<p>I am wondering if I purposefully chose to torture myself with the 200+ pages of weekly reading for the classes, the high level of competition and stress of the environment (crowded facilities, lack of personal attention, etc.) for nothing. I mean I mentioned this in an earlier thread, but I've done internships, worked, was involved in a campus organization and networked as much as possible with the supposedly strong Berkeley community only to end up on the brink of homelessness.
I wonder if my time would have been better spent going to a "party school" with less rigorous courseload which would have allowed me more time to spend on the stereotypical college hooking up/drinking scene since the professional work/activity hasn't paid off. And looking back at Cal, I can say I met some great awesome people; yet they haven't been able to help me secure that nice, comfortable middle-class job while all that time in the Moffitt/Main Stacks writing papers/reading feels like a complete waste of time which would have been better spent with less sophicated people having drunken hook-ups.
Was wondering if anyone else felt this way.</p>
<p>No, not really. You can definitely have a social life at Berkeley. We’re not Chico, but there are fun people, especially once you’re 21 and start going to bars in San Francisco. (Not saying this to rub it in your face, just putting it out there, since I know some prospective students/new Berkeley admits browse these threads.) </p>
<p>As for jobs: What was your major? How old are you now? Have you contacted our alumni in different fields and set up interviews? What’s your work experience. I’m genuinely concerned. As a Berkeley grad, unless you have absymal grades and no work experience, there are definitely resources that, if you utilize, can land you an entry-level position in any field imaginable short of like, being an astronaut.</p>
<p>As for jobs: What was your major? Sociology
How old are you now? 24.
Have you contacted our alumni in different fields and set up interviews? I’ve done close 15 informational interviews.<br>
What’s your work experience.
-Since graduation which was two years ago I worked last year as a substitute teacher while also applying for other jobs/networking/informational interviews/career counseling appointments, and got two temp assignments at law firms.
Before graduation, I worked at Teach For America as a department assistant where I independently filed expense reports classifying expenses by department, coordinated employee travel and conference arrangements, set up conference rooms and published a weekly team newsletter amongst other things. Before that, I managed a summer aquatic program which included scheduling 35 employees, cashiering, customer service/employee management, program accounting and facility maintenance. </p>
<p>I’m genuinely concerned. As a Berkeley grad, unless you have absymal grades and no work experience, there are definitely resources that, if you utilize, can land you an entry-level position in any field imaginable short of like, being an astronaut.
-As I mentioned, I’ve tried to utilize the resources, I’ve met with multiple career counselors, attended career fairs and even tried informational interviewing/networking with my graduated classmates to no avail. I am now one step away from sleeping on the streets and I am feeling like all of my hard work was for nothing.
Also, my G.P.A. was 3.68.</p>
<p>Also, I should mention I worked for two on-campus departments as well-one in the Dean’s Office; and another at the switchboard/mailroom while also completing two internships-a year long one as a Legal Assistant and another conducting policy/growth strategy consulting type work for a government/community non-profit.</p>
<p>I am concerned about you. What kind of job one is supposed to get after majoring in sociology? Professional degrees are aligned to the jobs, but that too is not guaranteed when the economy is not doing well - law graduates were out of work after the housing bust. There must be a way to get graduate degree after non-professional degree to become more suitable for job market.</p>
<p>I wish you the best and 24 yrs age is too early to give up. </p>
<p>Any sociology major out there who can throw some light.</p>
<p>I googled and one idea would be to use your skills in social media companies that could use your skills to spot trends and target their products. Knowledge of statistics could help. Again, this is me looking up info on Internet - no direct knowledge.</p>
<p>I got this from the Cal website, which I’m pretty sure I’d be qualified for most of these positions; yet I am having difficulty actually getting a solid offer for one of them; or even interviews. It seems to me almost false advertising which is why I wanted to post it here to let prospective students know what they are getting into. </p>
<p>AIRSERV Human Resources
American Institutes for Research Research Assistant
Berkshire Hathaway Other
Corporate Executive Board Account Associate
Gilead Associate
Google Inc Data Analyst
Hilton Other
Institute for Scientific Analysis Research Assistant
Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley Other
Macy’s West Trainee
Major League Soccer Other
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Analyst
Ocean Tomo LLC Analyst Consultant
Safeway Marketing Analyst
Silicon Valley Spine Institute Executive Assistant
Teach for America Teacher
University of California Berkeley Not Specified</p>
<p>Like why put in all of that academic and professional work to not have it pay off or get you a solid entry level job.</p>
<p>You got unlucky to graduate during an economic downturn.</p>
<p>This thread is scaring me. I don’t see myself after graduation any better off than what you described.</p>
<p>ucbalumnus is right. But, what is the remedy?</p>
<p>FasterWords, are you a guy or gal? You can find an English teaching job in Japan or Korea.</p>
<p>The problem is you, not whether you have a Cal degree or Chico state diploma; you’re just kind of throwing yourself out there for whatever jobs that’s available and I think that might have rubbed off on interviewers and people you have come in contact with i.e. they see that you don’t have focus in what you want to do and really just want the job for the sake of having a job. But again, this is just my guess because I don’t know anything about you but to me, just based off of your post alone, you’re just looking for someone/something to blame. So you think your life would have been better if you partied harder at a less rigorous school? How does that change anything in the grand scheme of things? By having a split second more of memories that you think you were “happy” rubbing thighs with slutty girls? Yes, I guess that makes life so much better and more bearable.</p>
<p>Again, I don’t know anything about you but you need to change your outlook if you want things to change.</p>
<p>I think so; it may not change anything in the grand scheme of things but I guess that makes life so much better and more bearable.</p>
<p>OP, look into what Bearfacts said. ESL teachers in Korea, for example, can make pretty good money working at a hagwon. Look up “Dave’s ESL Board” for more info and job postings.</p>
<p>Good luck man. Just make sure you don’t go over there and act like a prick. Uphold the reputation of foreigners.</p>
<p>I know a guy who’s 32 and got a degree from UCLA. He found a job in some technology company. Stop whining, keep looking.</p>
<p>So the OP get a degree in Sociology in Berkeley and all you can say is stop whining and get a job teaching ESL in Korea?</p>
<p>I suppose you have a job that you love and are proud of?</p>
<p>"The problem is you, not whether you have a Cal degree or Chico state diploma; you’re just kind of throwing yourself out there for whatever jobs that’s available and I think that might have rubbed off on interviewers and people you have come in contact with i.e. they see that you don’t have focus in what you want to do and really just want the job for the sake of having a job. But again, this is just my guess because I don’t know anything about you but to me, just based off of your post alone, you’re just looking for someone/something to blame. So you think your life would have been better if you partied harder at a less rigorous school? How does that change anything in the grand scheme of things? By having a split second more of memories that you think you were “happy” rubbing thighs with slutty girls? Yes, I guess that makes life so much better and more bearable.</p>
<p>Again, I don’t know anything about you but you need to change your outlook if you want things to change. "</p>
<p>Wow, I thought went to UC Berkeley, the place of free speech, pursuing your passions, enjoymentsand individuality of pursuits not a puritan value school like Utah State or Penn State. Also, I should mention I find it funny how you have the need to criticize someone elses enjoyment, desires and pursuits and believe that someone else has a problem for living the life THEY NOT YOU, what to choose. Yes, my life would have been a lot better if I chose to have tons of memories rubbing up
Also, how do you know how I’ve come across in interviews, you don’t. As I’ve said I’ve been particularly focused on finding a job in marketing, IT, or Human Resources with a mix of the two, have focused on particular companies and even utilized career center resources to be where I am at now and all I can reflect on at my time at Cal is a few weak friendships with awful people who after graduation weren’t as close as I thought we were even though we spent a great deal of time together, and the work/professional skills/experiences I gained which I thought would land me a job akin to those listed on the Career Center website.
So, YES I WOULD BE HAPPIER AND MORE CONTENT IN MY CURRENT ECONOMIC POSITION IF I HAD THE MEMORIES OF FUN CONSTANT PARTIES AND RANDOM SEX RATHER THAN STUDYING IN THE LIBRARY UNTIL 2AM EVERYDAY PERFECTING ACADEMIC PAPERS AND DOING POLICY WORK/CONSULTING FOR NON-PROFITS.</p>
<p>Good middle class jobs are hard to find nowadays. And a college degree from an elite school isn’t the guaranteed ticket to a middle class job anymore. Yes, you should have filed that change of major form from sociology to computer science if you wanted the diploma to become a guaranteed ticket to the middle class. But you would have spent even more time studying rather than partying in CS. Without the right major, you’ll have to work very hard like everyone else to get one of the increasingly scarce middle class jobs.</p>
<p>Times are frakking hard. When I graduated from Cal, there were three guys working each garbage truck making a middle class living. Today, there is only one guy who does everything from driving to moving the garbage cans around. In the 1980s, an auto mechanic worked in the middle class with hourly pay. Today, he is paid by the job instead of by the hour, which has effectively lowered his hourly rate to minimum wage levels. Lots of IT guys who did not keep up with technology changes have become unemployable. In Detroit, it takes far fewer people to build a car. Much of the work is being done by robots and machines. Same thing in the central valley with agriculture. Middle class jobs are hard to get. Many are salivating at $11/hr jobs as a lube tech. That’s how bad it is.</p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t find my degree from Cal to be very helpful in gaining employment since it is not in EECS. But if you’re able to work hard to graduate with an amazing education, you can work hard to get skills that employers want. For example, lots of liberal arts majors were smart enough to pick up IT skills along the way to get into middle class IT jobs. That’s what I did. At the interview, make it sound like you’re the expert in xyz skill even if you’re not. Don’t ever sell yourself short my admitting that you could be a bit better in xyz. It’s more than good enough. Don’t give them reasons to doubt it. Tell them you’re an expert with a straight face.</p>
<p>OP’s problem is that OP didn’t consider how s/he would bring value to a company. We have a long list of random activities but nothing indicates how this person would be useful to a company. Also, 3.68 in sociology is not very impressive. </p>
<p>OP is unlucky to have graduated in the worst economy of the last 70 years. OP should get back to school ASAP with a focus on developing skills that are valuable to companies. I would take classes on statistics or anything else related to big data.</p>