Professional Career Help for College Graduate (IT job, applying, degrees, interviewing)

[ezoe008]

Has anyone personally or known anyone that has purchased career help/counseling for a college graduate looking for an entry level position? I am finding the job search and interviewing process frustrating and may seek help from a paid career coach. Career services at my school does not seem to have the 'industry expertise' that I am looking for and is more generally based on interviewing, etc. It is hard to narrow my search to exactly what industry I want to work in and what type of job I want.. there are almost too many choices. All of the generic applications don't provide any responses. I am focusing my efforts on LinkedIn and trying to network as much as possible. I have a BSBA with a major in Mgmt Info Systems. I have some sql experience but not much...

Hoping a career advisor can help me with my job choice and assist me through the process. I know they are expensive but I feel it is worth the cost.

Would like to hear good or bad experiences

[Abvincent1]

I do not have experience with this, nor do 99% of people who came before you. Yet, they made it fine. A "coach" isn't going to find you a job they are going to make you feel better about yourself.

I think the younger generation has been trained to hire someone for almost anything. I know when I applied to grad school I bought study books for the GMAT. Many of the people who got accepted hired people to help them get an "in", paid thousands in GMAT courses, etc. In the end, we all got into the same school; granted I didn't pay thousands of dollars to do it like they did. I am late 30s, they were mid 20s.

This sounds like something along those lines. I'd hire the best regarded resume writer you can find, and try that---or I would decide what you want to do and try to find a free mentor who will help you. The mentor doesn't have to be in the industry, just has to have experience and advice that is valuable. I would not pay someone self defined as a "coach". That is my two cents

[MLSFan]

you might want to give up on the BA/mgmt for now, that isn't really a degree for "starting" jobs. No one really wants to let an inexperienced person manage anything. It's a degree more suited to someone who already worked and want to change careers but already know how things work.

Either spend 5-10 years post college before getting to the point where this type of degree helps, or work 5-10 years out of high school before going to college for a degree.

I see this the same for MBA, some degrees just aren't good "starter" degrees, but more of "polishing" up degrees to make someone shine.

used to be the "non-starter" degrees would require years of experience to be eligible to obtain, now it seems more lax. Some professional degrees (PA for example) require a few years of hands on experience, some MBA schools require working experience before admission.

anyways, you may have to set sights lower then work your way up. You won't run into the "degree" wall since you have it already, instead of going back to school in 30-40s for it. good note is that economy is doing pretty well so you shouldn't have much problems finding an IT job. It just won't be "management" level.

[c114]

I just graduated and found a decent job. But it took me around 6 months (started in February). I applied to over 60 jobs. You need to focus on what kind of job you want before looking and applying for jobs. It will help you tailor your resume and cover letter to the position better, thus attracting the hiring manager or recruiter. Sometimes it's just luck...

Hiring a paid career coach is a waste of time and money. I do not have experience with them but at the end of the day, it's up to you to land a job. There are many free sources online, just Google them.

As to MLSFan, I don't think you understand what Mgmt Info System is...it is not a degree in the management field. It's basically an intertwine of business application and technology.