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There's a few lucky ones out there who get to do what they enjoy but I think the majority don't particularly like what they are doing and would rather do something else.
I think this is what angers me alot. I was willing to suffer for awhile so I could do something I actually WANT to do, something I actually ENJOY. I flunked a computer programming course, and I'm terrible at math(not to mention I'm scared of it). I did something I actually enjoyed, and made something of it, and got a degree. Anything to do with accounting or business, I get bored easily. It's nothing I really was in to. Nursing, well, too much stress for me. I've seen nursing majors at my university. They like what they do, but they seem very burned out or stressed out alot. I had considered switching to chemistry, but I was so far into my major, that any switch meant actually staying in college an extra four years.
I think this is what angers me alot. I was willing to suffer for awhile so I could do something I actually WANT to do, something I actually ENJOY. I flunked a computer programming course, and I'm terrible at math(not to mention I'm scared of it). I did something I actually enjoyed, and made something of it, and got a degree. Anything to do with accounting or business, I get bored easily. It's nothing I really was in to. Nursing, well, too much stress for me. I've seen nursing majors at my university. They like what they do, but they seem very burned out or stressed out alot. I had considered switching to chemistry, but I was so far into my major, that any switch meant actually staying in college an extra four years.
Hey, I'm there with you, I really do understand. Do you think I wanted my life to be in Hospitality and Tourism? Not once in my life did I say, "I want to work in this field when I grow up". Not a single time. What I really want to do requires a whole lot of school...unfortunately, to be able to afford that school, I need an income. Unfortunately, the only thing that paid decently with what education I did have, (I did go to college...I need more, I want more), was in this industry. It's not BAD but it is SO NOT what I would really rather be doing in life. Some people are delighted to be in this industry and that's great. It's just not my thing. I do it, I'm good at it, (frankly I find it ridiculously easy), but I'd much rather be a scientist.
It's not easy getting a job as a scientist. I keep trying, though.
Whatever you do, since you DO have the degree, stay current and keep going for it. Even if you have to take some other crap job in the meantime, it's an income but don't you ever give up looking for that job you really want. The plus for you is that you do have that degree now. Some people gave you advice on what to get, download and work with...do that. If you can't really afford them, get whatever job you can right now...even a soul sucking horrible job because it is an income and it will allow you to afford those programs others advised you to get. That's what you tell yourself every day that you go to that soul sucking job...you are "paying your dues" so that you can eventually get the job you want.
Just because you can't get in right this second doesn't mean you have failed at life. It just means you are going to have to experience obstacles in that road you chose but if you keep at it, you WILL get there.
What you need to do is write down what people have told you to get, to study, to work with, etc. Then you need to figure out how are you going to get a car. Then you need to figure out how are you going to get your own place in the city. Then you need to start applying not only for the jobs you actually WANT to do, but jobs that will also allow you to get those programs, get that car, get a place in the city. These are all steps towards fulfilling your dreams.
The path is not always easy, it is not always a straight shot from college to your dream job. Sometimes we have to go through what feels like absolute torture to get where we want to go...but, if you never lose sight of what it is you want, regardless what you have to do in the meantime, when you do get what you want, you will appreciate it all that much more. I know you will appreciate it right now but trust me, you will appreciate it even more.
And, take all of this "adventure" as a learning process. Everything you have to go through to get there is an opportunity to learn something. Maybe it's just about people, maybe it's how some companies run their place, maybe it's the office politics you'll learn, (better to learn that where you don't care than learn the hard way where you do care), on and on.
Maybe one day YOU will be the boss and you can remember all that you went through and endured so that you will be an even better boss than those you had to work for in those horrible jobs while you were starting out.
Yes, it sucks that you are having a hard time getting your dream job. I KNOW! Many of us know. But do this step by step, conquer one thing at a time, programs, car, apartment in city, etc and do what you have to do to make those things happen. Learn from every single experience you have.
You will get there. It just may not happen exactly when you want it. But you will get there.
Maybe one day YOU will be the boss and you can remember all that you went through and endured so that you will be an even better boss than those you had to work for in those horrible jobs while you were starting out.
Or. Maybe someday you'll be a broken bitter 50 yo, pining for how it could have been, LOL.
So STACK THE CARDS IN YOUR FAVOR whenever possible. Often we get a chance, and don't realize it may be the last one.
On Tuesday I received my BA in Geography. I couldn't have been happier. Now reality is setting in. I have been having trouble finding any work. I have been turned down from so many jobs. Every job I've looked up, it requires at least 2 or 3 years experience, maybe more. Right now I'm looking for jobs in cartography, GIS, surveying, and other things related to geography. Finding a posting that takes a geography degree isn't the problem. Finding a job that doesn't require experience is next to impossible. I'm willing to relocate out of state. In fact, I want to. However, the problem is finding anything. I'm wondering what is going to happen to other college students right now.
Did you intern while in school? Work on campus somewhere getting experience? Since you just finished school, I'd work on getting a campus job. Annoying, but it will help you make some connections.
I find that these jobs in particular are very much the type obtained by networking. More so than most other fields. I'd recommend getting involved in the industry association and making some friends.
You will have a whole bunch of competition from the people who studied urban planning, civil engineering and even archeology (I have a friend who fell into GIS after spending her career digging..it became a requirement for her job).
I am thinking of another job seeking tactic. Next time I want any job, I am going to start calling the company and asking for the head of that department. I'm learning that HR is useless. HR looks for certain applications to send to the head. Basically, HR's job is to sift through applications,and I'm getting the feeling that my application has been looked over so much and just thrown out. I'm learning that if you want a job, you have to call the head of that department. Just standing out on the resume isn't enough. The boss needs a voice with that resume, something to stick out in his mind. It is something I'm not good at. It is easy for me to correct my resume over and over, email it and/or fax it. However, paper gets lost. A voice can't get lost. Human contact can't get lost.
Do you use linked in? Start now. Connect with your professors, classmates, etc. Reach out to those department heads, and try and schedule an informational interview.
Rule number 1: searching the web will not get you a job. Meeting people will. The stats are something like 70$ of jobs come from personal connections. If you spend 90% of your time sending out resumes and hoping they'll be filtered by the "bots" HR uses to pick who to think about interviewing, you are mistaken. The best tactic, in such a narrow field, is to get to know as many people as possible that are in the field.
I don't want to be a negative nancy here, but you are behind the 8 ball with only a few months of internship experience and limited connections in the field. You will likely find a job much faster outside of your field. Having a geography degree isn't enough in this case.
Green_mariner, I am curious are you still looking for work only directly related toward your major or is more "I am looking for anything as long as its work?"
Do you use linked in? Start now. Connect with your professors, classmates, etc. Reach out to those department heads, and try and schedule an informational interview.
Rule number 1: searching the web will not get you a job. Meeting people will. The stats are something like 70$ of jobs come from personal connections. If you spend 90% of your time sending out resumes and hoping they'll be filtered by the "bots" HR uses to pick who to think about interviewing, you are mistaken. The best tactic, in such a narrow field, is to get to know as many people as possible that are in the field.
I don't want to be a negative nancy here, but you are behind the 8 ball with only a few months of internship experience and limited connections in the field. You will likely find a job much faster outside of your field. Having a geography degree isn't enough in this case.
I'm searching on the internet because it is the best I can do considering my resources. I don't have a car. There is no public transportation where I live. I can't go out and meet people because I don't have the means. All I have is my computer, and a crappy internet connection, and a cell phone. I went out and called people, as a means to go above the heads of the HR departments and put a voice to my resume, to let the manager know who I am.
In addition, I had an easier time getting along with people outside of my field than I did inside of my field. Something about the GIS/geography field and the persons attracted to it basically had me at a point where I was at odds with alot of people. I did try to use the one contact that I have from that field. It hasn't worked. The difference between me and that person is this. He got connections from his hometown, and he has a personality to match it. I hate where I live and sought to separate myself from it. Now I'm just stuck. I always operated under the thinking of "let your education and knowledge speak for itself". So far, the only time it worked was in getting an internship. So far, the only contacts I have are from my internship, and they are technically outside of my field. I literally got my internship because I had a skill no one else had.
The internship was the best I could get considering my resources. How am I suppose to get experience if no one will give me the chance?
At this point, I'm considering graduate school. I have a better chance.
Green_mariner, I am curious are you still looking for work only directly related toward your major or is more "I am looking for anything as long as its work?"
I'm looking for work in my major. At this point I'm considering going to graduate school. If I'm not working by the end of October, I need something set up to be in graduate school very fast.
My advice, and take it for what it's worth, as I don't have a degree or anything... Take what ever life throws at ya. What ever opportunity comes your way, go with it and run. Make the best of everything. You don't have to make a career out of ever opportunity, but you have to realize something... Life is a competitive sport and every opportunity is a potential learning experience. Once you learn something, they can't take it away. There are many ways to make a living besides the one you went to school for. Many don't require a degree, but that doesn't mean you can't make a darn good living off them. So take every opportunity to learn something new.
I think this is what angers me alot. I was willing to suffer for awhile so I could do something I actually WANT to do, something I actually ENJOY.
You've got to chill out. How old are you? Stop being angry and having an attitude of a spoiled child not getting his way and being able to eat cake all day long. You just need to find a job that you like well enough to do for a living. The geology stuff can be something you enjoy on the side.
One of my best friends in high school was a couple of years younger than me and really brilliant. He could play blindfolded chess against two opponents at once. He played electric guitar, cello and piano. He skipped a grade in high school and ended up at Harvard. His passion was for ancient languages, but he was good with computer languages. His dad was on the team that worked on UNIVAC. Anyway, despite going to grad school in ancient civilization and languages, he ended up being a computer programmer. And he takes it in stride. He's not a bitter person at all.
And then I know many rock and classical musicians and media artists that worked hard, but never made it into the big time. So they have their job that pays the bills, and they still do their art in their spare time for fun.
And probably, you do need to have a graduate degree in order to get the sort of job you want. A bachelors degree just isn't going to cut it.
And... yes, you will probably love working in geology... however, there is not guarantee that the work will pay well. Many times, you will not find a job that is both personally AND financially rewarding.
But please stop being angry about this. And be more open-minded about what opportunities life offers you. Don't have a pre-conceived image of your life and rigidly attempt to adhere to this plan. Instead, enjoy life and go with the flow.
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