kevin,
Hopefully I can give you some motivation. I graduated with a finance degree in 2009. Couldn't find a job in the field for 3 years because of the 'we want entry level workers to have experience before hiring' thing, among other things. Had interviews often, but never could land anything. Finally I became desperate for benefits, heard that with a degree and good work ethic I could be a PT supervisor at UPS and get benefits pretty fast, so I did.
My first week at CACH loading trucks, my manager approached me because he had been told I had a degree. I instantly made it very clear to him that I intended to be a supervisor ASAP. 3 months later I was management. Its frustrating work, but I had interviewed for 3 positions in UPS within 6 months. I didn't get any of them, and started applying at other companies too. Finally, last September, I interviewed for a FT Specialist job and got it. Best feeling ever.
It took me 13 months at UPS to go from package handler to full time specialist in Finance. I would say the key is just to make sure you make your intentions clear to your superiors. My FT supervisor and my manager both knew I was a great worker, a pretty smart guy, and I had a degree, but there are quite a few individuals walking around UPS with those qualities. But they don't speak up and make their intentions clear. I made it clear to my manager that I had no intentions of being a PT supervisor for more than a year or two. As long as I was there I would give 100%, but he and I both knew I was looking for bigger things. So as long as our misload rate was good, no one was getting hurt, and the trucks were going out on time, he was putting in the good word for me.
I've been a FT Specialist for a little over 5 months now and all is well for the most part. It's still hard work, just a different breed of work. The pay isn't bad, I mean I know what some of my friends are making with similar qualifications and I know I can do better, but right now I am just learning and gaining very valuable experience. I could see myself leaving UPS in a year or two, but who knows, I could also see myself working here for 25-30 more years.
I'm not going to lie, I feel like I got pretty lucky to land the actual position I did, but I also know that I worked very hard to get here and I'm not gonna stop now.