does having a specialized master's increase chances of getting a job?

Career Opportunities & Internships
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<p>I have new strategies. Maybe not good ones but they’re at least ones I haven’t tried.</p>

<p>-Get my citizenship. I’ve noticed the vast majority of students at my school are white (just enrolled in business). I’m not racist, but you can’t argue that being a minority in this country still sucks. Though I’m not sure if US employers actually hate/don’t trust minorities. Regardless, though I have a work visa and a green card, I’m not a citizen yet but I should get it sometime this summer. Some people insist it makes a difference, but I’m not entirely sure.</p>

<p>-Already reworked my resume and cover letter. Before my resume had too much detail and was quite wordy. Now, I’ve cut down the details and included more work experienced. I think at this point, the variety of work experiences is what really matters.</p>

<p>-Stop trusting career advisors. They’ve done enough damage.</p>

<p>In the end, there’s still only so much I can do. My school, though among the best in the country in business education according to Bloomberg, still technically located in the middle of nowhere, so employers probably aren’t excited about traveling that far just to recruit students. Another thing is that most, if not all, my peers have parents who are working in business. I’m sure that’s got to mean something. But there’s nothing I can do about that. If that ends up being the reason I can’t find an internship or job (And I wouldn’t be surprised since careers in business isn’t so much about qualifications as much as who you know), then there’s nothing I can do. I sincerely hope this isn’t the case because that means I chose the wrong major and my life has been wasted. I would then have to kill myself and save my parents the trouble.</p>

<p>I’m not blaming companies. I believe whatever they do is all for profitability. But I can blame myself, and my career advisors. Their job is to help me start this journey. While it’s ultimately my battle, I trusted their advice to get started and I trusted them when I didn’t know what to do. They are all extremely baffled, but they just scoff it like it’s any ordinary case. I’ve stressed for 2 years that my situation is different, but they never listen. I have half a mind to barge into their office and start yelling at everyone to convince them.</p>

<p>The associate dean of my school explicitly acknowledged that he’s never seen anyone strive so hard as I do. When a person like that can’t get an internship after this 3rd year in school, something is terribly wrong. But people still just call it bad luck. Not just the dean or my advisors, but even my peers. They all say it’s just bad luck, but it’s more than bad luck, it’s more akin to a conspiracy.</p>

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<p>I don’t know if you said but will getting this extra degree put you in much debt?
Really think you need to dial the conspiracy and suicide comments down though.</p>

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<p>You know what won’t help you get a job? Portraying yourself as a victim. If you go to a top school, top companies will recruit there, regardless of where it is physically located. And trust me, companies have no problem sending their people to the middle of nowhere.</p>

<p>You sound like someone who needs to learn more about what “business” actually means. Coming out of undergrad, you will not get recruited because of who you know (unless your parent is a CEO or other executive), and you have no qualifications so you can’t be recruited for that. Coming out of undergrad, you are recruited because of your potential. That means that you need to have a high GPA, you need to present yourself well in interviews, you need to be employable (i.e. have work authorization in the United States), and you need to have prior experience that would indicate that you can be trained.</p>

<p>No matter what you go into, you are NOT going to be making your company any money in your first three to six months. Why? Because you need three to six months just to get trained enough to contribute. You can have a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, a space camp degree (go team rocket!), whatever you want, but you will still need to be trained. So don’t think that any of your peers have any qualifications beyond a foundational and theoretical understanding of things.</p>

<p>The most successful people in business are the ones who go into any situation and can give off an air of confidence (not to be confused with arrogance). If you can go into an interview and show that you are merely relating to the interviewer the value that you will bring - instead of coming across like you are just trying to impress him - then you will have more success. It seems like you are convinced that the world is conspiring against you so that you won’t get a job. Change your attitude and you will see better results.</p>

<p>Also, whenever you get rejected after an interview, ask why you were not being considered further. Often you will get good responses that can help you for the future.</p>

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<p>Funny thing you mentioned that chrisw, because I said before that most, if not all, me peers have parents who hold some executive positions at companies (a few parents are even CEOs). </p>

<p>How do I get a potential? You just said my prior experience shows my potential, but how would anyone acquire that if there’s no work experience to show? </p>

<p>So in the end, as just a yes-no answer, it seems you all agree a specialized master’s absolutely does not increase my chances.</p>

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<p><a href=“And%20I%20wouldn’t%20be%20surprised%20since%20careers%20in%20business%20isn’t%20so%20much%20about%20qualifications%20as%20much%20as%20who%20you%20know”>quote</a>, then there’s nothing I can do.

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<p>There certainly is - get to KNOW people! Network, and do it skillfully. Attend business related events and get to talking with people. Do some research on successfully marketing yourself and networking with people who might lead you to new opportunities. Practice those skills with friends and family so you don’t sound foolish when you actually meet them. Get on LinkedIn if you aren’t already, and look up local recruiters. Get your name out there. </p>

<p>It does sound like you’re pointing the blame for your situation on entirely external, and often unchangeable factors - but there are plenty of things you can do yourself to make a change, and it sounds like you’ve started on a good path (revamped resume, for one). Do a lot of reading about boosting careers, networking, developing personal brand. Don’t just read, though - give some of the ideas little test runs and see how it works for you. </p>

<p>It sounds like you’re ready to give up when you haven’t even finished school. In this economy it is taking longer for students to get out there and start building a good career. Give it some time, and utilize that time by doing as much self-improvement as you possibly can.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice, but right now what you’re telling me is exactly what I’ve been doing. I spend more time on LinkedIn than Facebook and I’ve attended networking events whenever possible. In fact I’m networking right now as we speak.</p>

<p>I’m doing everything right and it’s still not enough. I still spend every second of my life thinking why.</p>

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<p>That is statistically unlikely, but okay, supposing you aren’t exaggerating this at all, do you recognize that the people you know are only a fraction of a percent of the whole business world? It makes no sense that companies would ONLY hire those applicants who know someone in a high place. It may seem that way to you now, but it is certainly not what happens.</p>

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<p>You said that you have had, and I quote, “plenty of work experience.” So which is it? Have you ever worked a job in your life, or have you not? If yes, you can use the experience you got to help frame your potential for an employer.</p>

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<p>Let’s not misread things. We did not say that it “absolutely does not” increase your chances. We did say that it does not guarantee you will be in a better position than you are now and that you can’t think of it as a silver bullet of sorts.</p>