A 9-5, M-F job is for those who don't want, who don't think,and those who want to serve. As long as this is your only goal, without a set purpose in mind you are going to remain unknown, an average without an actual real world goal. ** I am so sorry for this sounding like a redpill post, freakin' hate that sub. **

If you take what you learned in school, apply it to a solution and want to get something done, a position on a project with a 9-5 schedule is what keeps you sane and allows your to manage your time instead of working for yourself at 18h/7 days a week.

If you took 4 years of University level education with the purpose of being someone else's doer then you can only blame yourself.

Apply the knowledge you gained to a solution for a real world problem. Your certification is not the reason you spent 4 years of your life learning the knowledge, the knowledge is and the certification is proof of it for those who question you yet don't understand the knowledge. You having a degree means nothing to your coworker, you knowing your work does.

Think for yourself and use the knowledge.

The problem is present because most people who spend the time do it for the paper acknowledgement instead of the knowledge that they have to later apply without a carrot/stick incentive.

This is how entrepreneurs without paper accreditation succeed, they only wished to be praised for the end product and their knowledge and couldn't care if someone told them they aren't certified for it. They did it because they learned and knew how or spent time using trial and error.

At the same time, why are you applying as a shop cashier for minimum wage instead of a project assistant at the same wage.

Say a job for a project assistant in your field is offering 40 000 GBP a year, instead of applying to a ASDA for 12,000GBP a year. why not apply the knowledge you have by offering to take on the project assistant role for 20 000GPB a year?