Let’s talk the reality of career resources

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m mixed on this topic. I think many posters here are way in the extremes (as always on DCUM) when it comes to applying to opportunities, since most of their kids are in business. For 90% of industries, the internships just dropped. Every single firm DS has been eyeing for data has just opened their applications for summer 2025. I’ve also never had anyone in my family apply to 200 internships for one offer, more like 15-20 with multiple choices.

If you’re from an ivy, it is much easier to get an interview offer, so I think OP’s child should check for interview prep at brown’s career center. Should colleges lay internships at your feet? Ideally yes, and I’d say some do (my Alma mater Harvard essentially is a stomping ground for this), but of course initiative matters. Like every topic, there’s a balance.

It definitely varies by industry and smaller companies are often posting internships into the spring. My son applied to a lot of those in sophomore year, since he didn't realize he had to start in fall (looking for data analytics jobs). Hit the ground running in junior year and had accepted a job by winter break.

DD, however, is an environmental science major and found not much of interest in the fall but a lot posted in late winter. She had two job offers by spring break. Next summer she's going back to last summer's job. That org hasn't posted yet -- they had to wait until they knew what their approved budget was and which prior-year students would come back. Open jobs, if any, will post later in January.

[Anonymous]

This is not the case at all with Dd at Williams. Shocking that people aren’t questioning bad career prep from an Ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:most internships for this summer were filled in the fall (or earlier).

go to every career fair. talk to people. even if not looking yet, it is good practice. work on an elevator speech.

some career centers are good. many are not.

like in the real world, you have to get out there and find something yourself.

No, completely untrue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:most internships for this summer were filled in the fall (or earlier).

go to every career fair. talk to people. even if not looking yet, it is good practice. work on an elevator speech.

some career centers are good. many are not.

like in the real world, you have to get out there and find something yourself.

This is not true. Only one industry hires this early, many are actively searching right now. Not everyone is into finance.

well, actually you are wrong about that. finance hires very early, that's true i guarantee you most big companies that attend career fairs which were held in august/september have mostly filled their intern spots.

Wtf? No. There are tons of classic internship opportunities that haven’t even opened yet for summer of 2025. Prestigious ones, too, like certain gigs at State, ACLU, law firms, lobbying firms, defense contractors, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:most internships for this summer were filled in the fall (or earlier).

go to every career fair. talk to people. even if not looking yet, it is good practice. work on an elevator speech.

some career centers are good. many are not.

like in the real world, you have to get out there and find something yourself.

This is not true. Only one industry hires this early, many are actively searching right now. Not everyone is into finance.

well, actually you are wrong about that. finance hires very early, that's true i guarantee you most big companies that attend career fairs which were held in august/september have mostly filled their intern spots.

Wtf? No. There are tons of classic internship opportunities that haven’t even opened yet for summer of 2025. Prestigious ones, too, like certain gigs at State, ACLU, law firms, lobbying firms, defense contractors, etc.

Average DCUM has an athlete child who isn’t the brightest and majors in business. There are REUs that haven’t even opened yet, museum internships would look at you crazy for emailing them currently about summer opportunities, and like you mentioned many other legal and political internships that haven’t opened. This is solely a finance issue.

[Anonymous]

For the amount I pay I’d hope the career center helps with internships and jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the amount I pay I’d hope the career center helps with internships and jobs.

You sound spoiled and ungrateful. It’s about the education, the jobs are on your child’s initiative!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m mixed on this topic. I think many posters here are way in the extremes (as always on DCUM) when it comes to applying to opportunities, since most of their kids are in business. For 90% of industries, the internships just dropped. Every single firm DS has been eyeing for data has just opened their applications for summer 2025. I’ve also never had anyone in my family apply to 200 internships for one offer, more like 15-20 with multiple choices.

If you’re from an ivy, it is much easier to get an interview offer.

PP, well I'm not making it up. Any of your family a sophomore computer science major looking for an internship in summer of 2025?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:most internships for this summer were filled in the fall (or earlier).

go to every career fair. talk to people. even if not looking yet, it is good practice. work on an elevator speech.

some career centers are good. many are not.

like in the real world, you have to get out there and find something yourself.

This is not true. Only one industry hires this early, many are actively searching right now. Not everyone is into finance.

My Ivy freshman is interviewing right now…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD attends a top 10 university and is a math/cs double major. Recently I sat down and asked her about how she’s doing in her internship search, since we never talked about it during the year. She explains that she’s been doing pretty poorly so I tell her to go to the career center; to which, she complains is useless and isn’t helpful. When we toured this school, we were stoked for its career offerings in specific which were highlighted by our guides (both when we first visited and during admitted students week). Apparently the career treks are super competitive and only take 30 students, the advising often comes from students not career counselors (!!!) and students are doing the heavy lifting for everything! This is shocking to me, does anyone else’s college act like this?!

They are not in the business of lining up internships, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m mixed on this topic. I think many posters here are way in the extremes (as always on DCUM) when it comes to applying to opportunities, since most of their kids are in business. For 90% of industries, the internships just dropped. Every single firm DS has been eyeing for data has just opened their applications for summer 2025. I’ve also never had anyone in my family apply to 200 internships for one offer, more like 15-20 with multiple choices.

If you’re from an ivy, it is much easier to get an interview offer.

PP, well I'm not making it up. Any of your family a sophomore computer science major looking for an internship in summer of 2025?

CS is the issue.

[Anonymous]

I haven't read through this entire thread, but I understand OP's complaint. Seems the higher ranked the school, the more contempt it has for kids that actually want jobs after graduation vs. continuing on in Academia or other graduate school programs.

I recall I think on a Clemson tour that a student was commenting on some classes they offer where you actually work with companies to solve their actual problems (under the guidance of the professor).

The tour guide mentioned that the professor told the kids the reason the class exists is that they hope/expect participating companies to hire kids for jobs/internships which they often do.

Just a difference in the attitude of the school and what it thinks its mission is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:most internships for this summer were filled in the fall (or earlier).

go to every career fair. talk to people. even if not looking yet, it is good practice. work on an elevator speech.

some career centers are good. many are not.

like in the real world, you have to get out there and find something yourself.

This is not true. Only one industry hires this early, many are actively searching right now. Not everyone is into finance.

My Ivy freshman is interviewing right now…

Major and industry?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read through this entire thread, but I understand OP's complaint. Seems the higher ranked the school, the more contempt it has for kids that actually want jobs after graduation vs. continuing on in Academia or other graduate school programs.

I recall I think on a Clemson tour that a student was commenting on some classes they offer where you actually work with companies to solve their actual problems (under the guidance of the professor).

The tour guide mentioned that the professor told the kids the reason the class exists is that they hope/expect participating companies to hire kids for jobs/internships which they often do.

Just a difference in the attitude of the school and what it thinks its mission is.

This isn’t special. Harvey Mudd was one of the first programs to create this style class and it’s called Clinic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is not the case at all with Dd at Williams. Shocking that people aren’t questioning bad career prep from an Ivy.

+1, parents here are weird, and like pretending that their kids aren’t interested in the same thing as any normal human being. An Ivy should help you tremendously with the job search, but now people want to convince op that they’re delusional for expecting that.