Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Oh, and there's really no shame in not getting a job in your degree area. I had a job for about 18 months after graduation in my field. This was 1991-92. The pay and hours were lousy. I had the experience of doing it, which I'm glad I have, but I got into another field two years after graduation that I've been in ever since.
You can't blame the school. My school (like most schools) had a career center that offered info on internships and cooperative education. All of that info is out there. I did two internships while in school. My first at the beginning of my sophomore year. I actually did the internship during the semester after I finished my classes. I also worked fast food jobs during the summer.
I knew to hustle for internships and experience from day 1. It's not hidden info. By the time I graduated, I already had accepted a full time job offer since I had started looking way before I graduated.
Depends on the school. My school's career office was pretty much useless to be honest. All they did was organize a half hearted career day that seemed to only attract shady "sales opportunity" job recruiters. That being said, you are right in that being proactive is a must, but for the amount of money we were paying for tuition I expected more from my school. Not a job on a platter but at least some guidance. YMMV.
Many of my friends who have graduated in the last two years have gone to Houston or Austin, Texas. Most of them didn't even live in a state remotely neighboring Texas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by biafra4life
Depends on the school. My school's career office was pretty much useless to be honest. All they did was organize a half hearted career day that seemed to only attract shady "sales opportunity" job recruiters. That being said, you are right in that being proactive is a must, but for the amount of money we were paying for tuition I expected more from my school. Not a job on a platter but at least some guidance. YMMV.
Agreed. At my university, if you signed up for an appointment at the career center for some resume or job guidance, you were simply meeting with other college students who were volunteering! The first time I showed up for an appointment there I was so confused. My exact thoughts were something like "Why is a college sophomore critiquing my resume? Where's a professional person?" lol
Maybe it's because my university was more geared towards academia? Idk.
That being said, you are right in that being proactive is a must, but for the amount of money we were paying for tuition I expected more from my school. Not a job on a platter but at least some guidance. YMMV.
The thing is, no college or university has every claimed to get students jobs. What they do claim to do (and what you pay for) is provide education that can increase your chances for gainful employment. Having a career center is like an apartment building having a gym in the basement. It's one of those amenities that sounds good on paper.
A student's career is up to them. You want guidance? That's what family, friends, and other references are for. This is the internet age. A simple Google search can provide more information than any career center can provide.
It's 2013. How is it even possible that anyone would choose to graduate from college without having at lease one internship or some form of tangible job experience.
Hey, keep your head up! Go back to your school's career center and tell them you're worried. You might also want to try walking into the building, and ask if they received your application or if they will have any new positions opening up soon. Remember, you're trying to find a job in MI (not the greatest place, but not the worst) and so are all the MI kids that graduated in 2013, too! Consider moving to Atlanta, Washington (state), or Texas.
Are you interested in property management? That might be easier to start off with.
Hey, keep your head up! Go back to your school's career center and tell them you're worried. You might also want to try walking into the building, and ask if they received your application or if they will have any new positions opening up soon. Remember, you're trying to find a job in MI (not the greatest place, but not the worst) and so are all the MI kids that graduated in 2013, too! Consider moving to Atlanta, Washington (state), or Texas.
Are you interested in property management? That might be easier to start off with.
Oh, and there's really no shame in not getting a job in your degree area. I had a job for about 18 months after graduation in my field. This was 1991-92. The pay and hours were lousy. I had the experience of doing it, which I'm glad I have, but I got into another field two years after graduation that I've been in ever since.
Yes, I currently have a job, I just want another one that pays more and have better benefits. To me it seems like each day that slips away lower my odds to other students that continue to graduate.
Nope. My degree is in Economics. Graduated from a top 50 school and have been job searching for ~6 months now for a "career" or "big girl" job. Right now I'm also applying for bank teller and other similar positions. I live in a very rural area next to a big Amish community and about 1.5/hr away from the closest big city, so it's tough. I get depressed sometimes but I just have to remember to keep chugging along.
Well, don't give up hope. My first job right out of college was an 'executive secretary'. Which basically meant a lot of fetching and carrying; serving the big bankers coffee and running to get their cigarettes from the store across the street.
Not exactly what I went to school for. I spent . . maybe 6 months there and all the while applying and looking for different jobs.
My next job was . . . . better but I still had a lot of secretarial duties that I didn't think I'd have with my college degree. Ahhh, the ups and downs of being a really fast typist! Anyway, it helped me get my foot in the door of my present industry.
3 years of doing jobs that I probably could have had without a degree.
Don't give up.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The first time I showed up for an appointment there I was so confused. My exact thoughts were something like "Why is a college sophomore critiquing my resume? Where's a professional person?" lol 
