It has been more than a year since I finished studying at the University of Brighton. I finished with a satisfactory 2:2 in software engineering.

All I seem to hear from people is, "With that degree, you should be able to find a job easily". I wish this was the case.

It's getting to the stage where it's almost driving me to the point of insanity. It annoys me that everyone's perception of a computer-qualified person is they will find a super job as soon as they finish studying. This is obviously not the case.

I have not been able to find a job within Sussex during the past year. I am starting to wonder whether the four years of my life spent studying at university were a waste of my time.

I seem to be either overqualified or underexperienced but it's that Catch 22 - I cannot get experience without a job and I cannot get a job without experience.

I know of other friends also finding it very hard to get a job. It makes me wonder whether a university degree has the same impact on employers as it did ten or 15 years ago.

-Mark Chapman, Truleigh Drive, Mile Oak, chunks_sussex@hotmail.com