End of College=New Chapter of Life?

[Krasevayadancer]

So i am feeling majorly depressed right now. I just finished college and have moved back home and I feel completely lost.

Here I am, 22 and just finished with college, with an indefinite future and no space of my own. I am no longer a "student" and that scares the crap out of me!

I have become so used to living on my own, and after a lot of adjusting I was sort of starting to like it. Being home means constant nagging, questions, and supervision. I can't take it!

I feel like a huge chunk of my life has been ripped from me, and I can't replace the hole that leaving college has left.
Im bummed out

And to top things off, it is so hard to find a job. I have one now, working at a law firm, but the pay stinks and the environment is terrible to me. Does having a college degree mean anything anymore? I know I plan on doing grad school for my doctorate in clinical psych, but til then what will I do?

Anybody else have similar experiences/reactions? Did your transition go smoothly?

 

[Twinkle_Twinkle]

I hear you. I'll also been done with my undergraduate degree relatively soon and I've moved back home (that may only be temporary) and I haven't lived at home in 7 years (I went to boarding school). I also want to go to grad school and I am taking the next year to do complete another professional internship (theatre) so that I have a better shot of getting into MFA programs. It is very hard to find good paying jobs sometimes as a college grad because employers want experience. Additionally, its even harder to find jobs in the field that you want. All of my internships will be unpaid, so I am looking for a part-time job, and its really difficult to find part-time work that is salaried (if not impossible) or not retail (no offense to reatail folks) - So I def. sympathize with your frustrations right now.

 

[purplkaret]

i'm @ the same point too. i've been out of college for 2 months n i just feel like i cant get a decent job. i'm a biochem major n for biotech, everyone wants more experience but how am i supposed to get it if no one hires new grads? *_*

i'm just taking a year off to take GRE's and get ready for graduate school. i can't take being @ home either! i still try to find excuses to stay in my apartment nowadays.

most people suggest to find an academic job that is related to your field of graduate study so that you can seem more serious about pursuing that field when applying. i'm just trying to app to lab jobs in schools that i want to go to grad school at. hopefully i'll be able to find one. i think till grad school we just have to suck it up

 

[xbrookecorex]

I have 1 year of undergrad left and then Im hopefully applying for grad school for a phd in clinical psych as well!

The advice that I've been given by my advisor and colleagues is to do LOTS OF RESEARCH/RESEARCH assistant work before you apply to graduate school. Phd in clinical is the most selective graduate program aside from med school, and no one gets in without having a fair ammount of research experience under their belt (not sure if maybe you've done that already!) I was told that in my summers/free times I should look for paying and/or volunteer positions as a research assistant at a university, or as an aid in a mental institution.

Not sure if you were looking for advice on what to be doing, but just know that someone else is in a similar boat, and hell yes is it overwhelming!! I keep telling myself that when Im being paid $100-$200 an hour for my time, it will be worth it. *slanty face*

 

[Lissa]

Hi I think I understand how you feel. It can be quite overwhelming to be faced with years ahead of you that have no structure as yet (like staring into a gaping black hole!), and to be back in an environment you've outgrown. When I finished my degree years ago I moved back down the country into my mum's house - leaving behind my Uni friends, a course that I had absolutely loved, and of course my freedom to go out and come back as I pleased. It takes some adjusting, but I found that the transition happened quicker than I expected and I didn't feel like a fish out of water for very long. You might find you adjust quicker than you think as well, as things become the norm again. I ended up getting an admin job, not a very exciting one either, but once the money started coming in I was happier! (That was certainly one of the best things about not being a student anymore

). Then I went back a year later, did a Master's and now it's two years later. Well, I've really struggled finding a job I actually want/like, and this gets me down at times. I can wonder why I 'wasted' all that hard work to end up sitting here, in a job totally unrelated to my degrees and not at all satisfying to me.

So, on that downer! What I do to try and stay positive is to think like this; the years ahead are unmapped, unchartered territory and anything can happen, which can be quite exciting if you think about it. Whatever frustrations I have right now with my job, my living arrangements etc are not permanent. I'll always have my degrees and these are the foundations on which I'm going to build a future for myself. I like to tell myself that it is nice not to have everything mapped out yet, and to not know what's around the corner, because life can never be dull that way.

The good things really do start happening once you're out in the world so don't lose heart. This transitional phase is a blip that will disappear once you adjust to your new situation.

And yes, I am a firm believer that it will all be worth it in the end! You've put in the work, and there's more work to follow, but hard work pays off. Good luck! I hope this helps a little bit

 

[Lissa]

By the way I should say I studied ancient history, and this is why I am still looking for a decent job years later! Yours sounds more vocational so you won't have the same problem

 

[Beauty Mark]

To be perfectly honest with you (class of 06, going back to grad school this fall), unless they had pretty much a degree in engineering, economics, biology,or education, I don't know anyone who graduated from college doing a job perfectly in line with what they want to do as career. Your first job will more than likely not be ideal, but it's good for character

. That's at least what I keep telling myself.

Lots of people of BAs nowadays, and it is hard to find a job. If you like, I can PM all about my job search and how places take their sweet time making decisions, funding is suddenly cut, the position is restructured for a Phd (wtf? right?), etc. Temping is what I'm doing now. It is not glamorous or fun but it's okay and it makes an honest living.

If you want to do research, look at various universities' websites. A lot of the jobs that are posted there don't make it to the general job websites. Also, think more expansively about what you to do. Since you're a psych major, why not work with a non-profit that deals with children/domestic violence/the elderly/etc.? It isn't going to pay great but it could be interesting. I'll tell you this much: jobs related to psych are more plentiful than physics. I don't think you should have too much trouble finding something at least in your field.

Also, if you're looking to move out of your home, start saving money or make a deadline to adhere to. If you cannot move out, talk to your parents about their rules. Perhaps shooting them some money for rent will give you more freedom.

Since I mentioned grad school, writing my personal statements made me realize why I wanted to go to grad school: I didn't like the alternatives of jobs for people not in grad school.

In any case, good luck.

 

[GalleyGirl]

My biggest regret in life is being born with a predilection for the humanities. Because graduating with a degree in the humanities, you need to do some real searching to find a career, because you don't have one obvious skill set that fits into a specific career (Unlike engineering, accounting, etc). Honestly bachelors degrees (especially in the humanities) are the new high school diplomas. Almost everyone gets them so they don't mean as much anymore, and its almost necessary to get a masters so you can specialize in something that leads to a career. That was my experience anyway.

 

[Hilly]

There is always the Non-Profit route!
I never imagined my degree to lead me to NP, but it is amazingly rewarding and pays the bills. (not mac bills tho).

 

[MisStarrlight]

In short, no...having a college degree means just about nothing. I was pretty much the only one out of my graduating class that got out of my town...and I'm probably the worst off of everyone I grew up with (financially anyways).

Been out of college for exactly a year on Sunday...and I frikin work part time retail. Thinking about it kinda makes me want to kill myself.

I applied for 6 schools (all the LI schools that had art teacher openings) my first summer off & got nowhere. This year I got desperate & even applied for NYC public schools (something I am terrified of & that I swore I wasn't going to do), but haven't even gotten any results from that....out of all the schools in all the boroughs, not one of them has a frikin opening?

But I did refuse to move back home...and am still struggling & surviving in this damn city on my own (well, with my bf, but same thing).

As much as I was mentally done with school when I graduated, I kinda wish I had continued on w/ grad school right away...it's so hard to get things together & go back now. I'd say keep the law firm job for now to keep the money coming in, but look for something that makes you happy in the meantime....just don't get lazy like me.

 

[Raerae]

I didn't even get a degree lol...

Realistically unless your dream ob is specialized... Chances are your not going to use your "degree" in your job. As mentioned earlier, if you studied engineering, or architecture, or whatever, your prolly applying for that field. But if you had a broad base degree (or none at all) you'll find that where you end up working, is probably NOT what you ever thought of as a kid.

What I've learned, is having skills and a resume, is MORE important, than just having a degree. BUT. Having a degree is a bonus.

AKA, if 2 people apply for a job, with equal expierence, the one with the degree will robably get the job. BUT. If the person w/out a degree has more expierence, they will prolly get hired.

My advice, get a job with a Temp Agency.

I can't recommend this enough. Yes some of the jobs will SUCK. But some of them, especially longer term ones will look great on a virgin resume.

KNOW how to use a PC, MS Office is a MUST. You NEED to know how to use Excel, MS Word, Powerpoint, Outlook, etc. At a MINIMUM. The more you know, the better. If you don't know these programs by the back of your hand, take some classes in them while your temping at the local Junior College. This will help you get a job MORE than a degree.

Be positive, have fun, be confident. And set a time table. You need to make milestones, X amount of interviews... Moving out goals... Earning money for first and last, etc.

If you just slack off at Moms house, it will take you forever to move on.

 

[GalleyGirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raerae KNOW how to use a PC, MS Office is a MUST. You NEED to know how to use Excel, MS Word, Powerpoint, Outlook, etc. At a MINIMUM. The more you know, the better. If you don't know these programs by the back of your hand, take some classes in them while your temping at the local Junior College. This will help you get a job MORE than a degree.

^ This is very true, just in general try to add as many computer program skills to your toolbelt as you can. I'm busting my butt to trying and learn filemaker, and next photoshop (cries at the thought). Anything that can give you an edge above others is awesome.

 

[GalleyGirl]

Also, I forgot to add to seriously enjoy this time in your life. I'd love to be 22 again (I'm 26), because you have time to try out various careers and discard ones that don't suit you. It gets harder as you get older (even at 26!), to start over again, because you can start at the entry level so many times, but now you have all the time in the world to do it!

 

[Beauty Mark]

Quote:

I applied for 6 schools (all the LI schools that had art teacher openings) my first summer off & got nowhere. This year I got desperate & even applied for NYC public schools (something I am terrified of & that I swore I wasn't going to do), but haven't even gotten any results from that....out of all the schools in all the boroughs, not one of them has a frikin opening?

I don't know if this applies to you, but a lot of my friends have done Teach for America or similar programs.

You can also teach English abroad if you don't have a particular need or desire to stay in the US.

 

[Krasevayadancer]

Thanks so much for all your responses. In response to the whole getting experience thing: thats the thing, I have a ton of experience. During various summers i have worked at 3 huges NYC law firms doing admin/paralegal/filing work. I also worked at a credit repair agency for a year. I have lots of experience, but no leak into a decent job

I am applying to grad school soon, but even with that I don't know where to get that research experience I need, esp since I want to do clinical and not research oriented psychology

 

[Dizzy]

Did your college have an alumni network? That's always a really good place to try to find a job- I know that's how I've gotten all of my internships and my current summer job so far. It might be a stretch, but it's probably worth a shot.

 

[Beauty Mark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krasevayadancer Thanks so much for all your responses. In response to the whole getting experience thing: thats the thing, I have a ton of experience. During various summers i have worked at 3 huges NYC law firms doing admin/paralegal/filing work. I also worked at a credit repair agency for a year. I have lots of experience, but no leak into a decent job I am applying to grad school soon, but even with that I don't know where to get that research experience I need, esp since I want to do clinical and not research oriented psychology

I have a lot of physics experience with research (that was my college job from my sophomore year through literally graduation), and it didn't lead to anything, either.

I would nose around the psych website to see if they have any hints about job searches or sites you ought to check out. I don't know what clinical research experience is, but if you cannot find that in a paying job, I'd try to see if a university would want you as an unpaid intern. It sucks you'd have to take up another job, but if it gets you a step closer to where you want to be, I'd go for it.

If that doesn't work, I'd try to see if a shelter or a mental health hotline needs volunteers. Not 100% research but it will keep your skills up to snuff probably and is always a good thing to do.

 

[user79]

Well, I disagree strongly with the notion that a BA in the Humanities/Arts is useless. People with a BA in the Arts are well rounded and have skills in a variety of jobs, which makes them very flexible and broad minded, something a lot of employers recognize. I don't think it's absolutely necessary to have a Masters to get a job. I think a lot of BA graduates just don't know how to enter the workforce, don't know how to look for a job propperly, have poor interviewing skills because they have probably not held many jobs before, and then they get frustrated and think it's absolutely necessary to have a Masters. But I don't think that is true, I think you can have a great career on a BA degree alone, but you need to work on the other non-academic aspects of your career, like networking & mentoring! Most people don't know how to network, especially women.

Also, don't give up. Even if you get turned down on 30 resumes that you send, you might get a positive response with resume number 31!

 

[user79]

BTW, I've had nothing but negative experience with temp jobs. The agencies usually don't give a shit, they see hundreds of people come and go everyday, and often they don't find you suitable work. I think it's better to just look yourself, by finding places where you want to work, and sending out resumes with an individualized cover letter. It's more work but you're more likely to find something that's suited to your goals and abilities. You could also see if you can find an internship for a short while, the pay won't be great but it could help you break into the field you're going for.

 

[blueyedlady87]

Aaaa! Ok, now I'm scarred! I start college next month. I'm majoring in English and then I'm going straight to get my doctorate (if you do want to get a doctorate, its easier to take masters/doctorat all in one program supposedly). I'm very determined. And my dream job is supposed to raise in demand especially as populations rise. I'm going to be an English Professor. Some of you guys might find this site interesting http://www.bls.gov/search/ooh.asp?ct=OOH it's the labor outlook and tells you what jobs pay what, what is in demand, what you need to do it, etc. I found it really helpful. Goodluck all!