<p>Read the thread…then reply Miami. It’s a good life skill.</p>
<p>The only way to move is forward. The good thing is that you are getting your degree. You need to focus on finding a job. Once you have a job, any job, concentrate on being the best employee you can. Show up early, volunteer to do extra, learn everything you can, work hard and do it with a positive attitude.</p>
<p>Don’t apologize for attending the college you chose. The most impressive person I have ever met in the business world is a former boss of mine who attended a no name school. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>If you can tell us what you’re getting your degree in, what kind of career was your goal, and what state you live in, perhaps we can direct you.</p>
<p>Also, can you live at home and commute to a job once you graduate? If so, you could direct your “rent money” towards your debt if your parents will let you live there cheaply.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I’m a history major, so my job prospects are pretty grim. I wanted to attend graduate school , but I no longer think that is a good idea–I could not get into a worthwhile program anyway. </p>
<p>My parents live in a very rural area, and there are no opportunities there. I attend school in a city that has a huge number of young people but very few jobs–I know that I will have to move, but have no idea where.</p>
<p>Any jobs available on campus? </p>
<p>With a history major, you’ve learned how to take in massive amounts of information and distill it into a short, concise summary. Trust me - good writing skills is a well sought after skill in any job market and any job. Do you need other skills? That all depends on what you want to do. </p>
<p>Instead of saying “What can I do in history and earn a living?”, list out the skills you’ve acquired and other traits. See where that leads you. Apply to lots of different places in different parts of the country. This is a great time to live in places you’ve always wanted to try.</p>
<p>With over 2000 colleges in the US, I would say the vast majority of students who owe money, graduate from “no name” universities. Ranking really is meaningless in the job market. No one cares that your school is ranked 212 or 45. </p>
<p>Maybe some places care if you graduated from a small group of colleges but even within that group, they don’t track rank. Places don’t all of a sudden shun, say, Dartmouth because their ranking has fallen out of the top 10.</p>
<p>No one goes through life unscathed. Maybe this is a “mistake” (I loathe to label it as such) but we all make choices that maybe could have turned out better. The point is you’re not a failure or mediocre for having made this choice. You gained knowledge and grown from going to college - how can that be a mistake? What counts is how you face this and move forward from it.</p>
<p>There’s hope. People have already mentioned loan forgiveness programs. There already exists various programs designed to help students reduce or element debt. Some may require you to provide service in areas that are underserved-such as teaching (in your case, history) in underserved areas. You career counseling program should help you find these various programs. But wait…there is more. There is a movement afoot to reduce student debt and I will be surprised if this does not lead to significant reductions for students currently saddled with debt. Keep your eyes open. I expect there to be various programs with reductions-first in interest rates but eventually in subsidized principals. These are not because of good will but to reduce the chances that debt in your generation impacts negatively on investments industry.</p>
<p>Find a job, any job and go from there! Your will is your drive, NOTHING else, NOBODY else!!
I have found 9 jobs, I would lose a job, be forced out for various reasons, leave on my own for various reasons, could not relocate and we live in one of the most economically depressed city, worse than Detroit, many actually travel to Detroity on a daily basis. I was unemployed 9 times, just got over the fact (whatever that was) and moved on, applying to several places every day and knowing that most of it is a complete waste of time. But without this activity you have no chance. So, just start applying, something will come up. As a young person with no responsibility (I could not afford feeling this way, I mean being responsible for family/kids is a very different level than being responsible for debt, repaying of which can wait) and being able to move to any place, nothing should hold you down, NOTHING AT ALL. BTW, I did not like my first career either, just went back to school and started another (in my mid 30s, high schooler kid to take care of and working full time) and love it. Absolutely everything is in your own hands, you have to make yourself feeling this way, there is no other approach. Eventually (or maybe right away) you will find employer that pays for education, take this opportunity to your heart!</p>
<p>Miami,
As many have tried to tell you, employers paying for continuing education for its employees is very rare these days, and even when it is available is typically only for training related to the employee’s job. That benefit went the way of the dodo bird eons ago for most employers. </p>
<p>^ employer paid education is more rare, but not extinct. My employer still pays tuition benefits.</p>
<p>Yes that’s what I said it’s pretty rare. Does your employer pay for any tuition benefits or just something related to your job? Is this a large Fortune 500 company?</p>
<p>Does it pay tuition benefits for newly hired employees or is there a waiting period?</p>
<p>It is daunting to realize that going back home will not be a safety net. I also planned to go to grad school right after graduation, but my scholarship funding fell through four weeks before I was supposed to start. I was broke and far away from a home I could not go back to, and had to find a job right away. I wanted to work in community service, so I looked for job listings in industry-related publications and applied to every job that paid a barely living wage that was east of the Mississippi. I got hired and moved to a large city where I had no family and worked connections to find people who would help me figure out where to live. It was hard but it was an experience that shaped the rest of my life, far more meaningful than my undergraduate education. The most important factor was having the confidence to move forward and know that things would work out. It might sound trite, but I grit, determination and confidence go a long way.</p>
<p>Small companies rarely pay tuition benefits. Many big companies do. Universities tend to let employees attend classes tuition free.</p>
<p>A question for the OP - with a history degree, was your only option to go to grad school? And would you consider getting into public service?</p>
<p>For example, you can get student-loan deferment through working for Americorps:
<a href=“http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/im-ready-serve”>http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/im-ready-serve</a></p>
<p>My doctor’s son graduated this past Jun. He was a Chinese major. He almost got a very good job overseas, but the day he was going to do his presentation in Chinese, he had a very bad stomach virus, so he was disqualified. He continued to look this fall. After few months of looking, he got a job at Yelp in their marketing area. He is a good writer, but the job has nothing to do with his major.</p>
<p>My niece is graduating next Jun. She is an Anthropology major, probably one of the easiest majors at her school. Her school is a well known public school. She was very stressed out this fall applying for jobs. Last month she got a job working at a big 4 consulting firm in their strategy and marketing area. Her hiring manager told her that they were seeing a lot of quant people and they wanted to hire more students with humanities majors.</p>
<p>As a history major, you can apply for many training programs - banking, consulting, retail, advertising, online company (like Yelp).</p>
<p>You might also look at the federal Teach for America program. You don’t need an education degree, and they provide training.</p>
<p>There is so much good advice on this thread. My two cents:
- You are not a failure. Keep up your self esteem. Don’t define yourself by your choices, or your major. Deal with this head on.
- You are not alone with debt. There is over 1 trillion in student loan debt in the USA. 50K, while it is a big number, is still manageable I think, but you need to be diligent about paying it off. It could be worse, some kids have 80K+ so keep it in perspective.
- Network yourself with alum and other professionals you know. Network ad nauseum.
- Pound the pavement. You need to get yourself out there.
- You have skills, remember that. You may need to be creative in how you use your degree, but you have SKILLS.
6.Americorps, Teach for America. Awesome programs and life changing. - Working builds self esteem and is empowering. Get any job, (like Starbucks even), show up on time, work hard and be a productive member of society. You will feel much better.
- Attitude is everything. You can take the high road or low road. This is not time for self-pity. Surround yourself with positive people, not negative people. </p>
<p>…my current employer is also paying for education, even Grad. School.</p>
<p>A lot of great advice here. Yes, it 's scary to owe that much. Wish you had found another way to buy your college experience but that is now water under the bridge.</p>
<p>Most folks I know go to run of the mill colleges. It’s no big deal. Your degree, your courses, any certification, specific skills and how marketable they are will find you a job far faster than a degree from some elite school. I know plenty of under and unemployed grads from name schools. </p>
<p>OP- any chance at entry level adm. asst. type job at your university? or a community college nearby? Even part-time is good for building some experience. How about tutoring at the college tutoring center for writing etc.? At my regional univ., there are always open positions for this type of work. People are giving you some great advice on this board. Make a list of options listed on this thread, and start working on them, one by one.</p>