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Sounds like you're just here to beg for an argument. If you're a sciences/engineering student and don't know what confirmation bias is, or even how to spell it, you probably should have been studying harder instead of partying hard.
The point about "best of cities" lists is that THEY'RE BASICALLY RANDOM. They make them up with very little to base them on, they aren't scientific analysis. Another indicator that you probably weren't studying hard enough at UC Davis. Put down the bong and study!
Oh, and anonymous Internet posts about someone's experiences of living in Sacramento since 2001 don't quite count as an authoritative source. Random Googling to find other miserable people to back up your point is what we mean by "confirmation bias."
Good luck leaving Sacramento, don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.
What I see is a person with a sense of desperation who is panicking. That, to an extent, is justifiable, but it doesnt need to be directed toward anyone. i am a student in a similar situation; however, I am asking for help. This OP seems to be venting while asking for help, dont know why.
Well I don't agree with this post but for you to say that rankings are "random" is kind of stupid. There is a methodology behind rankings that are not someones blog. And the comments from people in early 2000s are kind of relivent to an extent showing the frustration people in the region have.
I am form the Bay area and there is a negative attitude toward Sacramento for numerous reasons in the bay; however, it is mainly amount the new grads. They don't have the opportunities to progress in their careers in Sac compared to the Bay area; furthermore, many managers in the bay area companies are not form the region either. The grads from Davis and Sac State have to compete with Berkeley, Stanford, USF, etc and they may have the talent to compete but they lack the methodology in their approach. That key lack of knowledge is what makes it difficult for them to progress in the region. So the grads from the sac region have to work harder for the same opportunities because of the Sac perception of being lazy, inferior, etc...from what I see the OP is upset that Sac wont change its image ( I am guessing)
The OP is not wrong when he says that Sacramento has less student friendly environment. many of Sac job postings, even for retail, didn't want anyone who had 0 experience. Where are students suppose to get experience if it isnt in retail? Students need to get their foothold in the industry some how and you and I both know delivering pizzas is not counting as experience at all.
Sacramento is not for the young, but it is for the more family oriented. Meaning people move in in their mid/late 20's to early 30s because they are looking for the simple life. The OP seems to be looking for a more aggressive life. The OP attitude will fk him up internally
Just a few corrections to this thread:
-There are quite a few engineering firms located in the Sacramento MSA (pop 2.2 M), how do I know?
- Judging by real estate values and the steady growth of the Sacramento region over the last several decades and still now, evidence points to the area being a desirable place to live.
- Those articles that rank cities are made to generate traffic on a website, nothing more.
The line above is what jumped out at me in your original post.
Are you an international student who studied (or is studying) in the US on a student visa? (If not, ignore the rest of this message. If you are an international student, read carefully)
Have you already graduated and, if so, are you applying for jobs fitting the classification of practical training in your field of study?
If so, the problem isn't Sacramento.
It can be very tough for international students to stay in the US after graduation because of the hoops employers have to go through to sponsor them, and many employers don't want to hire someone that can only work for them for a year under the student visa year of practical training rules.
If you're an international student who is still attending UC Davis, you are not legally able to work in the U.S. in an off campus job unless the position has been approved as "practical training."
Jobs in retail don't sound like they'd be considered "practical training" for an engineer, so that is probably why you are having so much trouble.
And even employers looking to hire in engineering will prefer an equally qualified U.S. citizen because they don't have to go through the hassle of the paperwork associated with hiring a foreign national, or deal with only having the person for a year.
My advice would be to make an appointment with the international students office at UC Davis and discuss what type of jobs you might qualify for under the employment rules of your student visa. Even if you've already done this, it wouldn't hurt to talk to them again and see if they have additional recommendations.
You need to focus in on companies that understand what the practical training rules are, and focus on those companies. You will likely find that casting a BROAD net and being open to opportunities across the U.S. is a better plan than a small city like Sacramento.
But, you also need a back up plan. You should be investigating job options in your home country and perhaps other countries as well.
Most recent graduates -- whether they're US citizens or international students - find that they have to make compromises to land their first job after graduation.
Be open-minded about doing that, and you'll increase your chances of finding your first job.
(Again, if you are not an international student, none of the above applies to you, so just ignore it!)
The line above is what jumped out at me in your original post.
Are you an international student who studied (or is studying) in the US on a student visa? (If not, ignore the rest of this message. If you are an international student, read carefully)
Have you already graduated and, if so, are you applying for jobs fitting the classification of practical training in your field of study?
If so, the problem isn't Sacramento.
It can be very tough for international students to stay in the US after graduation because of the hoops employers have to go through to sponsor them, and many employers don't want to hire someone that can only work for them for a year under the student visa year of practical training rules.
If you're an international student who is still attending UC Davis, you are not legally able to work in the U.S. in an off campus job unless the position has been approved as "practical training."
Jobs in retail don't sound like they'd be considered "practical training" for an engineer, so that is probably why you are having so much trouble.
And even employers looking to hire in engineering will prefer an equally qualified U.S. citizen because they don't have to go through the hassle of the paperwork associated with hiring a foreign national, or deal with only having the person for a year.
My advice would be to make an appointment with the international students office at UC Davis and discuss what type of jobs you might qualify for under the employment rules of your student visa. Even if you've already done this, it wouldn't hurt to talk to them again and see if they have additional recommendations.
You need to focus in on companies that understand what the practical training rules are, and focus on those companies. You will likely find that casting a BROAD net and being open to opportunities across the U.S. is a better plan than a small city like Sacramento.
But, you also need a back up plan. You should be investigating job options in your home country and perhaps other countries as well.
Most recent graduates -- whether they're US citizens or international students - find that they have to make compromises to land their first job after graduation.
Be open-minded about doing that, and you'll increase your chances of finding your first job.
(Again, if you are not an international student, none of the above applies to you, so just ignore it!)
You seem quite knowledgeable about the region. Can you assist me?
I dont want to approach wburg because that poster seems quite angry and I don want to bashed. Would you be able to assist me?
Just a few corrections to this thread:
-There are quite a few engineering firms located in the Sacramento MSA (pop 2.2 M), how do I know?
- Judging by real estate values and the steady growth of the Sacramento region over the last several decades and still now, evidence points to the area being a desirable place to live.
- Those articles that rank cities are made to generate traffic on a website, nothing more.
Vanir is large are they not? (construction)
And for the op, youre in medical device engineering, shouldnt you have gone to UCSD?
You seem quite knowledgeable about the region. Can you assist me?
I dont want to approach wburg because that poster seems quite angry and I don want to bashed. Would you be able to assist me?
I don't know anything about the job market in Sacramento. However, I have been an advisor to many international students applying to universities in the U.S. with hopes of staying in the U.S. after graduation.
Are you an international student? If so, my advice is to make an appointment with someone in the international students office at whichever college you attend (or attended) to discuss what is allowed under the terms of your student visa. Be sure you understand the terms of the "practical training" aspect of your visa. Any off campus work must be related to your studies in some way, and under most types of student visas, you can only have a year total of practical training employment.
Also note that it is 12 months total. In other words, if you do a "practical training" internship in between junior and senior year for three months, and work in a part time job for another 9 months, you will have used up your practical training allotment.
So even if you were to find a part time job related to practical training to tide you over until your internship starts in 2016, you may not be able to do the internship if you have used up your practical training time.
I can't advise you on the specifics of your case, but the Office on International Students will have advisors who can explain the details to you, which will help you explain the details to prospective employers.
In general, though, it is much tougher for international students to find their first job after graduation here in the U.S. than it is for U.S. citizens because employers don't want the hassle of the paperwork involved and also don't want to train a new employee who must leave when their visa expires.
I am an engineering student who is heavily pursuing a career in medical device engineering at Davis and I am struggling trying to find a place to work.
I seriously need help ... can someone please explain why the Sacramento Valley is so ****ing student un-friendly?
You are going to school at UC Davis, so why are you whining about Sacramento? Last October you posted an inquiry about jobs in the SF forum stating you were an M.E undergraduate. Without experience in that field I'm not surprised people in Sacramento aren't fighting with each other over who gets to hire you. Until you get some experience either with an internship or a paid job in the M.E. field you are qualified for the same jobs every other UC Davis undergrad is, pizza delivery, fast food, or if you are lucky the university job placement office can find you something better than that. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, but lose the chip on your shoulder, no one wants to hire someone with an attitude. And if you find Sac so offensive, try Vacaville or Dixon. If you can't find anything else, I'm positive you could land a pizza delivery job in either of those towns and it's closer to you than Sac. ok:
The OP is not wrong when he says that Sacramento has less student friendly environment. many of Sac job postings, even for retail, didn't want anyone who had 0 experience. Where are students suppose to get experience if it isnt in retail? Students need to get their foothold in the industry some how and you and I both know delivering pizzas is not counting as experience at all.
Sacramento is not for the young, but it is for the more family oriented. Meaning people move in in their mid/late 20's to early 30s because they are looking for the simple life. The OP seems to be looking for a more aggressive life. The OP attitude will fk him up internally
*shrug* I went to college in a region a lot smaller than Sacramento, and moved to Sacramento because it offered more opportunity. I came here in my early 20s, not for the simple life, but to be part of the art & music scene, and to start a career. I suppose I know plenty of current college students and recent grads who are able to get retail jobs, and paid internships in their field of study, in Sacramento. Our unemployment rate is currently lower than the overall unemployment rate for California as a whole.
Expecting a hiring environment for engineering students equivalent to the Bay Area isn't exactly a realistic expectation--it's a very different economy here. If Bay Area employers are hesitant to hire UC Davis or CSUS grads because of their own prejudices about Sacramento, I'm not sure why it is Sacramento's responsibility to change those prejudices in order to boost your employment options.
In terms of what the OP is looking for, they don't really specify what they're looking for, but I agree that their attitude certainly doesn't help. If they have decided to look elsewhere, maybe that's Sacramento's gain, and I assume their attitude will go with them wherever they travel.
How about no. I have worked my heart out to ensure I can get an opportunity to research abroad in one of the worlds premier universities. Why should I pass it up?
And what other opportunity is there? There is no company with a strong global foot hold in Sacramento. Just because this region lives in the shadow of the bay area doesn't mean it shares its glory, respect, wealth, or power.
You ave shown what is wrong with the region. It is known that Sacramento is known to have some sense of an inferiority complex compared to the other major HUBs in the west.
Ok, my location is at the upper right hand corner of all my posts--I am nowhere near Sacramento even though I am in California. I live in the LA/OC area, but have enjoyed my visits to the Sac area (though in passing) and the Sierra foothills area. So I am showing nothing about "what is wrong with the region". If you were in Southern California, you would be most likely casting aspersions at that region for its failure to recognize your genius over and above the hundreds of thousands of new-job entrants that are operating there.
I hope you don't do your work in the disorganized, monstrous fashion that you are using to speak with us here. It would explain a lot as to why you are being bypassed for projects and jobs.
"common denominator " ...yea, no, sorry. You dont know what I have done in my university career so far.
I am not ranting on here, I am asking the questions Sacramento has been asked before, but it refuses to address. the same questions Forbes asked in 2012 when Sacramento was ranked as the 4th most miserable place in America.
being professional is key to obtaining a job.
Communication is key as well, which is why I was able to obtain and internship in SV even after the deadline had past. It is why I was able to get a research position in southern cal as well.
I have worked my ass of to get this opportunity and I am still busting my ass to make sure I can keep it. In places like SF, LA, SD, and SV I am able to be as aggressively assertive as I am and impress people. In Sac it is complete opposite. Here you have to kiss ones ass to get forward (something I refuse to do)
Being frustrated and arrogant are 2 different things;
Arrogance is when old people in the US have the balls to talk crap to the youth, The same one that ruined the entire political system by:
-- not paying attention to the polices being passed
---allowing the national debt to be 110% of our entire national GDP
---student debt = $2.4 trillion
--- handing over a stagnant economy that cant compete worth a damn
---and bashing us on a level that even other countries (China, india, autralia, etc) are all hot spots for America youth to expat to.
Yes, you are ranting.
Who answers for Sacramento when it is asked things?
Have you considered that perhaps your behavior is not professional (if it is anything like your posts) and has kept you from obtaining a job?
Why don't you try the SV and Southern California again? Perhaps they have an opportunity like the one you are facing now?
What do you mean "kiss ass"?
No, you're definitely arrogant, and arrogance is a special province of youth. You're definitely turning it on its head here. Not that "old people" can't be arrogant, but please at least accomplish something or fail at it after trying like crazy before you start that business. PAY YOUR DUES FIRST, MAN! I am sure that "old people" have a lot to do with that opportunity that you want to keep so badly.
I am not aware of a great trend of American youth heading to foreign countries to work, but......
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