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Dum dum duuuum - Trying to find my first REAL job!

I haven't posted here in quite some time, probably because life has been so busy and crazy. It has absolutely nothing to do with you guys personally, I swear! I am still growing CPs, with a recently assembled sundew tank and a variety of hardened Neps for my new patio. They are all more or less "on hold" while I figure my life out, which translates to me watering them but not paying them much attention!

I graduated college with my BA in Psychology a few weeks back and now I'm on a small vacation from work (teaching drum lessons) in order to find a new job in San Diego (my new home as of February 1st). My girlfriend and I already have an awesome apartment here, so it's just a matter of me finding something that can pay the bills. Here's where my predicament comes in...

I've been on a serious job search for probably two weeks now, looking at everything from magazines to the San Diego Zoo and I'm having a hell of a time finding a) what I'm qualified for b) something fulfilling and c) something that pays well. I've lightly considered doing something related to psychology, but it's not my first choice. I'm more interested in psychology than I am passionate about it, but if an opportunity came along I probably wouldn't pass it up. My current job has given me valuable experience with kids, music education, and running my own business, which is essentially what I've been doing, since my students pay me directly and I pay the store studio rent. While I plan to still teach part-time here in San Diego, it's not my first priority. I'm very much ready for a career change, one in which I'll have the opportunity for advancement (I've hit the ceiling at my current job with roughly 50 students, plus there aren't any benefits). Luckily my parents have been nice enough to let me live at home while I attended school, allowing me to finish my education and save a substantial sum before starting my journey. I also feel like I have the potential to do something amazing with my life, and moving to this incredible city is the key to unlocking this potential.

Here's a short list of my career interests and what I'm good at:

- Music
- Writing
- Plants/Animals
- Video Games
- Non-profit/Environmental
- Social Work

All of those tie in pretty closely with my hobbies, and it's quite difficult to find work in any of those fields (especially entry level!). So I'm reaching out to the TerraForums community in an effort to gain some perspective and hopefully some fresh ideas on how to go about this job search. I'd love to hear what you all do for a living and how you started out. I feel like I'm in a quarter life crisis (or post-college purgatory, if you will) and I absolutely need to find work before the move, which is roughly a month and a half away. I'm posting this from my new apartment in San Diego, and I'll be here until Saturday continuing my job search, so I'd greatly appreciate if you all could post some opinions, experiences and advice over the next couple days to aid in my quest.

I really hope this post doesn't come off as whiny, because I'm very excited about this huge change in my life. I've lived in the same city (Alta Loma, CA) for almost my entire life and I feel like there's this whole world of opportunity opening up to me. The challenge is finding what suits me and what I'll excel at, and what will ultimately make me happy and provide a stable and enjoyable life for me and my girlfriend. It's all very difficult and scary work, but I know there's a place for me somewhere out there!

Having said all that, I must now say this: Man, growing up is hard! :-))
 
A B.A with Psychology is like having no degree at all. Same goes for Sociology, Anthropology, and a bunch others. You need a Masters degree to do anything in that field.

I would sign up with CareerBuilder.com, Monster, and a few others akin, as well as the temp agancies, just to get your foot in the door.
 
I think it's very difficult to find something in life that:

A) You are qualified to do, and
B) Pays 'well', and
C) Is interesting to you, and
D) Is something you won't eventually dread doing everyday, and
E) Allows you enough time off.

Work has such a huge impact on one's quality of life. You could spend easily a third or more of your life at work. I really think finding a good job is about connections. In my field who you know can make or break your career. Most of my friends in other industries got places and good jobs based on connections. Most of them in the business world got their foot in the door via internships, and they swear by them. I'd suggest trying to hit up every job fair you can. It's a great opportunity to let people see you as more than just a resume', it allows you chance to ask them openly about the company and job, and it helps with your networking, which is invaluable.

I wish you luck - finding your place in the job/career field is anything but easy!
 
Ahhhh... I know the feeling! Similar to what Jimscott was saying, my degree was worthless (Interdisciplinary Studies of Physical Sciences). I knew this beforehand so I was already planning on going to graduate school in higher education administration. In grad school I got married to a girl that was going to go to nursing school when I got done with grad school. She knew where she wanted to go so when I started looking for a job I was constrained to a relative vicinity of her school; and, there's only so many colleges in this area.

All my job experience is in housing but I was reaching all over the place just trying to find a job. I never counted but I would estimate that I submitted 35 - 45 applications and cover letters. I even applied for a job as a receptionist/administrative assistant (a job which I am staggeringly overqualified for) because I needed a job on a college campus. They didn't even hire me because they figured I would not be staying long, which they told me. Two weeks is nothing! I was searching and interviewing for six months. After my graduate assistancship ended and I hadn't found a job my wife and I had to move back in with my mom for the summer while I worked maintenance at the Rec Center of the school where I got my graduate degree.

My wife and I put a deposit down on an apartment just down the street from her nursing school (about an hour from where we were currently living) that we were going to move into at the end of summer before school started.

Well, I finally found a job and it is one I am happy with. It's giving me good experience and is a great job just out of graduate school.

Here's the underlying point: there is no job beneath you when you don't have one. Expand your search criteria and if you have to take a job that is not necessarily what you want to do or not in the area you want to pursue take it! You can continue to look for other jobs while you work and pay your bills.

xvart.
 
You're expecting too much from a first job and,as others have mentioned, you're asking a lot from a BA in Psychology.

The only job on your list that is plausible is social work, because the rest are hobbies, not professions. They seem so fulfilling that the supply of workers is way beyond the demand and the availability, pay and/or working conditions, therefore, tend to suck.

I spent a year printing photos and selling film & frames 7 years after getting an engineering degree. The moral of that story is to never feel that a job is beneath you or that you're at a dead end. Find a job that'll help with the rent and bills while you keep an eye out for something better. And be prepared to go back to school or do whatever it takes to get you that better job. Good luck.
 
The moral of that story is to never feel that a job is beneath you or that you're at a dead end. Find a job that'll help with the rent and bills while you keep an eye out for something better. And be prepared to go back to school or do whatever it takes to get you that better job.

i whole heartily agree with this statement...............find something to pay the bills ASAP, keep looking for better. also remember, alot of times finding a job in a favorite hobby often results in the death of your favorite hobby. a hobby is to help yah get away from the stresses of work and life. sometimes work and hobbies can intermingle fine but alot of the times they cant.
 
You're expecting too much from a first job and,as others have mentioned, you're asking a lot from a BA in Psychology.

What about a BS in Biology? Anyone got the lab hook up? lol
 
And a soon to have BS in accountancy and BA in German?
 
What about a BS in Biology? Anyone got the lab hook up? lol

Equally worthless...perhaps even worse...found that out the hard way! Most science jobs require at least an M.S. I got very, very, very lucky to find a lab job with just a B.S. And even then the hours are long, the people are often disagreeable, and I don't make enough to move out of my mom's house.

I agree with Jimscott's advice...get whatever job you can, get your foot in the door, and see if you can move up from there. It's not easy.
 
  • #10
Thanks for such great advice everyone. I actually got a call today from a company that found my resume at Hotjobs.com. Apparently it's a job in their sales department and they liked my resume enough to contact me, so I left the woman a message and I'll get more information when she (hopefully) calls me back next week.

It's definitely a start! I'm going to keep plugging away with my job search, since I have over a month to get as many offers as I can before I actually move out. That first call has done wonders for my hope and confidence levels; I feel like the possibilities really are out there - I just have to find them.
 
  • #11
These suggestions are based on many jobs and many job searches. For the next few years, continue your education through different jobs. Get a job with McDonald's (no kidding) or some other successful national franchise. They have figured what sells hamburgers (or whatever they sell). As you work there, figure out what they have figured out -- the philosophy behind everything that employees are trained to do. That will give you a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed in the business world. Also, but not at the same time, get a job as a preschool teacher or aide or some other job in education or social services where you work with people. That will give you a deeper understanding of what makes people tick. Also, get a job in government. Learn about how government works (or doesn't). After those experiences you'll have a much better understanding of the world, what you want to do in life, and what kind of career you want. While you're doing these things, join a Toastmaster's club to improve your public speaking. You will probably have to do some public speaking later in your career, no matter what it is. If you do it well, you might impress the right people, and public speaking is not something that can be learned overnight. Good luck.
 
  • #12
It looks like you have prospects and that's a good start. I'm curious, though; why did you decide to get a psychology degree? Was it because of general interest or that nothing else was appealing or were you thinking of a particular career? Has whatever it was changed since you started? I'm always amazed (or is it bothered) by people who can charge into something at 18 and never change their mind or think about something else. I don't know if doing that shows better self-awareness, focus, or just a complete lack of imagination. I lean towards the latter explanation, but that might be because my interests change with the seasons, or sometimes more frequently. Since I have a family, I can't act on those impulses anymore, but I used to.
 
  • #13
One other thing... if you have in mind to get a Master's degree, try to do it ASAP, if possible, even though you may feel burned out from school. Why? Once you get other things in your life - job, spouse, possibly children - it gets really difficult to go back to school.

I had my B.A. and looked for a job right away. I barely kept myself employed and then got married, 2 years later. 2 years after that my daughter was born. THEN I decided to pursue a Masters in Statistics. But I had to take 3 undergrad Calculus courses and Linear Algebra before I could get into a program. So I began, taking 1 course, 2 nights a week, while working ~60 hours a week at a tropical fish wholesaler. That was exhausting and frustrating. It was difficult trying to get a handle on derivatives and integrals with a ctying baby! Then my oldest son was born and I had 2 crying babies. At the end of it all I was told that the program could only be done during the daytime. By then it was a choice between a job and a Masters degree. Since my wife was stuck at home with the kids, my income was more important than the degree. So I was stuck.

A few years later I got a decent job in my field (Environmental Science) and they have an education tuition program. So I took the GRE's and got into a Masters program for Biometry, associated with Roswell Park Cancer Institute. I told my supervisor about it and he said, "Hey, I'm happy for ya... I just can't guarante keeping you in town". A lot of what I did was sampling and monitoring, out of town. So there went that opportunity as well.

You have one advantage that I didn't. You have the Internet. You can do a good lot of what ya need to do, online. Still, it's best to do things BEFORE you get involved with other rewarding things, that can also get in the way.
 
  • #14
I'm going to be a freshman at the University of Georgia in about half a year. I'm going to major in horticulture (UGA has one of the nation's best hort programs). Nevertheless, I think it will be tricky to get a job in the field.
 
  • #15
I'm sure you can get a job in that field, but it might be mowing other people's lawns and planting their flowers. Or applying pesticides to said lawns and flowers. I assume you meant it would be tricky to find something beyond that.

This leads to a question - why major in something you expect will be difficult to make a career in? There are many good reasons, of course, but usually people are justifying a degree in literature or philosophy or, to keep this on topic; philosophy. I've never heard someone say that for a hands-on choice like horticulture.

By the way, Jim makes a great point, as usual. Nothing can trip up a person's career dreams like starting a family or even just a serious relationship. There's nothing wrong with that and, maybe if I had met my wife when I was in college, I would have taken a "sensible" school to work to family to die path. I don't regret finally settling down, but I was able to meander through my 20s learning and doing a lot of things. I don't have to wonder; should I have stayed around a university to work in research? I did. Should I have tried my own business? I did. Whatever path you choose, the most important thing is to keep your eyes open and never stop trying to learn. That's the cool thing about so many people in this forum - they've never stopped.
 
  • #16
Whatever path you choose, the most important thing is to keep your eyes open and never stop trying to learn. That's the cool thing about so many people in this forum - they've never stopped.

Both of these comments are so true. Very well said, Bruce. There really is no more valuable character trait than being a "lifelong learner."

xvart.
 
  • #17
It looks like you have prospects and that's a good start. I'm curious, though; why did you decide to get a psychology degree? Was it because of general interest or that nothing else was appealing or were you thinking of a particular career? Has whatever it was changed since you started? I'm always amazed (or is it bothered) by people who can charge into something at 18 and never change their mind or think about something else. I don't know if doing that shows better self-awareness, focus, or just a complete lack of imagination. I lean towards the latter explanation, but that might be because my interests change with the seasons, or sometimes more frequently. Since I have a family, I can't act on those impulses anymore, but I used to.

Let's just say that if could go back in time, I wouldn't major in psychology. I may have minored in it, but nothing past that. I was young when I chose my major and by the time I was mature enough to see it's lack of applicability, it was insane to change my education path. So I'm proud of myself for finishing my degree, but it's a degree that I can't use...well, can't technically use. I love the information I learned in psychology and it definitely helped me in my teaching job, so it's not a total loss.

To answer your question: I majored in it because it was interesting and I seemed to do well in it. I actually started out as a music major, but had the sense to back out of it before I realized it was as useless as psychology. I didn't back out of music though, since I still play all the time and have aspirations to "make it big".

I feel like it's more negative in my head than in reality, so I'm just keeping my head up and looking for new opportunities. I'm ecstatic about getting my BA though, so stay in school kids!
 
  • #18
UGA has a huge horticulture program. My best shot at a good job is to get connections with a large horticulture-related company associated with UGA.

UGA does a lot of work with "experimental" ornamental plants. New plants from around the world are planted in garden plots on the campus and the ones that prove to be most vigorous are passed on to wholesale suppliers. If I can get a job in a horticulture field, It will most likely be with one of the wholesale suppliers or maybe with the university itself.
I am considering a double major (hort and something else), but as of now that seems really ambitious, maybe too ambitious. Most college freshman are undecided in their major, so I've got a lot of time to think about it.
 
  • #19
I'm sure you can get a job in that field, but it might be mowing other people's lawns and planting their flowers. Or applying pesticides to said lawns and flowers. I assume you meant it would be tricky to find something beyond that.

This leads to a question - why major in something you expect will be difficult to make a career in? There are many good reasons, of course, but usually people are justifying a degree in literature or philosophy or, to keep this on topic; philosophy. I've never heard someone say that for a hands-on choice like horticulture.

By the way, Jim makes a great point, as usual. Nothing can trip up a person's career dreams like starting a family or even just a serious relationship. There's nothing wrong with that and, maybe if I had met my wife when I was in college, I would have taken a "sensible" school to work to family to die path. I don't regret finally settling down, but I was able to meander through my 20s learning and doing a lot of things. I don't have to wonder; should I have stayed around a university to work in research? I did. Should I have tried my own business? I did. Whatever path you choose, the most important thing is to keep your eyes open and never stop trying to learn. That's the cool thing about so many people in this forum - they've never stopped.

I must say that I completely disagree with you guys about "tripping up a person's career dreams". I've never felt so driven to pursue my dreams than right now, with my girlfriend (who I've dated for almost five years) and this new city and new apartment. Like I mentioned in a previous post, this is a brand new beginning for me and I feel like I've been tethered down in my hometown. I guess it's different strokes for different folks, but for me, my exploration of life begins now, while my serious relationship grows in tandem with my practical knowledge and self-confidence.
 
  • #20
Funny thing about life, alluded to by by Bruce is that the simplest of momentary decisons can radically change the course of your life.

I was planning to go back home (Long Island) and live with my parents and look for a job, there. But I got a call, while still at college, from my best friend (later bestman) and he invited me to share an apartment with him in Albany. That led to a civil service exam that led to a job offer in Buffalo that led to meeting my wife....

Even more scary was my choice of majors. My mom was encouraging me to major in Math or Accounting. In 11th grade, when the school was setting up career appointments ith the guidance counselors, the guy asked me what I like to do. At the time my hobby was tropical fish. The next thing I knew I was taking AP Bio and Marine Biology in 12 th grade. And then, at freshman orientation, through a buddy of mine, I met a girl that was going to be an Environmental Science major. Next thing I knew I was signing up for Intro to Env Sci and Env Chem. While that girl changed her major a couple times I added another useless major - Economics. Never could do anything with Economics.

Who knows... maybe would have ended up in some lab anyway, seeing as how these labs seem to be the repository of Env Sci, biology, Chem majors. The point being that a chance conversation.... the chance meeting..... the quick decision... can have a significant impact upon the course of one's life.

Hey... "how 'bout dem Cowboys!"
 
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