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If his part time job has NOTHING to do with his degree/career path then he needs to start looking for internships/part time jobs that do so he can have SOME experience when graduating. EXPERIENCE is just as important as the degree.
He said it's hard to find interns. How could he get started?
Goodness if he can't figure out how to find internships he's going to have a hard time finding anything. He can also look at the "government places" he wants to work at and see if they have internships posted, do it now while he's a student because a lot of places won't consider you if you aren't in school, he can do his internship with his last year and if he's lucky that can help him get in, but the ratio of internships to jobs is very skewed so it's not a guarantee. I can't tell you how many interns I had over the years who thought they'd walk in, intern, and get a job, in 3 years of interns I had ONE was hired. BUT internships can help him just to have experience in that field, so he shouldn't discount them.
His school should have a career center, he should start there. My parents did not help me at all when it came to job hunting, I had to figure it all out on my own. I don't even think my parents could have helped if they tried.
"A government job" is VERY vague- but if you read the link I provided, there are some government jobs he could get. BUT unless you live in a rural place, governments jobs are hard to get, they want "THE BEST OF THE BEST OF THE BEST." I'm totally serious. Very hard to get a government job with zero experience.
Has he bothered to visit the career services office at his school? Has he talked with his professors about any internship openings they have heard of or where other students have interned? Has he tried to find a job on campus more relevant to his degree/interest which would give him experience in his chosen field as well as subsistance money? Campus departments try to hire their interns if they can once they graduate. The impression you are leaving is your son is waiting for either 1) you to fix things for him or 2)an internship or job to magically land in his inbox.
Human resources is a good one, though he may have to get more schooling for that.
I don't understand how people go to college without knowing what they want to do with it. I wanted to be a scientist, so I got a bachelor's and master's in science... I now work for a biotech company.
Most of them do interest him. Question is how to get those jobs once he graduate. Urban/City planner is also very interesting.
Most of them do interest him. Question is how to get those jobs once he graduate. Urban/City planner is also very interesting.
1. If his college has a career fair, he should definitely attend and bring copies of his polished resume
2. If his college has corporate visibility days, he should attend and speak to the guest speaker(s). Bringing a resume would also help. (These are corporate info days where employers visit campuses.)
3. He should pay a visit or two to the school's Career Services Center. They can help him identify internships.
4. He needs to focus on graduating with the highest GPA he can achieve. (I read your earlier comments about his lower grades with accounting.) Graduating GPA counts when employers are reviewing resumes in determining who to hire/provide internship opportunities to.
The goal should not be to start job hunting after he graduates, he needs to get going NOW. Employers only hire a certain number of college-hires per year and you don't want those slots taken up by proactive college students and leave your child with less promising job opps or worse yet, no opportunities. Good luck.
1. If his college has a career fair, he should definitely attend and bring copies of his polished resume
2. If his college has corporate visibility days, he should attend and speak to the guest speaker(s). Bringing a resume would also help. (These are corporate info days where employers visit campuses.)
3. He should pay a visit or two to the school's Career Services Center. They can help him identify internships.
4. He needs to focus on graduating with the highest GPA he can achieve. (I read your earlier comments about his lower grades with accounting.) Graduating GPA counts when employers are reviewing resumes in determining who to hire/provide internship opportunities to.
The goal should not be to start job hunting after he graduates, he needs to get going NOW. Employers only hire a certain number of college-hires per year and you don't want those slots taken up by proactive college students and leave your child with less promising job opps or worse yet, no opportunities. Good luck.
Can he apply for positions now 1.5 years before without having a degree yet?
Thanks for advice. He thinks it's too early now that's why.
Can he apply for positions now 1.5 years before without having a degree yet?
Thanks for advice. He thinks it's too early now that's why.
Internships: absolutely.
Full-time employment: employers start offering contingent job offers in the fall. This means that as long as you graduate on-time, don't tank your GPA from the time they interview you to when you graduate, and stay out of trouble they promise you a job when you graduate.
5 years of retail experience is fine, but it doesn't mean diddly squat unless he has experience in the field he wants to go into. Social work typically requires an MSW which has a long unpaid internship component. MSW programs also expect you to have internship experience. Heck, even working at a summer camp would count.
He needs to get an internship. Probably more than one at this point. It's imperative. No excuses. I worked part time, interned part time during the semester and full time in the summer (unpaid, which he will need to expect), and took a full courseload. My grades suffered, but I kept my scholarship and had experience and references to show during the interview process.
Has he ever written a resume or cover letter? Gone to networking events? By senior year of college, he should be old hat at that. If not, he needs to park himself in his career center and get help.
Government work? What does that mean? You can be a government accountant, garbage collector, surveyor, program manager, EPA technician, HR manager, communications specialist etc etc.
Your son needs to pick a more focused path and then do everything he can to be the BEST candidate for that job. That means as many meaningful internships as he can pack in between now and graduation.
Mind I ask why your son doesn't come here and ask question?
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