Career guidance and College Kids: It never ends.....does it?

[Anonymous]

there is a career inventory they can take. my kids private college counselor included it as part of her service. was somewhat helpful. can they ask about this at their career services?

[Anonymous]

The book What Color is Your Parachute is EXCELLENT for trying to figure out what you actually want to do.

[Anonymous]

The problem with many of the Ivy’s and LAC’s is that they don’t offer enough exposure to pragmatic real world tools experiences and skills. I’m not sure all the advice about networking and talking to alums is helpful for a kid who does not know a single iota about the difference between python CSS and data analytics (which btw covers one third of the jobs in the market today). I say this as a former LAC grad. I took one management studies course - it was essentially the history of business in America. It had zero applicability to the real world. My honest advice for these types of kids is 1) at least earn a solid GPA like 3.5 or better bc is opens doors. 2) apply for a management program at a large company F500 - even then they are going to ask if you want Tech, Finance, HR, Mktg, Consumer, Product - just pick one. At the very least they will learn about business, get exposure to leaders, take some foundational classes within the company, earn a solid living wage, get a brand name on their resume. Even if they hate it, in 18 months, they will have a launching pad to something new, something else, something different and will have learned more deeply about who they are and what type of career they want

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also told my kids that you don't have to get a fancy private equity job for your first job. My graduate traveled and then starting working a few part time jobs in her field (but not all the same ) until she found one career she liked and how has a full time job doing what she wanted.

I know a kid working in a warehouse for Amazon, several making a lot of money bartending in NYC, etc. Let them try that until the figure out something else.

DP Well yeah- my kids aren’t in finance.

It’s like the CS of 15 years ago. Enough with the banking/finance/IB. AI is coming for it anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The problem with many of the Ivy’s and LAC’s is that they don’t offer enough exposure to pragmatic real world tools experiences and skills. I’m not sure all the advice about networking and talking to alums is helpful for a kid who does not know a single iota about the difference between python CSS and data analytics (which btw covers one third of the jobs in the market today). I say this as a former LAC grad. I took one management studies course - it was essentially the history of business in America. It had zero applicability to the real world. My honest advice for these types of kids is 1) at least earn a solid GPA like 3.5 or better bc is opens doors. 2) apply for a management program at a large company F500 - even then they are going to ask if you want Tech, Finance, HR, Mktg, Consumer, Product - just pick one. At the very least they will learn about business, get exposure to leaders, take some foundational classes within the company, earn a solid living wage, get a brand name on their resume. Even if they hate it, in 18 months, they will have a launching pad to something new, something else, something different and will have learned more deeply about who they are and what type of career they want

My kid is in international policy at an Ivy and been given so many things to apply for, opportunities, he moves on them quick. I’m surprised with the paid internships and paid summer gigs abroad he’s gotten in this job climate as only a rising Junior. It’s been all very practical advice and course guidance—adding more AI/security and some more Econ, etc

[Anonymous]

Just take the job, and move from there. In the 90s we started at the very very very bottom, and had multiple roommates as we made our way up that ladder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I also told my kids that you don't have to get a fancy private equity job for your first job. My graduate traveled and then starting working a few part time jobs in her field (but not all the same ) until she found one career she liked and how has a full time job doing what she wanted.

I know a kid working in a warehouse for Amazon, several making a lot of money bartending in NYC, etc. Let them try that until the figure out something else.

DP Well yeah- my kids aren’t in finance.

It’s like the CS of 15 years ago. Enough with the banking/finance/IB. AI is coming for it anyways.

AI is coming for all of it but in 3-4 years, so kids need to get in now, become the managers in 4 years because AI isn’t replacing human judgment and discernment yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just take the job, and move from there. In the 90s we started at the very very very bottom, and had multiple roommates as we made our way up that ladder.

In the 90s (which was a terrible job market too by the way) our parents were not this involved. And I went to an Ivy.

Network and get a job that pays and live in a group house or get a roommate. Bust ass and move up or over or out. The idea that you have to have it all figured out and be on some path at 22 is insane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just take the job, and move from there. In the 90s we started at the very very very bottom, and had multiple roommates as we made our way up that ladder.

In the 90s (which was a terrible job market too by the way) our parents were not this involved. And I went to an Ivy.

Network and get a job that pays and live in a group house or get a roommate. Bust ass and move up or over or out. The idea that you have to have it all figured out and be on some path at 22 is insane.

My mom was brutal. She was in my @ss as soon as I walked off the graduation stage in 1992. I felt like a loser, but took a grunt lab tech job for peanuts for 2 years and then went back to grad school (fully paid with a teaching stipend)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just take the job, and move from there. In the 90s we started at the very very very bottom, and had multiple roommates as we made our way up that ladder.

In the 90s (which was a terrible job market too by the way) our parents were not this involved. And I went to an Ivy.

Network and get a job that pays and live in a group house or get a roommate. Bust ass and move up or over or out. The idea that you have to have it all figured out and be on some path at 22 is insane.

+1 most people don't know exactly what they want to do. Experiment. The book Designing Your Life can also be helpful in figuring this out (based on a class at Stanford)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101875321/?bestFormat=true&k=designing%20your%20life

FWIW, yes, network as much as you can, but both my kids have gotten internships (and for one that internship has turned into a post-grad job) from applying online to jobs where they had no connection. Tailored resumes and cover letters, experience (prior jobs + experiences at school that are a good fit), and companies that know their colleges, even if they hadn't been able to make a specific connection there.

[Anonymous]

have they read the new book How to Start by Jodi Kantor? I have only thumbed through it, but it has some really good advice.

I will say that the best thing by dad ever did was tell me that he could not really give me career advice because the world had changed so much since he was starting out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just take the job, and move from there. In the 90s we started at the very very very bottom, and had multiple roommates as we made our way up that ladder.

In the 90s (which was a terrible job market too by the way) our parents were not this involved. And I went to an Ivy.

Network and get a job that pays and live in a group house or get a roommate. Bust ass and move up or over or out. The idea that you have to have it all figured out and be on some path at 22 is insane.

+1 most people don't know exactly what they want to do. Experiment. The book Designing Your Life can also be helpful in figuring this out (based on a class at Stanford)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101875321/?bestFormat=true&k=designing%20your%20life

FWIW, yes, network as much as you can, but both my kids have gotten internships (and for one that internship has turned into a post-grad job) from applying online to jobs where they had no connection. Tailored resumes and cover letters, experience (prior jobs + experiences at school that are a good fit), and companies that know their colleges, even if they hadn't been able to make a specific connection there.

To get to this - Ask your college career services for their first destinations reports for the last few years to get a list of companies that have hired recent grads.

[Anonymous]

Just want to say I feel for these kids. Such a sh@tty time to graduate, especially in DC with so many unemployed credentialed/experienced people in the job market too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just want to say I feel for these kids. Such a sh@tty time to graduate, especially in DC with so many unemployed credentialed/experienced people in the job market too.

+1 it's hard everywhere but really need to look beyond DC at this point.

[Anonymous]

The interview is changing rapidly - in real time. By the end of the summer, “case interviews” will be materially different.

Kids need to stay on their toes and be aggressive.

“Spoke with a hedge fund PM who is actively involved in new analyst recruiting for the firm

Number of case study submissions that are clearly done with AI have 10x over the past few months

Kids are dumb enough to leave in em-dashes all throughout the write up. The excel contains comments and formulas that were clearly put together by Claude

Some kids even leaving in Pyxl, which is the Claude python program for excel, as the original author of the file. Dead giveaways, one after another

His fund is moving to an exclusively in person case study model

Seems like the days of remote interviewing and hiring through Zoom is essentially over, thanks to AI

Large firms were already transitioning to this model and now the smaller funds have picked up the same”

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