They told me I was overqualified, so I started a Master’s degree

Navigating creative freelancing in a foreign country and in an uncertain time

Illustration by the author

Sure, maybe the post-pandemic time was not a positive year in general for the World and the global economy, but I surely noticed how my freelance business got stuck in a dry spell, so I started considering applying for part-time employed jobs.

And yes, most likely moving to Switzerland, a new, extremely expensive country shortly before COVID-19 hit did not help my freelance practice, so I embraced the possibility of having a side job helping me out with bills.

At first, I was more selective and chose only those opportunities that seemed ideal to me. After a while and many rejections, I began to broaden my horizons. Instead of applying only in English, I started to dedicate time to writing motivational letters in German as well, to demonstrate my proficiency in the local language and my commitment to integration. Despite this, my attempts still did not bring positive results. It was frustrating, but I kept going.

After more than six months of rejection, I could not figure out the reason for it. According to the law of large numbers and basic statistics, I should have received at least a few positive replies. The cherry on top of this…