Real World: New Grad Career Journeys and First Jobs

Real Grads. Real Advice. Real Stories. Real World
New Grad Career Journeys and First Jobs

Quintessential Careers conducts ongoing research into the job-search experience of new college graduates as they enter "The Real World." Go to the Real World Home Page.

Some stories of landing that first job are hopeful, while others are discouraging. These vignettes provide a sample of what life is like after college.

"I think I was better prepared with the job-hunting process than most of my peers. By the time I graduated, I had already been through the search and negotiation process with two different internships. Finding a job in a bad economy was very difficult. With the high number of quality candidates out there, companies are taking their valuable time to interview and determine who is the best fit for their position and company. This fact translates into the new grad having to go through many different interviews and follow-ups to find the right position. I think I went through about 10-12 good interviews before I was offered the right position.
-- Anonymous

"I began looking for work in my field before my final exams but was unable to find any related jobs. I am now teaching English in Japan and am making more money than I would have in any entrance-level job back home."
-- Anonymous

"It's been hard, I haven't even been able to begin a career. The market is so bad, and many companies won't hire entry-level people. It's been a very depressing year. I work as an administrative assistant now, a job I could have done with a high-school diploma. I'm happy to have a job, but it's not my ideal career path. I had my resume posted on Monster.com, and the employer found me. I really had no interest in the position, but it had been eight months since I graduated, and I still couldn't get a job. So I figured I better take what I can get."
-- Anonymous

"I haven't reached where I would like to be in my career. That is the reason that I decided to go back to school for my MBA. Like others, I went straight to college after high school and then applied for a job when I graduated. When you really don't have an idea of what you want to do when you graduate from college, you can sometimes run into dead-end careers with no potential for advancement."
-- Anonymous

"As a single mother, I returned to college because I knew that I could not support my daughter and myself on a clerical salary. I had gotten laid off from yet another secretarial job and started by taking two college courses. As I had attended a secretarial school back in the early '70s, I had to start from scratch. What a mistake I had made not going for my associate's degree! I took courses at the local high school (which was used as an extension center for a local private college). After the extension program had closed due to low enrollment, I returned to that secretarial school, which is now an accredited college. I obtained my associate's degree in paralegal studies, which took me six years on a part-time basis. The road was extremely difficult while raising a child on my own. I had a serious leg injury, financial problems, child care problems, etc., etc. After a year, I decided to continue on with my bachelor's. At times, I wasn't sure what I was thinking! I attended a local state college because my daughter was soon to start college as well. We attended college (at two separate colleges) at the same time! Two tuitions, two FAFSA forms, two different directions, two different course loads! At times, it was a nightmare. I pushed myself to get through each semester, each class, and sometimes, each day! I was working two to four jobs, raising a child, attending school. I had to sacrifice a social life, the chance to remarry, to have more children, the chance to see family, etc. I set a goal that I would graduate by Dec. 2002 -- no matter what! It was a very rough ride toward the end, but I did it! I completed my bachelor's with a 3.37 GPA! I sit here in amazement knowing that I actually completed my four-year college degree!!! Thirty years ago when I graduated from high school, it was noted on my high-school transcript that it was unlikely that I would ever be accepted into a college or complete a degree program! If they could see me now!!!!!!!
-- Anonymous

"I am currently working full-time during the week and attending graduate school at Rollins College on the weekends. My journey started by doing a lot of research and networking. After sending out lots of resumes and going on interviews, I accepted the position that I have now. I am still at the beginning of my career journey."
-- Anonymous

"Although I just graduated from college last May, I feel as if I've been job hunting for years. I am looking to pursue a career in public relations and am hoping to secure an internship position with a professional sports team."
-- Anonymous

"I interned the summer before I graduated, and when I did graduate, they welcomed me back. In a few months, I was offered a full-time position with benefits!"
-- general-business major

"I went from not knowing anything at all about the working world to being a successful sales director for educational software. I learned so much about myself in college and then, as I have advanced in my career, I have learned so much about how my talents fit into my career."
-- English grad

"After graduation I worked a couple of fun jobs then traveled in South America. Now that I am back, I am finding it very difficult to find a career-type job."
-- geography grad

"My journey has been difficult. I have only been able to find jobs that are temporary positions or vary in hours per week. Most professional jobs require several years experience and/or a master's degree. My current position as a substitute instructor for a two-year university was a chance opportunity. I was unemployed and listed on Workforce Oklahoma's available list of recently unemployed individuals. Although the hours are extremely sparse, and I have to once again live with my parents, I am at least chalking up some experience. I am currently job searching for something more stable."
-- Jo Smith, psychology grad

"Before graduation, I took part in some of the career services offered by the university but didn't really go overboard. Now I wish I had. I did the on-campus interview thing, but it was too little, too late. When none of those opportunities panned out, I was left with no job, and was forced to move back home. I took some temporary work with a company back home with a family friend while flying or driving around interviewing with anyone who would talk to me. Then, around November, a company called me up that I had interviewed with a few months earlier (they were not hiring at the time) and gave me a job. It started off with full-time hours, but they were cut back, and now I am part-time once again. I guess you could say I'm definitely back in the job market."
-- marketing and Japanese grad

"Throughout high school and college I heard that the opportunities a liberal-studies degree can afford one are endless. I majored in anthropology with the intentions of pursuing graduate studies and becoming a college professor. Shortly before graduation, I began to question my major decision and life goals and decided to try out the 'endless opportunities.' I soon found these opportunities ended with paraprofessional positions. I am now very upset with my education and career decisions and feel trapped after only one and a half years of work experience."
-- Anonymous

"After I graduated, it took many, many interviews and rejections until I found a job that was remotely related in my field. I am not totally happy with the job I have because I am not utilizing many of the skills I acquired in college ... but nonetheless I am happy for now. I am lookingfor a career that is much more involved in my field of study. I enjoy technology and anything that works with electricity."
-- electronic engineering technology grad

"In South Africa, affirmative-action laws reserve managerial/leadership positions for people of color. This makes it extremely difficult for Caucasian males to get jobs. As a result I've had to start my own corporate training company. The difficulty in finding work remains however -- most companies will not use consultants unless they are black. This is pure apartheid -- just in reverse."
-- Mario Teixeira, MA grad in organizational leadership

"Currently, I am a ninth- and eleventh-grade English teacher and varsity football coach at a mid-sized high school in Arizona. My journey started with graduation from high school, followed by a two-year associate's degree. I then transferred to Arizona State University and received my bachelor's. Meanwhile, I began coaching youth sports and running summer sports camps, which allowed me to get a varsity coaching job at the same high school I am at now. Ironically, it is the same high school I attended. I student-taught and did internships at the school where I work now. So for two years before I graduated, I was on campus nearly every day, meeting teachers, principals, students, etc. When it came time to graduate, I had a job right away. I've been blessed."
-- English education grad

"I went to college part-time (sometimes full-time), while I worked and raised a family. I had to drive two hours, one way, to go to classes. I feel like my family missed out on a lot so I could get my degree."
-- education grad

"Well, I'm 23 now. I live in Uzbekistan (former Soviet Union Republic) I have a BA in economics and expect to receive an MA in marketing this summer. I've always worked during my studies, mostly in the advertising agent position. Both at a worldwide advertising agency and from the client side. I started working on the first year of my studies with Coca-Cola conducting a questionnaire. One can think that it was a primitive job. Nevertheless, for me it was a challenge. You can hardly realize how shy I was at that moment. And suddenly I was put in a situation where I had to interview hundreds of people every day on the streets. All of them had such a diverse outlook on life. Some of them were very rude, quickly showing me their low cultural level. But at same time, day by day, I learned how to interact with different people successfully. Later I worked for a regular press, attracting advertisers to put ads within countrywide regular newspapers. Just before graduation, I interned at the logistics department of British American Tobacco (parent company for Brown & Williamson). The same year I entered a master's program and quickly joined the worldwide ad agency McCann-Erickson. I worked on a complex marketing project for Nestle, helping to promote a new product on the market. I analyzed potential points of sale, photographed them, made a catalogue, presented it for top managers both from our and the client's side. Then I signed contracts on installation of ad materials with the owners of shops, mini-markets, etc. By the way, for the first time in my life I supervised a small number of people. They were ad agents also, but absolutely without any experience elsewhere. Now I am working at the Patent Office as a junior licensing expert."
-- Anonymous

"I experienced more rejection than I ever did at [the local bar], that is for sure."
-- Charles L. Sano, sports administration grad

"As many students are aware, a position in pharmaceutical sales is a highly sought-after job. It was a long stretch to reach my goal. As I understand it, many people look in this industry for years and still do not land a job."
-- Lisa Wheeler, marketing grad

"The events of Sept. 11 changed my perspectives on my career goals and pathways. I immediately decided to go back to school for nursing. Now that I have been in the nursing program for a semester, I truly believe that this change in careers has been a positive one."
-- psychology grad

"It wasn't easy. The economy seemed unforgiving, but I was relentless in my search for the 'perfect job.' Networking was my in. As soon as I graduated, I set up meetings with everyone I knew in industries of interest to me. Eventually, I landed not one, but two part-time jobs. One was an internship that provided me with PR and more writing experience ... from there, I was hired in a full-time marketing/journalism job for a large non-profit organization. The skills I learned working there for a year prepared for the position I recently accepted as the editor-in-chief of an online marketing publication."
-- broadcast news grad

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Real Grads. Real Advice. Real Stories. Real World New Grad Career Journeys and First Jobs

Quintessential Careers conducts ongoing research into the job-search experience of new college graduates as they enter "The Real World." Go to the Real World Home Page.

Go back to The Real World Home Page.

Maximize your career and job-search knowledge and skills! Take advantage of The Quintessential Careers Content Index, which enables site visitors to locate articles, tutorials, quizzes, and worksheets in 35 career, college, job-search topic areas.

Real Grads. Real Advice. Real Stories. Real World
New Grad Career Journeys and First Jobs