The battle to break into the magazine industry. Will I ever get there and will it be worth it?

I thought I'd post something different today and tell you all about my ambitions and struggles to achieve them. Although I look like a student, I'm actually 25. I graduated from the University of East London in 2009 with a degree in Media and Creative Industries and high hopes for a career in magazines. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out like that. 


I left uni in the middle of a recession, so rather than trying to find the job of my dreams or one that was close I decided to stay at the insurance company where I worked during my studying years. I stayed there for 2 whole years before I decided that if I didn't leave now and follow my dreams I never would. I'm not getting any younger afterall. That was over 6 months ago and it seems I'm not much closer to my dream now than I was then. I managed to secure two weeks work experience at Aceville Publications which I really enjoyed and it led me to meet some lovely people. Unfortunately, the offices are far away from home and the price of train tickets are pretty hefty when you're not earning any money, so when they asked me to go back for further work experience I had to decline. Since then I've contacted countless magazines for internships and haven't had any luck and I am now in the position where I can perhaps work unpaid for up to a month but will need paid work after that as my savings are running out. 


So, it will seem that I'm at a crossroads. Do I continue to chase the dream of writing for a magazine or concentrate on getting another insurance job that will allow me to carry on living my life and save to eventually move out? As I said earlier, I'm not getting any younger. That said, I am finding that even insurance jobs are thin on the ground and I haven't even secured any interviews yet. I am part of the lost generation and being unemployed can be demoralising. Most days there is rarely a reason to get out of bed but my family, boyfriend, friends and having my blog to update keep me going. The thought of interviews also scare me. I've never been the most confident person but once I'm given a chance I can succeed and prove to everyone what I can do. I'm just waiting for that chance...


I would love to hear from you all. Is anyone else in a similar situation to me? Has anyone been there but managed to get through it and land a great job in the end? Your comments are much appreciated