<p>Two of my jobs that I found thru networking did not work out at all, one job that I found on-line worked OK, other 6 jobs I found myself by reading ads in local newspaper and they worked out the best with the current one being best of all of my 9 jobs. However, nothing of this will apply in current economic conditions when D. had trouble finding VOLUNTEERING UNPAID position. She finally did find very good one in area of her interest but only because she is very persistent (no connection, no networking, did not work). One place told her that the waiting list to volunteer is over 100 and she has no chance in a summer before she goes back to school. Thanks goodness, she has a job at her campus, very good one. It seems much easier ti find job, internship, volunteering on campus than outside.</p>
<p>My S and many of his friends decided to delay graduation. I hope this is going to be a wish choice and that things will be better for '11 grads. Of his friends from college who did graduate this year, some did get jobs and some are going to graduate school. As for his HS friends, I don’t think any of them have jobs, are trying to cobble together unpaid internships or are going to graduate school.</p>
<p>S is an engineering major, the friends who did get jobs are also engineering/hard science majors. I have not heard of any of his friends who are LA majors who have a job yet (unless they are working for a family business). Lots and lots of '09 and '10 grads are heading to law school, it doesn’t sound very promising does it?</p>
<h1>31</h1>
<p>Radio, gigahertz, design is an art and will get very few qualified applicants at the college level. BIL thinks its more physics and philosophy.</p>
<p>I feel bad for the current generation, but many of them (including my son) seems very optimistic. I would say is optimistic. Perhaps it has to do with being young, or something.</p>
<p>My son is going back to grad school in the Fall. Don’t know what will happen to him after an MA, which is still 2 years from now. He is not sure about a PhD as of now and is not sure he wants the hassle of tenure pursuit (with little chances of success).</p>
<p>In the 2 years that he is out of college, he’s had a job that paid all right but with no medical benefits. Then the small business went kaput and now he’s working whenever he can. Ironically, when he is working these days, the assignments he gets are a lot more relevant to his future career.</p>
<p>I think that the kids that go through this are the lucky ones to some extent though the benefits aren’t seen until later in life. Times were like this when I graduated and it made me appreciate that life, work and family are tough. Getting easy jobs out of college was something that I wasn’t used to. The financial stuff has kept the US going for decades but really competing in the global economy is tough and our kids are learning that and will have that with them for the rest of their lives.</p>
<p>I hope you are right BCEagle. Hope they do see the benefits later on. It has been one tough slog for many of them, even with their parents’ help.</p>
<p>I do think people who can network have a better time of it. Just sending out a hundred resumes by email does not do the job. Last year, my son had interned somewhere and they told him to come back for an interview for a permanent position. After the interview, he was so sure he would get the job that he was drafting his resignation letter at his then current job. After waiting for a week, he was told they hired someone with an MA who also interned there! In any case, he did get some more leads from that company even though he did not get the job.</p>
<p>Most of the grads heading for law school are making a BIG mistake.</p>
<p>I keep hearing how big a mistake going to Law school is, these days. Is this a mistake in the short-term - meaning inability to get a job after graduation because of the recession, or is this a structural problem (US graduating too many law school grads, no demand for law school grads, outsourcing to other countries, etc)? Just curious - my child is not going to law school but he did consider it at one time. Just considered, though.</p>
<p>I heard there are many lawyers being laid off. It will be an extremely competitive job market for law grads because they will be competing with lawyers who have experience.
I also think it is a big mistake to go to law school unless you really want to be a lawyer. It is a demanding 3 years and very expensive to finance as well.</p>
<p>I am actually happy that my children neither want to be lawyers nor doctors. Both of these professions are for people entirely dedicated to this work which takes years of sacrifice to finish. I don’t want my children in fields that do not interest them.</p>
<p>IMHO, the lawyer thing is a temporary problem, maybe lasting for 2 to 3 more years. Two major feeds to lawyers are the cause of this resession, Real Esate and Stock Market. The lawers thrive on these two, especially in the IPO market. And the Real Estate market, especially commercial, is major part of the American economy. Once those two are sick, the lawyers lost their fee basis.</p>
<p>Both industies are running in a cycle around 7 years, it will turn around and the lawyer profession will be viable again.</p>
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<p>Job applicants need to do both, and to think of “networking” as something broader than merely asking friends and family for leads.</p>
<p>For example, my daughter applied to one job and learned through resources available through her school that there was a recent alum who worked at the company where she was applying. So she contact that alum to arrange to meet for lunch, probably for what her career office calls an “informational interview.” (That is – d. wasn’t going to ask the alum any favors, just use the interview to learn more about the job and the company). It turned out that the alum actually held the position my d. was applying for, and was leaving – so that would have been a potentially very useful meeting. My d. actually had to cancel the interview because another job interview came up – and she ended up being hired for the other job – but she did reschedule the lunch date. (She was glad she did – from what she learned, it was just as well that she didn’t get that particular job). </p>
<p>Internet tools like Linked In and Facebook are tremendously useful as well – sometime the “network” is what you can create from research, and Linked In will reveal connections you didn’t know you had. That would be a different way of making the sort of contact my daughter did above, outside of the alumni network. </p>
<p>Sending off job applications isn’t a random process - you don’t just email an application and resume to every job listed and then wait and hope for something to happen. The applicant needs to target carefully, to do some background research into the companies where applications are being sent, to rework and tailor resumes & other submissions to what that company is likely to be looking for. (For example – many of the jobs my daughter applied for wanted writing samples – I’m sure she had more than one sample to choose from, so that she could submit whatever what was most appropriate to the job she was looking for.)</p>
<p>And the applicant needs to follow up – I know that my d. was sending off applications, then sending an email or making a phone call a week later to politely inquire as to whether the application was received or not. D. asked me for advice several times on what to say, and what would be a reasonable interval of time for her to make that follow up inquiry. We talk on CC a lot about “demonstrated interest” for a college – well, that can be important for an employer as well. </p>
<p>Many of these things go back to post #12 – these are the type of skills my d’s college career center taught in their workshops.</p>
<p>Re post #50. As a former lawyer, I have to say that there are far too many lawyers in the US, and that is not going to change. The hiring situation for newly minted law grads may improve – but long term prospects are going to remain as they always have been – many more lawyers around than jobs requiring law degrees. People should go to law school if it serves the career goals they already have – I mean, I went to law school because I wanted to be a lawyer, even if it meant hanging out a shingle and finding my own clients – which I did end up doing, since I also graduated in recessionary times. But its a poor option for someone who simply is choosing it with the assumption that it will lead to a good job. The field is so competitive that individuals who are not very strongly motivated simply won’t last very long. Also, its not a really great path for individuals who are looking for job security – the big law firms are structured around a weeding out process that means that the job won’t last for many years for many of ech year’s crop of new hires.</p>
<p>Our son graduated in construction management in 09. He had an internship with a large LA firm the last 5 months of school and they kept him on at an hourly rate after graduation. They hired him full time with benefits in January. He had a lot of hands-on construction experience that he did part time and summers during college and that was a big benefit. At graduation time, only he and 1 other in his class had confirmed jobs. His company hired him over several other interns from good schools (UCLA and USC). The company indicated they liked that he had actually been on job-sites and understood the construction industry. The others had no hands-on experience. </p>
<p>Our D graduated in 08 with secondary credential and masters. She did her student teaching at a continuation high school and on graduation had only applied to 3 districts when a 4th one actually contacted her to teach English at their continuation high school. We found out later that they had actually heard of her from her student teaching district and that the fact she student taught in a continuation atmosphere helped her get this job. </p>
<p>I think the trick is to find skills and a niche that are unique and make you stand out. I think both of my kids got very lucky. It is really tough out there. My D’s friend who graduated 1 semester after her finally took a job with a private Christian school where the pay is low and benefits are poor. At least she has a job. My son’s friend has his master’s in business and is selling printers. We know a lot of kids who still have no permanent job 2 years after graduation.</p>
<p>calmom…excellent tips. </p>
<p>Another vote for using Linkedin. I have LOTS of contacts on there as does my H. Whenever someone I know is looking for work and asks me about a company, I check my network to see if I know anyone there, or if I have a secondary connection. I might send a note or call, depending on the situation. It opens doors. Plus it’s great to check out a profile before you interview (or see a potential client in my case), see if you know anyone in common, what school they went to etc.</p>
<p>I agree with post #53. Both my kids were poli sci majors – I don’t know whether that fits within the “liberal arts” umbrella or is seen as more specific. The major itself certainly doesn’t include career-oriented training, but it provides the type of background that is appropriate for a whole range of government and nonprofit employment. Both my kids had experience particular to their interests before they graduated, and very quickly found employment – though my son was graduating at a time when the market was somewhat better (2008). On the other hand, 2010 should be a good year for many poli sci grads as well – and election year is always a fine time for students interested in political campaigns to find work, albeit short term. My son’s focus is on issue advocacy, so he fits very well into that niche – my daughter is interested in international affairs & diplomacy, so her interests and niche are very different, despite the shared major. My d. will ultimately need at least a master’s degree to advance beyond entry level with her career – that’s just the nature of her work – but her current job has her rubbing elbows with all the right people and learning from some of the best – so it definitely is a good position to support her future goals.</p>
<p>@calmom</p>
<p>I think you are right that at this moment, there is an over supply of lawyers.
But to say the same situation will last forever so do not consider law school for a college graduate in forseeable future is not prudent.</p>
<p>In America, like economy, job market also goes by cycles. I still can remember in the 70’s there were an over supply of engineers and under supply of MBAs. So engineering schools were attended mostly by foreigners and everyone and their mother in law were trying to squeeze in to an MBA program.Today, I saw a posting that an engineer manager sent emails to a local college for an opening and did not get a response. And in the 80’s MBAs are dime a dozen.</p>
<p>Just two year ago, Law Schools were still posting their first year graduates average salaries. The Star schools from Harvard and on were proudly boasting six figures and trying to out perform each other by displaying a higher average. Yet, today, everyone on CC warned stundets not to go.</p>
<p>In 2007, the number of ppl took Real Estate licenses were so huge that in California they ran out of rooms to house the licensing tests. After the bust of 2008, the registered agents plummated, so that in some more remote area MLS has to merge to survive. Real Estate firms went out of business like flies. I service the realty developement business, all my clients are gone over night which left me no one to call upon.</p>
<p>The supply and demand is the foundation of an economy and it will never change. Job market is and will be part of economy and will have its up and downs, just like the housing or stock market. While we are *****ing about the 10% jobless rate, the flip side is that 90% of the population are still employeed.</p>
<p>IMHO, each one of us has a passion, just go with what you like and if you are good at it, you will succeed.</p>
<p>I am a lawyer and happy with my job, but there are SO many lawyers that hate their jobs- especially those in the big firms. While I agree that the market for lawyers will improve, there is a HUGE backlog. Many grads are NOT getting jobs- at all. Not to mention the debt. This has all been hashed out on other threads, but it is pretty crucial to either go to a top 20 law school (I know they say top 14, but I go with 20) OR a state school in the state you are sure you want to be after graduation. And-you better do well in law school. Back in my day the Loyola, Temple, DePaul grads got good jobs. Not anymore. And to go to law school just to kill 3 years. Nope.</p>
<p>DS wants to go to law school…eventually. Following the advice of many lawyers we know he is taking time off after his undergrad degree in Criminal Justice. He is going to get a job (fingers crossed) as a runner for a firm or even as an unpaid intern and wait tables on the side to get a feel for whether he really wants to pursue the degree. If he does pursue the degree his current plan is to work while in school.<br>
Our company hires engineers…we prefer to hire those who have worked even if it was at an entry level rather than those who have gone straight from undergrad to masters to PhD.</p>
<p>I have a lawyer friend who’s been unemployed for two years. She just got offered a job–kind of. She was offered the chance to be a VOLUNTEER lawyer. Great, right?</p>
<p>I just talked to a woman who graduated from Columbia. She said that only about 10 percent of her friends have gotten jobs–Columbia graduates!!</p>
<p>I was pretty mad at my son last year when he bailed on his law school plan (after I paid for the prep course AND the LSAT which he didn’t take…) but I now think he made the right decision. I still think he should have pushed through the pain and prepared for and taken the LSAT. The score is good for 5 years.</p>