As the semester nears its end, I find myself questioning everything I've ever done as far as finding a career is concerned. Every job wants that magic piece of plastic that says one can drive and the other requirements get more ridiculous by the year.

A typical job posting will ask for a Bachelor's Degree, a Drivers' License and several years of experience in any field before hiring managers will even speak with you. They say this is for security reasons, but this is an outright lie.

Just to drive this point home, take a look at yet another job posting from the pigs at Harris:

Job Title: IT Specialist – Strategic Projects
Job Number: CHQ20181911-28825
Location: Melbourne, FL (Wickham campus)

Job Description:

The Information Technology (IT) Communications Specialist is a critical, highly visible role with responsibilities for generating professional, executive-level materials for senior level presentations and meetings. This position will report directly to the Senior Director, IT M&A and will work closely with the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and CIO Council (comprised of executive IT leadership). This position will require prioritizing and simultaneously managing multiple projects with timely follow-through. Please refer to the job description provided below.

Job Duties:

Responsibilities include, but not limited to:

Creation of IT communications related to M&A initiatives and activities.
Development of IT Strategic Guide Plan (SGP) materials, at direction of the CIO Council.
Development of executive presentation materials on behalf of the CIO Council.
Generation of materials for as-requested IT presentations to the Harris Board of Directors.
Management of communications-centric special projects assigned by the CIO.
Monthly consolidation of key IT financial & operational service metrics for delivery to Harris business segment Presidents.
Guidance to IT personnel on presentation generation and Harris standard templates/formats.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree, with course work in Communications, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related discipline.
Minimum 7 years of related experience.
Experience creating executive-level presentations and content for all levels of an organization.

Preferred Qualifications:

Graduate degree in Communications, Computer Science, Information Systems or related discipline.
Ability to interact effectively with all management levels and form strong partnerships with key leaders.
Decision-making skills and thorough attention to detail.
Ability to multi-task and work through ambiguity.
Excellent written, oral, and presentation skills.
Advanced capabilities in PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and Visio.
Ability to quickly understand technical terms, concepts, and Harris applicability.

Harris is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local law.

Please be aware many of our positions require the ability to obtain a security clearance. Security clearances may only be granted to U.S. citizens. In addition, applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment may be subject to government security investigation(s) and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

By submitting your résumé for this position, you understand and agree that Harris Corporation may share your résumé, as well as any other related personal information or documentation you provide, with its subsidiaries and affiliated companies for the purpose of considering you for other available positions.

Candidates will support Environment, Health and Safety by fulfilling the Harris EHS Policy, complying with Harris EHS programs and applicable regulations, and striving for continual EHS improvement.

Does this look like an advanced job to you? It sure doesn't to me. I was doing stuff like this during my internship at Kennedy Space Center's QA department the summer before 9/11 just before my senior year. Why would they require this much unless they were looking to hire friends or hire within?

On the other end, I'm not even considered for jobs which supposedly require a high school diploma. "Over-qualified", as some people put it. Yet because I don't meet EXACT qualifications, both required and preferred, I'm never considered for jobs I am supposedly qualified for.

Perhaps employers should just admit that there's no actual job to match the insane postings and be done with it. But that would mean these assholes would lose the money they're likely paid to post such bullshit in order to import workers from other states or other countries because they refuse to hire locally at any level.

So unless you fit the mold of Well Connected, Well Off, Well Adjusted Douchebag with perfect credit, perfect qualifications, you might as well quit this game right now.