Don't Worry, It Gets Worse

Don't Worry, It Gets Worse: One Twentysomething's (Mostly Failed) Attempts at Adulthood, by Alida Nugent.

My brother told me that with my people skills and tendency towards being grubby, I might do well as a garbageman, a job that had better benefits and more pay than any position I'd hold in the next ten years. I was disappointed to find out that even for that job you need a goddamn connection. Hopeless. Even the simplest positions, the mindless ones where all you had to do is file and put stuff in alphabetical order and say hello into a phone were as competitive as going after an Olympic gold medal. To have your resume considered, an applicant needed approximately sixteen years of secretarial school and also must be able to manage wrangling in a pack of wolves while bedazzling a jacket. You must also be a wizard, Harry.

Alida Nugent is the author of the popular Tumblr "The Frenemy," and after reading this book I realized that I had read some of her posts before, specifically the Carrie Bradshaw Math one, which was hilarious. Her book title intrigued me because I am twenty-something and just recently started "adulthood," or so it feels, and most of the book was pretty funny; however, there were some areas where it felt that Nugent was just babbling on and on.

Official synopsis:
Alida Nugent graduated college with a degree in one hand and a drink in the other, eager to trade in parties and all-nighters for “the real world.” But post-grad wasn’t the glam life she imagined. Soon buried under a pile of bills, laundry, and three-dollar bottles of wine, it quickly became clear that she had no idea what she was doing. But hey, what twentysomething does?

In Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse, Nugent shares what it takes to make the awkward leap from undergrad to “mature and responsible adult that definitely never eats peanut butter straight from the jar and considers it a meal.” From trying to find an apartment on the black hole otherwise known as Craigslist to the creative maneuvering needed to pay off student loans and still enjoy happy hour, Nugent documents the formative moments of being a twentysomething with a little bit of snark and a lot of heart. Perfect for fans of HBO's Girls and Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half, and based on her popular Tumblr blog The Frenemy, Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse is a love note to boozin’, bitchin’ ladies everywhere.
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The author of the book and I have much in common. She lived with her parents after graduation for three months and I lived with my parents after graduation for three years and three months. She majored in writing, which probably didn't help in finding a job; I majored in creative writing, and minored in music. She moved to the big city, NYC, when she was able, and I moved to a different city last year (though it's still a suburb, technically).

Her book, however, encompasses what most twentysomethings feel, especially in this economy: it is HARD to find a job these days. And then, once you find one, there's rent, food costs, and other adult things to cover ... and in a city like NYC, where a nice studio can cost you $2000+ per month, it's hard to get by. Nugent covers these topics with humor and sarcasm, and it makes her book a fun read.

She does get a little off track sometimes, going on long winded rants and raves - she reminds me a bit of The Bloggess in that respect, actually - but sooner or later, she gets back "on topic." I recommend this book for any twentysomethings or even thirtysomethings that can relate to what the author went/is going through, be it about relationships, the job market, or life in general.

*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss for review purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.