Recent College Graduates--Did you find a job yet?

Just graduated with a B.S. in Communications-Advertising in april. After 3 months of looking for a job non stop everyday, i've decided to move back home and go to graduate school back there. I almost feel like their is no hope lol
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']

Yeah, I had friends do the same thing, which is one reason I'm still constantly depressed.

While I shouldn't discuss my job too much, let me just admit one reason I question it at times (I would still love a job that utilizes my degree more) is because half the time when I get up in the morning, I wish I didn't have to go to work (but I still do always)..[/QUOTE]

I know exactly how you feel. Ive had jobs/internships where i get up and want to go to work, and others where I wouldn't mind if they fired me that day.

This one is hit or miss depending on the day, but more-so its a miss because its not helping me long-term.
 
I graduated in December 2007 with a BA in Communication. I did substitute teaching for a year and a half which turned into a full time job last year. Of course, like all new teachers in Florida I was let go and have been unable to get a new teaching job nor a job doing anything else period. Unemployment where I like is around 18%.

The worst part of all this for me is at 26, I may have to move back in with my mom because my money is not going to hold out for too long even with unemployment. Sometimes I wonder why I wasted all that time and money in college when it has done so little for me.
 
[quote name='Venom65437']The worst part of all this for me is at 26, I may have to move back in with my mom because my money is not going to hold out for too long even with unemployment. Sometimes I wonder why I wasted all that time and money in college when it has done so little for me.[/QUOTE]

It could be worse. You could be pregnant, married to a pizza delivery driver and not even have unemployment benefits. That was my wife's lot when she was 26.
 
[quote name='rumarudrathas']... Graduated last May with a BA in Philosophy (on paper). I'm lucky that I'm pulling $9 working in a major Pharmacy as a Supervisor. People with 'better' degrees are settling for a lesser pay in my area (I have a friend with a BA in Engineering working as a Stock Clerk in a Walmart), and those that are snagging those $24-29k salaried jobs are either very lucky (like, winning the lotto lucky) and being worked to death, or had a lot of strings pulled for them. [/QUOTE]You considering $24k to $29k a lot? I'm salaried at $58k a year, although since I put some OT in due to being offered a lot, probably making over $70k this year (already pulled in $43k since Jan. this year). And quite honestly, I complain about that amount a lot and wish I could make much more than that, so I could afford a house easier.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']You considering $24k to $29k a lot? I'm salaried at $58k a year, although since I put some OT in due to being offered a lot, probably making over $70k this year (already pulled in $43k since Jan. this year). And quite honestly, I complain about that amount a lot and wish I could make much more than that, so I could afford a house easier.[/QUOTE]

You do realize you're complaining about making $70k to mostly unemployed college graduates right? Since I am one of them, you sir, are a dick.
 
[quote name='DV8']You do realize you're complaining about making $70k to mostly unemployed college graduates right? Since I am one of them, you sir, are a dick.[/QUOTE]
You also gotta understand I live in one of the most expensive areas in the U.S., which also has VERY high taxes taken out of your paycheck (too many things are taxed). If you compare cost of living in my area compared to others, you can see a lot of the money pretty much gets sucked up because of that. My apartment rent is over $1000, and my place is somewhat old (not very old, but definitely far from new). The median household income is over $90k a year where I'm at. I pretty much guarantee that most who are unemployed (who went to college) will land a job which makes a better salary ranking than me (compared to cost of living in their area I mean).

Where I use to live in the Midwest, I could get a good size house compared to a tiny townhouse where I'm at now.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']Which way do you want to go, TMK? Post #54 or Post #56?[/QUOTE]I was only trying to show that $29k just won't cut it where I live, but many jobs do pay a lot more due to higher cost of living. Where I last lived, that would have been quite a bit. Where I live now, you would have a tough time affording rent (many apartments require you to at least make $45k to rent there). I was only doing a cost of living comparison to some extent.
 
[quote name='The Mana Knight']You also gotta understand I live in one of the most expensive areas in the U.S., which also has VERY high taxes taken out of your paycheck (too many things are taxed). If you compare cost of living in my area compared to others, you can see a lot of the money pretty much gets sucked up because of that. My apartment rent is over $1000, and my place is somewhat old (not very old, but definitely far from new). The median household income is over $90k a year where I'm at. I pretty much guarantee that most who are unemployed (who went to college) will land a job which makes a better salary ranking than me (compared to cost of living in their area I mean).

Where I use to live in the Midwest, I could get a good size house compared to a tiny townhouse where I'm at now.[/QUOTE]

I'm just saying, it's in pretty bad taste to say you make 70k but have $1,000 in rent to a guy that makes $0 and has $600 in rent. While many of us may or may not make more than you "relatively", it looks more like a slap in the face.
 
[quote name='DV8']I'm just saying, it's in pretty bad taste to say you make 70k but have $1,000 in rent to a guy that makes $0 and has $600 in rent. While many of us may or may not make more than you "relatively", it looks more like a slap in the face.[/QUOTE]
I understand how tough it can be. I went over a year unemployed struggling to find a job after college, despite being one of the top students in a difficult major. I applied to 80+ places and kept getting turned down. Eventually I had to settle for a job that only required a 2 year degree, compared to my 4. While people give me a rough time for having a higher level education for working the type of job I am, at least I'm doing something. Its part of the reason I get depressed at times, but some fail to understand how its like in some areas with a really bad job market (such as MI, FL, etc.). Unemployment is actually low where I'm at, but finding a job that will pay for the cost of living is another story.
 
I'm graduating in 2013 with an Electrical Engineering degree and minor in Spanish,I kind of regret minoring in Spanish because I'm fluent in spanish, I wanted to ask this. Should I continue with minoring in Spanish? My thought was that it would look good and show that I'm bilingual and possibly improve my chances of getting for whatever job I apply for. Everyone I talk to though keeps telling me that its stupid because I already speak fluent Spanish!I'm definitely sticking with EE.
 
[quote name='snakelda']I'm graduating in 2013 with an Electrical Engineering degree and minor in Spanish,I kind of regret minoring in Spanish because I'm fluent in spanish, I wanted to ask this. Should I continue with minoring in Spanish? My thought was that it would look good and show that I'm bilingual and possibly improve my chances of getting for whatever job I apply for. Everyone I talk to though keeps telling me that its stupid because I already speak fluent Spanish!I'm definitely sticking with EE.[/QUOTE]

Are you going to be dealing with a lot of Mexicans with an EE?

Are you moving to Spain or south of Oklahoma after college?

If you can speak a language well, you don't need to take college courses of it. You're just padding your GPA. Find something else to minor in and make it challenging and directly related to EE such as Math and Physics.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']Are you going to be dealing with a lot of Mexicans with an EE?

Are you moving to Spain or south of Oklahoma after college?

If you can speak a language well, you don't need to take college courses of it. You're just padding your GPA. Find something else to minor in and make it challenging and directly related to EE such as Math and Physics.[/QUOTE]

This. If you speak the language it is a waste if that is the reason why you are taking it. You can still put your fluency in your resume, there's no need for a degree to back it up.
 
I went a month or two without a job and then landed my first career job (Web Development/Programming). I did that for 10 months or so and switched to another employer doing similar work for similar (shit) pay. I recently quit that and am working freelance doing the same stuff and get paid much more. I'm in Nashville btw.
 
I'll toss up my situation.

Graduated May 2008 with chemical engineering degree and kept working at the job I had as a co-op for 3 years. They let me go 4 months after graduation.

Had some trouble finding an engineering job so I took a job as a medical technologist in a chemistry department - getting more than I was getting as an engineer at my previous spot and more than I would probably get elsewhere at an entry level position.

I've been there almost 2 years and have been looking for other jobs for the last 8 or so months. I've had a bunch of interviews but it nothing has panned out yet, but I know eventually it will. It seems that with the 24 months of experience as a co-op/entry level engineer after graduation plus the 12 months of part-time engineering work while a student I'm kind of in a limbo. Some places tell me they want real entry level so they can mold the person and then others say not enough experience.

Even though what I do now is not what I want to do forever, it is at least science experience working in a chemistry department so it can go on my resume.

I'm also thinking about Grad School recently took the GMAT and GRE, I think I want to get a MBA because I want to eventually move into some sort of project management or just management role. I was thinking about regular Chem Eng masters but I don't think I would want to be in a research and development role long term.

So if a different job works out I enjoy it I will try to part time business school while working. If nothing pans out I will probably go full time to business school in a year while trying to work part time.

So even though things haven't got exactly according to plan, life is still working out okay. I've managed to make a decent salary the last two years and completely pay off my undergrad school loans. My advice to people though still in school would be to network, network, network. With your professors, other students, jobs, etc. I never really got close with my profs and I did the same co-op for 20 months of full time work. I never tried to get into a different company because I thought I was all set - now that I'm out of there I have almost no connections to anything engineering, industrial, or manufacturing related.

Also LinkedIn has been a good source to get into contact with companies and recruiters.

Finally, if you can't find a job in your field try to find something related at least. If you are a Civil Engineer and can't find a job try to find a job relating to CAD or something.

Good luck everyone!
 
[quote name='Dokstarr']I'll toss up my situation.

Graduated May 2008 with chemical engineering degree and kept working at the job I had as a co-op for 3 years. They let me go 4 months after graduation.

Had some trouble finding an engineering job so I took a job as a medical technologist in a chemistry department - getting more than I was getting as an engineer at my previous spot and more than I would probably get elsewhere at an entry level position.

I've been there almost 2 years and have been looking for other jobs for the last 8 or so months. I've had a bunch of interviews but it nothing has panned out yet, but I know eventually it will. It seems that with the 24 months of experience as a co-op/entry level engineer after graduation plus the 12 months of part-time engineering work while a student I'm kind of in a limbo. Some places tell me they want real entry level so they can mold the person and then others say not enough experience.

Even though what I do now is not what I want to do forever, it is at least science experience working in a chemistry department so it can go on my resume.

I'm also thinking about Grad School recently took the GMAT and GRE, I think I want to get a MBA because I want to eventually move into some sort of project management or just management role. I was thinking about regular Chem Eng masters but I don't think I would want to be in a research and development role long term.

So if a different job works out I enjoy it I will try to part time business school while working. If nothing pans out I will probably go full time to business school in a year while trying to work part time.

So even though things haven't got exactly according to plan, life is still working out okay. I've managed to make a decent salary the last two years and completely pay off my undergrad school loans. My advice to people though still in school would be to network, network, network. With your professors, other students, jobs, etc. I never really got close with my profs and I did the same co-op for 20 months of full time work. I never tried to get into a different company because I thought I was all set - now that I'm out of there I have almost no connections to anything engineering, industrial, or manufacturing related.

Also LinkedIn has been a good source to get into contact with companies and recruiters.

Finally, if you can't find a job in your field try to find something related at least. If you are a Civil Engineer and can't find a job try to find a job relating to CAD or something.

Good luck everyone![/QUOTE]

I'm surprised that some places are telling you that they want someone completely inexperienced person for an entry level position. While I understand the supposed reasoning of it being "harder to fix bad training," I don't know how much I really agree with it. Really, for someone who's still recently out of college, you can't really pick up that many "bad habits" from a former employer. Looks like cases of the bad economy/cheaper labor winning out.

I really wish my undergrad had offered a co-op program of some kind. Most of my friends who had that experience really benefited from it. I also wasted summers that I could have spent interning and really bolstering my resume with practical experience by working at minimum wage for Target and it's really coming back to haunt me now.

Every entry level position besides one I've applied for in Economics, Finance, and Accounting has required some prior experience, typically 2-3 years. That's the hurdle that has proved to be the most difficult to climb for me. I guess that maybe it varies from field to field.
 
Ah....let me type some shit. It's going to probably be long...so don't attempt to read this unless you're at work/school and bored...

Graduated with a MIS degree. Yea, I found me an entry-level job...pays nice (MS standards for entry-level). Got it last month. And I'm a state employee of MS

...That's a horrible thing, because in the state of MS....they automatically take 7% of your pay check for retirement. Not including the state/fed taxes...and of course, insurances...

Honestly though, and I mean honestly, if I didn't get this job last month....I'd been dead broke and probably would have lost my car and had to move back home.


Life is real...and it's real tough. I had credit card companies raise rates on me...cancel my line of credit (fuck shitty cards for forcing me to close my non-blimished account) and a retail job that decided to treat me like dirt until I finally let it go...somewhat foolishly.


Would yall believe me if I typed that every day, from midnight to probably 3am, I would scour the net using careershift.com mainly and apply for any relevant job in a 100 mile radius??? For about 3 months???

Now, I got extremely lucky in my job search...but I was getting turned down for the most entry of entry-level jobs! I mean teller jobs. I mean simple help desk. I mean data entry. I mean jobs that just require a high school degree!!!!

Everyone is searching for employment....so jobs are hiring overqualified people to do entry-level shit. There would be days I would go to the WIN job center here and it would literally have 50 people camped out in there....and it would be 10am!!!! Think about that.

You wanna know how I got my job? I love typing/telling this story....

I was on the phone with a great friend of mine and I said "oh shit, there's a job at (i'm not telling yall where!) for a help desk position". And he was like "...that's where I work". I honestly never remembered the name there.

So, I submit my application online. But, I don't put his name as a reference. I honestly forgot to at the time.

I get a call for an interview near the first of July. At the same time, the local hospital wanted me to interview for basically the same position....except it would be a temp hire with no benefits and i'd have to work a rotating schedule that seemed shitty.

But....they told me they'll pay 13.25 an hour, which was much more than the other company (who didn't say how much at the time). Plus, the the other company was 60 miles away....and of course, nobody wants to drive that unless they gotta.

So I almost canceled that interview. But, I do it anyways.

I loved the interview. It was horribly casual. They even had me do a sodoku puzzle to test my knowledge...and I can do 'em in my sleep. They were impressed. And when I mentioned my friend, they skyrocketed in praise!

....A few weeks later neither place called back so I was getting worried. My friend said they went with someone else, and the hospital HR person acted like she didn't know me...even though I had 3 interviews there! Then, the other company sends me a letter saying they selected someone. It looked bad....

...Until one day when my friend sends me a text saying I got the job if I want it. When I got that letter, I sent them a thank you card in return for the interview. They loved it. And the person they wanted to hire got pushed to the back seat for me. He had a few things he wanted and they didn't really want to help him out. It felt great taking that call..especially knowing that it was in the bag.


My advice to yall?

1) NETWORK!!!! I got those 3 interviews with the hospital because I post on a Southern Miss board and I got in touch with a few of the "experienced" alums...aka people with money. Dunno why they didn't hire me....but they didn't care to call me until I forwarded my resume to an important person there

2) CHECK YOUR RESUME! I tossed my resume to anyone who wanted it. And some of the people who said they would help me out would send me feedback on certain phrases to add in, or things to take out. My resume went from college looking good...to "he seems experienced!" good. And the irony? Initially, the person at career services on campus did my resume for me...

3) DON'T GIVE UP!!! Please...don't give up if you're looking. Grind it out. It's rough, but you'll get there. I'm not out the waters financially...and probably won't be for a few years thanks to now past due credit card bills and student loans...but job > no job. And money > broke.
 
I guess I gotta say a thing or two with what TMK said, and no, I don't really think his comment was 'dickish', but it was fairly close.

Yes, to me, $29k+ for a starting job out of college, especially in my area, is a salary which I would consider as fairly high, considering my states living expenses (I live in Tampa, FL for those that are curious). For two people with a combined income of roughly $45k, that's enough to afford a 3/2 $955 rent, plus utilities. If a said person losses their $30k-a-year job, whilst having to pay for said $955 in rent, upcoming student loans, bills, a wedding, etc etc, then you can't really afford that said rent and are pretty much forced to move back to your parent's place (with your fiance in tow) so you (and/or they) wouldn't be eaten alive by the uncountable collection agencies that you/they now owe money to.

Though I don't have a degree to allows that can land me a job easily, I have to settle with what I could get (and for those who are wondering, I choose to major to land into Law School, but thought against it for personal reasons, and my application to grad school was denied this year). $9/hr isn't really alot, even in FL standards, but it pays the bills and is better than the alternative. Hell, I have friend with graduate degrees in seemingly 'recession-proof' sectors, and they too would need to either settle for a lot less than they are entitled to, or would need to move to bum-fuck nowhere if they want to land a job at all.

As for the others having difficulty finding an entry-level job, I'll share a story about my own experiences. I applied to work as an entry-level clerk in a realty office. After being interviewed for a no-brainer desk job, the interviewer told me outright that I would be a fine candidate for the job, but she just interviewed 2 other people who had 10+ experience on the field and the company is leaning towards them over recent grads like me. I told her that this isn't really fair since the job is for entry level job seekers, and that it seems pretty ludicrous to place a person who had a shit-ton of experience in a job where they just push paper-work around. She said that due to the economy, companies can really stretch their money by hiring overqualified people for low-paying jobs, and she recommended that I should just lower my job expectations to get hired.

Even then, after 5 months of looking for a job, I wouldn't even have the job that I have now without a friend of mine pulling a ton of string just to land me a job interview for this company. Go figure.
 
Got my bachelor's a while back in Biology and just recently got my master's. I've been working for a pharmaceutical company in SoCal for over a decade. I coudn't resist passing up the opportunity to earn my master's since my company helped pay for most of it and had created a co-op program with a local university to have its professors teach classes at night here at work! Anyways, there used to be a revolving door in the laboratory I work in. It seemed as if we had a new hire every couple of months. In order to be considered for an interview, a science-related degree was the minimum. Since the economy has tanked, there has been a freeze on new hires. Although several temps were hired to help with lab testing due to an increase in production, there has been no indication that the temps will be hired on a permanent basis.
 
Have a B.A degree in Psychology but didn't really have anything going on and worked part-time getting paid way more than I should for what I do. I decided to go back to school to do what I really wanted and got a degree in Game Simulation and Design and graduated in June. Was looking for a job and applied everywhere here in SoCal, and a lot of nibbles but no bites, everyone wants X years of experience. I did have one opportunity nearby via a friend who works as an IT for a small iPhone app company that wanted to make some games as well. They gave me a programming test and paid me for it using the Unity Game Engine to make a simple game based on their idea and the images they sent me and I passed. Now I'm working on a game for them that is due mid-October and according to the contract I entered in I'll get a decent amount of money for doing it and if everything goes well I'll be hired as a permanent addition to the team, but only time will tell on that one.

Long story short this opportunity and this company is awesome, but it's very rough out there right now so for those looking I wish you all luck.
 
I graduated in 2008 and just found a job this past June. The job is out of my field (Journalism. I know it's a dying field. Bad call on my part.) but a job's a job at this point.
 
just graduated this past May with a Degree In Mass Media Arts and Journalism Communication studies (aka. Communications) with a concentration in advertising. I live in N. Virginia now and haven't been able to find a damn thing. I know my resume is pretty legit because I had my Colleges career services help me with it and that goes the same with my cover letter. I am having a hard time even finding a part time job out of my field. Sucks pretty bad.
 
[quote name='necrojustice']I went a month or two without a job and then landed my first career job (Web Development/Programming). I did that for 10 months or so and switched to another employer doing similar work for similar (shit) pay. I recently quit that and am working freelance doing the same stuff and get paid much more. I'm in Nashville btw.[/QUOTE]

Does it really pay more now that you have to pay taxes and health insurance?
 
Graduated with a History Major from Christopher Newport University in May 09.

Big mistake so far.

Im working two part time jobs that total up to around 30 or more hours a week. I'm trying to find a full-time job right now and since I'm looking at grad school(which I'll get to in a second) I wouldn't mind getting something like sales(cellphones, computers, something tech sales, I'm pretty good with that). I want to have sales experience, but it seems like I'm getting rejected everywhere. Im trying to find a job that pays well enough for me to save up to cover furnishings, rent for the first few months, in an apartment in the town I want to go to grad school in (NC State right now, others might add on that list soon) That and I wouldn't mind working for a place that could let me transfer, like AT&T or Verizon to another store.

I'm taking a class this semester at Virginia Commonwealth University(VCU) that is Intro to Geographic information systems. I'm looking to do that in graduate school, so I decided to take this class to see if it works out for me. I start it on Monday, so wish me luck!

Here's to hoping that my major doesn't have an effect on a Graduate Program that doesn't require a certain Bachelor's Degree. I don't mind taking a few classes to catch up in a program, but I don't want to be denied because of my major, which would put me back into square one.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']It could be worse. You could be pregnant, married to a pizza delivery driver and not even have unemployment benefits. That was my wife's lot when she was 26.[/QUOTE]

You know, I understand it COULD be worse, but I really hate it when people say that. It COULD be worse for everyone here, we could all be dead.
 
Had a phone interview with Honeywell which was good a few days ago. Also had an interview for a new position with my current company which went well too and would be a 12k+ pay increase. Hope to hear good news next week.
 
I'll be lucky to find a job with my crazy awesome (read: useless) degree combo: a double major in English and Russian with a minor in Psychology from Texas A&M. Whoop!

I'm class of 2011, and was all set to graduate about a year early, but my mom told me to just stay in school for as long as I could/needed. So, I did what anyone would do: declare a second major in Russian. I figure I'll try to go to grad school for International Studies or some such.

So... if anyone needs a Russian translator, LEMME KNOW. kthxbai.
 
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Will be getting my BBA in both accounting and finance, with an added emphasis in entrepreneurship.

Graduation is in December so we will see in a month how tough it is out there... currently enjoying my 15/hr internship tho :D
 
I finished my BA in December 2008. It took me a long time to get through school, and I was really proud of myself thinking good things would come. I finished it because I was tired of crappy retail jobs. I have not been able to find anything in Missouri. I have become frustrated so I have been taking some additional classes here and there. This past summer I enrolled in an online web design program. Something to add to the resume.

Hopefully i can find something soon.
 
I've been talking to an employer since March and I'm still waiting on the formal job offer. I stopped looking for employment months ago, thinking this one will be presented any day now, but they've really been dragging their feet. I'd like to blown them off if I had any other options. Hopefully next week the security check will be cleared and I'll get the job and starting date.

Remind me not to apply for a government job ever again. Slow as molasses.
 
It took... 6mo. for me to get my clearance and everything because of my employer having inferior people running the admin office and then the other time was getting the clearance to go through. A co work took 3mo. I think.
 
I'm curious about what type of degrees you guys have, and what college you go to. I go to the University of Illinois in Champaign, and out of the 12 or 13 guys in my fraternity that graduated, I'm pretty sure every one of them either went to grad school, or had a job lined up 6 months prior to graduation. Hell I know juniors who are getting job offers. And their majors range from film to geology to engineering.

I'm only in my sophomore year, but as an engineer studying computer science, I expect to have a job lined up BEFORE graduation. (Then again, we are #4 in the country for CS.)

EDIT: Actually, I almost forgot, my friend Will who is a CS major, JUST got back from an interview with Google.
 
[quote name='Access_Denied']I'm curious about what type of degrees you guys have, and what college you go to. I go to the University of Illinois in Champaign, and out of the 12 or 13 guys in my fraternity that graduated, I'm pretty sure every one of them either went to grad school, or had a job lined up 6 months prior to graduation. Hell I know juniors who are getting job offers. And their majors range from film to geology to engineering.

I'm only in my sophomore year, but as an engineer studying computer science, I expect to have a job lined up BEFORE graduation. (Then again, we are #4 in the country for CS.)

EDIT: Actually, I almost forgot, my friend Will who is a CS major, JUST got back from an interview with Google.[/QUOTE]

Well yes, Beaver, there are those who do really well and those that unfortunately don't :applause:

:roll:
 
Let me take a stab at this.

I graduated about 4 years ago with a Degree in Digital Media and Broadcast Production. I served and completed 2 internships over the course of 2 years while still attending school. Technically, I still havent found a job yet.

After doing what everyone else here did and busting my ass to find a full time gig in my field for about 6 months I finally gave up waiting and was really sick of the constant slave labor (aka fake internships with the promise that if you help them with this one project paid work is down the line, people in my field love to use this) and struck out on my own. Through first and foremost being good at my craft and continuing bettering my skill set on my own (trust me 80% of people who "work" in this field are useless...utterly useless) and networking my tail off I have secured a decent amount of local clients as well as being on crew for many national clients. MTV, BET, VH1, NBC, ESPN, TruTV, Ford, GM, KMart...etc..etc. I have worked for them all.

The market out there is really rough and there is no one right way to do anything. I know that my career path is 1 in a million but I advise some of you guys to take some time to think whether you need a traditional job in the first place. Is there a way you can do what you do on your own? Its really hard (actually IMO its easier than looking for a 9-5 in my field) but maybe you can do it until you find a job?


Hell, I walked into a video game store that hosted tournaments and convinced the owner he needed video to go along with each tournament. Now I am shooting,editing his online content regularly. All I did was talk to the owner.
 
So I just finished up my internship this summer. My bosses were all really impressed with the work I did and told me to give them a call when I got back from vacation if they can extend me out further. Problem is... it's not even my field, now I understand beggars can't be choosers but I'm curious how many people out there are doing work in their field of study?

Also, does any know any good websites for salary comparisons?
 
When it comes to job, you gotta know somebody. Like they always say "It's not what you know(your degree), it's who you know."

Basically that's how everyone gets job here in South Florida. And it's tough to get a job if you don't know anyone.
 
[quote name='DV8']Also, does any know any good websites for salary comparisons?[/QUOTE]

I would argue against websites for salary comparisons because they are skewed.
Most take in wages from major metro areas and lump them all together. Thus, a field might show making X amount because it pays 4X in New York and 1/2X every other place.

Even if you can get a restricted geographical view, people either lie or there is too wide of a gap in wages. For example, tech support in Louisville supposedly paid $45K per year and the field had 2,000 people in it in 2008. However, I knew the wages of at least 1,000 of those people to be at or below $30K. If the wages were accurate, the other 1,000 people must have been paid $60K. Where were these 1,000 jobs? If they existed, they never posted their positions online or used recruiters. When people left my current employer, none were ever going to these heavily paid positions.

So, figure out how much money you need to survive and figure out how much money you need to retire in 10 years.
 
[quote name='DV8']So I just finished up my internship this summer. My bosses were all really impressed with the work I did and told me to give them a call when I got back from vacation if they can extend me out further. Problem is... it's not even my field, now I understand beggars can't be choosers but I'm curious how many people out there are doing work in their field of study?

Also, does any know any good websites for salary comparisons?[/QUOTE]
The company I'm working at right now has me doing helpdesk work (bottom level) but my friend who was hired 6 months before me is a jr business analyst.

That's life man. If that company has anything remotely close to what you wanted to do...then go for it and stay on. I know if I stay here I could potentially aspire to be where my friend is (might just use this job to build up the resume)


And to the U of I student...I KNOW about you U of I students and your mentalities. Too many of my friends were fortunate to have the money to attend U of I and be encapsulated at an university where the name speaks for itself in most cases. Pat yourself on the back and keep it moving.
 
How much money I need to retire in 10 years? lol I don't think there's a job that pays that much. I guess the only reason I ask is because I'm in grad school right now and my company was talking about offering a full time position which I declined because 1)The last time I interned and got hired within the company it was not the greatest decision ever and was kind of stuck in it. I don't want to make the same mistake twice. 2) I countered with a part-time internship because I like the company I work(ed) for but it wasn't really something I was 100% interested in.

I hate to be picky when I know it's so hard out there.. but I don't want to take any job and hate it and then it's a pain looking for a new job.

On the bright side though the internship pays 1.5 times more than I was making salaried at my post-undergrad job. So I'd assume that it would pay 2x for a full time gig. Decisions decisions...

If anyone has some comments/criticism on my current situation I would appreciate it.
 
[quote name='DV8']So I just finished up my internship this summer. My bosses were all really impressed with the work I did and told me to give them a call when I got back from vacation if they can extend me out further. Problem is... it's not even my field, now I understand beggars can't be choosers but I'm curious how many people out there are doing work in their field of study?

Also, does any know any good websites for salary comparisons?[/QUOTE]

PayScale.com... will agree with others, be mindful of the lie factor/what areas they're coming from and/or what area you live in.

Your degree is the key that opens the door (unless in the medical field or education). Take who is interested and allow them to spend the time focusing you.

On the front of turning down the full time job, there are tons of pages here that say TAKE THE JOB. One bad experience is more reflective on the company than the situation (many internship --> full time work work for the better since you get a feel for the company, etc.). Just because one company jacked it up does NOT mean others will.

The other plus is this: a job is a job. Experience is the most important thing to many employers. Having the full time work experience is more important than the internships. Worst case scenario is you take the job, work it, hate it and start looking for another job. The situation you're in is still better since (1) you're being paid (2) you have experience.

The worst thing you can do fresh out of school is think you're TOO good for something or that something better will come along just because. It happens --- but not often. Take it, but keep looking.
 
[quote name='DV8']How much money I need to retire in 10 years? lol I don't think there's a job that pays that much. I guess the only reason I ask is because I'm in grad school right now and my company was talking about offering a full time position which I declined because 1)The last time I interned and got hired within the company it was not the greatest decision ever and was kind of stuck in it. I don't want to make the same mistake twice. 2) I countered with a part-time internship because I like the company I work(ed) for but it wasn't really something I was 100% interested in.

I hate to be picky when I know it's so hard out there.. but I don't want to take any job and hate it and then it's a pain looking for a new job.

On the bright side though the internship pays 1.5 times more than I was making salaried at my post-undergrad job. So I'd assume that it would pay 2x for a full time gig. Decisions decisions...

If anyone has some comments/criticism on my current situation I would appreciate it.[/QUOTE]

Retiring in ten years is more of a brass ring situation. To get there, you have to find a job that makes a lot of money such as CCIE with VOIP specialization and reduce your expenses or both.

Regarding your situation, you have to look at the job as whether you need it to survive or retire. You've stated you can survive without it and you're not working in a field you want to retire in.

You're doing the right thing by trying to balance the job with the education. Having no job for an extended period of time hurts you a lot more than having a part time job while getting an education.
 
[quote name='MrNEWZ']PayScale.com... [/QUOTE]

The site asked for a lot of information, but the salary report seemed more accurate than I've seen elsewhere.

EDIT: As far as taking the job, I would assume full time employment prevents the pursuit of a graduate degree.
 
[quote name='fatherofcaitlyn']The site asked for a lot of information, but the salary report seemed more accurate than I've seen elsewhere.

EDIT: As far as taking the job, I would assume full time employment prevents the pursuit of a graduate degree.[/QUOTE]

Many employers will PAY for you to get a graduate degree. Mine did. The strong employers want you to be better because they want to use you; many strong grad programs don't want you to enter straight into the program --- the want experience, regardless of the level. Again, there are exceptions here (medical, science, etc.).

But if you have a job today full time and it takes an extra year or two to finish the graduate degree --- and you're getting paid, it shows further initiative and interest when people look at your resume and/or body of work. It's not for everyone.
 
Ah I guess I should have clarified earlier. I'm getting an MBA which is more or less required in the business field. I do have around 3 years of full time work experience and am only 1 quarter into my MBA. The reason I declined the job offer right now is because I don't want to be in school for the next 4 years. Attending school and working full-time is a CHORE and not something I want to do longer than I really have to. As it stands now I have 4 quarters to go if I do full time. My ideal goal is to finish out 2 more full time quarters and spread the last 6 classes over 2 years at one class a year while working full time. If I took the job it'd be over 4 years... and while my company may pay for it I'd rather spend the $10k and be done 2 years sooner.

My biggest concern is not finding another internship and thus being unemployed... again.
 
If you can work less and take more classes without going into debt, do it.

If you have to take out loans, work more and take fewer classes.

There are a lot of people out there who thought a good job and career would be waiting for them after school and simply found a loan collector.

By not going into debt, you're taking the safe path and playing the best odds.
 
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