Just finished getting a degree? Too bad, you're screwed!

[Cadsuane]

If you say you're going to college in Canada it means you're going into some blue collar profession usually. They're technical schools, hands on training programs for specific occupations. Degrees only come from universities here. I know it's different in the states.

[Cadsuane]

Also I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as associate's degrees here, those are just fucking absurd. All degree programs are at least 3 years.

[Kuya]

Here, vocational universities are thought of as places where those who can't cut it in a normal university go. Or for people who couldn't get into the State's university because of low scores and because they didn't have the money for a private university.

I don't rag on them, since if all you're interested is in getting a higher paying job in less time than you would in a normal university, then i can see the appeal of vocational universities. I don't see those schools favourably though.

[dejet]

Its really sad how things work out. If you do not no someone you could really be screwed getting a job. I got very lucky in that after I am done I have a job waiting for me. I get paid very nicely at my job now and as such they beat the hell out of me really.

I dont get to pick my days off, I dont get the same hours a week and I work weekends no matter what. Never get two days off in a row. Its just the way jobs are now.

I really am happy that I had it *in* with someone in my family so that once I get out of college that I can have a set work week with my weekends.

Really it comes down to more then just schooling you need to find your way in, some get lucky and get an easy way out(in?) like myself and others might take longer. whatever it is you still need school 90% of the time to even have a shot at a decent job. Do not think it is a waste just because you cant find a job in the first month.

Hell you do not even need to stay in your field, that is what holds most people back, having the degree helps so much. Look outside the box, you might find a job that has almost no tie in to your degree at all.

[Dimmauk]

I got an Associates in EET 10 years ago. I'm now making $24/hour, fixing Cell Phones. Sure beats working in Restaurants and Bars. Still need to pay 15k in loans though. A friend of mine got a masters in Computer graphics and Animation, and now works for ESPN making the same pay as me. He still owes 100k in loans. But he does work at ESPN, so.....

[Hyan]

At what age do you guys go to uni/college usually?

[Icari]

At what age do you guys go to uni/college usually?

18 or whenever you get out of high school

[Yabby]

does the US not have anything like the UK does?

if we come out of university, we don't have to pay back any of our loans unless we're making like £18000 a year, and even then it's tiered. not to mention we get £3000 a year of drinking money

Most loans in the US go into effect 6 months after you are out of school. It counts on what kind of loan you got if interest is being added while in school or not. You can put loans into deferment for hardship/unemployment but that only last so long before they get sick of it and say pay up or your credit is going to shit.

I've seen people at my work hire family members who are degree-less into double digit office positions. Why go to school and network when you're family, or married into one?

It is pretty damn sad though, you bust your ass through college and then told it didn't count as work despite long hours, tight deadlines, and projects. The community college here don't even have internships, it's not surprising most graduates don't find work.

Speaking of internships, DO NOT do online schools, don't believe what schools tell you about accreditation colleges and universities, you're not getting the same education as on campus. I'm willing to bet many people here already know this, but these schools are out to make money, how else can these institutions stay open? They're cashing in on the lazy and the poor who cant afford/too anti-social to attend on campus. You just shot yourself in the foot if you do these.

I've seen this more times then i wish to say. I've trained people that have no business in my field because their mommy/daddy/friends hooked their retarded ass up with a 6 digit paying job. I will say i love watching these types of people fail because they go into meetings unprepared and look like idiots in front of CEO's. Despite that, they still keep their jobs when i've seen people get fired for less.

And 100% agree with online schools, most of the time if i see one on an app i trash it because out of the 20 people that have come and gone 1 was worth my time, and even then it was more about his willingness to learn. All the others seemed to just use their books for whatever bullshit online test were given and didn't bother learning what they should.

[Hyan]

18 or whenever you get out of high school

So we're only 2-3 years behind.. not too bad I guess.

[Franzer]

getting a job is 90% about who you know, and 10% what you actually have to show on paper

[Not not Mattaru]

I really think an undergrad degree is important. The problem is a lot of people do not use their time in school effectively and many schools could care less as long as they get your tuition. Ok, that is a bit harsh, they do try to offer career services etc. (helps with school rep., especially at the MA level) but it is not usually stressed enough to the student body. At least at the (pretty good) state university I went to.

I think the people in high schools telling you how important it is to go to college, went to college over a decade ago. Your professors paid almost no money for school after undergrad. The generation gap is big. I never had a professor tell me how important it was to have an internship. Moreover, there was very little internship wise available to me in my field unless I relocated over the summer, took time off from school etc. which is not always viable. Point being, schools really should develop their networks for offering internships when they are creating new programs (more established programs and degrees at my school seemed to be decent about this). Some schools already do this of course, but the divide can be big. Students really need to research the area where their university is and the type of intern options are available through their school. No one ever told me to look for these things and I almost learned too late.

I was still lucky to find an internship in my area in DC (where I knew no one and my school did not have much of a network at) after I graduated and got a lot done there, which inevitably led me to where I am now. Still, the fact I was no longer in school and looking for an internship was difficult.

I was talking to one of my old profs. last weekend while visiting friends at my old school and she wants me to talk with some students her and her husband (also a professor) are taking to China/Japan next year. The idea being: hey look you can be in Asia with your degree (I would meet them in Hiroshima). I told her I wish I had something like that when I was in school. I think many profs were too busy with everyday material to ever think about getting their students to think about what to do with their degree.

[Yabby]

I know at my college internship is a required course for my networking degree. They seek out jobs in my field and that is considered a class you take. I don't know how new that is, but i know my professors STRESS the need for internships.

[Meresgi]

You don't have to pay for your degrees over there?

I believe Finland has very high taxes, but they also look out for their citizens (obviously they are communists).

Our whole system here in the US seems to be built around getting you in debt up to your high balls so you'll take whatever job you can out of college, sticking you in a lower paying job then what you're worth and making you work like a mule because you're too afraid to be fired and not be able to pay back the debt, and then keep you around that area till they are done with you and spit you back out.

I agree with people about internships, but I think some of you don't understand how hard it is to land an internship. It's great that some of you got into something while in college, but some of the rest of us? I had 4 internships I was trying to get into while in college, 3 of them told me I lacked the experience and the other 1 dragged me along for 8months as if they were going to actually give me one then finally said "Oh yeah, nah we got rid of that position."

The military thing, shit if I could go back, I would either join up with the Air Force or just go into construction or automotive repair and have saved myself a ton of money.

Speaking of internships, DO NOT do online schools, don't believe what schools tell you about accreditation colleges and universities, you're not getting the same education as on campus. I'm willing to bet many people here already know this, but these schools are out to make money, how else can these institutions stay open? They're cashing in on the lazy and the poor who cant afford/too anti-social to attend on campus. You just shot yourself in the foot if you do these.

Online schools are not the only ones trying to make money. Any private school you go to, even if it's on campus is out to make some cash off you. You think they really give half a shit about your education? I can agree partly with the online school, especially if you're doing something where hands on experience in the classroom is a plus...but I'm currently re-enrolled in Art Institute of Pittsburgh and I don't really have any complaints just yet. 90% of the shit in my degree I can learn myself anyways, I have a portfolio in progress and when I graduate my diploma won't even say "online college" anywhere on it, it will just be from the Pittsburgh campus. For certain degrees it's a great way to save cash and time, I have no college near me that teaches Media Arts and Animation, and i'm not going to relocate to another state and gather up even more debt.

[Hyan]

I believe Finland has very high taxes, but they also look out for their citizens (obviously they are communists).

About 55% of what I make right now in my current job goes for taxes alone.. You're right.

[Daydreamer]

My old roommate has an EE degree and hasn't been able to do shit with it for 2 years because he never interned. It was never stressed. Heck, he didn't even know he should have interned till about 3 months after graduation.

I'm beginning to think whoever said you have to specialize was right. The problem for me is with what I currently THINK I want to do I need a PhD for. What if I work my ass off for the next 5 years to get it and then freaking hate the field. I wish there were some sort of middle ground for things like that, but unfortunately I wouldn't begin to know if I enjoy the field or not until about the time I get my masters and am just starting the PhD program.

[Meresgi]

I know at my college internship is a required course for my networking degree. They seek out jobs in my field and that is considered a class you take. I don't know how new that is, but i know my professors STRESS the need for internships.

It's not that new, a buddy of mine's IT degree requires an internship for graduation. Does your college help you set it up though? His just kind of left him hanging, they didn't help him network with anyone, he went to a few places to try for an internship and they all shot him down.

[Not not Mattaru]

I know at my college internship is a required course for my networking degree. They seek out jobs in my field and that is considered a class you take. I don't know how new that is, but i know my professors STRESS the need for internships.

Yeah, some degrees on campus were like that. I.e. my sister's lolJournalism degree. For (both) my majors, it was like...you can take an internship for credit if you want to. I remember going to an info session and it was like...10 people showed up.

The International Affairs program was pretty new at my school, and the Japanese major, shit, I never heard of anyone doing an internship with that. I think the only time a professor said anything about internships was when they wrote on the board about info sessions that were upcoming.

I remember being in DC and it was like, some schools networks there were huge and all you had to do was go to one of those schools and you could have an internship almost every summer and some if you wanted. I never saw another person from my school there. One of my coworkers was from Cornell, and Cornell had like...a couple of buildings to house all their interns and offer courses. But yeah, that's ivies for you.

[Vuitton]

If you can't find an internship, just find a paying job in a field you want. File clerk, support services (copy room), mail clerk, legal assistant, anything. It looks really good on your resume that you worked and went to school at the same time, you're beefing up your resume so you have work experience after you graduate (and a job already that you can use as a launching pad), and you're getting paid (plus whatever health/dental/vision/401K/profit sharing benefits).

That is what I am doing right now. I am a senior in my schools international studies program, which I do full-time during the school year, and I work full-time for a decent sized successful law firm as a clerk simultaneously. I'll have this job when I graduate and I am set up for a promotion after I graduate, and I can search for other jobs if I want to after I graduate, or apply for grad school, ect. (Doesn't hurt that having this specific firm on my resume can basically get me a job at any law firm in the Pacific Northwest, and I'll have had it for 4 years come graduation.)

Seriously, if you can't get an internship at least try and find an entry level job somewhere to beef up your resume. A weak resume with a college degree is worthless, so make sure you have some good work experience to put on there (from a job or from an internship).

[dejet]

ya one of my 400 lvl classes is a forced internship. So take that as you will, you cant get my degree unless you have some form of training in my school.

[Holly Short]

Is the Computer Science field hard to get into with a degree as well? (Harder than the economy being shitty in general, I mean.)

My most Educated friend has a PhD in chemistry, but he teaches at his University. All my friends in CS aren't done with school yet, and my cousin is in law school.