<p>Not to mention the fooolishness of being painfully repetitive.</p>
<p>I think a lot depends on where you live. My D has kept herself employed in Los Angeles, working on campus, off-campus, and now at two paid part-time internships. For this summer, she sent out over a hundred applications and had about 20 interviews. Both of the internships came through the university job website, so I guess you could say they involved alumni connections. She was very persistent- just kept trying and trying amid many rejections. I think the job picture here isn’t quite so bleak because LA is a really big city with diverse industries from entertainment to hi tech to aerospace, besides the usual service/retail businesses.</p>
<p>I just moved over to a technology company (from finance) recently. We are in midtown NYC, one of the most expensive place in the US, and they have no intention of moving to a lower cost areas. They hire more engineers and mathematicians rather than CS people. I am hearing tech is booming again because they are losing candidates left and right to other firms. </p>
<p>They look for people who have expertise in various business - retail, hotel, finance, telecomm, with background in marketing, technical writing, sales, finance. When students are looking for jobs, they don’t need to look in just one sector. An engineer could get a job in tech, finance, and engineering firms. A writer doesn’t need to limit his/her job search to magazine, newspaper companies. Good tech jobs are not all in CA.</p>
<p>If your kid isn’t doing already, get on Linkedin. In speaking with our recruiter, she combs through Linkedin to recruit people. She said that’s what headhunters do anyway, why pay 25% when she could do it herself. </p>
<p>I haven’t used it very effectively, but apparently there are key words and how the profile should be set up so you show up on search. It maybe worth while to consult someone on how to do it. When I have time, I will speak with our in house recruiter to find out how she does search. She has hired quite a few people from Linkedin.</p>
<p>All my friends with engineering degrees got jobs. They all easily started at 60k-90k. People exaggerate the difficult of getting a career right away after graduation. Here is my guide for all the people who just don’t know how to think critically.</p>
<ol>
<li> Major in something marketable like: accounting, nursing, finance, engineering, Computer science etc.</li>
<li> Keep your grades up and where they need to be. For an engineer a 3.0 will do for an accountant a 3.5 is what you need.</li>
<li>Network network network in professional organizations and fraternities.</li>
<li> Get a real job. Even it is working at McDonalds for 3 months during the summer. It shows you are responsible.</li>
<li>Get an internship in your field whether it be paid or unpaid.<br></li>
<li> Get demonstrated leadership on your resume by running for ASI student body or a leadership position in a club. This can also be obtained by getting promoted at a low level job. So maybe you were the lead cashier at Mcdonalds.</li>
</ol>
<p>It isn’t that hard to get a good job. I graduated from a 4rth tier garbage school with an accounting degree and I had job offers from everywhere. </p>
<p>It could also be because your kid has a bad personality or is not viewed as a “cool” kid. Popularity contests don’t end after high school they continue into the work place. I would never hire a damned nerd that would scare away clients.</p>
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<p>The unemployment rate for new engineering grads from 2011 is around
7%. Clearly not all engineering graduates have found work.</p>
<p>I’d suggest looking at the employment data on a monthly basis to see
the number of people hired per month. 80K jobs per month with 13-15
million looking means that a lot of people aren’t going to get jobs
and that includes college graduates and engineers.</p>
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<p>Not particularly useful advice for those that graduated a year ago and
are still unemployed.</p>
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<br>
<p>Perhaps. Perhaps not. More likely not.</p>
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<p>The raw employment statistics argue against your primary assertion.</p>
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<p>We hire a lot of nerds - we simply don’t put them in front of clients.
I’m fairly glad that this country employs at lot of nerds at Apple,
Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle, IBM, EMC,
Intel, etc. I imagine we’d be a lot worse off without those companies.</p>
<p>A neighbor’s S went 20 months after graduation(living at home) with no job (of any kind). He had a specific job that he wanted to do and was determined to settle for nothing less. He did an unpaid internship for awhile and uploaded his info. on some websites that were geared toward his interest. Sent out lots of applications and waited.
Oddly enough after waiting all that time, he finally got two offers in one week.</p>
<p><a href=“Accounting Grad Didn't Figure On Job Rejections : NPR”>Accounting Grad Didn't Figure On Job Rejections : NPR;
<p>I’d also point out that not everyone is suited to being an accountant, or an engineer. If you would look forward to spending the next 40 years doing tax returns, preparing financial reports, etc., then you should consider accounting. If not, then don’t major in accounting, no matter how good the job prospects.</p>
<p>Many people start out in one field and change directions. Just because someone starts out with a degree in accounting does not at all mean that they will be “spending the next 40 years doing tax returns, preparing financial reports, etc”. Thats ridiculous. As oldfort mentioned above, there are many, varied opportunities with an accounting degree. BTW, the person written about in the 2 yr old article linked by AD appears to be working as an Associate Accountant at CareSource Management Group, a managed care company, in Dayton.</p>
<p>** ETA: She worked for 6 mos prior to her current job (which she has held for 16 mos) in another position. So, she was interviewed by NPR on May 31, 2010 re: her lack of a job after college (in a worse economy than now, IMO), and was employed by Nov. 2010. Thats really not bad at all.</p>
<p>Valley Accountat_hate to tell you Im NOT lying, why would I have any reason to lie about my kid not finding a job?</p>
<p>She worked all thru HS as head of customer service in large supermarket(part-time) so I know she has “social skills” Is ANYTHING but a “NERD” as you call it, she doesn’t have some oddity/defect and was “popular” and I truly hope you are under a certain age to be so ignorant to even write what you did.
She did research all thru HS(Intel competition) worked in a University lab her sophomore into junior year of HS
Worked on defense projects in college in material science, lab assistant for 3 years in college
Co-Authored in some random Engineering journals
She was chosen to be a TA junior and senior year of an Engineering class
Was specifically chosen to be Assistant to Director of Women In engineering program to get local girls interested in Engineering
She has a true knack for project management, not being boastful, but that is where her strength is.
She has applied to:
every sector of engineering</p>
<p>The 200 applications were sent.</p>
<p>Is your engineering daughter like 100 lbs overweight? That can do it too especially with women. I know it is wrong and illegal but it is reality unfortunately. This seems so weird to me since all my engineering friends had multiple job offers in the fall semester of their junior year.</p>
<p>Thats not very kind, ValleyAccountant.</p>
<p>Samiamy - I’ll PM you with a suggestion.</p>
<p>“I truly hope you are under a certain age to be so ignorant to even write what you did.
She did research all thru HS(Intel competition) worked in a University lab her sophomore into junior year of HS?”-Samiamy</p>
<p>People who don’t understand that social factors will affect you in the work force big time are ignorant. I am just very honest. Even on the top of the consulting/accounting pyramid partners who are “cool” and can hang out with the rich clients on and off the job are the ones who excel regardless of actually technical ability. </p>
<p>People generally give their business to who they like not necessarily who has the best technical skills. People hire who they know well and would like to work with not necessarily the MIT grad with a 4.0. </p>
<p>Ragging on my age doesn’t matter. The fact is when I graduated over a year ago I had tons of job opportunities. The person matters much more than the degree. A Harvard BA will not turn an antisocial, strange, ugly, submissive, non-confident, lazy and entitled person into some marketable prospective employee. They hire the person not the degree. I will likely break six figures next year and I won’t even have hit age 25 yet.</p>
<p>^^^Is this your charm? Is your honesty what makes people want to hang out with you? There are plenty of kids who broke 6 figures even before they were 22 or 23. I am not impressed. I can tell you that they don’t have your attitude.</p>
<p>WOW Valley Accountant.
No, she isn’t 100 lbs overweight, in fact, 5’7" and 125 lbs. Did print modeling as a kid.So she isn’t “ugly” just in case that is your next insult. </p>
<p>Hey I broke six figures too, 20 years ago, and I wasn’t 25 yet, so what is your point big man? Also imagine the horror I am a female. I didn’t go to a “top” school either so I feel your pain. Don’t worry you’ll get over it in time.</p>
<p>Me thinks you have a real hang up on the prestige thing. </p>
<p>Please go back under your pillow</p>
<p>deleted, to stay within the TOS.</p>
<p>My sister was an accountant at a Bay Area M&A firm for 15 years. The firm dissolved two years ago and she has been without a job since then. She has been looking but has only had a few interviews. Her husband has either a CS or EECS degree from UCLA and has been out of work for about 15 years. They are fortunate in that they are independently wealthy and don’t need to work.</p>
<p>I would expect an accountant to keep up with economic and market news and understand the difficult employment situation in the US right now. Your position might be fine but that’s not true of everyone else or everywhere else. There can also be a secular change in your industry that puts jobs at risk on a large-scale way.</p>
<p>lol at posting your salary when discussing how “personality” is a huge factor…</p>
<p>Anything 20 years ago is not relevant to now. During the late 80s and 90’s things were good for just about everyone. Unemployment was not even a concern back then for college grads. </p>
<p>I never knew this time and have had to fight like a junkyard dog for everything. I am one of the grads who got a career immediately and most people consider me a good source of information. I am not sexist but I am just giving you my experiences in the current economy. I am not insulting anyone I am just pointing out things that may may employment difficult to obtain. Quit being so defensive! </p>
<p>[Obese</a> Women Face Discrimination in Workplace, Study Says | Moneyland | TIME.com](<a href=“http://moneyland.time.com/2012/05/02/why-being-overweight-could-earn-you-a-lower-salary/]Obese”>Obese Women Face Discrimination in Workplace, Study Says | TIME.com)</p>
<p>No I am never this brutally honest in real life. I enjoy the anonymity of the internet and feel more free to discuss the reality of things now. I know it is much harder to get a job than it has been in the past I also know of many things that I have seen affect employment prospects. Some of these things are in your control and some are not. </p>
<p>Hopefully someone will read my advice prior to graduating and not after graduation. I have no experience lingering in the job market after graduation trying to find something. </p>
<p>Statistics are just generalizations about a group. Take them with a grain of salt since you are a person and not a statistic. LOL</p>
<p>I am just trying to help guys but since I am not wanted here I will go back to the accounting major forums. It is more upbeat there anyway since it isn’t that hard to get a job in accounting there. People there rather like my honesty…</p>
<p>There is a HUGE difference between being honest and being insulting.</p>