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.
My nephew graduated from college in the Spring and is sitting at home with his fancy History Degree trying to figure out what to do now. He was a great student. Nearly a 4.0 all the way through school and college. His parents told him that getting a high GPA was the most important thing in life and so he never worked any type of part time job or internship ever. He only knows how to study and take tests and write papers.
Once he graduated he wrote a letter to every large company in his hometown and asked for a job as a "management trainee" He is still waiting for a reply.
Do you know many young people in their early 20s like him? Great students with no work experience at all or any grasp of the world of work?
Ouch, I got a history degree as well - completely useless. There are so many liberal arts majors just floating around, that such a degree by itself isn't going to do much for him.
I would highly recommend he go back to school and get an accounting degree, or a biochemistry degree.
People I know with degrees like that had job offers before they even graduated.
I myself went to law school, which was essentially shoveling **** onto crap.
Do you know many young people in their early 20s like him? Great students with no work experience at all or any grasp of the world of work?
No. Everyone I know/knew either had to work, were in programs that required an internship (as with me, twice), or where ultra competitive and wanted an internship to gain an edge.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheYO
And in order to apply for jobs online he needs a resume. But since he only ever focused on getting good grades, he doesn't have anything to put on the resume.
Not necessarily true. While he will not have employment/internship history to put on his resume, he surely has something. It might take a bit of creativity, but anyone can create an honest resume even if they have zero work experience.
Do you know many young people in their early 20s like him? Great students with no work experience at all or any grasp of the world of work?
I realized I never answered this. I'm 22, and no, I don't know any of my peers like this. Like I said earlier, my program REQUIRED an internship to graduate, and many other programs at my school were the same way. Most people in my program didn't just stop at the one required internship. I actually had three different internships, and I had a job lined up before I graduated.
I was always told that as long as you have a 3.0 or above, grades don't really matter. It's better to be involved and keep a 3.0, then have a 4.0 and do nothing else. All of my friends were like this, We all had between 3.2 and 3.6 GPAs and got job offers because of our extracurricular activities.
History degree and no work experience. There's his problem. And no I don't know anybody in their early 20's like this. That's terrible advice from the parents, by the way. First of all, he needs to broaden his job search beyond "management trainee." Right now, he just needs to get job experience period. Therefore, he needs to take any job he can find, even if it's not his "dream job." Secondly, he needs to network, network, network. Getting jobs these days is more about who you know than what you know. Networking is crucial. Believe me, I wish I would've this when I graduated from college. Lastly, somebody needs to teach him how to job search because he is approaching it the wrong way. With most companies these days, especially large companies, the only way to apply for jobs is online. His letters are probably getting thrown away before they even reach HR. On a related note, I've applied for jobs where the company explicitly states that they will NOT accept anything by mail.
Quote:
Originally Posted by julian17033
Because of the disservice your nephews parents did to him they now must shoulder the burden brought about due to it.
He most likely will have be living at home searching for a job, any job to bring in money.
The companies your nephew wrote to are most likely overburdened with applications from those that have years of experience.
These 20 to 40 somethings will be given hiring preference first before a history graduate with absolutely no work experience.
I have a feeling he's going to be at home for awhile.
This guy's parents gave him good advice. When you go to college, you are going there to learn. That should be your job. Contrary to what some have said, many employers do look at grades. Certainly grad schools do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheYO
I realized I never answered this. I'm 22, and no, I don't know any of my peers like this. Like I said earlier, my program REQUIRED an internship to graduate, and many other programs at my school were the same way. Most people in my program didn't just stop at the one required internship. I actually had three different internships, and I had a job lined up before I graduated.
I was always told that as long as you have a 3.0 or above, grades don't really matter. It's better to be involved and keep a 3.0, then have a 4.0 and do nothing else. All of my friends were like this, We all had between 3.2 and 3.6 GPAs and got job offers because of our extracurricular activities.
I think you were "told" incorrectly. My daughter's advisor told her that physical therapy schools look at grades and test scores when making admission decisions. He told her that too many kids get caught up in volunteer work, jobs, etc and their grades slip and they don't get in to the program of their choice! You do yourself no favors by reducing your chances of going to grad/jprofessional school b/c you worked at Dairy Queen or somewhere of that ilk.
The graduate in the OP should go to his school's career center and get some help. In re: a resume, he could highlight some of his volunteer work (if any), coursework that can be applied to work such as research, etc.
This guy's parents gave him good advice. When you go to college, you are going there to learn. That should be your job. Contrary to what some have said, many employers do look at grades. Certainly grad schools do.
I think you were "told" incorrectly. My daughter's advisor told her that physical therapy schools look at grades and test scores when making admission decisions. He told her that too many kids get caught up in volunteer work, jobs, etc and their grades slip and they don't get in to the program of their choice! You do yourself no favors by reducing your chances of going to grad/jprofessional school b/c you worked at Dairy Queen or somewhere of that ilk.
The graduate in the OP should go to his school's career center and get some help. In re: a resume, he could highlight some of his volunteer work (if any), coursework that can be applied to work such as research, etc.
The importance of grades obviously varies depending on the field, and grad schools are a whole different story. In my field (journalism/advertising), grades definitely take a backseat to experience/internships/extracurricular activities when it comes to landing that first job. Every entry level job I looked at only required a 2.75 or 3.0 GPA, and they hire those 3.0 students with internships over 4.0 ones that did nothing. My advisor told me about past students who received awards for having a 4.0 GPA, but once they graduated they couldn't find jobs because all they did was focus on classes instead of participating in the extracurricular activities that the rest of us did. Meanwhile, the rest of us with 3.something GPAs all had jobs lined up before we graduated because we supplemented our education with relevant experience.
Depending on the program, grad schools also put some serious weight on extracurricular experience. My girlfriend (public health major) only had a 3.2, but she still got into every grad school she applied to because she had a couple internships, along with tons of relevant work on campus.
I think you go to college for a lot more than just learning in the classroom. I had two different on-campus jobs relating to my major, and participated in several organizations based around my major. Honestly, I probably learned more doing those than I did in my classes.
So while working at the dining hall probably wouldn't have helped the OP's nephew land a job relating to his history degree, there was probably some kind of job/volunteer position at his school that would have been beneficial.
My wife's first degree was useless. She got another degree and masters. First degree, "might" get her a slight pay increase because she has a masters +30 college credits.
As a warning she pays close to $700 a month in loans. So it comes back around wasting time in school. It's funny when you start thinking of saving for you child's education but can't justify it, and should pay your loans down first.
On the other spectrum, I kind of went to a trade school in a field that had some demand. I busted ass, got a job before I finished school, company had paid relocation for me and my family, and I get paid pretty decently(more then a nurse ). Less then two years after starting, I am under consideration for a management position.
On paper your nephew outshines me but you have to go where there is demand.
My nephew graduated from college in the Spring and is sitting at home with his fancy History Degree trying to figure out what to do now. He was a great student. Nearly a 4.0 all the way through school and college.
Seems like a perfect setup to get admitted to a great law school,especially if he can score around 175 in the LSAT.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Small Town Resident
Do you know many young people in their early 20s like him? Great students with no work experience at all or any grasp of the world of work?
A high school friend of mine deliberately took 12 credits a semester and took 5 years to graduate. He made sure to get a 4.0 gpa with his easy schedule. He went to Harvard Law school after he graduated from college.
My nephew graduated from college in the Spring and is sitting at home with his fancy History Degree trying to figure out what to do now. He was a great student. Nearly a 4.0 all the way through school and college. His parents told him that getting a high GPA was the most important thing in life and so he never worked any type of part time job or internship ever. He only knows how to study and take tests and write papers.
Once he graduated he wrote a letter to every large company in his hometown and asked for a job as a "management trainee" He is still waiting for a reply.
Do you know many young people in their early 20s like him? Great students with no work experience at all or any grasp of the world of work?
He needs to expand his job search. Kids today (especially one with no practical experience) can't afford to be geographically choosy. In fact, it might be best for him to leave the comfort and security of his hometown and venture farther afield. Making your way in an unfamiliar place is a great thing for developing maturity.
My nephew graduated from college in the Spring and is sitting at home with his fancy History Degree trying to figure out what to do now. He was a great student. Nearly a 4.0 all the way through school and college. His parents told him that getting a high GPA was the most important thing in life and so he never worked any type of part time job or internship ever. He only knows how to study and take tests and write papers.
Once he graduated he wrote a letter to every large company in his hometown and asked for a job as a "management trainee" He is still waiting for a reply.
Do you know many young people in their early 20s like him? Great students with no work experience at all or any grasp of the world of work?
So I am confused, you are berating your nephew because he has a degree and no work experience? At least he is trying to make something of himself. If you were that concerned about what was going on, then shouldn't you have tried to advise him or steer him in the right direction all these four years? What were you doing? Sounds like jealousy to me.
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.
). Less then two years after starting, I am under consideration for a management position.
