<p>I just graduated from Barnard in May, and honestly I’m a bit down in the dumps. The recession has made it really hard for me and all of my friends to find work that pays enough, and I’m starting to wonder (worry) if I’ll ever find anything, especially the sort of work I had been planning on doing post-grad. On top of that, like every other college grad I’m sure, I’m also just plain stumped at what it is I actually want to do!</p>
<p>All of you parents are so wonderful in advising prospective Barnard students, and I wonder if you could offer some advice for those of us who have now graduated? Where are your daughters now, and what are they doing? How did they get where they are today?</p>
<p>I’m not sure that I can really help you feel better. My d. is also a recession-era graduate (2010), but she got a job that is perfect for her major/career aspirations (poli sci/international relations), and was hired the same day that she graduated. The job is with a nonprofit agency so the pay is not really up to par with her level of responsibility, but the job has good benefits & she will probably be applying to grad school down the line. She did have many classmates who had difficulty finding work. </p>
<p>I really felt that my daughter had something of an advantage in finding work because she had a lot of real-world work experience, which was really enhanced over her 4 years at Barnard, not by the academics, but by all the different jobs she worked at in order to earn money to support herself while in school. (By “support herself” I mean that while I paid for her tuition & housing, she was on her own for meals & all other expenses, and of course NYC living can be kind of pricey). So she started off with a very impressive resume in terms of work experience. </p>
<p>She also took full advantage of Barnard’s career resources, attending whatever workshops they offered, participating in the mentoring program, etc. – at the time she felt that was the most valuable thing she had gotten over her 4 years at Barnard. </p>
<p>What was your major? Where do you live now? What type of work are you looking for? (If you are concerned about disclosing too much personal info, let me know in a PM).</p>
<p>I majored in Art History/Visual Arts, and while I would love to work in the arts (museums, galleries, non-profits, etc.) I know that especially now it’s a little unrealistic. I worked in the Archives at Barnard for 3 years and really love library work as well. And I have been looking at various different administrative assistant positions, particularly at colleges; I did get a rather grueling interview for one at a school in upstate NY, but haven’t yet heard back and had the impression I was under-qualified.</p>
<p>I’m living in Chicago right now, but will likely move somewhere back east (though not NYC, it’s just too expensive.) I wouldn’t mind waiting tables for a while, but I do have student loans and would also love to go to grad school one day, so I do wonder if I could support myself that way.</p>
<p>Congrats to your daughter for a finding a job in her field! I know there will be something out there for me someday.</p>
<p>Not sure I can help you. My D is working on her PhD in neuroscience at Emory. It’s a fully funded program and so she is independent. She was fortunate indeed to have the background she got at Barnard.</p>