s, and a doctorate, was fueled by her belief that higher education would be the key to financial stability.
But four years after completing her doctorate, Rasberry is still without a job in her chosen field of business.
“I thought education was the road to financial freedom, but I was wrong,” Rasberry shared in a recent interview.
Her efforts to land a job have been exhaustive. Rasberry has applied for countless positions in business, but with limited experience and overqualification for entry-level roles, she has struggled to find the right fit.
While she gained some entry-level experience in banking, human resources, and bookkeeping while working on her degrees, it hasn’t been enough to secure higher-level management positions.
A Career Pivot and Remote Work
With mounting bills and loan repayments, Rasberry was forced to pivot. Exploring the healthcare sector, she found work as a direct care liaison, earning $21.50 per hour.
While this provided a temporary solution, it was far from the business career she had envisioned. Still, she managed to parlay this into a promotion as a care plan consultant, a remote role that now pays $70,000 annually.
Despite her success in healthcare, Rasberry is still searching for a higher-paying business position, unwilling to give up on the dream she invested so heavily in.
“The degrees have been both a blessing and a curse,” she admits.
Lessons Learned and Advice for Others
Looking back, Rasberry urges students to weigh the benefits of a degree against real-world experience.
“If I could go back, I’d look harder at schools with better job placement and internship programs,” she advises.
In hindsight, she believes she focused too much on education without considering the importance of networking and gaining practical experience in the field.
A Nationwide Problem
Rasberry’s story is not unique. Many highly educated Americans, particularly those with advanced degrees, find themselves trapped in a cycle of debt without the career opportunities they anticipated.
As student loan payments resume after a three-year pause, individuals like Rasberry are left grappling with the financial burden of education that has yet to pay off.
While her story is a cautionary tale, Rasberry remains hopeful that her perseverance will pay off. She continues to apply for business positions, determined to eventually find a job that aligns with her education and ambitions.
