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I would go back to the career center and see if they have a list of alumni who are willing to help recent grads get a foothold in the business world. Or network with people you know who have jobs. It's difficult and not very pleasant if it doesn't come naturally to you, but you need to hustle to find yourself a break.
I was an English major. I actually wound up going to grad school for a while because I wasn't sure what to do with my newly minted BA and had no role models for what to do with a liberal arts degree except for my professors. Eventually when I realized academia wasn't for me, I got in touch with my college's career center and they sent me some names and contact info. One of the fellows I called was high up in a solid local company's marketing department. He couldn't make a spot for me there, but he referred me to a small marketing agency owned by a friend of his. I went in and met with them. That agency hired me on as an account coordinator (i.e., glorified gofer/assistant) with the understanding that maybe the creatives could take me under their wing and let me write or edit a little. I wound up doing some writing.... and then more writing. When they hit a rocky patch and laid off a bunch of people, I had an unofficial promotion (no raise, no change in official title) to copywriter. I was laughably underpaid, but it was experience.
When that company finished imploding some time later, I had met a few people doing technical writing, so I went and talked to them. They referred me to a staffing agency for tech writers. I met with the agency owner and followed up by email every couple months afterwards, reiterating my interest and the background I had (basically, that I was a solid editor/writer with a longstanding interest in computers). Several months later, she had a job she had nobody else available for and was willing to take a chance on me. Once I had about a year of experience from that job, I was off and running.
To market yourself effectively, try to understand what your strengths are, try to figure out what you enjoy doing, and get out there and talk to people. Get a sense of what problem they're trying to solve, and how you may be able to help them. Your sales pitch needs to not be "I need a job" - maybe it's more like "I see you need someone to do x, y, and z. I'm good at x, and as for the rest, I'm a fast learner." You may get lots and lots of no before you get a yes.
Present yourself as someone who's humble enough to understand that they're inexperienced, but confident enough to know they can be an asset once they learn the ropes. Show persistence and intelligence and be likable. You just need to convince one person to take a chance on you.
I agree. I saw an ad online for a volunteer to write newsletters and help with powerpoints for the Girl Scouts in my area. It doesn't pay but its more experience. I feel that if the job deals with writing and is creative that's what I want.
I think the Girl Scouts, local animal shelters--almost any volunteer activity to use to stay sharp and hone your skills is a great idea. Yes, it doesn't pay, but remember, the purpose will be to MEET people and to MEET people they know who might need a writer, etc.
It's like dating: the more people you meet and the more people you meet through them, the greater the odds are that you'll find an opportunity. It's a numbers thing, networking.
The networking, meeting people, volunteer work, non-profits, are all good ideas here IMO. Agreed you need to hustle. That marketing manager who takes credit? If you can learn from her and like her career, let her take the credit and shine her shoes too.
Your degree is worthy. A college degree today is the high school diploma of yesteryear. The major hardly matters unless you're an architect or doctor or otherwise requires specialized training and licensing. Six months with no degree-related job isn't long.
Treat your career like a business. Think like businesses do. They seek profit over all. Help them make them a profit and your degree fades into the background. Keep doing good work, hustle for more work that is applicable to the direction you want to go in, and watch yourself become more successful. Be eager and willing to do grunt work you dislike as a means to a better end.
I like to focus on the bright side of things, it helps me from going crazy when things get noisy. My advice to you would be to be proud you graduated and realized so soon you were on the wrong path. A lot of people would just keep faking it to themselves and others to save face. Starting on a new path in your mid 20's could be worse, you could be pushing 50.
Get online & look at Craigslist. They want editors/bloggers so bad, you could work anywhere in country and make decent money....
Here is how to do national search.
Google.com > Settings in right corner> advanced search > site is craigslist.org & fill in any subject you want...
ENJOY!
You can do yourself a favor, if you want to write you need to blog....Write your own blog daily on whatever topic interests you or sometimes like career development/marketing -- publish with Wordpress.org. Then try to get some of the freelance projects...list on your portfolio site.
OR - call yourself a copy editor & it is $20/hour easy...
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