Jobless in a Jobless Town

As the second semester quickly gets under way, my mind wanders to the thoughts of a warm and sunny Wolfville. While I am certainly enjoying my time here at Acadia, a looming concern presses down on my shoulders. Looking to the future, I have been trying to plan out my summer here. I have a sublet apartment all ready and signed for, a summer reading list that I can’t wait to start, but one major thing is amiss: I can’t find a job here in the Town of Wolfville.

This isn’t a reflection on my capabilities or past work experience, or a lack of trying. If I may toot my own horn, I think I’m a qualified candidate for any job. What concerns me is the lack of job opportunities here in this small town. I have visited local businesses and dropped off resumes and I have visited Job Bank and Indeed almost daily. I suppose, of course, that the lack of employment makes sense. Wolfville is a small town, and when the students leave at the end of the academic year, Wolfville only gets smaller. Demand just isn’t there for small businesses to hire, and I understand that.

So I am forced to look elsewhere, to New Minas and even Kentville for summer employment. This, in itself, poses more problems than solutions. The public buses are notoriously late, so I would hate to rely on them as a mode of transportation. In addition, my status as a student makes it far more difficult for me to obtain a job because of the fear that I may quit as soon as the new academic year starts. So, here I am in quite a pickle.

It makes me wonder if my predicament is my fault. But then I think of the grander scheme of things. Nova Scotia’s economy isn’t exactly in its tip-top form. Politicians and economists are worried about a brain drain, and from my point of view, I can completely understand why. With the limited opportunities, I have seriously considered going home to find work. I am holding out on the hope that a job opening will present itself, but I must admit that I am feeling really down on my luck.

I’m not an economics major, but that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about what Nova Scotia can do. How can Nova Scotia create more jobs? How can Wolfville create more jobs? I feel as though Wolfville is overlooking a prime opportunity for growth and expansion. There is literally a source of new and ready individuals to join the work force, but Wolfville hasn’t taken advantage of that. So instead, freshly capped graduates seek employment elsewhere and eventually settle down elsewhere, leaving Nova Scotia as a whole with a faltering economy and stagnant population growth.

In the mean time, I am jobless in a jobless town.