[mhorton]

I will be graduating college on December 16th with a BA in Professional Management and I have no idea what to do next. I can't afford graduate school now, I don't really have any leads for decent jobs, I currently work in retail and it makes me sick just to walk into my place of employment. I just feel like I wasted almost $60,000 on a degree and I will be in exactly the same place I was when I got out of high school no opportunities no doors have actually opened. I just don't understand why this whole college deal is practically forced on kids when most of the people I am graduating with can't find any jobs. Everyone keeps saying why don't you do an internship somewhere. Well I can't I have been on my own since I was 16 and most internships don't pay you anything and the ones that do are not enough to survive on. I'm not sure if anyone has advice for me , but it helps just to but it out there and see if someone might sling some encouragement my way.

[Wondergirl]

Are you in a city or a rural area or something in between? Is your resume up to date? Are you willing to be open-minded and get your foot in the door somewhere? Are you willing to work at something unrelated to your degree and thus learn some general work skills that may pay off later? (e.g. I was trained to be a teacher but worked for two years for State Farm -- learned amazing things about life and work, picked up new skills)

Please give us some idea of where you live and what you're up against for that area (rural Wyoming or Mississippi or the Chicago West Side or Central Europe, no transportation, can't speak the language, etc.). I'm here to help you get your resume in good shape, if that's a problem.

[mhorton]

Well my resume is up to date and has been reviewed by many teachers and career centers so I feel comfortable with it. I just live in a smaller town in Alabama where there is an abundance of insurance agencies, car dealerships , and retail outlets , but besides fast food, church's, and schools that's all we have. I guess what the real question I need to be asking myself is, "do I want to stick around here and just work and gain some news skills and experience?" or "just get out of this place and find somewhere with better opportunities?". I guess I just feel kind of smothered by the stagnant job market here.

[Wondergirl]

Is there a public library in town? I ended up with a 30-year career in libraries after shelving books for two years (returned to work after being home for 12 years raising kids).

Libraries desperately need managers in their various departments. :)

No matter where you live, in this economy you probably aren't going to find the job of your dreams. In fact, that's the biggest hangup college grads have, that they will immediately find a job in their field. My younger son graduated with a liberal arts degree and ended up in his first job working as a house parent in a residence for men with Down's syndrome then went to a bank and did office work (data entry) and then became a night helpline worker for a major telecommunications company. Four years later he has finally landed in a job which he feels fits him well.

[mhorton]

You're right we do have hang ups with that and I should just be more optimistic and creative in my job hunting who knows there are plenty of places around here that may not even know they need me. You ma'am have renewed my sense of accomplishment and optimism and for that I thank you. I guess what I didn't think about is that since I have been in school I have had to pass up better jobs than I currently have simply because I didn't have the time, but now I am not tied down I can take a different job, more demanding job and see if I can make something of it. It may not be a dream job , but work non the less. And the free time I can read a book now for pleasure not for school . Haha don't know why I thought of that it was a very tiny epiphany I suppose . Anyway wondergirl thank you again for your time.

[Wondergirl]

I imagine you at a car dealership putting your education to work organizing yourself as a car salesman, creating flyers for yourself and the dealer, adjusting workflow, providing excellent service to customers in all sorts of ways, adjusting salesroom rotations, etc.

The same could be true at an insurance company as an agent or claims adjuster or at an area hospital or helping out an area church as it attracts the community to its sanctuary and events. You just have to assess your skills and abilities and find ways for companies to use them.

In other words, you aren't going to just sit there, "Hire me, hire me," but are going to be proactive and grab your world by its tail.

[Wondergirl]

Also, consider volunteering x number of hours per week at a local school or church or hospital or animal shelter or nursing home. The networking you can do could be invaluable, plus you will be giving back to your community -- and perhaps will find a management need to fill.

Be visible -- go to village meetings, help with charity work, write a regular column for the local newspaper, help get a new playground built, work with area schools regarding bullying or truancy (or some hot topic that you know about), etc.

[Fr_Chuck]

There is as you noted, just so many better paying jobs in small towns. So you have to decide, stay where you are at, and try and work your way up over 5, 10 or so years.
That is how it is often done.

But to be honest there are more people with MBA's cooking hambers at McDonalds right now than ever before since it is the only job they can get.

And of course what do you want to do, what type of jobs, As noted if you can sell, and willing to really hustle, there are all sorts of jobs.

But you also may have to be willing to move, to another state, a 1000 miles from home, It is all your choice

[amyjc]

I will be graduating college on December 16th with a BA in Professional Management and I have no idea what to do next. I can't afford graduate school now, I don't really have any leads for decent jobs, I currently work in retail and it makes me sick just to walk into my place of employment. I just feel like I wasted almost $60,000 on a degree and I will be in exactly the same place i was when i got out of high school no opportunities no doors have actually opened. I just don't understand why this whole college deal is practically forced on kids when most of the people I am graduating with can't find any jobs. Everyone keeps saying why don't you do an internship somewhere. Well I can't i have been on my own since I was 16 and most internships don't pay you anything and the ones that do are not enough to survive on. I'm not sure if anyone has advice for me , but it helps just to but it out there and see if someone might sling some encouragement my way.

How are you doing right now with the job search? I just graduated in December too and I understand what you are going through. I am currently sending out five cover letters and resumes a day. Make sure to make your cover letter to each agency you apply for different from the others. You want to target your cover letter towards the agency your applying for or else they most like won't pay attention to it. Just three small paragraphs and make sure you explain why you are qualified for the position you are applying for in the second paragraph.

Also, follow up with thank you letters after your interviews. Make sure to send them out the following day so that they will know your interested. As you know, we have to beat down their door because they are not going to go out of their way to find us.

Look around for any job fairs that are coming up. That could be really helpful. I am not sure what sites you are applying through but use job sites that are not too big with thousands of other people applying for the same job.. such as monster.com.

Keep us updated and let us know how you are doing when you get the chance.

[Forest76]

I'm not sure if you are still in the job market. But with your degree there are a lot of opportunities open to you. Depending on where you are in Alabama you might think about working in a neighboring state (Florida has a ton of work in the Health Care industry.)

If you are willing to relocate, check out Florida Health Care Careers and look their links under Management, Administrative, or even Clinical Other Management postings. I hope you end up in a career where you are happy and can grow with the company.