Helping my DD transition after graduation

Parent Cafe
1

<p>My DD will be graduating early from a top school this coming May. I am very proud of her achievement as she has worked hard despite several health and relationship setbacks. In addition to finishing school in 3 years, she has also managed 2 part time jobs to help pay for her personal expenses and volunteered at the school paper. Her grades fell a bit during the health and relationship crisis that unfortunately happened at the same time but she bounced back and brought her grades back up.</p>

<p>She is graduating a degree in Communications Media and a minor in Creative Writing. She knew this field would be extremely competitive. However, she loves to write and really wants to pursue this. I did try to steer her to more lucrative/practical fields but at the end of the day, I know she would be unhappy in them. I have taken her to “take your daughter to work” day since she was 6 and ironically this is the reason she knows she would be unhappy in these other fields. I do understand trying to pursue your dreams while you are young with not a lot to lose. This in mind, we have been careful with not accumulating too much student loan debt. </p>

<p>The school offers the opportunity to apply to Hollywood internships, where in my opinion, is just slave labor. However, they sell it as an opportunity to get to know the industry and the people. She did apply, but did not get in. The application process was rigorous requiring only presenting related experience, of which she had none. The fact that she had done a media internship in another field in her high school senior year, could not be presented as it was in another industry and in High School. Other internships require that she return in the fall for course credit. So, it seems there is quite a penalty for skipping junior year. Last year, she did not have enough course work and this year she needs to be able to return to school in the fall to earn internship credit.</p>

<p>So now, she is quite discouraged. I have approached her about considering a traditional job in communications and she is reluctantly willing to try it in order not to end up unemployed with a nice degree. I have reached out to some personal contacts who have their antennas up for anything that opens up. I know she will do this out of feeling the need to be practical. I have not doubt, she will give a 100% to the job despite it not being her ideal job. </p>

<p>If nothing works out, she recently toyed with the idea of traveling for the first six months after graduation. This is her second passion. Of course, this also requires money. I wonder if she could teach English overseas to earn money and at the same time get the opportunity to travel and maybe some doors will open up after that. There is of course, a safety factor here that scares me a bit. We have traveled a lot but mostly to safe places. She did a study abroad in England. She knows how to get around on her own. However, safety remains a concern.</p>

<p>I would love to hear suggestions about how she can do this and if your child has done this. Has it worked well for them? or has it just been a long vacation? Since she has saved us a semester of tuition, I think we can give her some funds as a graduation present to help her travels. She also has some FF miles.</p>

<p>I am also open to job search suggestions for this field. She has signed up on LinkedIin.Talked to professors and checking out leads. I know she is looking at every avenue.</p>

<p>Sorry for the long post, just trying to get as much info out there. Thank you in advance.</p>

2

<p>I wonder if she could teach English overseas to earn money and at the same time get the opportunity to travel and maybe some doors will open up after that. >></p>

<p>Two of mine are doing just that. One joined the Peace Corps after graduation via the Master’s International program. She did one year of her masters, then her 2+ years of PC service and completed the last semester of school on her return. She then went back overseas to teach.</p>

<p>The second took a certification course overseas and stayed there to teach. She is going into her second year.</p>

<p>Feel free to PM me.</p>

3

<p>The film/tv/media industry is notorious for unpaid internships…it’s a “pay your dues” kind of thing. I don’t know what city your D is or will be in, but she should read Craiglist postings in her field, check out the entertainment job sites and directly contact all the related-industry options such as casting, talent management, PR etc. She should use all alumni contacts from her college as well. If she gets the internship/entry level position on her own, there will be no credit issues. This seems to be one industry pretty unconcerned with the labor issues attendant with unpaid internships. If it’s media and communications she’s primarily interested in, she can also look at DC jobs in political communications and internships in Senate/House offices. Good sites for those jobs are Tom Manatos and the House Vacancy Announcements.</p>

4

<p>If you or your spouse has a traditional job with health insurance, then she can stay on that health insurance until she reaches age 26.</p>

<p>This gives her a freedom that young people in previous times didn’t have. She doesn’t have to worry about benefits. If she wants to, she could accept temporary positions, internships, contract work, part-time jobs, freelance work, or any combination of the above, in order to develop experience in her field. She doesn’t really have to settle down into a full-time job until she approaches her 26th birthday.</p>

5

<p>I know I may come across as being insensitive, but here goes. I thnk it would be irresponsible for her to take off and travel for 6 months after she graduates. She’s probably going to have a very hard time finding a job in her field when she graduates. She may have difficulty finding a job period. Will she have any student loans? Will she be moving back home?</p>

<p>A friend’s S graduated with his “dream” degree that was highly impractical. He ended up living at home for about 5 years before he could find a secure job in a totally unrelated field. Another friend’s D took off 6 months when she graduated. That turned into 2-1/2 years before she was able to find a job.</p>

<p>I am ever so thankful that our D will graduate with a degree in a field that is very much in demand and usually offers a starting salary between $60-90K. She will be interning for a top tech company this summer. When she was in middle school, she expressed an interest in being a writer. We were successful in steering her away from this and towards a career path that would be more practical. I know many of you will not agree with me, but with the current bleak job outlook for college graduates, I think students need to carefully consider their college major.</p>

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<p>Another thing to consider: Your daughter graduated in 3 years instead of 4, thus saving your family a great deal of money. But graduating early seems to have hampered her career prospects because she didn’t have time for internships.</p>

<p>It is not unusual for students to pursue internships immediately after graduation, and it may be easier to get internships if they’re not limited to the summer. Would you be willing to support your daughter financially for a year if she finds an unpaid or low-paying internship (or a combination of short-term internships that fill the year)? The cost to you would be substantial but not as high as the cost of a fourth year of college would have been. You would only be paying for living expenses, not tuition.</p>

7

<p>Perhaps she can get a paying job and try to freelance, start a blog (or focus on some short creative writing projects) in addition to the “day” job. </p>

<p>It seems true that graduating early but not having enough “real life” experiences in the form of internships etc. has hindered her. At some point (now) she will need to realize that dreams are fine, but classes are over and it’s time to apply her skills in a real situation.</p>

8

<p>I am in agreement with aquamarinesea. It is going to make it harder, not easier for your D to get a job if she goes and travels for six months. I must admit to doing a bit of an eye roll at the “take my D to work” turning her off to more traditional jobs. There is a reason it is called “work”. I think you are trying to help her land in a featherbed… but the world is really mostly made of pavement. </p>

<p>She needs to be out making her own connections, working at an unpaid internship or two if necessary to get a foot in the door, etc. </p>

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<p>Actual entry level jobs in these areas are in VERY short supply today. Government agencies (federal and state) have been shedding jobs like crazy in the past couple of years. She would be better off looking in other industries, IMHO.</p>

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<p>Getting a Hollywood starter job is akin to walking into high finance. She shouldn’t be discouraged. She should have perspective- help her with that. </p>

<p>Everyone I know who taught Engl abroad loved it. All were in Japan or Guam, two through the govt. Pay and bennies were/are great, for them. If your dau just travels for fun, she doesn’t have a resume now and won’t when she comes home. Sometimes, it’s better to start low in the comms biz (or anything even vaguely related,) to get the resume going. It’s a field where experience can matter far more than just a degree.</p>

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<p>I know lots of kids who taught English abroad. It’s a great chance to travel and make a few bucks. My view is that if you don’t do this when you’re young and without responsibilities, it will be harder to do it later. Your D is younger than most college grads; she will have the rest of her life to start her career. She loves travel, why not figure out a way to do it. Carpe Diem.</p>

11

<p>Bromfield –</p>

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<p>This is where we disagree. IMO, it’s totally irresponsible. But I understand that everyone has a different point of view. Some people say “Live life to the fullest. A job isn’t a priority.”</p>

12

<p>A family I know just moved to Costa Rica a month ago - the wife took a job teaching English at a school there. They’re living on a farm. The husband has a web business and takes the kids to/from school while his wife works. They have a stable government and economy there and it looks to be a great experience for their kids.</p>

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<p>She failed one internship application process and then wants you to subsidize a six month trip to Europe? The people who succeed in the entertainment industry(and most other jobs) do not take no for an answer. Successful people find a way. She should stay home and focus on finding a job OR pay her own way to an overseas job. If you pay for a trip to Europe then you are not doing her any favors.</p>

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<p>I’m wondering what type of jobs your daughter would like to/can see herself doing if she stays and finds a job with her Comm Media degree. Social media? Non-profit? PR? She “volunteered” for the school newspaper - would she like a journalism slant? News or feature writing? Is she a people person? Better working as a team or on her own?</p>

15

<p>The travel option may work well for young people who have a plan in place for what they’re going to do when they get back.</p>

<p>But your daughter doesn’t have a plan. And if she spends six months on travel, she will use up money that could have been devoted to more practical things – such as supporting her financially if she needs to take an internship or starter job that does not pay enough to live in.</p>

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<p>Has she been to UNC’s career/internship placement office? Talk to her profs about any possible internships/jobs? Leave her resume/CV with them in case they hear of anything? Heck, UNC might have openings in their PR and development offices for someone with her degree and being a UNC grad. Also contact the other campuses within the UNC system (16 of them) and they too might have an opening for a UNC grad. Goes a long way here in Carolina.</p>

<p>UNC Wilmington might be an option as they do film quite a bit in that area. Also with the new HUGE Durham performing Arts Center might have a need for her as well as the NC School for Performing and Fine Arts (also a university). Again being a Carolina grad will make a difference.</p>

<p>Kat</p>

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<p>Thank you for all the quick replies and ideas. Some great points here. Let me make some things clear. She has not asked us to subsidize a trip to Europe. I never said that and she has not asked us to help her financially after graduation and we have not yet offered. I want her to first pursue all internships or entry level jobs. Yes, we would be able to support her financially and she has some savings. She currently supports her living expenses from her jobs. She can stay on our health insurance. I would not support travel just for fun. It would have to be productive and limited to six months or less. She would have to keep applying to internships and jobs. And no, my D is not turned off by work. She has worked since she was 16 and currently works 2 part time jobs while carrying a full class load plus volunteers at the school paper. She has also done local small internships - two week stints for special events. She was merely turned off by the type of work we do in the type of environment we work in. Trust me, I get that. It does not mean she would not do it if she had to.</p>

<p>I currently work for a very nice company that gives us many opportunities to pursue different jobs within the company. Yet, I work with people with advanced degrees in scientific and technical fields, who wish they could do something else. Something impractical. This is because many are suffering from burnout. Many of us chose to do the practical thing. One of my colleagues just took six months off to travel the world at 49 and to try a part-time impractical job. He has traveled the world for work but that is not the same. He has a PHD in some scientific field and is brilliant in his work. Suddenly, he feels the age creeping up and time running out. He can do this because he is not married and has no children. The rest of us chat about how lucky he is to be able to do this.</p>

<p>We can only really do this while we are young and free of personal obligations. Will it lead to a job? I am not sure it will. However, if the job prospects are slim and it can be done while doing something else like teaching, I think this could be a great life experience and better than sitting at home doing nothing useful while applying for jobs. The Costa Rica example sounds interesting. Incidentally,I fell into my current job because I am fluent in another language and I am good with helping people. I studied and worked at something completely different for years and yet, this is the best job I have had so far. Some of the people we currently hire are well traveled, fluent in other languages and just plain interesting. We have found it helps us in the global marketplace and we teach the technical stuff if they need it and have the potential.</p>

<p>We are exploring many, many options and yes, the primary objective is to get an internship that will provide experience and then hopefully a job. I am just looking for out of the box ideas and alternatives and hearing from people who have had a good experience with this so I can pass the information on. We are both aware of the pitfalls.</p>

<p>Thanks Kat great ideas!</p>

18

<p>A few anecdotes:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>My daughter went to college as primarily a writer, mainly interested in print journalism. It’s not an exaggeration to say she did everything right – her college career counseling office was using her resume as an example of how you build a resume during college for the job you want after college. She had several writing internships, and meaningful work experience as an editor and in print production. She had many, many near misses for scarce jobs and internships, and ultimately decided that even if she got a job in print journalism, she probably shouldn’t want it. She was able to get into a service program that gave her a toehold in another field, where she now has a pretty flourishing career.</p></li>
<li><p>I know three of her friends who were really committed to doing print journalism. One worked as an unpaid intern for over a year, but has a good (and interesting) job now in the Washington bureau of a foreign newspaper. One works at what amounts to a very successful trade publication where family contacts helped him. And one is on his third successive low-pay, high-prestige internship, accumulating a heck of a portfolio.</p></li>
<li><p>Travelling in Europe – One of my cousins did that after graduating from college as a history major. He started writing freelance articles in Germany on spec, and ten years later he’s a bureau chief for a national newspaper. But he took a very windy road to get there.</p></li>
<li><p>Another man I know, about the same age as the last one (i.e., now early 30s) took his writing degree to Brooklyn and started hustling for freelance work. After about three years, and near-starvation, he got hired by a successful weekly, where he is now in charge of a department.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Note that all of the foregoing have high-prestige-brand BAs. Having “Harvard” on your resume means nothing if you can’t write well, but if you can write well it can be very helpful.</p>

<p>I recognize that all of the foregoing involve print journalism, and your daughter seems to want TV. I also know a few people who were successful at breaking into TV writing/production, but only one did it recently, and without old-boy ties (ties like the Harvard Lampoon, or Skull and Bones). She worked as an intern for various reality show production companies until she got good enough to be a production executive herself. She has been successful at it – but it’s not a field for anyone for whom job security is paramount. She is generally employed for six months at a time, and it’s never clear where her next job will be coming from.</p>

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<p>If she is serious about teaching English overseas, one place to start looking for information is [Dave’s</a> ESL Cafe](<a href=“404 - Page Not Found - ESL”>http://www.eslcafe.com/)</p>

<p>While some language institutes will train their own instructors, it can be hard to move from one of those places to another. She might consider earning a CELTA certificate which is well-recognized and reasonably transportable [CELTA</a> (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) | Cambridge English](<a href=“http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/exams-and-qualifications/celta/]CELTA”>CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) | Cambridge English) These courses are offered all over the place, and generally lead directly to paying jobs. fiona_ is a CC member who has done that. Your daughter could send her a PM for details.</p>

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<p>Apologies–I understood that you were considering subsidizing a 6 month travel experience which is different from a 6 month work experience.
You say that she is turned off by your work environment. What sort of work environment is she looking for?</p>