‘9 to 5, what a way to make a living’: 28 Memes for all the job-hunting people looking for their first work experience

Giuliana Tiscioni • Writer

Jul 17, 2026 6:30 PM EDT

Is it absolutely necessary to get a job?

One of those "rites of passage" for adults is to get your first formal job. And no, Kevin, mowing the lawn for your neighbour once when you were fourteen doesn't count. I'm talking about an actual job, with a fixed salary and work hours, something that allows you to start your retirement fund. Sounds a little gloomy to talk about a retirement fund when you're just now joining the workforce, but that's life; we have to think ahead.

There are so many obstacles when trying to get your first job, even if you have a degree. Most of the time, what employers are looking for is someone for a junior position, college-educated, young, with ten years of experience. That is a weird combination, and I'm not sure it exists. So, for us young people, it gets really tricky to find work in a career field that we're not even sure we want, but definitely need.

We are all excited at first, searching for ads, creating a LinkedIn profile, sending thousands of resumes, and sitting for a few hundred interviews. It's to figure out exactly what employers are looking for. That tends to lower our morale and bust the optimistic bubble of illusion that we created.

Still, not everything is lost, and there are jobs out there appropriate for what we know and studied. We just have to be persistent and not give up. Of course, we would much rather stay forever at home under the covers and watch movies all day, but the world and the economy keep moving, and we need to keep up with it in order to have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies. All those Netflix and HBO subscriptions are not gonna pay for themselves, nor will the food for our cats, or for ourselves. So, hang in there, my job-hunting people! There's something really good coming your way! Maybe it's a salaried job, or maybe it's memes! While you wait for that perfect job, here are LOLs to help you relax.