<p>My brother is nearly 25. Graduated 2011 from a flagship state school with a BA in history and about a B + average. He decided he didn’t want to go into teaching, law, etc, so the history degree is pretty useless. He worked in logistics for close to a year after college, but hated it and quit during a bout of depression (he’s now on medication, although he still struggles). He’s doing a part time MA in communications with some vague idea of going into advertising, but really, I think he’s just doing it to feel like he’s doing something rather than with a clear career path in mind. In the meantime, he has a part time retail job.</p>
<p>He’s been applying for essentially every job on monster that doesn’t require any particular experience (and there aren’t that many of those) - administrative, secretarial, etc, and hasn’t gotten a bite. This includes part-time jobs that don’t even require an Associate’s degree. While in college, he was a sports reporter and covered sports for the college radio station, so he’s applied for some jobs for which that would be relevant, but I don’t think his EC involvement was enough to really stand out.</p>
<p>My family is getting fairly desperate, and my brother is completely demoralized at this point. He’s setting up an appointment at his university’s career office, so hopefully that will lead to some advice, but in the meantime I thought I would pool the collective wisdom of CC: what would you be advising your kid to do in this situation? </p>
<p>How is he paying his bills?
Sounds like he needs cognitive behavioral therapy that can help him with pragmatic steps to get on his feet.</p>
<p>My kids both had extensive volunteer work in high school and worked in college, so it’s hard for me to imagine them in that situation but I understand how frustrating it must be to see.</p>
<p>Can’t say I think going to grad school because you don’t know what else to do is a solution though.</p>
<p>You mention he didn’t want to go into teaching or law, but I think Starbucks employs people with history degrees.
Costco probably has better benefits though, has he looked there?</p>
<p>How much time has he spent with the closest branch of his own state’s employment office? They should offer all kinds of free job-hunting training, resume-writing help, and the like. There also should be a link to the state’s job website. Here’s ours: <a href=“https://mwejobs.maryland.gov/vosnet/Default.aspx”>An error has occurred;
<p>I’ve never known anyone to get a job through Monster. I do know people who found short term jobs through Craigslist, maybe he should check that out as well.</p>
<p>happymom is right about the employment office-the ones here offer free classes in everything she mentioned and more. Craigslist in some areas is where most of the real jobs are (and not just temp or low-end ones, either). My sister began working for Costco during a summer break in college and has never left. When her DH was laid off from his high-end job a few years ago, it was HER salary and benefits (good ones) that kept the family afloat. Oh, and she’s in management now with a tidy 401k. Costco treat employees very well, they promote from within and are considered one of the “best places to work”. </p>
<p>FWIW, job-hunting in this economy isn’t for the faint of heart. I know a number of people with excellent credentials who cannot get good jobs-your brother isn’t alone. But it sounds a little like he’s not had a strong drive for awhile now, and maybe his depression is the cause? Would it be worth his getting checked for a medication update or something along those lines?</p>
<p>My son graduated in 2010 and has had a terrible time finding a full time job. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s and depression since age 8, so his depression wasn’t new. Sadly, the recession killed his self-esteem and confidence too. I must admit my dh and I had to keep him focused on the job hunt. The good thing was though: he always kept a part time job. </p>
<p>Over the years, he must have applied to hundreds and hundreads of jobs through all sorts of online sources including indeed, linkedIn, monster, even paid subscriptions to some, like doorstang. His best result was always through Craigslist. But don’t get your hopes up; sometimes those were dead ends too. The one aspect to consider while in this situation: be open to new opportunities. It took my son a very long time to realize that his particular career goal was unrealistic. Even now, it’s hard for him to accept that what he wants may not become a reality.</p>
<p>I’m happy to report he finally (!!!) has a full time job that will be offering benefits after 3 months. It doesn’t pay well, but my son is a very conscientious worker and I think the company is realizing they have a good thing. </p>
<p>My parents have been encouraging him to go see a psychologist, but he’s been dragging his feet (not unusual with depression), and of course he’s far too old for them to force him. He lives at home and my parents aren’t charging him rent; his part-time job pays enough for his car insurance and other expenses. </p>
<p>I would never have thought of Craigslist as a LESS sketchy alternative to monster, but if it has worked for others, I’ll suggest it. We’ve become pretty disenchanted with monster; some of the jobs don’t seem legitimate or just seem to be putting out feelers rather than looking to fill an immediately available position</p>
<p>Limabeans, thanks for that story, which is very encouraging. At this point, I think any job that can get him some experience would be a positive; if the communications degree leads to an advertising job, that’s great, but he can’t count on it. While I do think, looking back even to our childhood, that my brother has struggled with some level of clinical depression for years, I believe that some of what he is going through now is situational; he had originally gone on anti-depressants during college, and they had helped for a time while his life was going fairly well. I’m hoping having SOMETHING going on might improve his mood just enough for the medication to be more effective on its own - although I agree with EK that CBT would be great, if he would be willing.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who has offered advice so far! </p>
<p>He might also consider some volunteer work to get out in the fresh air.
You can often take on greater responsibilities in a volunteer position compared to paid and could make valuable contacts as well.
Plus it could be something to fill out his cv a little bit.</p>
<p>I second the motion about going to his nearest state employment office. They will improve his resume for him, narrow his job interests down to match his skills, and help him through mock interviews. My local office always seems to have a few positions available with local companies that nobody knows about. They also have job fairs that attract 50 to 100 employers, and a rep from the nearest Ivy League school visits regularly to discuss open positions at her university.</p>
<p>I recommend Indeed.com too. He can target specific jobs and the distance he wants to travel. This site will email him daily openings that meet his requirements, and he can apply online. It is great for him to be working part-time since he has free time to job hunt. </p>
<p>There are some jobs that will take in college educated entry levels. If he lives in a state anywhere near one of my company’s branches, I can PM you the name to look into. I work in insurance.</p>
<p>I gave up on monster when I was job hunting because there seemed to be very few legit opportunities, too many “entry level marketing” which were really ponzi scheme type situations. I job hunt almost exclusively on indeed these days. </p>
<p>He needs to check into resources to help him beef up his resume, and he needs some help making sure his cover letters are effective. When youre applying across the board and you don’t have experience to speak to your qualifiations for the job, the cover letter is an opportunity to frame your skills and interests for the particular position for the person reviewing the resume. Otherwise they look at your resume and think, “why does he even want this job? He must just be desperate and applying for anything and everything… next!” </p>
<p>I’d suggest he try to get an internship in a communications position. It doesn’t have to be a paid internship, either, just something to give him solid writing/communications/corporate experience to put on his resume (and a source of possible recommendations.) </p>
<p>Don’t know where he lives but try companies that bring employees up through their ranks with training into management positions. There are specific management tracks. Publix comes immediately to mind. I’m sure there are others. Costco has a great company record for that.
Does he have any contacts? Friends, family who would recommend him to a position so that someone would give him a chance?
You say he’s doing a part time MA in communications with thinking of advertising–how are his computer skills?
Local newspaper? Low pay but depending on how good he is, it can grow. Try to meet the editor–submit articles and story ideas/pictures.
Does he like his retail position? Or at least the social aspect? Sales is always an option.
Get him to join the local chamber of commerce to meet business people who may be able to point him to available positions in the community once they get to know him.<br>
I’ve often found that while experience is great what employers REALLY want is a willing-to-learn, hard working employee that is dependable. Hard to find. They’ll spend time training if they know someone will stick around. Training costs money.
If he wants communications and has strong writing skills, a portfolio of sorts would be good–a website that he’s built up would bolster his resume immensely and showcase his skills. These days it’s a requirement for advertising so he needs to show what he can do. Love sports? Focus on that in the website.</p>
<p>Sorry he’s struggling with depression–hopefully some focus in his life will help. A diploma is not the sure-fire key to a job these days and you do need to enjoy at least some aspect of what you do every day. Sounds like he has a lot of family support. Good luck to him!</p>
<p>Thanks again for these great suggestions. Ema, I’d particularly appreciate the PM - and yeah, I think he probably needs someone to look over his cover letters and tailor them to avoid the taint of desperation. </p>
<p>Has he considered taking a certificate course to become a paralegal? His communications background would be a natural fit. While in college, my son worked for a law firm maintaining/enhancing their web and marketing presence, and also researched and wrote for the firm’s blog. When he progressed on in to his next internship, he passed that internship on to a friend who has now become a full paralegal, who is using the experience to determine whether she wants to go on to law school or not.</p>
<p>I like Gouf’s idea about going in on the ground floor with a large company. We know someone who after college about a decade ago parked cars for one of the car rental companies and slowly but surely got promotion after promotion into the corporate offices and is now a director. Sometimes kids have to start at the bottom. I know my 2011 graduate went that route also and is finally now three years later seeing the payoff of working side by side immediately after college graduation with kids that never went to college. In my opinion the trick is to find an industry that you like/love and just go for it rather than a scattershot approach of looking for a job by the job description. Pick the industry and then go find the job and do the time as you move around within the industry. Piling on more education isn’t always the answer…if he loves law then maybe it does make sense to become a paralegal and then get the firm to cover costs for law school. </p>
<p>I have to tell you that a dad I know who has been sort of hard pressed to find a career seems to have found a great niche with the USPS. Leds to benefits, retirement etc. </p>
<p>in a similar light to TempeMom- try a VAMC med center as a staff clerk. Just have to be able to type a certain speed. It opens all kinds of other options once your in.</p>
<p>Be aware that most jobs at job fairs are insurance sales positions. Often times, they’re looking to hire fresh faces, but I always think they’re ready to pick through my contact list. Even legit insurance firms hire sales guys this way: lots of phone work and compensation based on commission. Enterprise car rental firm also always look for new hires at job fairs around here.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who has weighed in. I looked into the job options in his state, and found out that the county does offer some free vocational services, including resume help and employment matching. I sent him the information, and it’s up to him to take the next step. We also had a conversation about looking for a low-level job and working his way up (I mentioned some of the ideas from this thread, without telling him I had posted to a forum) and he seemed somewhat receptive. I think maybe hearing it from me rather than from our parents made the conversation more palatable for him, since he tends to get very defensive when they suggest anything. He also finally made an appointment with a psychiatrist to talk about medication changes; he’s still taking a dim view of talk therapy, but at least it’s a start. </p>
<p>I’m feeling a little more hopeful today than I was a couple of days ago - I hope he is too. </p>
<p>I recommend he start volunteering 20 hours per week. From there, he can build industry knowledge, job skills/experience, and a community of people and contacts. He can use his research, writing and voice skills and see where it takes him. Perhaps he can offer to create or maintain the blog, podcasting and social media for a NFP, small business or other entity for 20 hours per week volunteering. That will also build his portfolio. His future actually looks bright. BTW, I like idealist.org for job/career ideas. </p>
<p>My D is 24, has a similar story ( but several course of therapy) and has gained what seems to a really useful sense of purpose, along with experience, now about 9 months into a position with Americorp.</p>