Post-College Life

[WaterBomb]

i dont know where you went to school but i got a "entry level job" straight out of college without relevant internship experience. thats what you pay money for, to answer some previous question. its not exactly about what you learn in school, its moreso you have to go to get access to recruiting resources and networking sources. 99% of academia in college is boring / useless, and the 1% i learned ill relearn through on the job training. you pay for a degree, not for an education.

When did you graduate? If you graduated prior to the economic collapse, then a job would have been easier to come by. Nowadays the market sucks, and most companies aren't hiring inexperienced people. As I said, the only industries hiring "green peas" so to speak are Sales and Retail. You need to be really lucky to find a true entry level job these days that will train you from the ground up without any prior experience, has a good salary and isn't commission based. Took me two years to find a job that fit that bill after college, and I also have yet to find another one since getting laid off last October.

 

[TheWalrus9]

Would dropping out of college be a definite bad move? I'm academically smart (scored 2330 on the SAT) and pretty good/motivated at teaching myself stuff.

For right now, as long as you can afford it, I would advise staying in college. Though unemployment is slowly getting better, the market is still ridiculously fierce for job seekers. Unless you have something lined up which will allow for long term stability and advancement, stay in school and ride it out for awhile. You'll be more marketable with a college degree at the end of it, and you won't get stuck in a dead-end job just to make ends meet. You might not feel you are learning much at this point (and gen. eds are awful if you've already decided a major. such a waste of time), eventually you'll find some classes that challenge you and give you some new insight. Freshman year in a major is usually just getting everybody on the same page in the program, so you might be treading water while they catch everybody else up. But stick it out, find some upper division courses to challenge you and let the job market level out a bit.

 

[Luminouzz]

Thanks for the advice. I'm doing a programming internship over summer, so I'll see how that goes. I guess the thing is, even looking at the upper-level courses in the CS department, many of them seem to be much more academic/theory-oriented, as opposed to software engineering skills.

 

[MrIndigo]

Thanks for the advice. I'm doing a programming internship over summer, so I'll see how that goes. I guess the thing is, even looking at the upper-level courses in the CS department, many of them seem to be much more academic/theory-oriented, as opposed to software engineering skills.

Software engineering skills you get from actually being a software engineer, not from the degree. The number of people who can't write code after a CS degree is -astounding-.

 

[Luminouzz]

^Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, that's my feeling about it. I think I can pick up the theory on my own, but many companies seem to want a degree.

Although, I'm not sure I'm interested in working for big companies that require programmers to have degrees..

 

[Philip7086]

tl;dr: I'm currently working at PlayStation

I graduated from Cal Poly, SLO, in June 2010 with a bachelors degree in Business Administration, and a concentration in Marketing. I was a fool and didn't go around applying before I graduated, because I wanted to take some time off to relax with friends, etc., before starting a career... I guess kindof like a "final summer vacation".

My "final summer vacation" lasted until October, when I decided to take a low paying internship at a startup LED company. This company (which I don't want to disclose) was actually founded by some of the most well-known and respected LED engineers and executives at the time, so it was a great learning experience for me; it was a startup atmosphere with the mindset and experience of a large corporation. I worked there until February 2011, when I finished my project on the viability of entering the streetlight market with the company's current LED capabilities. I could have stayed longer, but they really didn't have the capacity to take someone on full-time anytime soon, and I wanted something more than just an internship.

Around this time, I saw that PlayStation was going to be recruiting at my alma mater's spring career fair. I figured I might as well give it a shot. I made the 2.5hr drive to get to the career fair with only one goal: get a job at PlayStation. There were plenty of other companies there hiring, but PlayStation was the only company I was interested in (yeah, I'm picky and stubborn to a fault...). I walked up confidently to the recruiter, only to be immediately rejected with "I'm sorry, we're only looking for engineers at this time". I was about to walk away when I thought to myself "fuck that, I came all the way out here, she's going to listen to what I have to say." I went ahead and gave quick elevator pitch on why I was perfect for PlayStation, even though they didn't have a position available for me, thanked the recruiter for her time, and left the building.

Two weeks later, I got a call from that very recruiter telling me a marketing position opened up and that she thought I would be a good candidate. Had a phone interview. Went well. Had an in-person interview with 6 different people. Went well. Then six weeks went by with no word. I decided to give PlayStation a call and tell them that I had another offer that I was sitting on, and that I needed to know soon or else I would be forced to take the other offer. The very next Monday, I was sitting at my desk in PlayStation with a nice lakeside view.

I've been working at PlayStation for a little over a year now, and I'm loving it. I definitely feel very lucky to have scored a "dream job" of sorts, especially in this economy and with the limited experience on my resume. I think being passionate about something definitely goes a long way though, and it is always apparent who is genuinely passionate, and who is faking it.

Currently, I commute an hour each way to work, living with my parents still. I've saved up enough cash to buy my own place though (fuck renting IMO), and will be moving into my own one bedroom townhouse within the month! I also have a couple of side projects I am working on in my free time. All in all, I'm very happy with where I am right now. Going into college I knew two things: 1. I wanted to work in the gaming industry, and 2. I wanted to stay in California. Done, and done.

 

[PikaPete]

I graduated five years ago with a Physics major, couldn't find any good jobs near where I lived and ended up doing the night shift at a supermarket for a year and a half (and being paid surprisingly well!).

After I had enough of that, and the job situation getting no better, I fled to South Korea, where I have been teaching English since. And the best thing is that as the student loans company don't know I'm here, I don't pay them! (although that will probably bite me in the arse at some point in the future).

As for the whole teaching English in Korea thing, it is absolutely the best thing I've ever done, an amazing experience where I've met great people, experienced so many new and exciting things and I would recommend it to anyone.

 

[Feathers]

philip is my hero as of right now.

i hope i can muster up enough passion to get a game company to hire me, but on the other hand everyone wants to be an artist/3d artist. eh.

 

[ivar]

that's a very impressive story phillip; i nod my head to you in solidarity

 

[-Eddie-]

Awesome stories phillip and pikapete! I'm still in college, but I got an internship with the Census Bureau (I'm a math major), so I'll see how that goes.

 

[TeeJay]

After college: I got a job. Then I got a house. Now I do what I want.

 

[ToF]

When did you graduate? If you graduated prior to the economic collapse, then a job would have been easier to come by. Nowadays the market sucks, and most companies aren't hiring inexperienced people. As I said, the only industries hiring "green peas" so to speak are Sales and Retail. You need to be really lucky to find a true entry level job these days that will train you from the ground up without any prior experience, has a good salary and isn't commission based. Took me two years to find a job that fit that bill after college, and I also have yet to find another one since getting laid off last October.

I'm graduating this year in June and landed my job recruiting in December of last year. I'm getting full training from June to August in a non sales and retail role with a full 70k base salary, not commission based, and a hefty year-end bonus. Again, you pay for recruiting resources mostly through your education.

 

[LoveDensity]

Imma be rambling, so sorry.

I was about to walk away when I thought to myself "fuck that, I came all the way out here, she's going to listen to what I have to say." I went ahead and gave quick elevator pitch on why I was perfect for PlayStation, even though they didn't have a position available for me, thanked the recruiter for her time, and left the building.

Great example for everyone. There are many things in this world that we want that we necessarily cannot get due to whatever reasons there may be. If you want something, go get it. In life, sometimes you only have one shot to do something and if that opportunity arises, you must do everything in your power towards that goal. Whether it is to maintain positive confidence, determination, passion, or a willingness to strive beyond limits, you must show it if you want to obtain the opportunity and reap the benefits. Opportunities are not rare, but finding that "perfect" opportunity takes work. Sometimes you fail, but dont let that discourage you because at least you tried and you learned something.

I'm currently a freshman in college studying computer science. However, I don't feel like I'm learning much right now, and a lot of my time is being taken up by other distributional req. classes that I don't enjoy.

To this guy, college gets better (in my experience at least). Freshman year, many people aren't at that fully mature state and people must still adapt to college life. My freshman year of college was not ideal either. Sure, there were parties, events, etc., but I was bored and sick to my stomach because college life was something new to me and there must be something more that college offers other than parties and learning for the sake of getting a job. I haven't graduated yet, but I feel like I am well on my way in getting the full experience out of college. I am currently a junior towards obtaining a B.S. degree in Biological Science with a Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation concentration and also a minor in Astronomy. Junior year tho, many people starts maturing, people evolve and you will also see that you changed as a person overtime. I matured as a Junior and saw that I must put in extra effort towards my goal. I couldnt only get high grades because high grades dont mean anything if you dont show any sort of experience through work experience or communication. I branched out, applied and obtained scholarships/grants. Most importantly, my professor saw potential in me and gave me the opportunity to work with her in a research project. This was only possible because I showcased my experience, passion, determination, and my potential skill. Currently, I am working with her and grad students and also working on my own little project towards a bigger biological project in the summer . Getting paid $5000 by the school in the summer to do research is an extra incentive as well with the experience =D (K, no more flaunting). But getting to know your professors are one of the keys to success.

I do not want to discourage you, but maybe you dont have a passion for CPU science. You may only be doing it because you have the potential to be good at it, good job availability, and pays good money. I had that initial mindset, too. I initially wanted to enter medical school by taking pre-med courses, but overtime I saw that I was doing it only for the prestige and income. I was sacrificing my own happiness in trying to drown myself in something I did not really like. I did love neurology, but that is only a small portion of what I like in anatomy and physiology. I found greater passion for Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation, as well as Astrobiology (Astronomy minor =D) because I liked to understand how life works and why life works a certain way. Like Phil said, it is all about having a passion for something. Doesn't matter how much money you make, it is about your happiness. If you do something your passionate about, you can strive for greater things. You just have to give it your all.

 

[WaterBomb]

I'm graduating this year in June and landed my job recruiting in December of last year. I'm getting full training from June to August in a non sales and retail role with a full 70k base salary, not commission based, and a hefty year-end bonus. Again, you pay for recruiting resources mostly through your education.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I find this extremely difficult to believe. Unless you're working in Manhattan, companies just aren't paying a 70k base salary AND giving full ground-up training to kids who haven't even graduated college yet. That salary is the kind of money a professional with 5-10 years of experience usually makes, not an entry level college pre-grad.

What company do you work for, and where? Again I apologize if this comes across the wrong way, but I just find it simply incredible that a 20-21 year old with no experience can land a job paying 70k a year base salary (not even including bonus), giving him full training from scratch before he's even graduated college. How did you manage to land such an opportunity?

 

[whistle]

it's quite believable if he is working for a consulting/finance company. my friend who graduated last year makes 70k+ as an entry level consultant at one of the big 3. I would be surprised if entry level analysts at any investment bank made much less than 70k a year, even with only a bachelors degree.

 

[ToF]

Don't take this the wrong way, but I find this extremely difficult to believe. Unless you're working in Manhattan, companies just aren't paying a 70k base salary AND giving full ground-up training to kids who haven't even graduated college yet. That salary is the kind of money a professional with 5-10 years of experience usually makes, not an entry level college pre-grad.

What company do you work for, and where? Again I apologize if this comes across the wrong way, but I just find it simply incredible that a 20-21 year old with no experience can land a job paying 70k a year base salary (not even including bonus), giving him full training from scratch before he's even graduated college. How did you manage to land such an opportunity?

It's cool, no worries. I am in Manhattan, and I'm not kidding as to what I'm making and when I got my job. Not going to reveal where I'm working as only a few close people know on the forum, but it's one of the top 3 investment banks on Wall Street. How did I land it? College resume drop + first round interviews + final round interviews (called a superday) = landed a job. That's why I've been saying you pay for on-campus recruiting efforts at college, not exactly for an education.

 

[WaterBomb]

The fact that it's in Manhattan pretty much explains it, because those jobs always pay a ton more. Also since it's financial consultation (which is what I recruit reps for, actually), the salary makes sense since it's such a high volume and challenging position. If I could tolerate the hour commute every day I'd work in the city too, but NYC makes me want to punch people in the face so that's a no-go.

Maybe I should become an analyst instead. I can't stand recruiting/sales/marketing...

 

[Byrne]

I start in the fall (well, early August) at Indiana University. Got a nice 16,000 from scholarships which will soften my loans a bit. I'm majoring in Psychology which worries me a little since I'm not sure if the demand for Psychologists is huge in a destroyed economy. I might switch to computers or something wince my future would be brighter there, but my passion still always lies in Psychology.

 

[ToF]

The fact that it's in Manhattan pretty much explains it, because those jobs always pay a ton more. Also since it's financial consultation (which is what I recruit reps for, actually), the salary makes sense since it's such a high volume and challenging position. If I could tolerate the hour commute every day I'd work in the city too, but NYC makes me want to punch people in the face so that's a no-go.

Maybe I should become an analyst instead. I can't stand recruiting/sales/marketing...

It's not even just Manhattan. My friend works at the same company I do out in the west coast and he gets the same salary and I'm gonna join him for training in a few month. Every entry-level analyst position pays this salary. What I do isn't financial consultation, just google what an investment banker is.

Anything in finance actually as an entry level analyst pays minimum $60k base + variable bonus. You're really exaggerating how hard it is out there. Everyone from my business school class of 500 kids has some job in the field and a minimum $60k salary. You pay a hefty tuition for these on campus recruiting opportunities like I keep saying.

 

[WaterBomb]

It's hard if you're not into finance =/. There aren't a whole lot of true "entry level" jobs paying 60k+. Plus I would suspect (correct me if I'm wrong) that you usually won't be considered for those positions unless you went to business school or obtained some kind of financial degree.

I think the point I was trying to make was that the job market is incredibly craptastic right now, save for a select few niche fields (previously mentioned Sales/Marketing, apparently Investment Banking), so your success I would see as more of an exception than normal. I just wish I could find a job where my success didn't revolve around me changing OTHER people's minds about things...

 

[ToF]

It's hard if you're not into finance =/. There aren't a whole lot of true "entry level" jobs paying 60k+. Plus I would suspect (correct me if I'm wrong) that you usually won't be considered for those positions unless you went to business school or obtained some kind of financial degree.

I think the point I was trying to make was that the job market is incredibly craptastic right now, save for a select few niche fields (previously mentioned Sales/Marketing, apparently Investment Banking), so your success I would see as more of an exception than normal. I just wish I could find a job where my success didn't revolve around me changing OTHER people's minds about things...

Yeah I would say your degree has a large role in what you can get now. Finance is hot because things are slowly recovering and its just a natural part of the business that people leave and new people come in. Even a degree in Economics is good enough to have the potential to be interviewed for these jobs. It entirely depends on where you want to go and what you want to do. In business, all the jobs are open. Firms are hiring in every division. In medicine, maybe not. It's very demand oriented, although you can make an impression like Phil did (see the college thread for his story) and get your foot in the door without an amazing degree.

 

[WaterBomb]

Well, I essentially pigeonholed myself by majoring in History and minoring in Education when I got my bachelors. Governor Christie is taking it to the teachers in NJ like you wouldn't believe, so there's no jobs there. I'm stuck doing something I don't really enjoy until the education market recovers, which could be awhile. It's disconcerting, but luckily my wife does quite well so money will not be an issue.

 

[ToF]

Well, I essentially pigeonholed myself by majoring in History and minoring in Education when I got my bachelors. Governor Christie is taking it to the teachers in NJ like you wouldn't believe, so there's no jobs there. I'm stuck doing something I don't really enjoy until the education market recovers, which could be awhile. It's disconcerting, but luckily my wife does quite well so money will not be an issue.

Yeah I know all about that being from Jersey myself. That sucks a lot, though you might want to expand your horizons and try searching in the city. You might not have a choice since NJ is really cutting down on the budget hardcore.

 

[WaterBomb]

Yeah I know all about that being from Jersey myself. That sucks a lot, though you might want to expand your horizons and try searching in the city. You might not have a choice since NJ is really cutting down on the budget hardcore.

I've been toying with the idea of pursuing a teacher cert in NY as well, but that still leaves me with the prospect of commuting to the city every day, which would no doubt drive me to mass genocide :(.

Currently pursuing options in pharmacy tech, or possibly a semi-pro or pro soccer career even. It's tough when every "entry level" job you look at says "3+ years experience required for this entry level position", haha.

Man I hate this state...

 

[TheWalrus9]

Education is taking a beating all over. It's not much better over here in WA. I'm not going to make up a statistic, but I saw that the retention rate of teachers who last more than three years is abysmal because of all the cuts and poor policies. And yet they won't hire anybody new unless they are "highly qualified" in their field (masters or three years previous experience). It's bleak.