23 year-old college graduate living with parents: How do I change that? (masters degree, reputation)
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I would just get a 2nd bachelor's in computer science at an inexpensive four-year college or an associate's and do a huge amount of programming combined with discrete math: Python, Java, mobile apps, algorithms, databses, etc. All those programming courses use "discrete math" and you alread have a strong basis.
A second degree? Maybe that's an option if it would be quick & cheap, but to me it doesn't seem like a good idea...
There are already lots of jobs available for people with math degrees. To me it seems like the issue here is not grades or specific degrees, the issue is that the OP doesn't seem to currently have the skills that a good employer in big data/software/compsci/popular-field are looking for.
So, the solution may be to just brush up on some mid-to-high level programming (or other) skills which are in demand, then accentuate those points on the resume. All the while sending applications to several dozen if not hundreds of different places that you have a mild interest in. Basically what this guy said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Weichert
Math can be a good base for many fields but it is up to the individual to decide what that field might be.
The folks coming up in my industry will start around $50k-$65k depending on the company. Also eligible for bonuses upwards of $30k. No degree required but it does take about $60k and several years in training. 5-10 years after you're making, on the low side, $150k. I should be over 200 this year in my mid-30's. One of the best benefits is you can live wherever, so we live in a low cost of living area to maximize our income. Last year, on average, I worked less than 10 days a month. Lots of time off to enjoy hobbies, relax, etc.
The downsides? High up front costs, lots of time studying, hard work, extreme low pay for the first 1-2 years.
I would encourage people looking for jobs to consider CAREERS not jobs. Look long term. There is no cheap quick easy way to get a good career. Find what you love to do and you'll never have to work again in your life.
That being said I don't think I would go to college to make under $100k for a career. Better to do a trade and make a little less at first but start four years prior with no debt. You'll be further ahead. Example HVAC helpers in my area start at $12/hr with zero experience. After a year or two they're in the $20-$25/hr range. After that the sky is the limit depending on how motivated they are. No degree required, hell you don't even need a HS diploma. Only cert necessary is a $75 test and a $25 study guide.
Honestly, this seems to be a no-brainer. If you enjoy doing calculations, and you're good at that aspect of math, why not get a CPA certificate? It might be perfect for you, and you'd be able to put your negative college experience behind you. Try to pull out of the frustration and despair, and think positively and constructively about the future. You have options, OP. Good luck!
If by CPA 'certificate' you mean passing the CPA exam.... that makes no sense and is likely impossible without a very thorough education in general accounting conferring a degree in that field first.
According to the AICPA, the 2017 CPA Exam Pass rate statistics show that on average, the pass rate is just under 50%.
Plus, math has virtually nothing to do with accounting except for basic arithmetic, which is performed for the accountant using COMPUTERS nowadays.
If by CPA 'certificate' you mean passing the CPA exam.... that makes no sense and is likely impossible without a very thorough education in general accounting conferring a degree in that field first.
According to the AICPA, the 2017 CPA Exam Pass rate statistics show that on average, the pass rate is just under 50%.
Plus, math has virtually nothing to do with accounting except for basic arithmetic, which is performed for the accountant using COMPUTERS nowadays.
Amen - And the 50% number is for individual sections. They rate for first timers passing all 4 parts is approx. 10% (or less).
So, the advice to get that "certificate" was certainly well-meaning, but woefully inadequate.
If by CPA 'certificate' you mean passing the CPA exam.... that makes no sense and is likely impossible without a very thorough education in general accounting conferring a degree in that field first.
According to the AICPA, the 2017 CPA Exam Pass rate statistics show that on average, the pass rate is just under 50%.
Plus, math has virtually nothing to do with accounting except for basic arithmetic, which is performed for the accountant using COMPUTERS nowadays.
Yes, I know. It would require returning to college, for the OP to qualify, as I explained earlier. Going back to school for some period of time will be necessary at this stage, pretty much no matter what the OP decides to do.
A couple of suggestions form a parent with a 22 year old who just moved back home:
1. Find a job. Any ind of job. It does not have to be in your degree field. Just do not sit at home going nowhere. Many jobs can lead to a permanent professional position.
2. Do everything you can to not be onerous to your parents. Clean up after yourself 100%. Kick in with all the chores. If you help make something dirty, be danged sure you help make it clean again. If you can do anything to help out financially even $25 a month. It shows you are making an effort and not just taking advantage.
3. Focus on paying them back before getting an apartment. It will be nearly impossible to do both at once.
4. If you are not finding a job, lower your expectations a little. Get a job as an assembler with the millwrights, or an electrician apprentice. Maybe a PE for a construction company. Or work for an engineering company. I recently learned that math majors can be engineers. Worst case, substitute teach, but get out there and do something.
5. Before you go incurring more debt for a graduate degree, get a job, at least for the summer. There are lots of jobs at $11 - $15 an hour at least around here. Then get some overtime. Be the best/hardest worker ever and build references. Also get some money to pay back a little, and save up a security deposit for an apartment. Do not go get an apartment that you cannot afford and your parents have to help you out. That is annoying. Just live at home that does not cost them more.
Stop holding out for a certain amount of money or something necessarily related to your degree. Get in someplace. You degree will open the door for you to work your way up. The father of the guy who owns our $1.5 billion a year company started here as an office maintenance person (sweeping the floors). He worked his way up. Timekeeper, superintendent, PE, PM project executive. He bought stock whenever offered. He was hardworking and smart. He got a degree while working, but did not immediately jump to a management position. Eventually, the owners of the company offered to sell him the rest of their stock at a bargain because their heirs did not want the company. He worked hard built the company. Handed off his stock to his son who had been groomed to run the company and it boomed. Now their family is one of the wealthiest in the State. Point is, you do not have to start at the level you are aiming for. But you have to start.
If you had taken a job at $10 an hour you would have made $20,000 over the past year. Not great, but it is $20,0000 more than you make by fretting over not having a job that meets your standards. Most places you would have moved up at least a little over the course of a year. Both in pay and in position. That is how it works. A degree does not make you the boss, especially without stellar grades. Start low, use what you learned in college to advance. You are not likely to start where you seem to expect to start.
If you had started last year as an apprentice trainee in electrical, mechanical (HVAC or Plumbing), millwright, operator etc. You would now be an apprentice. You would make about 35 - 40K a year. You wold learn trade skill that will eventually make you valuable as part of the management team when combined with your math skills. You could become a project engineer (PE aka assistant project manager). Eventually a PM, then maybe an estimator or sales. That is the path to VP and eventually CEO. But, you are not going to start in a $50K a year position. You have too many strikes against you. No practical experience, apparently mediocre or worse grades, nothing to account for the past year. You do not look good on paper. Get in where you can and prove yourself.
A couple of suggestions form a parent with a 22 year old who just moved back home:
1. Find a job. Any ind of job. It does not have to be in your degree field. Just do not sit at home going nowhere. Many jobs can lead to a permanent professional position.
2. Do everything you can to not be onerous to your parents. Clean up after yourself 100%. Kick in with all the chores. If you help make something dirty, be danged sure you help make it clean again. If you can do anything to help out financially even $25 a month. It shows you are making an effort and not just taking advantage.
3. Focus on paying them back before getting an apartment. It will be nearly impossible to do both at once.
4. If you are not finding a job, lower your expectations a little. Get a job as an assembler with the millwrights, or an electrician apprentice. Maybe a PE for a construction company. Or work for an engineering company. I recently learned that math majors can be engineers. Worst case, substitute teach, but get out there and do something.
5. Before you go incurring more debt for a graduate degree, get a job, at least for the summer. There are lots of jobs at $11 - $15 an hour at least around here. Then get some overtime. Be the best/hardest worker ever and build references. Also get some money to pay back a little, and save up a security deposit for an apartment. Do not go get an apartment that you cannot afford and your parents have to help you out. That is annoying. Just live at home that does not cost them more.
Stop holding out for a certain amount of money or something necessarily related to your degree. Get in someplace. You degree will open the door for you to work your way up. The father of the guy who owns our $1.5 billion a year company started here as an office maintenance person. He worked his way up. Timekeeper, superintendent, PE, PM project executive. He bought stock whenever offered. eventually the owners of the company offered to sell him the rest of their stock at a bargain because their heirs did not want the company. He worked hard built the company. Handed off his stock to his son who had been groomed to run the company and it boomed. Now their family is one of the wealthiest in the State. Point is, you do not have to start at the level you are aiming for. But you have to start.
If you had taken a job at $10 an hour you would have made $20,000 over the past year. Not great, but it is $20,0000 more than you make by fretting over not having a job that meets your standards. Most places you would have moved up at least a little over the course of a year. Both in pay and in position. That is how it works. A degree does not make you the boss, especially without stellar grades. Start low, use what you learned in college to advance. You are not likely to start where you seem to expect to start.
Good points. And I'd like to repeat the suggestion that the OP contact his college job placement center, and make an appointment to see a counselor, to get ideas of where to go from here. Again: it's a FREE service offered to college grads! I've spoken to job placement counselors, who were able to literally walk a graduate over to a bank or business, and get them a job, then and there. Times are more competitive now, but still, the point is that those placement counselors are in touch with employers all over town and regionally, and it's their profession to know what options are available to students with various degrees.
Try the banking industry, financial industry. Take an entry level position that might not be $20/hour but that allows you to work your way up and might provide tuition assistance to take classes in a more useful math related field like accounting, computers, etc. You can do it, you don't need to think that the goal is to leave your parents home right away, the goal is to get into a field you enjoy and then move up in it.
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