I am a 32-year-old woman. I completed my undergraduate degree in International Relations with high honors 10 years ago. Following my graduation, I had to return to my rural hometown to take care of my mother, who became severely ill over a period of 8 months. After my mother recovered enough to take care of herself, I applied to the graduate school in Europe I had been dreaming about for years. I got accepted and moved to Europe.
Everything felt like a dream at the beginning. I was successful, passing my classes with good or decent grades. At the start of my second year, however, I became isolated and depressed. I tried to make friends in my department but was socially rejected by my peers because of my social awkwardness and my appearance — I wasn't morbidly obese, but I wasn't fit either, and I don't consider myself attractive. On top of that, my flatmate verbally abused me, calling me derogatory names and threatening to beat me. Since I couldn't find another room for six months, I had to endure his abuse and bullying, which led me to withdraw from my social life. At the end of my second year, just as I was about to decide on my thesis topic, I learned that my father had been diagnosed with brain cancer. I had to fly back and forth to my home country to care for him during his hospital stays, which forced me to extend my thesis process. Meanwhile, my student visa was about to expire. I applied for an extension, but it was denied due to my slower academic progress, and I had to leave the country. During that same period, I lost my father.
In the middle of COVID, I returned to my hometown with no money and had to live with my mother, my disabled grandmother, and my abusive uncle. I was diagnosed with major depression and was nearly catatonic for a year and a half. Eventually, I began to feel stronger, and since classes had moved online due to COVID, I managed to complete them remotely. During this time, I applied for jobs near my hometown but couldn't find one, since opportunities there are very limited, and I had no money to move to a bigger city. After my uncle became aggressive toward me and my grandmother, my mother and I decided he should leave the house, and that we would take care of my grandmother ourselves. I became her partial caregiver for two years. Meanwhile, having completed all my coursework, I began negotiating with my department in Europe to finish my thesis remotely. During that process, I lost my grandmother.
It took two years and hundreds of email exchanges to find a supervisor willing to let me defend my thesis remotely, and I finally graduated at the end of last May, after years of struggle.
Since graduating, I've been applying for jobs, but — unsurprisingly, given my lack of experience — I haven't had any luck yet. I now have a 5+ year gap in my CV. Due to financial struggles, I've been working in agricultural fields and doing daily cleaning jobs, but my body is starting to break down, and I don't have enough money to leave this small rural town, where opportunities are almost nonexistent. I'm currently completing a foreign trade certification course and hope to specialize in that field. However, at 32, with no professional experience and in today's difficult labor market, I'm not sure how to frame my situation on my CV — or whether pursuing foreign trade and an office job is even the right path for me.
I sometimes regret spending so many years to complete this master's degree — logically, it probably wasn't the wisest choice. But honestly, having that diploma in my hands helped me overcome the trauma of my deportation more than I expected, and it allowed me to return to a normal life. So despite everything, I don't regret it. Given everything I've been through, how should I frame all of this on my CV?