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I am a recent college grad with a BA in Communication Studies. Right out of school I did my first full-time internship (I've had many part-time internships prior to graduating) in Marketing and Social Media which is where most of my experience is. After doing multiple internships and getting a feel for what it is like to work in this field I am not sure if this is the path I want to go down. I say this because I have just felt somewhat bored and uninspired in these positions I have held. I'm not sure if it was the different companies that I worked at or the duties I was given, I just didn't have a great experience. Since my last internship was only a temporary 6 month position, I have been without a job for the last 3 months which has given me time to really think about if this is the field that I want to stay in or to pursue something else.
I have considered going back to school to get a Master's degree, I just don't know what I would want to study and don't want to spend money on something I'm not completely set on. I have taken multiple career and aptitude tests, but haven't found anything that really piques my interest. When I look back at my undergrad, sometimes I regret not majoring in something else that could have been more of an interest to me. I didn't have a major picked out once I entered college (I was undeclared for my first two years), and then decided on Communications. If I could do everything over again, I probably would have picked something in IT since I enjoy working on computers or something related to helping people in some way since I get a sense of accomplishment and joy from this. I have been looking at entry-level jobs in IT but most require a related degree or experience in the field, same with jobs that help people, though I think that this is the reality of any field. I am not sure if this is a common thing that I am going through, but I can't be the only one that has chosen a major and has had a change of heart.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation where they graduated and started having regrets with their chosen major? If so, what did you do to turn things around for yourself? Does anyone have any recommendations for other jobs or graduate majors I could look at based on the above information? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation where they graduated and started having regrets with their chosen major? If so, what did you do to turn things around for yourself? Does anyone have any recommendations for other jobs or graduate majors I could look at based on the above information? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
To the first question, yes. I majored in Political Science because it interested me. I had no real plans for what type of career I wanted when I finished school. My first job out of college was sort of a support position for a financial institution. It involved data entry, running reports, etc. I did not like the job but it allowed me to get my first apartment and get started in life. I stayed there for two years.
While working at that job I always browsed job postings. I applied to any entry level position that interested me regardless of the field as long as I met their set requirements. I ended up with an entry-level analyst position in the auto industry. I was originally hired due to my experience working with a database. I also sold them on analysis skills learned while doing a lot of writing in college.
A decade after I started my first job in the auto industry I have advanced and have what I consider to be a pretty good career. I've now been in it long enough that my work experience matters more than my less-than-desirable degree in Poli Sci. I consider myself lucky.
Like you if I could do it over again I would have majored in something else, but you can't change the past.
You might want to do something similar to my approach. Browse a wide range of job listings and look at anything that might interest you at all. It never hurts to apply, and then it's on you to sell yourself and your skills to a potential employer.
I think your degree is more marketable than mine was and you should be able to find opportunities. You may have had some bad experiences in your field, but keep in mind you are entry-level right now and you don't usually get the more interesting work until you've paid your dues and have a little experience under your belt. I know people who work in PR in the auto industry and their careers can be very interesting.
I would not recommend pursuing a masters degree until you begin to establish a career and decide it is something you are interested in. In addition, many employers will pay for a masters, which is another reason to hold off.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,713 posts, read 58,054,000 times
Reputation: 46182
You are now educated. +/-
Only in USA... Spend the time (K-20) and bucks (>$100k college + $100k in taxpayer funds during K-12) to get educated (by a failed system) THEN come to understand:
Your chosen career cannot support employment
You don't at all enjoy or feel engaged in your career
You have very few transportable skills
You think you have to go BACK INTO the failed USA EDU system to get ahead (PRECISELY what the "revenue generating Admissions Dept" excels at (robbing students))
You find your Professors were outdated 40 yrs ago (they robbed you too)
You 'find yourself' thinking further EDU will make you happy or successful. (usually a lie)
Go to worksource, take some aptitude tests, try some PAYING JOBS ('temporary / minimally paid internships should be all finished by age 18)
You are now educated, get out and WORK (2 - 3 jobs at once if necessary)
Find your passion
Do MANY 'informational interviews' in your area of passion / career field.
Explore ALL options within that field.
Find a job that will train and pay you to be the BEST in your area passion. Get a mentor
Listen carefully.
NEVER retreat
(consider international employment and training)
Foreign countries actually have a county 'strategy' to train and employ productive people to move their societies to a higher std of living +/- for the recipients... But... YOU will be educated, and have benefit to society, it is up to YOU to expand on that throughout life... I cannot think of anytime in my long life that was easier than ages 16 - 22 (very few responsibilities and TONS of avenues (tho I was limited cuz I began caring 100% for a disabled parent the day I turned 18 (and for next 32 yrs), college was NOT an option.
You are now EDUCATED. It doesn't get any better. Do yourself a favor and move on with what you have, take your lessons with you. Make someone else's life / decisions / support better.
Yes, we all woulda-shoulda-coulda, but today, we are where we are. Make the best of it, improve on your's and the lives of others. Find your passion, pursue it.
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 03-01-2017 at 04:52 AM..
My daughter declared to me as an undergrad "I don't like anything!" She really struggled to decide on a major. Ultimately, she took a survey of business majors course. A professor in Risk Management and Insurance spoke about how all of their grads get jobs and how they had extra scholarship money, so she decided to follow that path. I thought to myself, "she isn't going to like that." Well, she worked for 2 years for an insurance broker and...she didn't like it. She decided to go back for an MBA in order to switch her focus to marketing. She now has a career that she really enjoys. I will interject that she had full-tuition scholarships and then some for both her undergrad and graduate schools, so that was definitely a consideration. My main point is that you are not alone in struggling to find your niche.
If you are thinking about IT, why don't you look into what certifications are in demand rather than another full-blown degree? You might be able to take some classes and get some certifications at a technical school or community college that could get you into the door....or at the very least you could take a class to test out how much you would actually enjoy the work. Some of the 4-year colleges also offer professional certificates through their continuing education programs. You could do this at night or on weekends while you work during the week.
The thing with most internships is that they tend to be pretty menial. You're typically not going to get a lot of meaningful work out of them. I remember my sister's best high school friend had the same experience in college. She was doing a co-op and was sure she'd hate her chosen field. She was looking to switch fields by doing a master's degree in something else, saying she'd absolutely hate it due to her experience in the co-op. Ten years after graduation, she's still in that field and doing very well for herself because the actual work (not as an intern) is meaningful.
I know in my organization, we had people start out in the communications area who moved into more substantive/managerial positions within the organization outside of communications. That communications job was just their foot in the door, so to speak. I'm in government and my particular government organization will offer free tuition in some graduate programs in public universities for up to 6 credit hours per semester, so a lot of people use working in the government as a way to help fund a graduate degree. Other public sector options may also provide significantly reduced tuition. Another friend is at a place that provides half price tuition for 6 credits but I don't think the programs are limited as they are where I work. We have one woman who got her degree and is now training to switch careers entirely to an in-demand field. The office is entirely fine with her training during work time because the need is so high.
I am a recent college grad with a BA in Communication Studies. Right out of school I did my first full-time internship (I've had many part-time internships prior to graduating) in Marketing and Social Media which is where most of my experience is. After doing multiple internships and getting a feel for what it is like to work in this field I am not sure if this is the path I want to go down. I say this because I have just felt somewhat bored and uninspired in these positions I have held. I'm not sure if it was the different companies that I worked at or the duties I was given, I just didn't have a great experience. Since my last internship was only a temporary 6 month position, I have been without a job for the last 3 months which has given me time to really think about if this is the field that I want to stay in or to pursue something else.
I have considered going back to school to get a Master's degree, I just don't know what I would want to study and don't want to spend money on something I'm not completely set on. I have taken multiple career and aptitude tests, but haven't found anything that really piques my interest. When I look back at my undergrad, sometimes I regret not majoring in something else that could have been more of an interest to me. I didn't have a major picked out once I entered college (I was undeclared for my first two years), and then decided on Communications. If I could do everything over again, I probably would have picked something in IT since I enjoy working on computers or something related to helping people in some way since I get a sense of accomplishment and joy from this. I have been looking at entry-level jobs in IT but most require a related degree or experience in the field, same with jobs that help people, though I think that this is the reality of any field. I am not sure if this is a common thing that I am going through, but I can't be the only one that has chosen a major and has had a change of heart.
Has anyone else been in a similar situation where they graduated and started having regrets with their chosen major? If so, what did you do to turn things around for yourself? Does anyone have any recommendations for other jobs or graduate majors I could look at based on the above information? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
You should have taken time off before going to university. You can now do the same, especially travel. break free from the insanity of the modern world so you can see it for what it is.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,936 posts, read 36,962,945 times
Reputation: 40635
Quote:
Originally Posted by rnb17
I have considered going back to school to get a Master's degree, I just don't know what I would want to study and don't want to spend money on something I'm not completely set on.
I stopped right there. No. No and no.
Figure out what you want to do, try it out, determine you want to do it, then grad school.
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(PRECISELY what the "revenue generating Admissions Dept" excels at (robbing students))
+/- for the recipients... But... YOU will be educated, and have benefit to society, it is up to YOU to expand on that throughout life... I cannot think of anytime in my long life that was easier than ages 16 - 22 (very few responsibilities and TONS of avenues (tho I was limited cuz I began caring 100% for a disabled parent the day I turned 18 (and for next 32 yrs), college was NOT an option.
