Someone make me feel better about this ~$60,000 piece of paper

[mainbutter]

shoot you aint alone there girly. we're living on a minimum wage/disability income

Aare you fresh out of a top tier college with good grades and a supposedly marketable degree? The worst part for me is feeling cheated, I feel I've put the time in and accomplished what society has told me I'm supposed to accomplish to be prepared for a career, and there's none to be had.

[cinderbird]

As a soon-to-be grad, this isn't encouraging

I will be done with my B.S. in Early Childhood Education in December, and I'm HOPING and PRAYING that I find a job quickly!

Good luck to you! I hope you find something soon.

start applying now. Don't wait for the fresh May crop of grads to start competing against.

[ShortStack]

start applying now. Don't wait for the fresh May crop of grads to start competing against.

I can't start applying now.. I still have 2 certification exams to take over the summer, plus a fall internship before I can graduate. I'm hoping I will get in good with my school I end up interning at and be kept on.. That's what happens to the lucky interns, lol. But, graduating in December gives me a better chance of getting hired as a first year teacher as opposed to having to compete against everyone for the beginning of a school year. A lot of schools hire in January because teachers only make it half a year before they quit or ae fired, plus we're a military town, so many teachers that are in military families leave over Christmas break.. Or so I've been told by some teachers/administrators in my county.

[kellysballs]

My plan is vet school. But I do know that most science/research based grad schools pay you a stipend and pays for your schooling. Plus, if you are in school you don't have to make payments on your student loans. So I say keep looking and start looking into grad school.

[ShortStack]

My plan is vet school. But I do know that most science/research based grad schools pay you a stipend and pays for your schooling. Plus, if you are in school you don't have to make payments on your student loans. So I say keep looking and start looking into grad school.

I know that education majors have an option similar to this, too now. The only catch is that you have to agree to work 3-5 years in a school that's considered to be in a low poverty area. So they basically ship you off to the worst school in the city, and you have to stay there for an agreed amount of time to get your tuition paid for.

[cinderbird]

I can't start applying now.. I still have 2 certification exams to take over the summer, plus a fall internship before I can graduate. I'm hoping I will get in good with my school I end up interning at and be kept on.. That's what happens to the lucky interns, lol. But, graduating in December gives me a better chance of getting hired as a first year teacher as opposed to having to compete against everyone for the beginning of a school year. A lot of schools hire in January because teachers only make it half a year before they quit or ae fired, plus we're a military town, so many teachers that are in military families leave over Christmas break.. Or so I've been told by some teachers/administrators in my county.

Ah, then AS SOON as you apply for graduation (whenever that is) start applying for jobs. They will understand based on your resume that you're in the process of graduating. Its pretty common practice to start applying for jobs before you actually walk

[ShortStack]

Ah, then AS SOON as you apply for graduation (whenever that is) start applying for jobs. They will understand based on your resume that you're in the process of graduating. Its pretty common practice to start applying for jobs before you actually walk

Ya, I know that. If the school I'm interning at decides they want to hire me, they even have the option to keep me on as a "full-time sub" while I'm in the process of getting everything finalized. The sucky part is even though I'll "graduate" in December '11, get my degree, and be done, I can't actually walk until May '12. My school just switched from a community college to state college, and the program I'm in is one of the first bachelor programs they have started offering, and they're not doing 2 graduation ceremonies as of yet. Oh well, lol.

[kellysballs]

You don't have to "walk" to graduate. I will graduate with BS in Dec 2012 and i will recieve the hard copy of my diploma by the middle of Jan.

[ShortStack]

You don't have to "walk" to graduate. I will graduate with BS in Dec 2012 and i will recieve the hard copy of my diploma by the middle of Jan.

No, I know.. It just is a bummer to spend 4 years and have to wait 5 months to walk for everything I've worked for, lol.

[redstormlax12]

Sorry to hear about your situation. Finding a job is awful right now. Im almost done with my freshmen year and after looking alot into the future, looking at my parents and everyone else I've realized that a bachelor degree is the minimum these days. I plan to become a DVM and work in a vets office right now. Hopefully the job market gets better in 7 years...

My advice would be go back to school, even if it creates more debt. My economics prof last semester graduated with his BA the same year there was a job slump, so he went back and got his masters, when he graduated with his masters there was another job slump so he decided to get his doctorates. Now he has a great job working at a university. Who knows what going back to school will open up for you.

As for the person stating that kids with well to do parents get good jobs because of them, thats no ones fault. My dad has worked extremely hard to get to where he is now and knows alot of heads of science departments in some of the top universities. If he helps me get into a school or a job thats because he has worked hard to get to that point.

I do not live off my dad's sucess. I have had many people speak on my behalf for jobs and schools and that is because of the work and dedication I have put in personally. Now as I transfer in the fall I believe I will be trying to get a job at a zoo. The head veterinarian at the animal hospital has offered to write recommendations and to talk to people he knows at the zoo. That because I have worked so hard.

Whether your rich or poor, it doesn't matter if you use your connections. You or your parents have worked extremely hard for that wealth and no one should resent the wealthy. I believe the money you earn is yours, not to be dispersed, but that is a different topic