At first, you wanted to be a vet. But that one class turned you off, actually, that one teacher.
So, you switched to “communications.” The classes were easier it seemed and everything made sense.
It was all pretty much common sense and you did well. You studied Facebook (“New Technology and Communications 101″) and you were already an expert in Facebook. Whoohooo. You would have aced “Texting” but that is not a class, yet.
You graduated in late May and just had to take some time off. You and some buddies did a cross country road trip. You are still pissed that your parents would not pay for the European trip you reallyreallyreally wanted as a graduation present. After all: A college graduate.
You are searching for those “communications” jobs. Your marketing professor said that you could expect a starting salary in the 60’s, minimum. But those “jobs, ” at least the open jobs, want a lot more experience, it looks like. But still. You are a college graduate. Luckily, your parents paid for college, all you have is a five-figure credit card bill. You don’t mind living in the basement in your old room, for now.
You are holding out for a communications jobs with an international company (you still want to see Eurupe), and preferably one that is not associated with the oil industry. You want to make a difference.
So, there you sit, sending out resume after resume to companies you know nothing about, with big jobs that you know you cannot do, but hoping some HR manager somewhere will recognize just how good you have gotten at Facebook.
If she could only see how fast you can text.
But Johnny, stay cool. Hey, did you see the latest US WEEKLY?
24 users commented in " Late Summer Blues for the New College Grad Job Seeker "
good posting. this information is really helpful. keep it up..
thanks for share.
Brutal, dude! LOL What a party poop.
Of course, this is the bad news when you leave college – the world doesn’t care!
I’d like to add this also, because it is at least tangentially relevant. A new book is out called, “The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains.”
Here is a brief review/synopsis:
Carr—author of The Big Switch (2007) and the much-discussed Atlantic Monthly story “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”—is an astute critic of the information technology revolution. Here he looks to neurological science to gauge the organic impact of computers, citing fascinating experiments that contrast the neural pathways built by reading books versus those forged by surfing the hypnotic Internet, where portals lead us on from one text, image, or video to another while we’re being bombarded by messages, alerts, and feeds. This glimmering realm of interruption and distraction impedes the sort of comprehension and retention “deep reading” engenders, Carr explains. And not only are we reconfiguring our brains, we are also forging a “new intellectual ethic,” an arresting observation Carr expands on while discussing Google’s gargantuan book digitization project. What are the consequences of new habits of mind that abandon sustained immersion and concentration for darting about, snagging bits of information? What is gained and what is lost? Carr’s fresh, lucid, and engaging assessment of our infatuation with the Web is provocative and revelatory. –Donna Seaman
It’s all about the internships! As I myself get closer to graduating college, I become even more convinced that internships in and after college are the best lead to getting the job you love. It is an expedited way to getting experience in a field you may or may not be familiar with and making the important professional connections that are so important in the world today. I don’t know where I would be without the people I’ve met during my internships and I don’t know where I would be without the experiences I’ve had in the internships themselves.
But really, if only I could major in “Facebook”…I’d be graduating cum laude! In the meantime, I’ll stick with my internship…
http://www.interninc.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=93:i-trust-your-cash-will-fund-my-future-mom-and-dad&Itemid=203
Conrad—as always, you challenge me to keep up and continue my reading efforts. Thanks for sending that along.
Caitlin–good info on internships. Happy to pass it along.
GL–I sent your post to my twin daughters who will be staarting their senior years this Fall…they groaned.
Chris
Chris,
I hope you said that more often than not, I have my tongue in my cheek. At other times, it is my foot.
Sometimes one has to embellish and over state to make a point. I am sure YOUR daughters would groan because nothing about the post likely seems on point with them.
GL–The groan is most likely the general reaction to advice from Dad. They are pretty good at pretending they don’t listen/don’t need any advice from me. But I’m pretty sure they do listen.
By the way, they enjoyed the Keith/Ringo/Merle post.
Chris
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GL:
Your post reminds me that we’ve done a poor job preparing students to understand the workforce and the labor market. Their fancy degrees are wonderful, yet don’t prepare them for the reality of today.
The majority of companies in the US have under 500 employees so there isn’t much of a ladder to climb. Usually the best way up is OUT.
Parents and colleges and universities, please, help these kids understand!
Hi Hannah…so true, so true.
I heard once that most people hire because of attitude, not so much skill, they want to teach skills. The longer someone is looking, the harder it is to maintain a winning attitude. Any thoughts on how to do this?
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