Who is getting jobs?

[Anonymous]

My kid graduated last year as chemical engineer from high ranked OOS public and after many interviews (which lead nowhere) they got a job in a state far from home where none of us had ever been to.

I think in this job market you have to be willing to move far away. That's my advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is at 300 apps and is getting interviews but no offers. She may be working retail instead of getting a paid internship. December grad so this was her last chance. She’s losing to sorority girls at public unis. At a top LAC. Career ed says it’s not her but the job market. I also think it’s racism.

Using her humanities degree for marketing. The managers see her major despite many YoE and actionable leadership. She’s very depressed she gets passed on for girls in sororities who’ve never had to work two jobs at once. I don’t know what to tell her. She’s upset she may have to move back home.

New grads usually lead resume with education but if she has solid related experience and feels the major is getting in the way, lead with the experience, including class projects, volunteer work, etc.

Maybe she's already doing this - Use the cover letter to directly tie her experience to the job listing, clear bulleted list.

If she graduates without a job, consider using that time to do a graduate certificate in marketing. Less investment than going to grad school but can fill the perceived gaps

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated last year as chemical engineer from high ranked OOS public and after many interviews (which lead nowhere) they got a job in a state far from home where none of us had ever been to.

I think in this job market you have to be willing to move far away. That's my advice.

+1 in down times, you have to be willing to move to where the jobs are. I did that, and it was the best thing for my career, finances, and personal life (met and married my DH).

[Anonymous]

UMD CS major - two quant firm internships this summer. They also got an additional 3 offers from other high tech companies out west.

They applied online. No connections whatsoever. They did a ton of leetcode and practice interviews.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD is at 300 apps and is getting interviews but no offers. She may be working retail instead of getting a paid internship. December grad so this was her last chance. She’s losing to sorority girls at public unis. At a top LAC. Career ed says it’s not her but the job market. I also think it’s racism.

Using her humanities degree for marketing. The managers see her major despite many YoE and actionable leadership. She’s very depressed she gets passed on for girls in sororities who’ve never had to work two jobs at once. I don’t know what to tell her. She’s upset she may have to move back home.

New grads usually lead resume with education but if she has solid related experience and feels the major is getting in the way, lead with the experience, including class projects, volunteer work, etc.

Maybe she's already doing this - Use the cover letter to directly tie her experience to the job listing, clear bulleted list.

If she graduates without a job, consider using that time to do a graduate certificate in marketing. Less investment than going to grad school but can fill the perceived gaps

Thank you so much. I’ll let her know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UMD CS major - two quant firm internships this summer. They also got an additional 3 offers from other high tech companies out west.

They applied online. No connections whatsoever. They did a ton of leetcode and practice interviews.

Why two? Are they each like 6 weeks? Just curious why/how the two came about? Is this for programming at the quant firm or as an actual quant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid graduated last year as chemical engineer from high ranked OOS public and after many interviews (which lead nowhere) they got a job in a state far from home where none of us had ever been to.

I think in this job market you have to be willing to move far away. That's my advice.

I could not agree with this more. The increasing unwillingness of people to move from declining or expensive places or move to where better jobs over are is one of the greatest economic problems in our country, and has been for 30-40 years. We can only blame the people making these decisions every day, not the government, companies or wealthy people. So in this political and cultural environment, nobody talks about it, because, God forbid, we actually hold individuals accountable for their own decision about how much and where to work. If the jobs are not abundant or sufficiently remunerative in NY, SF or Miami, go elsewhere. It's not difficult if people are flexible, motivated and have realistic ambitions. And by the way, a good degree, skills and actual working experience beyond fake internships are all essential.

[Anonymous]

New graduates with unique tactile skills and blue-collar adjacent expertise are getting high-paying jobs. I work in tech vc and every futurist report points to crossover trends that include something with tactile/physical kills, e.g., if you're just a CS major coder or an econ major turned analyst, you will be the first to be replaced by automation/AI, definitely sooner than the high-school dropout who works at the McDonald's drive-thru. But if you're a CS or engineering major who specializes in dental equipment robotics or construction machinery, you're getting competing job offers. I personally know multiple new Ivy grads right now having a lot of "coffees chats and conversations" but no job offers; the one kid I know with multiple offers is from Virginia Tech. He did some random internship/summer job at a hospital with the surgical prep team and somehow made himself an expert in 3D printing one-of-a-kind replica models that hospitals use before high-risk surgeries. Top hospitals pay millions for these equipments and 3D printers and they have a hospital full of PhDs and MDs who don't know how to operate them, neither can their current technicians who only know how to turn on and off the machines but not how to use them in first-of-its-kind situations. This kid is being flown around to make custom models for the best hospitals in the world. He could retire by age 35 at this rate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New graduates with unique tactile skills and blue-collar adjacent expertise are getting high-paying jobs. I work in tech vc and every futurist report points to crossover trends that include something with tactile/physical kills, e.g., if you're just a CS major coder or an econ major turned analyst, you will be the first to be replaced by automation/AI, definitely sooner than the high-school dropout who works at the McDonald's drive-thru. But if you're a CS or engineering major who specializes in dental equipment robotics or construction machinery, you're getting competing job offers. I personally know multiple new Ivy grads right now having a lot of "coffees chats and conversations" but no job offers; the one kid I know with multiple offers is from Virginia Tech. He did some random internship/summer job at a hospital with the surgical prep team and somehow made himself an expert in 3D printing one-of-a-kind replica models that hospitals use before high-risk surgeries. Top hospitals pay millions for these equipments and 3D printers and they have a hospital full of PhDs and MDs who don't know how to operate them, neither can their current technicians who only know how to turn on and off the machines but not how to use them in first-of-its-kind situations. This kid is being flown around to make custom models for the best hospitals in the world. He could retire by age 35 at this rate.

I posted earlier about my environmental science major getting an internship. These internships are often a lot of outdoor/hard-labor work and I think employers want real evidence that you aren't a slacker in that kind of work and won't bail halfway through the summer because it's too hard. DD had spent two summers in full-time outdoor work on trail maintenance, invasive clearing, tree planting + certified as a wildfire ground crew, which required a timed hike over rugged forest land carrying a full pack. Not high-paying work, but she'd much rather be out in hot summer weather wielding a chainsaw than sitting behind a desk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New graduates with unique tactile skills and blue-collar adjacent expertise are getting high-paying jobs. I work in tech vc and every futurist report points to crossover trends that include something with tactile/physical kills, e.g., if you're just a CS major coder or an econ major turned analyst, you will be the first to be replaced by automation/AI, definitely sooner than the high-school dropout who works at the McDonald's drive-thru. But if you're a CS or engineering major who specializes in dental equipment robotics or construction machinery, you're getting competing job offers. I personally know multiple new Ivy grads right now having a lot of "coffees chats and conversations" but no job offers; the one kid I know with multiple offers is from Virginia Tech. He did some random internship/summer job at a hospital with the surgical prep team and somehow made himself an expert in 3D printing one-of-a-kind replica models that hospitals use before high-risk surgeries. Top hospitals pay millions for these equipments and 3D printers and they have a hospital full of PhDs and MDs who don't know how to operate them, neither can their current technicians who only know how to turn on and off the machines but not how to use them in first-of-its-kind situations. This kid is being flown around to make custom models for the best hospitals in the world. He could retire by age 35 at this rate.

This is why FIRST high school robotics teams are great ECs for a kid. A STEM kid learns both the white collar and blue collar aspects of building the robot...the best teams have whiz-kid programmers, engineers AND skilled woodworkers, CNC router operators, laser cutters, 3D printers (all assuming you aren't on a bullshit team where the adults do all the work)...and many kids learn/try to do both.

It's why Michigan teams do really well in the international competitions. They have access to precision-machine shops that exist for the auto industry.

[Anonymous]

Senior son at top 10 for CS has been working remote since sophomore year for a now series B startup out of Berkeley. He is into embedded systems and designs and programs hardware for robotic machinery they are developing. Will continue after graduation working 1/2 remote and 1/2 from Berkeley. Has stock options and is one the first 2 employees so he’s very excited. Initially was contacted about the position from one of the founders after seeing his personal website/portfolio and GitHub.

[Anonymous]

I know two 2026 grads, both are heading out to Austin (unrelated, it just happened so). One will get an engineering degree from Cornell and another something business related from Tulane. The Cornell grad is joining a large engineering company, the Tulane grad is entering a management training program also at a large company.

[Anonymous]

UMD Dual Major. CS/Another Major - senior. 3 internships in CS - Federal, Defence, FAANG. Call back from all. Took the job offer from FAANG. No hooks at all. Asian American Male. All his friends have well paying CS jobs.

All I can say is that internships and work experience from the get go in college is super, super important.

Here is our two cents.
- Go to your state flagship school and save your education dollars. UMD has been phenomenal for him.
- Start applying to as many internships as you can, as early as you can. Expect to spend a few weeks and a few hours each day sending out applications and resume
- Do not take it personally if you get no offers. I have heard of brilliant students applying to as many as 200+ positions and only getting 1 or 2 responses. Be persistent. My kid applied to 100+ places and got only 1-2 responses. But, the response came from the big names, prestigious well paying places. And each time, there was call back and offers after the internship ended.
- Don't do this alone if you can. Gather a few close friends and sit with them and have internship application sessions together. Once you get your internship offer, keep sending applications out for your friends until all of you have internships. It is an amazing process of camaraderie and trust building, and it removes the stress, shame, anxiety, procrastination of internship and job application process. Also, it gives you a whole lot of experience in how to apply and market yourself for different positions because now you are getting a inside look at 5-6 different kinds of candidates/resumes and you are learning from each other. This is the muscle you will need to develop for the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm hearing a lot from those who are having a hard time but not much from those who are successful. Can anyone with a new grad (25-26) with a job or undergrad with an internship for this summer share.... what major, what kind of school (public, private, highly selective or not), what seemed to help? Did they make a lot of use of the career center?

Civil engineer, T-20. What really helped were summer internships. GPA seems not that relevant as long as above 3.2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:UMD Dual Major. CS/Another Major - senior. 3 internships in CS - Federal, Defence, FAANG. Call back from all. Took the job offer from FAANG. No hooks at all. Asian American Male. All his friends have well paying CS jobs.

All I can say is that internships and work experience from the get go in college is super, super important.

Here is our two cents.
- Go to your state flagship school and save your education dollars. UMD has been phenomenal for him.
- Start applying to as many internships as you can, as early as you can. Expect to spend a few weeks and a few hours each day sending out applications and resume
- Do not take it personally if you get no offers. I have heard of brilliant students applying to as many as 200+ positions and only getting 1 or 2 responses. Be persistent. My kid applied to 100+ places and got only 1-2 responses. But, the response came from the big names, prestigious well paying places. And each time, there was call back and offers after the internship ended.
- Don't do this alone if you can. Gather a few close friends and sit with them and have internship application sessions together. Once you get your internship offer, keep sending applications out for your friends until all of you have internships. It is an amazing process of camaraderie and trust building, and it removes the stress, shame, anxiety, procrastination of internship and job application process. Also, it gives you a whole lot of experience in how to apply and market yourself for different positions because now you are getting a inside look at 5-6 different kinds of candidates/resumes and you are learning from each other. This is the muscle you will need to develop for the future.

^^ Wanted to add...these close friends and classmates who you help in the internship and job application process...these are your future career network. Especially helpful to those who were unhooked during the college application process and know what it means. And especially helpful to those who will never belong to the old boys network. If you cannot get a prestigious job, opportunity or internship - make sure that your friend gets it. Pull each other up.

And this does not have to be limited to your own major. You can help friends in adjacent majors as well as in different fields altogether. It will make you understand the trends, opportunities and future of the job market.