<p>Yes, just your imagination. Some people get lucky and find a job within a few months of graduation. Others need to work at it for months. But you won’t find a job if you aren’t looking. So get going!</p>
<p>I just found out that if I drop this semester, I would have to pay back ~4k, and I won’t get my diploma until I pay this amount. But our family is in a bad financial situation and we’ve spent them all. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Maybe I could work as a hotel room attendant or truck driver for a couple months to pay this back? Does that look bad on resume?</p></li>
<li><p>Could jobs that doesn’t require college diploma count as something to cover the employment gap between graduation and a real job where you can move up?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Bookmark. Wish I could help.</p>
<p>ConsideringGrad, the sense that I get from your posts is that you’re scared. You have a 2.whatever GPA and are anxious that you will never get a job, or at least not a “good job”. Everyone says, “Get good grades so you can get a good job!”, so it must be impossible to get a good job without good grades, right?</p>
<p>Well, no. In general a student with a 4.0 GPA has more job opportunities than a student with a 2.0 GPA, that’s true. But I assure you there are huge numbers of people out there who had mediocre (or just plain subpar) grades who now support themselves comfortably at a job that doesn’t involve “testing bear traps” or whatnot.</p>
<p>The first thing to do is to look back and figure out if you made mistakes. Did you slack off or party too much? Did you need academic help, but were too proud to ask for it? (I’m not saying you actually did any of these things, I don’t know you.) </p>
<p>If you did make mistakes, identify them and think about how you can avoid making the same kind of mistake in the future. Then shrug off any lingering guilt over the past. You can’t change your past grades, so there is no point in angsting about them. </p>
<p>The next is to figure out some jobs you think you would like to do. You don’t have to be too specific. This is something you will have to brainstorm for yourself. Ask your professors for ideas of what fields grads “usually” end up in, if you’re stuck on ideas.</p>
<p>Next, job hunting. Now is the time to take advantage of any resume writing classes or interview tips available from your school. Apply, apply, apply. EVEN IF YOU FEEL YOU DON’T QUALIFY, or BARELY qualify. I mean, I am not saying “apply to be CEO of Microsoft”, that’s not realistic, but if you meet almost all the qualifications, apply. If you apply, they may not hire you. But if you don’t apply, they DEFINITELY won’t hire you.</p>
<p>Some workplaces probably do disregard people with a GPA under 3.XX. Guess what–there are also workplaces that don’t care, or where your GPA will be high enough. Again, you cannot do anything about the places that only accept 3.XX GPAs, so don’t waste time worrying about it. Apply everywhere.</p>
<p>The biggest point I want to make, OP, is that your life is not ~ruined forever~ because of your GPA.</p>
<p>About the job question: No, companies will not look down on you for having a “non-collegey” job after you graduate. They will look favorably on someone with a proven work history. Work hard, don’t slack off because you think the work is “beneath you” or anything, and earn the money to pay back the college (if you drop the semester). Do your best to get a GREAT recommendation from your boss.</p>
<p>Best of luck, OP.</p>
<p>Thank you for your advice, Naturally.</p>
<p>I found out that if I choose to, I can have my graduation date be Fall 2012 or Summer 2012. But given that official transcript instead of diploma is used to prove graduation status, would a blank spot in transcript look weird if I graduated in Fall 2012 but didn’t take any classes in Fall 2012?</p>