<p>I’m so sorry you are facing this tough situation. I truly feel for you because the situation you are in is exactly the situation I fear for my child. The job market is horrendous - - worse than it is being made out to be. I admire you for continually flogging along at it and staying persistent.</p>
<p>My husband is in medicine, and all I know is that he is constantly saying how much they need nurses. I believe there is a nursing shortage now and one that will get worse with the aging population.</p>
<p>In addition, there are pretty reasonable paying jobs in medical technology areas - - like becoming an ultrasound technician. I think Trillium is steering you in a good direction. I’d actually go to the community college’s career office first. Tell them you are considering enrolling, but you’d like to see what kinds of jobs they have posted there to help you guide your educational pursuits. I think this will help you ascertain what kind of degree you can get that will help you land a job with a reasonable salary for the short terms with the minimum of additional education.</p>
<p>These times are definitely ones where I would not try to go directly from point A to the big CAREER. First, find a way to support yourself because once you have that in place, you have so much more freedom to pursue alternative career options. </p>
<p>I have been telling my son to pursue something with good job prospects as he is off to college soon . . .because having a paycheck definitely frees you up to pursue your loves whether it takes additional education or whatever. But no job is just a tough position to be in.</p>
<p>If it were my child, I would first tell him not to respond with so much negativity every time an adult tries to make a helpful suggestion. OP- go back and read your responses.</p>
<p>Then, I would tell him to register with a temp agency and tell them they he’d be interested in taking any assignment where they can get him placed. And I’d make sure he spent his free time brushing up on his computer skills- Word, Excel, Photoshop, any and all software packages that a modern office uses.</p>
<p>Third, I would tell him that applying once to a company the size of UPS is a non-starter. They have opportunities at headquarters, they have opportunities in branch offices, they have opportunities at distribution facilities. So finding one job and applying one time and not getting a callback means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things.</p>
<p>Fourth, I would tell him to send a copy of his resume to every adult he knows. Pastor, dentist, fourth grade teacher, basketball coach; every single college professor he had. Tell all of them in a courteous email that he is looking for a job and that any suggestions or advice (or leads) on an entry level position for which he might be qualified would be greatly appreciated. Although you are not in a position to “pay it back” you intend to pay it forward- and the help they give you know will be passed on to someone else once you are situated in your career.</p>
<p>That’s what I’d suggest if it were my child.</p>
<p>I would tell him that if he goes back to school, make sure that he isn’t following the same road that got him where he is right now. Don’t get a more advanced degree in the same one that landed you nothing at the bachelor’s level. If it’s salary you’re after, find a program that is economical and reputable in a field that’s hiring. Meanwhile, take a job doing anything. Keep busy. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up breaking out of the pack at this dead end temporary job. If not, in the meantime, pursue the additional education/training angle. Make learning new skills your new hobbies… teach yourself a foreign language, computer programming, real estate license, whatever. You can do a lot on your own using books and online resources. With a degree in psychology, have you thought about an interim job selling cars? Depending on the market, you could do quite well if you’re well versed in human nature. I would think a background and interest in human psychology would make selling cars a fun and lucrative job while searching for other alternatives. This is just a hitch in your giddy up. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming…</p>
<p>" I would tell him that if he goes back to school, make sure that he isn’t following the same road that got him where he is right now. Don’t get a more advanced degree in the same one that landed you nothing at the bachelor’s level "</p>
<p>That right there is very sound advice !</p>
<p>to the OP, what part of the country do you live in ?</p>
<p>This is the part of life’s road where you may head in a direction you’ve never considered. Start a small service/consulting/??? company on the side, perhaps in some area of your interests. Makes some documentaries. Create an app. Start a blog. E-publish a book. Create a volunteer group, organize and grow it. There has never been a better time than now to use every kind of new media to market or promote something.</p>
<p>Research companies which promote from within and have middle management positions which require/prefer college degrees (Costco?) Consider the mental health division of an urban police force. Or if that’s not your thing, a year in Teach for America or the Peace Corps or an NGO. </p>
<p>The only good news is that you are in plentiful company, and if you can manage to take the long view… how will you be positioned when the economic recovery accelerates, what will you have done with this “stalled out” time? The answer may make you more competitive later.</p>
<p>Turbo93, thank you! I will look into both of those.</p>
<p>Thanks amaraylandmom. I am considering nursing because I do have some of the pre-reqs already completed. I just found out today there is a nursing program at my school for students that already have completed a bachelor’s degree. I could have my pre-reqs done in two semesters, apply for admission and finish nursing school within 4 more semesters. It would be 6 total. However, the local cc nursing program is over-saturated. I found this on their website and got pretty discouraged. “Wait time from program acceptance to beginning the Nursing courses can be longer than six terms (two years)… We are currently accepting applications for Spring 2015.” I really appreciate the career center advice. </p>
<p>blossom-Thanks for your response. The non-starter may be true, but some companies also prevent you from applying again right away. There is typically a 30-60 wait period before you can apply for another position. I appreciate the temp agency suggestion.</p>
<p>“If it were my child, I would first tell him not to respond with so much negativity every time an adult tries to make a helpful suggestion. OP- go back and read your responses.”</p>
<p>I am not discounting the advice given here, nor am I being negative. I am sincerely grateful for any response or time taken out to answer my question. I actually posted here in the first place because I believe that the parents here have great advice. I am just saying for my current situation, I do not personally believe teaching english is the direction for me to go right now. And if someone has input, I am telling them what steps I have already taken or what my angle on the situation currently is. I am also an adult and capable of speaking with adults. I am merely asking for advice and input. If I say that I do not think it fits with my situation that does not make me negative.</p>
<p>Thank you fidgetgirl and lje62 for your suggestions/advice. I live in the southeast.</p>
<p>OP- you are not begging others to find you a job. Only you can find you a job. You are politely asking people who know you- and presumably like you- to take three minutes and think-- do they know someone else who might be able to help. Do they know a company which is hiring. Do they know someone starting a company who needs a “jack of all trades” to help on a variety of projects. etc. Your basketball coach from HS (or scout master, or the neighbor up the street whose house you painted in HS) are all too busy to read your resume???</p>
<p>“I think I could be good at nursing and I didn’t realize psychiatric nurse practitioners could prescribe meds.”</p>
<p>I have a good friend that got a B.S. degree in “health sciences” about 12 years. Once he finishes his R.N. pre-reqs (takes 9 months), he is going directly into as Masters of Nursing program at Pacific Lutheran University. When he comes out, he’ll get hired as a nurse manager - which will be in huge demand as a result of Obamacare. He could do clinical work, but I very much doubt he’ll end up doing much of that. His grades (12 years ago) were far lower than yours, and he ended up in the military.</p>
<p>blossom- Thank you, I do not have lots of those connections and the ones I do have are trying to keep an eye out for me. I appreciate the input. Unfortunately I haven’t had success using such a method so far.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t go to grad school until you have a very clear sense of what you want to get out of it.</p>
<p>Nursing and education are both fields that you either love or you don’t. I wouldn’t invest money in getting a degree in either unless you have experience that makes you really really certain it’s the path for you. Think about what it is that you don’t like about clinical work. Would those elements be present in nursing or education? </p>
<p>If you feel trapped now, you’ll feel even more trapped with a bigger debt load unless you have a very careful plan.</p>
<p>CuriousJane, you are absolutely right. Grad school is not something to consider on a whim.
I am just trying to bounce some ideas and work out a solution. You are right, bigger debt is not something to accumulate without a plan.</p>
<p>You started some how in Engineering, where you apparently didnt have interest or aptitude. I am not sure how you drifted into Psychology but it couldnt have come as that much of a surprise that the career prospects for a BS in Psych arent great. </p>
<p>I think you have to start with a post mortem on what kind of career advice you were getting and what your decision making process was. You need much better planning if you are going to move forward and I doubt it comes from the Resume Shoppe.</p>
<p>Ideally you’d have some sort of mentor network where people can give you some realistic advice but you probably arent in a position to meet those people yet. </p>
<p>It pretty clear that the waitress job will lead to nothing so you need to get out of that and into something where there is at least the possibility of a career track. You might have to start volunteering at first but find some place that has some actual professionals who might take a interest in you. </p>
<p>The other option is the military. If nothing else they will train you and give a gloss to your credentials.</p>
<p>argbargy, I totally agree. I am doing this wrong. </p>
<p>I chose pre-med in HS. I volunteered at a hospital, shadowed physicians, loved my biology classes. Then I got to college, spoke with an Engineering professor at orientation and wanted to major in Aerospace Engineering. I did terrible in the weed out classes: physics I and calc II. From there I decided that if I couldn’t do well in my pre-reqs then I should consider something else. Human Factors/Engineering Psychology and I/O psychology are somewhat related to Engineering in the sense they deal with humans and design interface, science/research based subfields. I had always planned on going to grad school eventually. My senior year I was told that psychology is a versatile degree and while grad school is important I would be able to secure a position in HR, as a bank teller or something related to sales. I was told to choose “what I was interested in.” What I didn’t realize is that all the internships and research I have done are essentially useless in the workplace. I am not blaming the advice, I obviously did not perform well enough for grad school and its clear now that I chose an incorrect path. I was an IB student and trade or community colleges were never shown as options to me. I was under the impression that any college degree is better than not having a college degree. </p>
<p>My parents are not by any means successful. My dad has an associates and my mom graduated high school. She became a housewife and had children. She never pursued a career. I have asked advice of my professors. But they all graduated college much much earlier and the job market/grad admissions are completely different now.</p>
<p>I thought about joining the military but I wouldn’t stand a chance. I am not nearly tough or tenacious enough to survive, which is why I am in this position in the first place. I have average abilities. There is nothing that makes me stand out. I am in a hole that I dug myself with no way out.</p>
<p>It sounds as though your interests are related to industry and/or technology. Engineering interests you. Could you explore positions related to that? Even if you got something in the mailroom or reception at a manufacturing company, for example, it would be a foot in the door. It might be low paid but you could keep your serving job for a while to make up the difference.</p>
<p>1) Go to simplyhired.com
2) on search type trainee
3) type in your location, or the location where you want to look for a job</p>
<p>Apply to those that require a bachelors degree in nothing particular. </p>
<p>For example for an Enterprise Car Rental position, you need
Bachelors degree required
Must have a minimum of 6 months of customer service and/or sales experience (can be non-concurrent).
Must have a valid US driver’s license for a minimum of 12 months with no more than 1 moving violation and/or at-fault accident within the past 3 years.
A revoked or suspended drivers license must have been reinstated more than 12 months ago.
No drug or alcohol related conviction on record (DWI/DUI) in the past 5 years.
Must be at least 18 years old.
Must be authorized to work in the United States and not require work authorization sponsorship by our company for this position now or in the future.</p>
<p>I would think that a waitress would qualify for the “minimum of 6 months of customer service or sales” experience.</p>
<p>Basically, you learn the business from the ground up.
Your psychology background should be useful in sales. </p>
<p>Stop being defeated. You know that’s self-defeating.</p>
<p>CuriousJane, that does sound like a good option. Thanks, I will look into manufacturing companies around here. I am interested in Engineering, well science in general, but I don’t have a natural ability in it and tend to do poorly in related classes.</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad, its not that simple. I have been doing that for months without any fruitful interviews. That is why I turned the career office in the first place because I haven’t been getting any interviews for jobs on simply hired, monster, careerbuilder, craigslist. I have even applied to be a Target cashier and other jobs that don’t require bachelors degrees. The only interviews I have had in the past few months have been leasing office assistant jobs at apartment complexes.</p>
<p>Ok…this has definitely been rough on you. Try not to get down on yourself. Being average is fine, but you sound rather above average, just uncertain and discouraged. </p>
<p>This is what I would do:
Make a list of your options and create pro/con lists. Actually write it down, preferably on large piece of paper, a white board or, heck, even a paper sack cut open (makes a nice size). </p>
<p>Here are some starting option:
Cast you job net farther and apply to jobs out of your area.
Do you have any family in areas with better job availability?
Have you already done online applying for jobs requiring BS in psychology?</p>
<p>2) Get more education in a specific and employable field.</p>
<p>3) apply for local jobs you haven’t previously tried. Hospitals, senior centers, veteran affairs offices, academic testing facilities (Pearson hires remote graders sometimes). Are there any non profits there that serve disabled populations? Any non profits for kids/families? Go to them and try to sell yourself even if they don’t have job openings listed. </p>
<p>4) volunteer with a program that offers a small stipend. </p>
<p>Honestly, for my kid, I’d encourage them to do an extensive search for graduate programs that fit their interests. Scour the websites for any nearby state schools with graduate programs and read up on job prospects for the degrees offered. Then just keep on looking and looking until you find a school with an interesting and employable program that will accept your gpa. I don’t see your gpa as a lock out for all graduate programs. I have family who struggled finding their path in undergrad, ended up with some low grades, but went on to grad school with TA and eventually RA which provided small stipend and tuition. </p>
<p>Hang in there! I know it is a tough situation. Trying to find your niche can be surprisingly hard. I sincerely wish you all the best! Maybe start a post looking for graduate programs that generally offer teaching assistanceship a or research assistanceship?</p>
<p>Three of my d’s friends have undergrad degrees in Psych… All graduated in 2010 and this is what the three are doing now:</p>
<p>Friend one: currently in a Master’s program to earn a degree in school psychology but this was after working as a nanny/nursery school assistant/unpaid internship at a hospital and living in her parent’s house. She is also a single mom, having a one year old baby that she cares for along with her mom. Had to transfer from Master’s/Ph.D program back home when she unexpectedly became pregant.</p>
<p>Friend two: works in a travel packager-travel packagers sell prepaid hotel/travel arrangements/tours to travel agencies. He worked in family business initially but needed a change. Wanted to go to grad school for music but as a music minor in undergrad did not have the credentials. Would need to complete undergrad requirements to be qualified to be admitted to grad school. Also teaches private piano and has released a few CD’s</p>
<p>Friend three: was a Jewish studies minor and has a job in D.C. with reform Jewish organization where she monitors social media and does data entry/clerical work</p>
<p>Older d does a friend in HR. who is getting a Master’s in Industrial Organization or some related field at NYU, but on leave of absence now to live in Hong Kong with her husband who accepted company transfer. He is in finance. She originally wanted to go to law school but did not do well enough on LSAT to be competitive admit.</p>
<p>gnomechomsky22, you wrote off what I said pretty quick without specifically addressing what I said. </p>
<p>Did you apply for any jobs, or specifically for management trainee jobs, you know the ones with the 55 hour work week and the very low starting pay?</p>
<p>Trilliums, I have no other family. I would love to work as a Research Assistant and have applied to several of those positions at local hospitals. I never hear back I would love a job like that. I have even tried calling HR and asking what I could do to improve my application/what they look for in an applicant. They said they have an overwhelming pool of applicants and most prefer students/applicants with nursing/clinical backgrounds. Thank you for your kind words and the systematic breakdown of options/possible paths to choose. That helps a lot.</p>
<p>ClassicRockerDad, I did not write off your comment, nor did I fail to address what you said. I specifically have been applying to manager in training, trainee, manager training internships etc. what ever buzzword you could possibly think of. As I have said before, I cannot secure any interviews for these positions. I spend hours combing the internet for these types of jobs. I do not apply to management jobs that require more than entry level experience. I am not blindly applying to any job without looking at the qualifications. I tailor my resume and cover letter to highlight aspects of my degree that would help in such a position. I have well written cover letters and a resume.</p>
<p>I am in the southeast. I am also in a tough area, the unemployment rate is high.</p>
I would love a job like that. I have even tried calling HR and asking what I could do to improve my application/what they look for in an applicant. They said they have an overwhelming pool of applicants and most prefer students/applicants with nursing/clinical backgrounds. Thank you for your kind words and the systematic breakdown of options/possible paths to choose. That helps a lot.</p>