Anyone here have 'only' a bachelor's degree? (how much, home) - Salt Lake City area - Utah (UT) -Salt Lake County - Davis County - Weber County - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

kwm03160 · 10-05-2009, 09:29 PM

I work for a local government, and we will not hire an accountant without a degree... it's an exception, not the norm.

kek1993 · 10-05-2009, 09:44 PM

Utah is very competitive in regards for a person with a BA to find a good job, because there is a glut of well educated people in Utah. Utah has one of the highest rates of college graduates in the area. Because of this glut, jobs are lower paying, and there is more competition.

rivettijensen · 10-06-2009, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kek1993

Utah is very competitive in regards for a person with a BA to find a good job, because there is a glut of well educated people in Utah. Utah has one of the highest rates of college graduates in the area. Because of this glut, jobs are lower paying, and there is more competition.

This is right on. When I graduated with my bachelor's, I didn't "know" anybody and looked for a job the unfortunate way: job listings. At least half the jobs I saw that preferred a college degree paid about $10 an hour! No kidding. (This was about five years ago.) I finally landed a job with the state and it was decent but not amazing. My husband, on the other hand, is a great networker. He has never gone through a traditional job search. He always knows someone and his personality just seems to impress, so that always works well for him.

That being said, I really think that anyone with motivation can find a job here. Salt Lake's job market is usually pretty good. The degree alone definitely won't do it for you, but if you have the right drive and if you work your tail off, you should be able to find what you need.

skibarbie · 10-06-2009, 01:59 PM

There are a lot of unsettling things in the world, even more so here in Utah! I have a college degree or 3 and am working in a ski shop. I need to do something that I love and my rather bizarre career path has led me to a job I love. I would not be able to survive on my own income but Mr realizes that happy wife is a happy life! If you really need a job, line one up before you get here-it does seem that the federal gov't is hiring so check out the web page-not sure but something like jobs.gov.
Good luck and remember , no matter where you end up, the glass in neither half full nor half empty, it is the wrong size glass.

osugirl2 · 10-06-2009, 04:40 PM

I also work in a govermental acounting type enviroment (auditor). I had to get an advanced degree + 24 hours of accounting to qualify for my job because my degree is in Political Science as well. Maybe it's just us Poli Sci degree holders having the job issue. If I would have had my undergrad in Business or Accounting, I could have been hired on with my agency with just that, but instead I signed on as an intern, they paid a large portion of my graduate school and then when I was finished, I converted from an intern to a step higher than I would have been started out with just a bachelor's.......so all in all, it was worth it, and it was nice to have them pay for part of my graduate school which was a private university and very expensive. I did the coverting in Oklahoma and then they PCS'd me to Utah, but the same guidelines apply here as they did back in Oklahoma..... I wish you the best of luck finding a position here. We are really enjoying Utah and the Ogden Valley!

osugirl2 · 10-06-2009, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skibarbie

There are a lot of unsettling things in the world, even more so here in Utah! I have a college degree or 3 and am working in a ski shop. I need to do something that I love and my rather bizarre career path has led me to a job I love. I would not be able to survive on my own income but Mr realizes that happy wife is a happy life! If you really need a job, line one up before you get here-it does seem that the federal gov't is hiring so check out the web page-not sure but something like jobs.gov.
Good luck and remember , no matter where you end up, the glass in neither half full nor half empty, it is the wrong size glass.

usajobs.gov

Jcoombs · 10-07-2009, 10:41 AM

I have a bach degree in communications with a minor in poli sci and I work for the Government - 3 years now. Most of my co-workers have bach degrees as well in various fields. In the Govt, yes you can get a job without a degree of anykind, but your promotion potential is limited, UNLESS you have been in your position for MANY years and even in that case to get a promotion there are multiple waivers that must be fillied out and signed by several higher-ups. I am starting my masters this october (2 weeks from now actually) in the field in which I work... also to help with promotability. With the bach degree, in some fields, you can only get so high and having a higher education degree- masters, etc, can help you, but as always it's not a guarantee for a promotion.

I think a govt. job might be a good option for you, b/c once you get in and put say 2 years in at your first position.. if you don't like what you are doing you could always transfer within that agency. Getting into the Govt is the hard part.. moving around once you are in is the advantage.

Hope that helped.

Chango · 10-08-2009, 03:14 PM

I work for the Gov too, got my BA taking night classes while working the same job I'm at now. There are cashiers and low level clerks in my office with Bachelor's degrees making half of my salary (which is already depressingly low), so yea, such a degree pretty much means jack squat in this state from my experience.

Ianas · 10-08-2009, 09:55 PM

People don't realize... it's not just having a degree, it's what degree... especially now and here. Like they said, there are a lot of people here with degrees that aren't benefitting from them, because it's a supply and demand thing. There's really not much demand here for a BS in Poli Sci or Psychology. Go back and get an associate's degree in Computer Science and you'll get a better job than you could with your BS in Poli Sci or Psych. I got a BS in Electrical Engineering and I'm working at a good company with a good engineer's salary. In the end, if you don't have a degree that's in demand right now, then it's all about who you know. That's what will differentiate you. If your friends are all out-of-state, then perhaps you should go there, where they can get you a good job until you can network your way in or earn a degree that's in demand here.

osugirl2 · 10-09-2009, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ianas

People don't realize... it's not just having a degree, it's what degree... especially now and here. Like they said, there are a lot of people here with degrees that aren't benefitting from them, because it's a supply and demand thing. There's really not much demand here for a BS in Poli Sci or Psychology. Go back and get an associate's degree in Computer Science and you'll get a better job than you could with your BS in Poli Sci or Psych. I got a BS in Electrical Engineering and I'm working at a good company with a good engineer's salary. In the end, if you don't have a degree that's in demand right now, then it's all about who you know. That's what will differentiate you. If your friends are all out-of-state, then perhaps you should go there, where they can get you a good job until you can network your way in or earn a degree that's in demand here.

Ianas, I totally agree a bachelor's in Poli Sci is really best for either continuing on to law school or getting a graduate degree in it so you can teach. My MBA is so much more versitle, but I think even a bachelor's in business would have been more useful since I decided not to go on to law school.