I'm graduating college in May, any advice?

[Smith285]

I'm almost midway through my final semester of college and will be heading into the real world in May... thought some of you could give some advice on the first year out on what to expect and what not. Maybe something you did that really helped boost your career/lifestyle or something you wish you would have done. I'm sure I'm not the only one graduating or nearing graduation, so this could be a good thread to help us all out.

[Lucas339]

i already had a job in my feild before i graduated. start sending out resumes. its not too early. get letters of remondations from you professors and attach those to you resumes.

[LadyOhh]

Depending on your career field, you may not actually find a job right now right out of college.

Be sure to prepare for that.

Make sure to enjoy your time, but stay serious about your goals.

No slacking.

Celebrate being done, but don't go overboard.

Enjoy the real world. Its an absolutely different place than college.

[Spaniard]

Well I just graduated last year and things didn't go nearly like I had planned. I was expecting to get out of school and use my degree to earn a better income. I've always worked full time even through school but having my BA in business I had hoped to accomplish more. Unfortunately we are graduating during the worst economic times since the great depression so there is a lot of competition in the job market.

My piece of advice would be to not get discouraged if you can't jump into your ideal job straight from school. Keep in mind that you are young and the economy should turn around soon (hopefully) and provide more opportunities to everyone.

[Patrick Long]

I graduated from College almost two years ago....and STILL have not found a job in my field!! Thanx economy!!!

My suggestion....stay in school

[Spaniard]

Eh I don't know about staying in school. Usually I'm all for continuing your education but with the state of the economy its scary going and accumulating another 50k-100k of graduate school debt only to not be able to find a job. I pay about 300 dollars a month for my student loans, if I went to graduate school I think they would be double if not more. Think long and hard before committing yourself to any new debt.

[Smith285]

I'm a business and economics major... I have a few interviews scheduled for this week and some more next week, plus my resume is out there with quite a few companies. To be honest, I'm not too worried about finding a job. There are jobs out there, you just gotta look and be willing to compete for them.

[dsirkle]

This option might be out of the question for you personally, but if you find that there is no satisfactory employment out there at this time, the US Army would gladly accept you and send you to Officer Candidate School with your degree. You could do a hitch in the Army or another branch of the military as an officer, receiving decent pay and healthcare through the recession, then go back to civillian life with a resume showing leadership qualities and being entitled to veteran's benefits.

[mcd]

This option might be out of the question for you personally, but if you find that there is no satisfactory employment out there at this time, the US Army would gladly accept you and send you to Officer Candidate School with your degree. You could do a hitch in the Army or another branch of the military as an officer, receiving decent pay and healthcare through the recession, then go back to civillian life with a resume showing leadership qualities and being entitled to veteran's benefits.

I think Military is a great option. In hindsight I wish I had done that.

I also wish I had taken the time to travel a bit after college. I know the pressure is on to get a job and start paying off the loans, but if at all possible it would be a great experince to take a couple of months and go see a part of the world that you most likely will not have the opportunity to once you have more commitments (family, mortgage, job).

The way I see it, there's a whole lifetime to become a working stiff like the rest of us. Take advantage of your freedom!

[reaxion07]

This option might be out of the question for you personally, but if you find that there is no satisfactory employment out there at this time, the US Army would gladly accept you and send you to Officer Candidate School with your degree. You could do a hitch in the Army or another branch of the military as an officer, receiving decent pay and healthcare through the recession, then go back to civillian life with a resume showing leadership qualities and being entitled to veteran's benefits.

I'm considering doing this, except I'll be going for an environmental gig with the coast guard, since my major is basically city planning/design.