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I chalk my success up to dumb luck that's probably mostly undeserved.
Made a stupid decision to leave a full time job (albeit one I hated) to go to grad school at the height of the recession in 2009. Majored in a useless degree (criminology) from 2009-2011 (graduated in the summer of 2011).
Started an internship with the county government in 2010 while working a part-time job in retail and going to grad school full time. Was able to network through that, and when a local emergency struck in 2010, the work I did yielded me a part-time job as a temp when my internship ended. I was offered a full time job with the county manager's office once I graduated in August 2011 and was able to jump over to the adult probation department in February 2012 thanks in part to past networking experiences. I've had a couple job offers here and there with other probation departments but I like who I work with and how my department utilizes emerging trends in adult probation to manage clients and supervision.
When I say this is undeserved, it's mostly because my undergraduate degree is worthless (English) as well as my masters degree, yet somehow I've managed to stay afloat, find a career I enjoy (I'm 29...not many people my age have that luxury). Compared to people way more qualified with better/more worthwhile degrees than myself who can't find work (despite their best efforts), it depresses the hell out of me.
That's a broad generalization. Everyone has different circumstances. I did workstudy in college and I was a fulltime/parttime employee but I'm still fighting for a decent job in the city.
True. I did make a broad generalization as I'm in that boat as well. While in college I did four internships, ran a small business, did some business development for a local entrepreneur, and was Vice President of our school's chapter of Society for Human Resource Management and I'm still looking for work.
Getting an entry level job doesn't appear to be a big problem for the graduates of good schools. Having good grades, having all the BS employers expect on the resume, and most importantly having proper corporate personality (positive, upbeat, confident, sleek, etc.) virtually guarantees a (good) entry level job. Actually, if you have a perfect corporate personality and less than stellar degrees and grades, you'll do OK, you just have to "convey" your personality to the prospective employers. A "go getter" guy I know with perfect corporate appearance and personality, just put his picture on his resume (try that if you are an average schmo ), 2 weeks later he landed >100k job in a field unrelated to his education
Yes. The "corporate personality" (and look), is the most underrated or recognized factor to those who haven't had much experience in the corporate world (recent grads). Of course, that is only the most relevant to the good corporate jobs like the ones you would find in fortune 500 companies and corporate headquarter offices in the big highrises downtown. It certainly helps though for any business related job.
True. I did make a broad generalization as I'm in that boat as well. While in college I did four internships, ran a small business, did some business development for a local entrepreneur, and was Vice President of our school's chapter of Society for Human Resource Management and I'm still looking for work.
Yeah, it's pretty crazy. I also volunteered at my church, a non-profit group and a congressman's office while I was unemployed. I also volunteer with the Board of Elections.
I graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration in 2010 with a focus on human resources. I had some solid internships while in college and did a lot of other things to build my resume. Instead of working after college I took 3 years off to go to seminary and get a M.A. Now that I've graduated I'm looking for a full time human resources position. I've had some good interviews thus far but still no offers yet. However, I do think I'm close to getting an offer from somewhere eventually. I've seen a lot of threads about graduates struggling to find a good job (or any job for that matter). I was just wondering are there any success stories out there about college graduates who actually landed a good job after graduation despite the economy? I know it's rough out there so I'm just looking for a little inspiration lol. I'm always inspired by other people's success stories
Human Resource positions are often the first that companies look toward when they're looking to downsize/lay people off, unfortunately. Business majors also seem to have a rough time finding jobs.
The only graduates I know under 35 who actually work in their field of study are those with law, engineering, medical or computer-related degrees.
Those with BAs in humanities are largely either on their parents payrolls (if lucky), or working medial, low skill, or entry level office jobs. The only exception is one Elementary school art teacher, but she'd graduated 7 years ago. The ones I know with business degrees eventually got real estate licenses after they failed to find salaried positions, but are still not doing well.
Some of the more tragic anecdotes include an artist with a masters who works at a grocery store, and another artist doing landscaping (how miserable).
Tragically, those with biology BS degrees I know are not doing well at all. They can get jobs in labs, but they're being paid deplorable wages, like $30k/yr or less with little future prospects. Two biologists with BSs I know left the lab, taught themselves computer programs and languages, and now work in the media/design/IT sector making websites or doing VFX. One tries to sell crafts on Etsy the side, too- paintings and mosaics and knitted potholders and whatnot. They are renters.
One (older) immunology PhD from Stanford I know has had her income reduced by 80% over the last 5 years- no funding for research grants. One Physics PhD from Harvard I know teaches at a community college. This suggests to me that a degree from a top school is not a ticket to wealth or happiness.
Also teaching is in a bad way ATM. Universities are hiring adjunct professors ("part time" folks who don't get full benefits), and rarely give tenure anymore. Including PhDs. It's a way for the colleges to curb spending. It's not uncommon to find professors teaching one or two classes part time at 3 or even 4 different schools. Tough life.
Those with engineering or computer-type degrees are doing the best, but most had to work up the ladder for a few years before they got comfortable financially. Only one I know got a $60k position right out of school.
Of course personal anecdotes don't always reflect wide statistics.
Good luck in your endeavors.
I love how colleges stick it dirty to the professors, hire clowns to teach part time, cut and slash classes across the board to the point it takes 5 years to graduate (if you're lucky), cut back on student services (like hours the library is open) and yet still find a way to increase tuition every damn year 50%.
:scratches head:
I guess as long as government is subsidizing loans and guaranteeing them, why not grab the cash, right? Disgusting.
I landed an 'okay' job after graduating in 2011, but I was unemployed for a whole year. I can't even count the number of applications I sent straight into a black hole. I went to lessons for interviewing help, watch youtube videos of how to interview, and read several books on how to interview. I even had several years of customer service experience to show that I could actually work.
In the end, NONE of that helped me. On the brink of suicide I BEGGED my ex-boyfriend to put in a good word for me at his company. He knew how much I was suffering and helped me out and I landed an entry level job at his company. I have currently been in that position for almost one year. In a post recession world it isn't about your qualifications, it is about who you know.
With the exception of one other person who has a theology degree, I am the only person on my team who has a college education. Most of my co-workers are older women with high school diplomas or less. As I am working a position where I sit on a phone calling people in India all day, I wouldn't call my after graduation a success story, but I am surviving at least.
As long as you keep looking you will find something.
IMO always take a job, and then continue looking. When I first graduated I was making like $8.5 an hour? Now I'm 3x that. I graduated with a BS in 2005, and MS in 2007.
Even then I'm still not satisfied lol. After I have my kids I'm definitely going back to get my CLS license and make much more. Most jobs I see in the area that I qualify for (minus the license) pay 60% more than I currently make.
Even when I got fired from a job, I quickly bounced back, took a job doing anything, and 6 weeks later found a better job, even though it was a temp position, then a few months later got hired on full time with a huge pay increase.
True. I did make a broad generalization as I'm in that boat as well. While in college I did four internships, ran a small business, did some business development for a local entrepreneur, and was Vice President of our school's chapter of Society for Human Resource Management and I'm still looking for work.
5 out of 7 past experiences you have are unpaid. One I imagine didn't explode on a P&L sheet and the other sounds like a half-a'd commission flyer distributor.
That was kind of rough so I apologize, but I have to imagine that if I'm thinking it, so are hiring managers.
5 out of 7 past experiences you have are unpaid. One I imagine didn't explode on a P&L sheet and the other sounds like a half-a'd commission flyer distributor.
That was kind of rough so I apologize, but I have to imagine that if I'm thinking it, so are hiring managers.
Yes, my internships were unpaid (with the exception of 2 of them) but I got really good experience out of all of them. They didn't have me just sitting around making copies and filing. They actually put me to work and gave me some solid experience. It's because of these experiences that I've managed to get interviews for some good jobs. No, I haven't gotten an offer yet but something is better than nothing. The small business that I ran through our school's entrepreneurship program gave me some great experience with leadership and finances. Paid or not paid, I've learned a great deal through all the experiences that I've had. They're helping me at least get my foot in the door.
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), 2 weeks later he landed >100k job in a field unrelated to his education 
