Monday, 29 August 2011

A Change of Plans

Well, I finally heard back from the job interview and as it turns out, I didn't get the job.

Oh well.

They were nice about it though, and even sent me an email apologizing for not accepting me but guess what they were looking for? Someone who already had a considerable amount of experience/education for the position.

And what was my reason for going after this job? To gain experience in an area in which I had none. So obviously I'm not going to have any experience to start with. I was kind of screwed before I even applied.

Herp derp.

So I'm a bit of a bind here, I'm heading off to another year of classes, with limited funds, limited work experience and then to graduate with barely any idea of what to do with my degree. The job was to delay all of the above for a year as well as alleviate some of them but we saw how well that went.

I'm currently trying to get into either an Organic Chem or Economics course to fill up my schedule and I don't care which one I get, I can always take the other one in the winter term. As embarrassing as it is I managed to get my parents to pay for my tuition this year because I wasn't able to find a stable summer job this year either.

It's hard being a student.

So this will be kind of exciting and hectic I guess. I have even less time to figure out what to do with myself on top of attending another year of classes. For the first time in years I have to restrict myself to a budget and watch every penny I spend (normally I have a decent surplus from a summer job to spend during the school year).

So I'm just going to charge in to the next school year and hopefully work something out. Again, not sure what I can really do with just a Science degree so maybe Grad School is a possible solution? Any suggestions are welcome, I'm really open to anything other than becoming a bum.

68 comments:

  1. Hey dude, i wouldnt recommend Grad School with no experience. Although i am in Australia and mabey its different here. I do have a business degree from a good university and without experience i was also boned. I am now in the process of moving to a place were i heard the labour market was better so hopefully ill get something then. I would also recommend asking places to work for free for them for a couple weeks or even a couple days ever couple of weeks, thats what i did and i learnt alot. Good luck brother

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  2. It doesn't hurt to try, homey. And on the bright side, its good practice for future job interviews. Following...

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  3. I've been there and it sucks. I felt the exact same way...how in the freaking world am i going to get experience if everyone is looking for experienced people and i have none? The only option is to start with internships, they suck, but there is almost no choice.

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  4. You should become a food engineer for a pizza company.

    I know a lady with a degree in forensic science and she works for Dominos as a recipe tester.

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  5. Sorry to hear about the bad news! Theres many more jobs out there though Im sure, just keep searching!

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  6. :/ Sucks, man. Good luck with what's next.

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  7. get a bachelors degree in anything, even science.
    get paid to travel overseas and teach English, since you're a native speaker.
    most first world countries, (south Korea, Japan, parts of Europe) will pay for your travel, a place to live, all on top of a decent salary.
    there's something you can do with a bachelors in Science I bet you haven't thought of.

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  8. Oh, dear! I'm sorry to hear about the job. I hope you still get through the school year with great academic success. I guess we all have to learn to spend very thriftily!

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  9. It may depend on your money situation (which appears to be tough) but...

    I would recommend getting ANY kind of relevant work experience. Even if this means starting at a "volunteer" role in a completely different part of the hospital. Or an unpaid internship. Often times it's "who" you know rather than what.

    I think just 6 months experience with a good recommendation will open a lot of doors (You won't need years). Good luck on the hunt!

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  10. I really hate the cycle of needing experience in a field to get a job and therefore not being able to get a job in order to gain said experience. It seems like special connections are the only way to get jobs sometimes..

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  11. Schooling is kind of a scam. You should only go into it if you know what you wanna get out of it! If I had had the cash to go to university when I was a kid I would have taken it and started my own buisness instead! I'm not saying you should do that but it is always good to reflect on what you want in life. Do you want lots of money and a hard job that fills your time or do you want just enough to get by but with ample free time?

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  12. I'm sure things will get better soon. Just stay smart man.

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  13. Oh man... that sucks! Taking career advice from me probably isn't a good idea, so I'll just say good luck to you! I'm sure things will pick up soon :)

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  14. How will you get experience if they don't give you jobs?

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  15. I hate it when companies say that. How the hell are you supposed to get experience if you need experience to be able to get experience?

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  16. so recognized.. good luck man!

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  17. Damn, unlucky bro. Hope things get better for you man.

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  18. Hey man. Try to not let this rejection bring you down. It's something that's happened to me all Summer due to a lack of experience, the same as you lol. It's ridiculous and the best thing to do is keep trying. I'm at the same position in my life at the minute. Worried that I won't become what I've been envisioning myself as in the future but don't worry. Things will pick up, I'm sure. Good luck!

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  19. Well, if you need work experience so desperately, you could try working some time voluntarily

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  20. Well one thing that helps build experience is volunteering or internship, depending on what you want to do. Not many people like working for free though, especially when they're on a tight budget themselves and need paid work.

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  21. Better luck next time dude.

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  22. Yeah, same here... They want people with experience but they won't give you a job to get that experience! -.-'

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  23. ah, reminds me of my years at the university, when I was mostly poor, hungry and broke :) I also had to work because I had to pay for the apartment, tuition and everything else myself, not having the support of my parents, and it was extremely difficult having in mind I don't live in the West where possibilities are greater and the system itself is more arranged and disciplined.

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  24. i agree with @my 2 pesos and sorry for your interview good luck on finding a job

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  25. Sucks, man, but don't be embarrased. Don't let it wear you down.

    Focus on your goals, think about yourself in 30 years from now. Prroblems like these will look like small nuisances to you someday.

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  26. You should just go with what feels right.

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  27. I was in the same boat, how the hell can us students get experience if no one is willing to let us get some. But I kept looking for a job and I've found one so just keep trying dude (:

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  28. This happens to almost everyone I know except the teaching majors. Part of it, depends on the field of science that you are in. I'm an engineering student and when I was in my physics and chemistry classes, the labs and recitation days were swarmed with grad students who were grad students for this very reason.

    I agree that internships and volunteering are always good ideas.

    Finally just try to think of ways to make your resume stand out. Foreign languages are still good, leading school organizations, tutoring, etc. Things that all show strength of character and or further expertise.

    Good luck!

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  29. that sucks, don't let it get you down hopefully you'll get in one of those classes

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  30. Hey, nothing wrong with being a bum. I hear cardboard houses are the new trend this fall

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  31. Too bad man, at least you tried, If that's your area, you could send them back an email, and tell them to give a "less-worthy" job, so you could gain experience if you need it. Everybody starts from the lowest jobs.

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  32. Hang in there, buddy. You'll find something eventually. Even if you have to hold on to your money for a couple of months or so.

    + follow

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  33. That's too bad but don't quit. Keep sending out those apps and you'll get something eventually.

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  34. I recently didn't get a job because someone who used to work there suddenly showed up again ugh

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  35. This sucks but I honestly feel your pain...thinking about how I'm going to pay for school is always on my mind...on top of all the accumulating loans.

    erica
    seaofbloomingdreams.blogspot.com

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  36. i'm on the same ship, i really understand what you're saying in this post. i've applied for various jobs however they always need very experienced people...and we? from where are we going to get experience if we are always rejected? it sucks. the only thing that keeps me going is the fact that i'm not alone. everyone has to pass from this phase sooner or later!

    jos xx

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  37. Virtue preserved from fell destructions blast, Following!

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  38. classic - you can't get hired unless you have experience, and you can't get experience unless you get hired

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  39. keep on ! try to get some connections so you get a job. vitamine c, is the best trust me

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  40. Just keep looking! It's a numbers game and a job is sure to turn up, it's just a matter of time

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  41. hang in there dude, calm comes after the storm

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  42. great post
    i like your blog (:
    +follow

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  43. It looks like you will start living like me, watching every penny hahaha im just a poor plumber turned into a late night talk show host, don't expect much from me.

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  44. Sorry to hear about the job :( That is a frustrating situation.

    The world is amazingly tough right now. I wish I had some advice, but all I've got is to tell you to hang in there!

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  45. sorry you didn't get to job man

    following

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  46. That sucks! it happend to me just last week, its hard to get experience when no-one will hire you to get experience!

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  47. Too bad you didnt get the job! Good luck next time!

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  48. that is the worst part: you didn't have a job, so you won't have a job so you could have a job in the future witch you will not have, because you had no job. How do you actually brake this loop of hell ?

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  49. You are not alone...my son has a pharmaceutical science degree and a Masters in Biology...and has been looking for work for over a year :( Just keep networking, see if your advisor has any connections...and I will wish you luck!

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  50. im going to job interview tommorow. good luck to me xD

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  51. Ugh! I had this same problem when I graduated with a marketing degree 2 years ago. The only jobs available to me were retail management and sales (cold calling...no way!) The position I really wanted was either in market research or an assistant marketing manager. Unfortunately I needed more education/experience for those. How the heck do you get that experience to begin with is what I would like to know!

    Anyhoo I took a management job. Not glamorous or anything (don't really need my degree for it either...) but it comfortably pays the bills. In the Spring I plan to quit my day job (or go part time) and start a bakery business.

    If I can't find opportunity I guess I have to make it myself!

    Sorry for such a long reply but thanks for sharing your struggle with us and know that you are not alone in that boat.

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  52. That really sucks! I'm sorry, man. As someone without a paying job, I have no advice.

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  53. sci degree? get into research

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  54. Sorry to be a downer, but the job market's just as tough being out-of-school right now as it is being-in. Good luck, man. I'm sure you'll come across something decent soon.

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  55. So sorry you did not get the job, but take it as a practice exercise. Times are tough, I have a few friends in their 30-40s who got laid off and it took months for them to find work WITH experience. Taking classes is great.

    My advice to help get experience is see if you can volunteer somewhere that would fall under your branch. Looks good on CV and they will take it into account.

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  56. I know all about the job situation! My wife and I had been waiting for nearly one year only for the military to reject us because of my vision. We came back from Korea to North Carolina to be rejected. REJECTED! Ouch. Anyway, we recently just came to the conclusion that maybe wanting to go anywhere in the world besides where we are might be bad. Somehow a job popped up after nearly 1 year of not working (except temp jobs, which made me feel bad about myself). I just got a job and will start soon and it's something I studied in college but never did as a job, a lot like you. After being done for nearly 4 years I'll have my first job as a programmer mainly because my friend vouched for me; he's far more qualified than I and will help me out. His brother will sell us his car at an amazingly cheap price.

    We've been through it for the past year but it's coming to an end, brother. Keep at it because it will not last forever and something good will pop up. A change in plans like this will ultimately set you on your career path and it is all for the good.

    You need an 'in', maybe a friend to get you a job, or maybe just pray as crazy as it sounds. You never know, you might just be heard...either way, it's not like you can lose much ;) Keep at it, brother. I cannot wait to hear the follow up stories, as I'm sure they will be better.

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  57. Sorry to hear that, but at least you got to the first step. Some people don't even get to the interview process.

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  58. isnt like half of usa unemployed nowadays?

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  59. I don't know what school is like beyond high school but sounds tough! Finding good work is tough as well! Sounds like life to me! Good luck!

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  60. you'll get one eventually, just gotta find something low key, like a janitor.

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  61. life is though, feel bad for you man

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  62. Sounds like me. I have received so many rejection letters that I swear they just have a form letter for me. "Sorry you have been rejected for [FILL IN JOB HERE], we were just looking for somebody who isn't you."

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  63. Feels bad, man. I know that feel.

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  64. Hang in there mate :) good luck for further job interviews...

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  65. No, these jobs are like the alternative quests, you want to do, but can't by this time... you need to get more xp first, but then, you have the experience, you don't care about their shitty quests. And will ride for awesome and fun adventure on another continent that you just unlocked with a flying boat.
    Just do this. the fun and awesome adventure with a flying boat.

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