now what?

[tld221]

I'm a year out of college and since graduation my work experience has been as follows:

-dead end investment banking job (5 months)
-payroll temp job for a real estate company (3 months)
-unemployed for the rest of the time, filling in daily/weekly temp positions

i know hitting an employment rut happens to a lot of folks and it's not the end of the world. while i've learned a lot this year about myself in my first year as "official adult in the real world" (which is not entirely true since i still live at home) i still have no idea what to do.

and i know even that happens to a lot of folks - not knowing what to do, even years out of school and after grad school. but its so discouraging, since most of my friends have jobs the like and are either getting their own apartments, getting promotions, getting their masters, or whatever. kind of like everyone is on some decent path and i havent really started.

its actually really out of character for me cause in undergrad i was so the opposite - i've always been involved in something and now i'm not doing anything to remotely brag about.

(p.s. my degree is in education, but as ive mentioned before, my degree is a liberal arts degree at best, since im not licensed to teach, which im having second doubts about)

[BlessedOne04]

I think that now that you have explored alot about yourself, you should pray and meditate on what God has instore for your life. He will lead you in the right direction. Until you decide whether you want to be a teacher you can become a substitute or teachers aid. Alot of districts are looking for teachers aid and it is a job that allows enough flexibility to look for another job if you choose that route.

[Dionysus]

I had no desire to go into the regular 9 to 5 world right after undergrad. Some of my peers felt the same way.

Use this time to take advantage of not being burdened by school nor a career.

Here are some options:
1. Go to grad school (in higher ed administration )
2. Work as a server or bartender (you will meet LOTS of people and make a lot of money)
3. Join Americorps or peacecorps
4. Look into self-employment (obviously, you will probably have to do #2 or something similar to get the funds)

I'm a full time grad student and work for my cousin's dance studio (for now). I have zero regrets choosing that path.

It might be just a stop-gap solution, but if you have a degree in Education, I'd look into the certification requirements in your state. Best case scenario, you could get certified and teach, worst case, you could get certified and sub for awhile until you find something you want to do.

Kitso
KS 361 beers I'm going to drink if I passed my Biology PRAXIS

[Still BLUTANG]

I would NOT recommend anyone go to grad school unless they know specifically what they want to do with their degree... even if your plan changes your student loan amount wont.

I dont know where you live, but in metro areas the government (fed, state, local) is a good place to look and offers a variety of positions.

and if nothing else, i always push LIBRARIES as an avenue for the undecided. Please PM me if you want to discuss in detail.

Just know that you are in the right place at the right time... whatever it is you're going through won't always be. You have the rest of your life to work.

Good luck!

[SoEnchanting]

I don't know if you are willing to move, but several of my friends did Teach For America after they graduated. http://www.teachforamerica.org/

[DSTCHAOS]

You're going through what many new college graduates go through because they didn't map this stuff out before graduation.

Now what?

Log off of GreekChat and check out the website someone posted in this thread. Then load your resume` onto careerbuilders.com or whatever. Then do something to further build your resume`--perhaps a teaching workshop or another job to build experience. Find your passion and determine what steps you need to go through to achieve your goals. That could mean graduate school or getting a teaching certificate.

Don't come back to GreekChat until you've done something with yourself. I'm jokingly serious.

[tld221]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

You're going through what many new college graduates go through because they didn't map this stuff out before graduation.

Now what?

Log off of GreekChat and check out the website someone posted in this thread. Then load your resume` onto careerbuilders.com or whatever. Then do something to further build your resume`--perhaps a teaching workshop or another job to build experience. Find your passion and determine what steps you need to go through to achieve your goals. That could mean graduate school or getting a teaching certificate.

Don't come back to GreekChat until you've done something with yourself. I'm jokingly serious.

:sniffle sniffle: im glad i read to the end! GC gets me through the tough times!

[angelic1]

I went through a few months rut myself post graduation - I came out during a time when no one was hiring (in my field there are only so many options).

So I took a job that I wasn't my dream job, but I knew would give me the experience I needed to get a better job. It wasn't the best pay or the most exciting sounding job, but about a year and half later I got a great job in my field.

Figure out what you want to do (at least for now) and set a plan to get there...

the last thing you want to do is go back to school if you don't know what you want to do... I thought about this so many times, but I am glad I didn't.

[Sugar08]

I feel you, tld221. I was unemployed after graduation, and then the employer I had interned with decided they needed me to come back... and I had been applying for jobs for months... with no luck.

I recommend higheredjobs.com. There are colleges and universities everywhere, and they're all hiring people in positions from grounds maintenance all the way up to deans. A person in almost any field can find a job at a college.

[Still BLUTANG]

I forgot to mention this the 1st time. look into NONPROFITS and ASSOCIATIONS. You will get valuable experience there you can take into any career you choose next. Many times you can get your foot in the door doing membership. They also have every other field you would find in a "normal" business: HR, Research, Finance, Legal, Marketing, Membership / Customer Service etc.

You can make serious connections working with the right Nonprofit or other Association. You will find most of these opportunities in DC, NY, Chicago. Check out CAREERHQ.ORG and good luck!

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by SoEnchanting

I don't know if you are willing to move, but several of my friends did Teach For America after they graduated. http://www.teachforamerica.org/

Alright, OTW, where are you?