-- Posted by joblisted at 9:35 am on June 27, 2006 Myth: I graduated in English Literature, thus, I should seek employment in the teaching or literature-based industry! I am not going to be a sale executive selling jewelleries! Reality: Nowadays, it is the norm that you will land a job which is quite different from the degree you specialized in. The trick here is not to be too choosy or picky. Employers are always complaining that fresh grads nowadays are too choosy about the jobs that they will have to accept. What they don’t realize is that everyone will have to work their way from bottom to up. It is through hard work and determination that one can climb up the corporate level. Myth: I major in engineering. My job in the engineering field at entry level should be at least 3,000. Reality: The current pay for any field for a fresh grad is always changing and very much depends on the economic climate. The job market always wanes and wanes, not to mention the oversupply from universities in some professions. Currently, it is the employer’s market. Myth: I am now starting my first job as a junior accountant. So, filling up the papers for the fax machine, making calls and booking appointments for my boss is NOT required of me. It is not in my job description to do all of those! Reality: Multi tasking is one trait fresh grad will have to grasp quickly in order to survive in the working realm. Every employer will value an employee who has the ability to multi task as it shows that you have the initiative and is serious about your job. An employee who can multi task will often get far. Myth: I have graduated! I am now a degree holder! Every employer will want me to work for them! Reality: Graduated doesn’t guarantee you a job nowadays. Employers are looking not only for a piece of degree but, working experience as the hassle of training a fresh grad is costly and time consuming. So, for your first job, be prepared to get a lower salary than you expected. Perform your best, impress your boss, and you will have a bigger paycheck. It always works this way. Myth: I found a job which required the degree I specialized in. So, why do they deem me as not suitable for the job? Reality: Fresh grads nowadays need to brush up their communication skill, time management skill and languages, especially English. Annie Fernandez, CEO, EML-BMB once said ‘’ Brush up on your English, because the medium of communication in the business world is still English, no matter what company you work in.’’ Foreign languages is always an added advantage. For people skills, you will need to read up a lot of self-help books to polish this skill. Attend seminars or take up special classes to polish on different skills to make yourself a valuable job seeker. Myth: All jobs should be a 9-5 job. My working environment should be comfortable and all my co-workers should be nice and friendly. Reality: Ideally, it should be like that of above. But, the working world nowadays have change so rapidly. Overtimes are required, deadlines have to be met and your co-workers want that promotion as much as you do, thus, it has the ability to turn nasty. So, it is vital that one should be wise and do not trust everyone that easily and on top of it all, maintain a sense of professionalism. In the working world, one must always maintain control of one’s temper and emotions (unlike during schooldays) you are required to get along well with the others, in other words, to be a team player. Myth: I have acquired all the skills needed for the job. So, I don’t need to take anyone’s advice on what to do. I don’t need to learn more because I already know everything. Reality: This attitude can be the most damaging to one’s career. It shows your low mentality, and you refuse to accept constructive criticism, thus, your learning process is ‘freeze’. You can’t move on to a better level because of this negative attitude. It is advisable to make decisions fast and accurate but, always see your boss as your mentor. Seeking his/her advice is a form of respect and willing to acknowledge your mistakes that he/she pointed out is going to get you far. The key here is having respect for your boss’s judgement and experience. Bear in mind that no one will know EVERYTHING. Having confidence is a good thing but no employer will ever promote an arrogant employee. -- Posted by Conon at 3:19 pm on Sep. 11, 2006 Insightful, I'm sure. I really wish I had a job... -- Posted by pirate jimbob at 6:32 am on Oct. 1, 2006 Well I dunno about some of that, I am going to be studying a part time degree in biomedical science (1 day a week) in september 2007 and I will be guaranteed a job because I already work full time in a hospital lab, so it'll be like upgrading. At the moment I work 9-5 & get £12,000 for the first 6 months, and then £15,000 after that for the next 2 years. After that its £18,000, and thats just as a lab assistant. Once I get my degree I'll be starting at £23,000 and moving up the pay bands until I get to £77,000 -- Posted by trackster32 at 8:28 am on Oct. 3, 2006 Very helpful. Thanks. -- Posted by Omally at 11:58 am on Oct. 6, 2006 What if you just don't want to work in general? -- Posted by rcrawford at 10:54 pm on Dec. 15, 2006 I find this partially offensive, I feel their is far to much encouragment for submission to basically take what you can get and try to climb up from there.  I agree you should accept your first career to establish a financial background, but you should continually be looking for a job you will actually enjoy doing.  But why spend the first 5 years of your working career behind a cubical staring at a computer all day only to be promoted later in life to spend the rest of your career behind a different cubical managing all thoes cubicals around you.  This is your life, dont waste the majority of it doing something you dont enjoy. -- Posted by divineassault at 10:29 am on Feb. 27, 2007 I'm with Omally...fuck work.  University system is just a scam anyway.  All that money for something you can learn with a few hours of browsing on the net, a trip to the library, and some dedication.  And then what do you get for completing 4 years of study at the price of more than most peoples parents make a year...a fuckin job that pays you just enough to make you take out credit cards, a mortgage, and a car note...and then you're stuck in the rat race. Lets get free! -- Posted by CellarDoor at 12:43 pm on April 7, 2007 I hope to be free from the rat race in the next 10 years - I'll have married by then, and I could be a housewife, look after the kids and write a novel or two, I mean good novels like those written by people like Margaret Atwood. I never really wanted a mundane, hectic life anyway. -- Posted by StarWarsAuthor at 1:39 am on July 24, 2007 Quote: from divineassault at 10:29 am on Feb. 27, 2007 I'm with Omally...fuck work.  University system is just a scam anyway.  All that money for something you can learn with a few hours of browsing on the net, a trip to the library, and some dedication.  And then what do you get for completing 4 years of study at the price of more than most peoples parents make a year...a fuckin job that pays you just enough to make you take out credit cards, a mortgage, and a car note...and then you're stuck in the rat race. Lets get free! Great post. I can tell you think in a way that is much different from most people, and you should continue that way. There is strength in your words, an unwillingness to compromise your vision or settle for less, and that to me is beautiful to read. I like to see that attitude in people, especially young people, though, who have no reason to act so beaten down by the world. I feel that too many people just accept whatever they are given, and they never really strive for anything greater than this mediocre path that won't take them to financial success or even just general happiness. Not everyone has to make tons of money, but everyone should strive to work a job they enjoy and have some dignity anyway. I have never worked for anyone else in my life, I've run an Internet business and made money online advertising (a few thousand per month back in the heydey), I sold golf balls on a local golf course when I was really young (maybe 7-11 years old or so) and made a few bucks that way, and I was investing money when I was young and learning how it all worked. Now I refuse to work for anyone else. This whole mentality of getting a job as the ONLY way to make money or exist is completely wrong. There are better ways to make a living, especially in our society. Let's face it, nobody who is paying you is going to pay you more than they have to. I'm starting up a small company, and I always pay the minimum for any job I have, because I'd rather take more money for myself as long as I can find someone competent to do the job. It's not greed, it's just common sense. If I make $15,000 on something and have 10 people who would be happy to help me on the project for $1,000, why would I pay someone $5,000? It would be terrible business to do that, unless the person who wanted $5K was giving me a much better project, and that's simply not the case most of the time. The best way to make money is going into business for yourself, where you call the shots and your hard work directly decides what you get paid. When I came down to Los Angeles, I took one look at the film industry that I wanted to be in and realized immediately that nobody will start you off where you want to be, you always have to start at the bottom, and that wasn't something I wanted to do. The best way to make sure you don't start at the bottom is to work for yourself. Now I don't have to go work on someone else's set doing a lousy job for free, I can work on my own set doing what I want to do, hiring who I want to hire to work with me, and reaping the rewards when there are any. Working for a major company, there are only a few people who will benefit -- the people at the very top. Your hard work is making them more money. They have no obligation to share it with you, and shouldn't do so, either. They are businessmen. They will pay you the going rate for someone with your skills, and that's it. If you want more, you need to be in business for yourself. Otherwise, you have to be content with what you're given. What shocks me is people who spend $100,000 going to college. If you spend that much money on college, that's an awful business move. You could take that money and easily start a business that would make you $20,000 to $30,000 per MONTH, in less than two years. There are many ways to do it, but money that significant should be invested in equipment that makes you money, not put into education where it just disappears into thin air. That's way too much money. Even if you are guaranteed an engineering job that pays $50,000 per year if you go to X school that costs $125,000 total for four years (which would not even be that bad, living expenses included, compared to some schools), I would still argue you're making a lousy investment. $50,000 per year is not good pay. It's just ok pay. Real money is something $250,000 and over. -- Posted by StickySweet at 11:08 am on Aug. 8, 2007 In some cases it is important to major in a field that you want to go in to, like accounting. However, you can do anything with your degree. My dad was a geology major and ended up being a lawyer. How opposite can you get? -- Posted by oldskool at 3:59 pm on Sep. 11, 2007 Reality: corporations are crap -- Posted by davidhasselhoff at 3:13 am on Sep. 22, 2007 yeh economic factors are the factor that affect salary and job availability. Just do your degree and try finish it and keep your fingers and toes crossed that your industry is in a up swing when you graduate. But you must graduate. -- Posted by collegestudenthub at 4:27 am on Nov. 3, 2007 being in college is a wonderful thing, you need to get the education and practical experience which makes the difference when you finish your schooling. Always try to get some type of internship or real life experience before you graduate. -- Posted by neikki at 8:59 pm on Dec. 6, 2007 wow... this thread is surely insightful...and i could have agreed more. -- Posted by adriesilva at 2:25 pm on Dec. 30, 2007 the rich are stupid cause they dont use critical thinking skills and they just stay away from the real world the political aspects the historic aspects everything dumb as fuck they want to be and they want the rest to be like them dumb as fuck about the real world out there -- Posted by pino50 at 4:59 pm on Jan. 23, 2008 The most important tip that I've been given is, that what I learn in the classroom won't be applicable to the office. http://www.hidemea.info";" target="_top">Anonymous Surf http://www.hidemeb.info";" target="_top">Cloaked http://www.hidemec.info";" target="_top">Hidden -- Posted by jamescoleman at 8:42 am on Mar. 8, 2008 not true always true about the rich adriesilva -- Posted by Is this you at 4:23 am on April 8, 2008 Quote: from divineassault at 10:29 am on Feb. 27, 2007 I'm with Omally...fuck work.  University system is just a scam anyway.  All that money for something you can learn with a few hours of browsing on the net, a trip to the library, and some dedication.  And then what do you get for completing 4 years of study at the price of more than most peoples parents make a year...a fuckin job that pays you just enough to make you take out credit cards, a mortgage, and a car note...and then you're stuck in the rat race. Lets get free! That's not entirely true. You learn more than knowledge at university. -- Posted by ZiggyILM at 5:46 pm on April 17, 2008 Once you graduate college you can pretty much do whatever you want to... regardless of what you majored in.  I know people who majored in Spanish and now work with computers... it's all what you make of it -- Posted by ZiggyILM at 5:49 pm on April 17, 2008 oh and I agree with Is this you... that's why everybody talks about the "college experience."  You may or may not learn a lot at college... but you're going to make contacts, make friends, and hopefully enjoy yourself How many adults do you know that have at least once mentioned missing their college days? -- Posted by lizdarocker at 10:53 am on April 28, 2008 This was very helpful. Thanks. -- Posted by dragonking at 11:08 am on May 21, 2008 I have learned most of those things.  The economy sucks, there aren't enough jobs and it doesn't really matter what you major in.  You'll just need to get any sort of job. -- Posted by 78scott at 10:55 am on Nov. 25, 2008 I remember when I graduated college in 2003 and the job market was losing jobs much like today. It was a bad time to look for a job but you must keep positive and know that the right job WILL come along. There are steps you can take to get you noticed in today's economic climate. Staying positive and visualizing your success is very important. If you take some concrete steps and stay in a positive mindset you might even find your DREAM job. Visit my blog for more tips on how to get ahead. http://rightfootresume.blogspot.com/ -- Posted by cip0234 at 8:01 am on Mar. 25, 2009 this topic is informative -- Posted by Herricks2009 at 2:39 pm on April 1, 2009 These days, your degree is your rights of passage into the job market, similar to puberty. No puberty= not a man/woman yet...it's just gotta happen. Having said that, I think it's helpful if people take the opportunity to explore different areas, (if it becomes available to you) and not complain so much about it being unrelated to what you obtained your degree in. Your educational background is just the basics to give you perspective and develop your mind to think in a different way- note that not all industries/professions apply the same thought process to solving problems, working out projects, meeting deadlines, etc.,which makes each field a different experience. I think being more creative in your job search and definitely apply the habit of NOT being too picky/choosy will help you work your way through the job market maze until you find the job description you set out to obtain, or might just happen to be what you like to do best.   One thing's for sure...don't try to get a job where you obtain status but hate what you do and hate going to work everyday...This is a recipe for disaster in every way. Sometimes the fast track isn't always the best way to succeed career wise. Having many experiences and jobs can make you develop into a better person that one that goes by the book. -- Posted by enigmatic at 10:49 pm on Nov. 8, 2009 this was a very interesting topic, the question is do we really need to go to college? in my opinion, it is yes and definitely.. we  still need to go to college to have a degree that we can call our skill, this is what we need to get the job we always wanted. The problem is a lot of fresh graduated students become easily frustrated once they didn't get the job after trying out a few times, they think that they just wasted their time over college, if we broaden our minds and think outside the box, we will see that there are lots of opportunities waiting for us, money is just right there at the corner.. but how can you get it if you wont get up. like me I started from nothing, I was thinking how can I earn money the clean way but not the harder way. after thorough research and spending time on the net, I encountered freelance writing jobs. I earned a few bucks at first and gained more and more money each month.