9.7% of the U.S. still unemployed

I wish I could say that finding a "real job" is getting easier, but it certainly is not. We've got Harvard grads working at Home Depot. We've got recent grads winning spots over people with 20-30 years more experience for the sake of a lower salary.

You know those commercials for colleges online and programs that are supposed to help you gain a career...You know the ones, "I can't get a job because I don't have an education, I don't have an education because I couldn't pay for school, I couldn't pay for school because I didn't have a job, I didn't have a job because I couldn't get an education, etc etc etc."

As annoying as those commercials are, they are true. The problem is, it's not fixable anymore. I just searched for two hours (which is the daily average for me) for new job postings. Every new posting is looking for someone with 2 to 10 years of experience in a field. Well I graduated college in '09. How does one with one year of "real life experience" during the worst economic recession in history with the highest rate of unemployment find that experience? I used to dream about a "real job," something that would help me live comfortably, and right now I cannot even find a steady waitressing job with an NYU education and an extremely professional attitude.

So I've been thinking: because I've already missed one year of real work, and now still have "no experience" according to all job postings' requirements, how much longer will I have to wait until I can get a job low enough on the tier to start gaining said experience in order to apply for the types of jobs I should already be eligible for?

My issue is this: I did everything right. No drugs. Good education. Extracurricular and volunteer activities. Extensive social networking. And I was getting paid less than the "illegal" dishwasher at my last waitressing job. (Don't get me wrong, he was a great friend, but still...)

I did EVERYTHING I could to avoid becoming a waitress, and I am a waitress. I don't want this post to serve as an increasingly bitter diatribe of the last 14 months, but I would like it to shed a bit more light on the serious slap in the face that this country has provided to its people. When I think of all of the things I missed out on for the sake of "my future" the only thing I see is myself in the mirror trying desperately not to vomit.