<p>I dunno, I would tell my kid to prioritize and do one or the other, for the sake of sanity if nothing else.</p>
<p>Given the way experience seems to be valued in the job market these days,if he feels he is lacking in this aspect, I would go for the internships and (perhaps) one “easy” course, and take an extra semester to graduate if necessary, rather than cram all the coursework into four years. (Disclaimer - Frazzled S took an extra semester to get his engineering degree, in order to fit in undergrad research and co-ops.) If he thinks the clinical trials experience would be enough, perhaps he can do just that along with the coursework instead?</p>
<p>I don’t know where people get the idea that kids are all about partying and taking the easy way out these days…</p>
<p>exactly, jmmom-
He has to take these 2 classes, but due to some snafoo in the scheduling, he wasnt able to get the lab sections he wanted, so they are spread out. The Chem E internship is the second priority. The clinical trials opportunity is a continuation of what he did last summer and helped with remotely while he was at school. He feels a loyalty to them… and they are currently letting him use one of their laptops for work and since his took that dive off the bunk. He will figure this out. Hopefully the Chem E internship will let him work fewer hours. They are used to working with students. We’ll see…</p>
<p>I might have something in the works now, but it’s not an industry I’m hugely interested in-- it would be a temporary solution for me at best. I am wondering how long the company from last week plans to spend on the first round of interviews, they told me they were just starting when they interviewed me a week from yesterday and I am not sure when it is time to give up hope of ever hearing back… I’m afraid I’ll take another job and then they’ll call me for round 2 and I won’t have any availability for more interviewing-- and that’s the job I /really/ want.</p>
<p>I was, and probably still should be, in a mindset of take-whatever-comes-along, but I’m not sure how to handle that if taking one job cuts off the opportunity to find something better.</p>
<p>I think it’s normal for parents to feel more frustrated than their children when it comes to their career. You should not overact because after graduation, your son may want to rest a little while after long years of studying. If your family has good source of income, most probably your son will take things slow but if none, he will feel obliged to get a job ASAP. </p>
<p>I waited almost 5 months before I was employed, not because Im not seriously looking for a job, but because employers were more interested to those with experience. Im only bothered when I hear my friends signing contracts from the companies they want to work with. Give your son enough time to take things slow. He might feel forced to get employment because of how youre feeling. He can also take volunteer jobs to gain experience especially from reputable companies on his field. This will be a good addition on his resume.</p>
<p>That’s always an issue with multiple offers. You try to stall the one that you get for the one that you want. Then when you can stall no longer, you have to decide. Or you put it off and the job you want gives you the offer and you have to decide whether you’re going to stiff the company with the lesser job.</p>
<p>There was a very good and illustrative thread here recently - a student had two internships, accepted one in the fall and then a much better one came along in the spring. He agonized over what to do for quite some time.</p>
<p>Dropped my son off at his interview this morning. I expected it to take 30 minutes to an hour. I went and replaced my wiper blades. Went back near an hours time to the company and he wasn’t there. Went to McDonalds to use their WiFi for work. 2.5 hours comes up - I head into the office. He’s now been there for three hours. The original scheduled interview time was one hour. I assume they bought him lunch.</p>
<p>This happened at one of his interviews last fall and they sent all the right signals (including going over the interview time by an hour) where he thought that he had the job but an offer never arrived. In the meantime, he received an email from a recruiter for a rather interesting job (it is in an interesting area to me and he has many though not all of the requirements; some of those uncommon).</p>
<p>I’m hoping that he hears back from the company that he interviewed on Tuesday - they said that they wanted to decide by today.</p>
<p>Had another impromptu phone interview today, this one went really well-- it sounds like I am perfect for that job, so we’ll see. They scheduled an in-person interview but not until the 31st so there’s still time for that other company to call me back… I don’t know how many people they’re interviewing, but by then it will have been almost three weeks and it seems unlikely that they’d still call after that? They said it could be a while because they were just starting to call people in, but they were planning for three rounds of interviews and it seems unlikely that they would spend three weeks on just round 1-- but it’s only been one week so far so maybe they’ll still call. I wish I had more insight into how this kind of stuff works so I would know whether or not to give up thinking about that one. :</p>
<p>Large companies can drag things out because approvals may have to go quite far up the management chain and someone can be on vacation, traveling on business, etc. It’s great that you are getting so many interviews - that means that there’s a lot of interest [in you] and I believe that persistence will pay off.</p>
<p>OMG, OMG, OMG!!! DS just got offerred the job he interviewed for on Tuesday!! Yay!! He’s sooo excited. I can hear the relief in his voice. Good job, in his field, good salary. Now the apartment hunting begins. Thanks everyone for your support and encouragement.<br>
To everyone still looking…keep the faith. DS has sent out close to 100 resumes. Persistence is the key.</p>
<p>I called D about something today, and it appears that real life has finally hit her. She was completely falling apart. She interviewed last week over the phone, along with 48 others. She made the round of 10 to be brought in this week for in-person interviews. The interviewer told her they would probably let her know by the end of this week … so my D is absolutely certain that not hearing today means she didn’t get the job. It’s one she really wants. It’s perfect for her, the pay is decent for the industry, and it’s with a company that offers lots of growth opportunities. I think it might still work out, but she is convinced she’s lost out (“Mom, there is a 90% chance I won’t get it”). She has experience through her internships, and her boss personally contacted the interviewer the morning of the interview to let her know that D is an exemplary worker. My fingers & toes are so tightly crossed I ache! :)</p>
<p>I tried my best to help D through her “bad day.” I don’t think I helped, but she will get through it, just the same. She really hates being dependent on mom & dad to help her financially, and she is living in another area of the country with no income at this time. She has to move forward to find something, anything … but she would so much rather have a job she actually wants. This is something many young grads struggle with, but it seems so much worse when it’s your own kid.</p>
<p>kelsmom, I know exactly how you feel. Went through this with both my kids. It stinks when you are hoping and praying for something to happen and you can’t do anything about it.</p>
<p>This is what my H says. It’s not that you weren’t perfect for the job, it’s just that someone else has something better. Don’t give up hope and it’s a really tough time out there. My S applied for a job but so did 4 other people in his department, all of whom were just as qualified as him. Not that he wouldn’t have been perfect so so were the other 3.</p>
<p>Ah, yes. A whole new adventure, especially for those moving to cities.</p>
<p>A lot of today’s suburb-bred kids have no concept of what the kitchen in a small city apartment looks like – not to mention the exorbitant rent they will be paying for a very small amount of living space.</p>
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<p>Well, yes, but if you get to the final round at enough places, the chances of getting an offer go up. This is the rationale for sending out so many resumes in the first place.</p>
<p>The job is in the very southern tip of NJ; so likely, he’ll look to live in the Wilmington, Delaware area. Thankfully, he has a month before he starts, so we have time to look and get him settled.
Thanks again eveyone for all the support.</p>
<p>And Kelsmom, I can relate to your D-- that’s how I feel about that job I am waiting on. I feel like if I haven’t heard yet I must not have gotten it but I haven’t quite given up hope yet, so it’s anguishing to still be hoping even though I’ve pretty well convinced myself there’s no chance. There’s nothing anyone can do to help, but perhaps to be slightly more tolerant of an above-average amount of crankiness and general neuroticism. </p>
<p>My parents are making it a point to tell me on a daily basis that I am never going to get a job, and nag me constantly about ANY little flaw they can come up with in my lifestyle and justify it by saying it’s their business because they cosigned my loans. I am applying to at least ten jobs a day, researching countless companies, and going to a steady stream of interviews and do not appreciate their behavior. I can’t leave my room without getting snarled at for something. They never acknowledge me unless they have something negative to say, and it’s usually something about how completely unemployable I am because I drink too much soda or something similarly ridiculous. This is why I end up spending so much time in the parents forum! If I relied on my parents for feedback or advice I’d be too discouraged to continue by now.</p>
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