User's Profile

22 Jun 2010

Dont know what to do... Category: General

I have been quiet on the blog front lately; mostly because Ive got nothing to talk about.

Right now I have finished Uni and need to find a job. After a three year computing degree I know for sure I never want to touch any programming language or router again. This doesnt really leave me with many choices in regards to my future career. There are very few jobs going at the moment in IT and Computing which makes it even harder to find a job any way. Towards the end of the last year of uni we were supposed to have guest lectures from recruiters but most of them pulled out because their companies were not taking on this year. Another recruiter said that many IT graduates from last year were still looking for work which meant companies had twice as many graduates to choose from so could be picky with who they employ and lower the wages. Ive had a couple of interviews for jobs but every employee seems to be after someone with more hands on experience which leaves me in a sort of catch 22 situation; without a job I can get experience and without experience I cant get a job.

I was thinking of going back to uni to do a Masters degree but havent got the £3000 to pay for it and probably couldnt live another 12 months on part time wages. Someone suggested I do a Nursing degree as the NHS pay for tuition fees and I would recieve a monthly bursary which would help me through the course. I made some enquiries in to applying for a Pre Registration Menthal Health Nursing degree in the the same uni I attended but unfortunately registration closed a few weeks ago so it is back to the drawing board. I could wait till September to apply to start in 2011 but it still leaves me working part time for 12 months.

It is something I will need to have a really good think about. On the bright side though I go to Mexico next Wednesday (30th) for a much needed two weeks in the sun. I think once I get home I will have to decide what Im going to do.

Has anyone else gone through anything similar and decided to take a path in completely the opposite direction to what they have studied?

7 Comments

David_D

on Jun 22, 2010

I haven't, but that is one of the reasons why I never went to college, because I was afraid of having all those loans and still end up working a "normal" job and be worse off than if I didn't go at all. I found a job I like, pays well, has benefits and in a few more years will be making plenty of money so I lucked out. I also worried that if I went to school for computers that I wouldn't like dealing with them for "work" since I enjoy learning about them and being on them as a side thing, but if I had to do it for work I probably wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much. With your computer knowledge though eventually you should be able to find something more suited to your liking and in a few years complete your Masters and get a higher level job and make all the effort worth it. Nursing wouldn't be bad though since it's fast schooling, relatively cheap and pays fairly well.

Looking into hospitals in general could be a good area for you to at least work in full time for a while until you figure things out. You could also look into some sort of tech support from home work as well or many other things dealing with computers since you have more knowledge than someone coming in without experience. The important thing is you do have a lot of options and eventually you will find the right one, so take the time in the sun, relax, recharge and come back strong and with a new outlook to sort things out. I also don't know what area you are in, but with some research online you could probably definitely speed up the search, if you want help searching around online as well just give me some info via PM and I'll run some searches for some possibilities as well and give you feedback and info on what I find. Otherwise good luck and enjoy the time in the sun!

Gallifrey

on Jun 23, 2010

You could trygoing for the games' industry. I think I saw an ads at the EA website that needs interns/graduates.

RON

on Jun 23, 2010

This is a very common dilemma every graduates faces after completing the bachelor degree. I did too. I had to wait for couple of months to get hold of my first job. It was not a very well paid job though. A web master of a local newspaper site. It was hardly enough for my masters; I kept looking for better jobs while I was applying for higher studies.

Anyway for your situation, I can only suggest you to keep looking for jobs and attend as many interviews as you can. It’s obvious that most of the companies will look for grads who has min of a year experience. In that case, I think I might be able to help you with this. Leave me a PM and I’ll tell you how.

Sleven

on Jun 23, 2010

I'm not sure what to suggest you. I'm far away from facing this situation. But I can always wish you good luck

Tanya

on Jun 24, 2010

I too suggest you to talk to Ron. He has helped many and might be able to help you too

Koshai

on Jun 25, 2010

@bigbadsad : Like you, I also had a hard time finding a job. I still dont have one. I applied to 20 different places and didnt get any reply. I heard that one of my friend's friend manage to secure just an interview in 1 compnay after applying to 60 different places. So i suggest you to keep applying. Maybe in 200-300. Applying is free so you should make full use of it.