Struggles of 20's are real - Mansha Vij


green trust your struggle graffiti

I did not opt to pursue journalism and mass communication in my bachelors, despite being very interested in the subject since ages. I instead opted for English literature, for the fact that I was also interested in reading. I did not have even an iota of idea about what kind of literature would I be expected to read. But I took admission in Delhi University, enjoyed reading books, and books became my everyday life. 

My father has always had a huge part to play in most of my life choices. He supported the idea of my first studying literature and then going for a professional course like mass communication. Or frankly, I think it was his idea more that I should do this.

The three years in my bachelors went great. European Drama, prose and poem readings, Indian Classical Literature, Modern literature, and a lot of interesting reads. I miss the days when we enjoyed getting into defining the characters of a play, figuring out the themes of a story and articulate the metaphors, symbolism and similes. I made friends who understood me, and I understood them.

The three years got over and then came the two most defining years of my life. I opted to pursue being a Mass Communication student, getting into the media was my dream. Little did I know, there are some dreams you don’t persevere through much. You don’t really get everything you ever dream of.

It’s been two years since my post graduation got over. My dream is still a dream. In fact, even after a whole year of working with a Member of Parliament, I am unable to prove my worth to organisations. 


woman leaning against wall facing down

I got rejected twice in the last two weeks, and that has actually led me to believe that I am not capable of working. The rejections are making me weak. They have made me doubt my career choices. No surprise I might be living a mid-life crisis at the age of 25. Media indeed is a heartless profession!

What is possibly more frustrating is the fact the organisations do not care enough to revert to a candidate with a valid response. In my opinion, organisations should be more transparent when it comes to screening and interviewing. Phrases like “We will let you know by the end of the day”, and “We will give you a call by tonight”, do not only give false hopes to an interviewee but also keeps them wondering what could they have possibly done wrong. 

HRs or the organisations should take initiatives of getting back to the candidates with a negative response, underlying causes of rejection. This can turn into a chance for the candidate to improve, work on his/her skills, and possibly perform better at any other interview and eventually in his/her career. This may seem like a hectic task, but imagine the number of people each organisation could be improving! 

Nevertheless, as weak as any rejection might make me, I think I will never be giving up. At the end of my journey, I may come off as somebody who has never done anything significant with her life, but I would never want to come off as somebody who gave up due to her struggles. The struggles might be real, but they are worth living. 



Mansha Vij



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