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Guess the moral of this thread is finding a job is a little education, a little people skills... and a whole lotta luck. :P
Add to that:
1) Some good judgment
Applying for only jobs that are an exact fit generally works poorly. Companies often advertise looking for more than they actually either need or expect to find.
2) No small degree of persistence
It is easy to feel despair in the job hunting process. "Selling yourself" hurts when nobody seems to be buying.
3) Willingness to accept help
For far too many jobs, it really is who you know, rather than what you know, that gets your foot in the door.
4) Flexibility
I took a job as a temp at the same time as another person. Every time they asked in the temp pool if one of us would be willing to help in a different department, I said yes. The other person noted that s/he had been hired to do data entry, so s/he would stick to that, thank you.
At the end of a year, I landed a full time job, while adding many new skills to my repertoire, and s/he had been gone for 6 months. I worked in my new field for 5 years (making far better money than as a teacher), volunteering in programs that let me teach kids part time, before returning to teaching as my primary work.
Well, they say the best thing to do these days is be a liberal arts major. You study a wide spectrum of things and it prepares you for many possible jobs. Not to mention, you can decide what you want your focus to be. I know here in the states, you only have to have taken 4 economics courses at a university to be considered an economist. This applies to some other career fields too. With a liberal arts degree, you will be flexible and prepared for many different jobs. Not to mention, with a liberal arts education, there is a lot of focus on thinking critically, speaking properly, and writing well. Employers look for things like that.
I know here in the states, you only have to have taken 4 economics courses at a university to be considered an economist.
That's only if you plan on working where there is little actual economic research being done. Anywhere that does heavy-duty econometrics or theory work will generally require a PhD, or at the very least a Masters degree and good work experience.
As far as the original topic, I don't know if purely having a degree ever really automatically guaranteed you a job. It depends a lot on what the degree is in, your qualifications, and work experience.
Applying for only jobs that are an exact fit generally works poorly. Companies often advertise looking for more than they actually either need or expect to find.
I see that quite often. If your basic skills are close, it's worth applying, IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jps-teacher
2) No small degree of persistence
It is easy to feel despair in the job hunting process. "Selling yourself" hurts when nobody seems to be buying.
And apply all over the place! And if you work in an industry like IT where you can apply online - apply as much as you can. On my last job search, I was applying to a dozen jobs every day!
Well, they say the best thing to do these days is be a liberal arts major. You study a wide spectrum of things and it prepares you for many possible jobs. Not to mention, you can decide what you want your focus to be. I know here in the states, you only have to have taken 4 economics courses at a university to be considered an economist. This applies to some other career fields too. With a liberal arts degree, you will be flexible and prepared for many different jobs. Not to mention, with a liberal arts education, there is a lot of focus on thinking critically, speaking properly, and writing well. Employers look for things like that.
Communication major gets no love
8 months after I graduated, im still looking for the "right" job.
And apply all over the place! And if you work in an industry like IT where you can apply online - apply as much as you can. On my last job search, I was applying to a dozen jobs every day!
I honestly don't know how many jobs I applied to during my search. I think maybe 30 or 40? I'd just go online for a few hours and keep clicking away. I figured I'd get the ability to be picky once I had a few offers on the table, so just applied to anything that was remotely relevant.
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