What do the college graduates who can't find jobs do?

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01/23/2018 12:23

Subject: Re:What do the college graduates who can't find jobs do?

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Anonymous

Anonymous wrote:"Many grads go to school for degrees that aren't needed. That is a problem. Yes, it may be your passion but it might not get you the $$."

The small group that studies a subject they are passionate about really don't have a problem.

If it truly is their passion, then they have spent their lives to that point, doing whatever is necessary to allow them to do it.

More likely, it is called a passion because they think telling others it is a passion gives them an excuse.

Actually, very few GO to school for degrees that aren't needed. I will admit may FINISH school with degrees that aren't worth much.

Lots of students START as engineers or business majors or nursing majors or undecided. All of those are very useful but all of them are difficult in one way or another.

Take undecided for example. The point is to figure out what you want to do THAT IS NEEDED.

After 18 years, you either have a pretty good idea or you are looking for some fantasy that doesn't exist.

Trying to change that in 4 to 9 or even 21 months is hard and often leads to searching the course catalog for the closest degree to the list of AP and college courses you have taken.

Since it is "obvious" that it is better to be looking for a job with a silly degree rather than with just a list of silly courses a few credits short of a degree, students do FINISH school.

So they have FINISHED but have done NOTHING about their undecided problem.

How do you know what is needed? When I was in college, I majored in Political Science with a minor in Russian language. I had it in my head that I wanted to work for the CIA or the State Department, which seemed to be the only career paths open to me. Pretty limiting, huh? I ended up on the Hill for 4 years and then the world changed. It was 1989, and the Berlin Wall fell, the Eastern Bloc tumbled and by 1991 the Soviet Union was not more. I ended up with way more opportunity than I ever imagined possible and now work in international trade, which is not something I had even considered when I started out after college.

Here is the advice I give college students or recent graduates looking for a job.

1. Read What Color is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles: Richard Nelson Bolles almost single-handedly created the field of career counseling with the publication of this now classic book in 1973. I cannot recommend it high enough. The book provides the job hunter or career changer with tools needed to identify your skills, knowledge and interests so that you can find or create the job that is right for you. Reading and doing the exercises in this book will help you develop the self knowledge that is necessary for you to define the type of job that is right for you and to effectively market yourself to employers. He has a companion web-site: http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/articles/wciyp.php
2. Use Your University Resources: Every college and university in the United States has a career services center that is available to students and alumni. These centers offer on-campus interviews with prominent companies, but they are more valuable for helping you to develop the skills that you need to successfully find and land a job. Resume critiques, mock interview and other services are all useful in helping to polish your job search skills.
3. Be Creative: Do not limit yourself to a single avenue of attack. Develop a job-search strategy that will use several approaches to finding the right job for you. If you find that you are lacking in a certain skill set or need further experience in order to land your job, discover how you can develop these skills or gain that experience without going back to school.
4. Be Flexible: The most successful job hunters are those who are willing to make changes to achieve their career goals. Be willing to move to another city or country, take an initial lower salary to break into a new field. Do not wed yourself to a particular organization or job title.
5. Take Risks: When you come up against a brick wall in your job search, do something daring to help you achieve your goal. For example, I wished to work in Russia utilizing my Russian language skills. After having failed to obtain several fellowships and internships, I took a risk and moved to Siberia where I used connections I had developed in graduate school to work in a Russian university. This action, more than any other, helped me to jump start my international career. At the time, I had about $3,000 to my name, after having sold my car and most of my personal belongings to get myself to the old USSR.
6. Talk to People: People are your most valuable resource. Use your alumni connections. Join professional organizations in your field, attend professional conferences in your field, find a mentor who can provide you with advice and guidance. Building your networks and getting known among people in your field multiplies the “eyes and ears” who know that you are looking for a job and can refer you for a position.
7. Be Positive: A job search, whether you’ve gone through one once or 100 times, is difficult and can be emotionally and spiritually challenging. Maintain an interest in your hobbies, keep up with friends, exercise and do volunteer work that will help you maintain your life balance and also perhaps open up further opportunities for you.
8. Good luck!

I would also advocate not going from undergrad directly into graduate school. For one thing, you may not need the graduate degree to succeed in your career. My current boss - who is one of the best leaders and managers I have had and an excellent role model - only has a BA from a SUNY school. Secondly, you'll have more direction when and if you go to grad school - and probably some money to pay for it too.