How LONG a period should it be between graduating from college and

1. 84

   gmwilliamsposted 10 years ago

   
   obtaining employment for a recent college graduate?  Many job counselors indicate that it takes AT LEAST SIX MONTHS between graduating from college and finding a reasonable job.  Many recent college graduates want to rest before pursuing any type of employment.  Others want to explore and travel before looking for a job.   In YOUR opinion,  what is the longest period of time between graduating from college and having a job for a recent college graduate?

   replyreport
   1. 95

      wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Between graduation and getting a job?  No more than 2 months and preferably no more than a month.  That does not mean that the job will be in their field or interest - that can well take 6 months or more - but it does mean they are mature enough to support themselves.
      
      The idea that a grad "needs" a few months or years of "rest" (meaning play time) at somebody else's expense is ludicrous.

      replyreport
      1. 88

         Zelkiiroposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         Try two and a half years.
         
         Go figure, jobs that involve writing, critical thinking, research, and analysis are sparse in rural Right-wing boonie wastelands.

         replyreport
         1. 95

            wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            So get one flipping burgers instead.  Do whatever is necessary to support yourself while searching for that dream job.

            replyreport
            1. 88

               Zelkiiroposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               I sell electronics in a Walmart. Speaking of which, I need to write down my next 2-week schedule...

               replyreport
               1. 95

                  wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Then you aren't sponging off of other people waiting for your dream job.  Which is as it should be.

                  replyreport
            2. 84

               gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

               I remember in college, one young woman, a Business major, indicated that she worked since she was 13 and was in the Junior Achievement Program.  She stated that she started to work at 13 so she would have experience and be prepared for the work world as an adult.  She further asserted that young people who have NO work experience will be QUITE SHOCKED when they leave college to enter the work world.  She maintained that employers want EXPERIENCE.
               
               
               Also an employment counsellor indicated that it is UNWISE to wait TOO LONG between graduating college and obtaining a job.  She indicated that employers are LOATHE to hire someone who have not had a job by 25.  She advises all recent college graduates to obtain a job, even a McJob i.e. a clerical job, in order to have SOME TYPE of work experience.   Flipping burgers? ugh, that's TOO LOW a job for college graduates.

               replyreport
               1. 95

                  wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                  Sorry, GM, that's a fallacy.  There is NO job too low for a college graduate that can't find other work.  ANY job is better than living off the charity of others - something a great many in this country have forgotten and that includes increasing numbers of college grads too proud to support themselves.

                  replyreport
                  1. 84

                     gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                     Flipping burgers and having a clerical job ARE TOO LOW for recent college grads.  Those are NO WHERE jobs and a college graduate having such jobs will HURT  HIM/HER in the future.  Recent college graduates who take such jobs WILL NOT ADVANCE/SUCCEED as fast as their counterparts who with a more professional level job.
                     
                     Also, future employers will LOOK DOWN upon the recent college graduate who flips burgers-that graduate is DEEMED stupid because he is considered not intelligent enough to get a job commensurate with his/her education and a LOSER.......whaaaaat? burgers and mcjobs, oh boy!  Consigning a recent college graduate to flip burgers and a clerical job is consigning him/her to POVERTY and will put HIM/HER behind as far as career chances GO....... 
                     
                     It is INDEFINITELY BETTER for a recent college graduate, especially if he/she is from an affluent background, to be unemployed for a reasonable time than to take SUCH jobs, ugh!  Recent college graduates from less affluent backgrounds, more likely or not, HAVE to take such NOWHERE  jobs.  UNEMPLOYMENT is better than a NO FUTURE job in terms of a recent college graduate's future career chances.  Flipping burgers and other McJobs are career deaths and suicides for the recent college graduates.
                     
                     There is NO gainful experience from such jobs.  Those jobs are A WASTE OF TIME for college graduates.  I would rather support my recent college graduate than to have HIM/HER take such crappy, no future jobs.  Hell, HE/SHE can obtain an internship where there are BETTER future opportunities.  There are NO opportunities in crap jobs such as flipping burgers and other Mc-clerical jobs.
                     
                     Recent college graduates who flip burgers and are in clerical jobs AREN'T going to succeed as far and as fast as those who TAKE  more professional jobs or educationally commensurate jobs from the beginning.  The college graduate who flip burgers and are in clerical jobs are STUCK ...........as far as career "opportunities" go. To reiterate, prospective employers will LOOK DOWN upon such college graduates as undesirable losers in addition to being viewed subpar in intelligence. Better to WAIT than to take such jobs.  ANY job IS NOT BETTER than NO job.   NO job can be BETTER than ANY job, particularly when it applies to recent college graduates as long as it is not TOO LONG a period!
                     

                     replyreport
                     1. 95

                        wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                        You feel that it is better for a grad to sponge off others for a "reasonable period" (months?  years?) than work to support themselves.  You feel that learning a work ethic at a low paying job is of no value.  You feel a prospective employer would hire a couch potato living off charity rather than a hard working young person flipping burgers to support themselves.  You feel that that same employee will view a worker as stupid because they can't find work appropriate for their training in a "down" market. 
                        
                        Simply put, I disagree.

                        replyreport
                        1. 73

                           AMFredenburgposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                           I think it's perfectly okay - preferable, in fact - for a college grad to be gainfully employed rather than idle, but it's a situation where it's awfully easy to just drift rather than making sure the McJob is a stop-gap. If a grad is proactive, actively seeks appropriate work and can explain why the choice of a McJob over no job makes sense, I can't see prospective employers holding it against them; as a matter of fact, if the desired position involves management responsibilities, I as an employer would worry that someone who refuses to take a humble job might think the job is beneath them, and what would that say about how the person would treat subordinates? One explanation: "Well, I figured if I wanted to be in a management position I'd better be willing to get my hands dirty myself, and I sure did!"

                           replyreport
                           1. 84

                              gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                              Wilderness and AM, great, insightful analysis to BOTH.  i, too, took a McJob i.e. a clerical job after graduating from college.  I was not going to be dependent on my parents, I wanted to be independent and make my own money.  Yes, I was looked down upon by some college graduates who refused to take such jobs.  However, I learned a work ethic and KNEW that I was not going to be in THAT job forever.  In fact, the McJob make ME more ambitious!    Again, GREAT answer Wilderness and AM!

                              replyreport
                              1. 73

                                 AMFredenburgposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                                 Thanks, gmwilliams! I wish we could teach work ethic in school! Maybe some schools do manage to do so.

                                 replyreport
                                 1. 95

                                    wildernessposted 10 years agoin reply to this

                                    Schools can't do it as the only consequence of a poor work ethic there is failing a grad - something schools are seldom willing to do any more.
                                    
                                    Parents, on the other hand, could do a lot.  If they would, at least.

                                    replyreport
            3. 84

               gmwilliamsposted 7 years agoin reply to this

               NO WAY!  People DON'T attend college to FLIP BURGERS.  Wait until a commensurate job arrives.  Flipping burgers doesn't give one experience, NOW REALLY!

               replyreport
               1. 95

                  wildernessposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  Experience in self-sufficiency is more valuable than any job.  So is learning that a job makes requirements of an employee; requirements that must be met to maintain the job.  Such as showing up, on time and every day; something that a great many young people have never learned and don't know.

                  replyreport
                  1. 84

                     gmwilliamsposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     A college graduate CAN'T learn ANYTHING from taking a Mcjob.   He/she is actually wasting his/her time working such a job.  First of all, future employers will deem him/her slow, inept, or even stupid for taking such jobs.  Such jobs will be a black mark on the college graduate.  It is FAR BETTER to WAIT for a job commensurate w/educational levels.   NEVER work down!

                     replyreport
                     1. 95

                        wildernessposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                        Don't be silly.  He learns to be there every day.  He learns to be on time.  He learns to follow orders.  He learns to deal with customers, and often rude ones.  He learns responsibility, likely for the first time in his life.  He learns that either the job comes very near the top in his priorities or he doesn't have one.  He learns that others will have authority over him.  He learns not to come to work drunk or high. 
                        
                        All extremely valuable attributes, and things that I've observed are very often lacking in young people.  No decent employer will ever deny a possible employee simple because they have worked before (and don't think I would want to work for them if they did) - for a reasonable time period.  Do it for years and everyone will conclude, rightly so, that you aren't interested in a good job.

                        replyreport
               2. 83

                  psycheskinnerposted 7 years agoin reply to this

                  You can't eat a college degree.  In the real world people take the job they can get while trying for something better because they have bills to pay and loans with interest.
                  
                  If you can live with Mummy or Daddy you can wait as long as you like.  But as an employer any applicant willing to sit on their arse that long rather than do a job that is "beneath them" goes to the bottom of the pile.  You learn a lot on a service job if you have a brain capable of learning.
                  
                  Your other option is get the job you want by inconveniencing yourself--move (even to another country), intern, retrain, get a menial job in the target company, etc.

                  replyreport
                  1. 84

                     gmwilliamsposted 6 years agoin reply to this

                     Flipping burgers & other Mcjobs are CAREER KILLERS for college graduates.   No college graduate in his/her right mind is going to take such jobs.  They are going to wait until a job commensurate with his/her educational level comes along.   College graduates who take Mcjobs are going to take longer getting promoted into a decent job, if at all, than college graduates who intelligently wait it out until a college level job/career comes along.
                     
                     College graduates who take Mcjobs will most likely remain at the bottom.  No college graduate who is at the top started in a lousy Mcjob.   Those who started in Mcjobs will have mediocre career lives.  They will be near at the bottom or at the most in a lower middle level job.

                     replyreport
         2. 73

            AMFredenburgposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            Ain't that the truth. After decades of a "colorful work history" I've managed to cobble together several freelance editing assignments, plus a bit of freelance writing, that allows me to earn literally all of my income from someplace other than where I live. I wish I had figured this out a long time ago. Not in my "dream situation" yet, but getting there. Look into freelancing beyond HubPages.

            replyreport
   2. 74

      aliasisposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think six months is a good average, but I've seen it take much longer than that. Grads have to be active in pursuing employment and really fight for jobs, but sometimes it's all about luck. Of course, it's important to find "temporary employment" to pay the bills beforehand, and ideally, a job that at least will give you useful skills and a useful recommendation rather than just holding out for the perfect job. It's tough for graduates these days, though, no doubt about that.

      replyreport
      1. 84

         gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         +1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000-AGREED!

         replyreport
2. 83

   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   Assuming they are applying widely, it takes as long as it takes.  The job has to exist and they work within whatever limitations they have (e.g. needing to stay near a dependent relative).

   replyreport
3. 73

   AMFredenburgposted 10 years ago

   They should be lining up work while they're still in school; these days jobs are hard to find, and the graduate who think he or she deserves the summer off is going to have a rude awakening.

   replyreport
   1. 88

      Zelkiiroposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      False.
      
      Jobs are extremely easy to find. They just all want you to already have a 4-year degree as well as 4-5 years' experience in a related field. So, pretty much, you should've been teaching high school while you were still in high school.

      replyreport
4. 88

   Zelkiiroposted 10 years ago

   I'll tell you what, though, if you want to see how unintelligent mankind as a species can possibly be, just come on down to Walmart and hang out in the Electronics section for a few hours. Do not be surprised when you see the following:
   
   - People trying to upgrade their contract phones (when they're not eligible for said upgrade)
   - People who willingly buy Scary Movie 5 and/or Identity Thief
   - People who want the biggest and best computer to check email and log onto Facebook...
   - ...who are also the same people who still use Internet Explorer, think Norton is a good antivirus, and don't understand what RAM is
   - People who pick out a StraightTalk phone and grab a Net10 card to go with it, and act surprised that they're not compatible
   - "Can yin's all use them computers to look up and see if ya got a movie in stock?"
   - "Is [insert movie currently still in theaters here] out on DVD yet?"
   - People who don't realize that BluRay and DVD are different formats
   - People who order pictures at the ONE-HOUR PHOTO KIOSK and then ask how long it'll take for their photos to print
   - "It was in your online store, so it has to be here."
   - "What's the differnce (sic) between the Nin-teyn-doh DS and the 3DS?"
   - "Where are your Tracfones at?" (when the Tracfones are less than 3 feet away on the giant pre-paid cell phone wall)
   
   And those are just examples from yesterday.

   replyreport
5. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 10 years ago

   Keep in mind many college students are working throughout their years at college. Whether they are low paying or grunt jobs shouldn't make a difference to a future employer.  Both of my sons worked while attending college, the youngest has a full time professional job (with opportunities for advancement) and currently goes to school (3 classes this semester, all A's). His company pays tuition reimbursement and schedules around his classes.   Employers want trustworthy, invested employees. 
   There are important skills to be learned at any job.

   replyreport
   1. 84

      gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      +1,000,000,000,000,000

      replyreport
6. 84

   annajazzposted 10 years ago

   I believe it should be Six months or less. Preferably less. Why is this? Because six months after graduation loan repayment goes into affect.  And with the kind of loan that students have to take out these days, they need a good job to be able to pay them back.

   replyreport