By Kristin Davie, special for WWDS

I was never a fan of monkey-in-the-middle as a child. I didn’t have a growth spurt until I was in high school and my brother seemed to come out of the womb at 6”3.

My distaste has only seemed to have grown in adulthood, even at a respectable height of 5”8.

After perusing what must be hundreds of job advertisements and applying to a sizable fraction, I’ve become unnaturally adept at recognizing certain trends within the market. One of the most frustrating I’ve come across lately is the sizable gap between college internships and associate positions requiring 2-3 years experience- juuust outside the reach of a recent graduate.

As I approach my fourth month of unemployment (yikes), I’ve decided to focus my search on paying internships, hoping that additional experience may help my chances of landing a full-time, entry-level position.

The problem?

Well, besides the fact that paid internships are harder to come by than Lindsay Lohan’s underwear, many online listings insist that “only those currently enrolled in college apply,” and that they “will not consider recent college graduates.”

Ouch.

So what’s a post-grad to do? Applications for coveted (and extremely scarce) entry-level positions are cut-throat, and without additional experience, we’ll never be considered for an associate or junior-level position (which, at this rate, I may not land until I’m 45).

It’s quite the conundrum- even for a 5”8 college-educated monkey.