Post college life and looking for a job

[billsfan89]

After graduating college in May and my internship wrapping up in June I find myself looking for a job post college. I was hoping that the company I interned at would hire me as I did good work for them but they closed down the office I worked at and the closest office they have is in LA.

 

Anyway so I find myself holding the bag and looking for a job. Its a very weird experience as I still work my part time job but I no longer am going to school and all I am doing is applying for jobs and waiting. Any tips from you guys out there? I feel very uneasy not starting my career just yet.

[drinkTHEkoolaid]

What type of career field are you trying to get into ? What are your job and salary expectations ? Are you willing to relocate?

[Doc]

After graduating college in May and my internship wrapping up in June I find myself looking for a job post college. I was hoping that the company I interned at would hire me as I did good work for them but they closed down the office I worked at and the closest office they have is in LA.

 

Anyway so I find myself holding the bag and looking for a job. Its a very weird experience as I still work my part time job but I no longer am going to school and all I am doing is applying for jobs and waiting. Any tips from you guys out there? I feel very uneasy not starting my career just yet.

Yeah, vote for Romney. Ooops, wrong forum.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

Any tips from you guys out there? I feel very uneasy not starting my career just yet.

 

Male prostitute?

[BillsPride12]

Keep partying and cling on to the college lifestyle as long as you can until you find your full-time job because someday it will truly be over for good

[mead107]

Can't help if you don't tell us what you can do.

 

I did send you a pm. Let me know if any of it helps.

[billsfan89]

What type of career field are you trying to get into ? What are your job and salary expectations ? Are you willing to relocate?

 

I was a Communications major in TV and Radio production (Minor in interpersonal communication). I interned at a production company that did a whole bunch of reality TV shows. My salary expectations aren't that grand as I would be willing to start at 30k or lower and either get the experience or work my way up through a company.

 

As far as relocation I would consider relocation if there was a good offer but I would prefer to stay in my area but relocation isn't off the table.

Edited July 6, 2012 by billsfan89

[/dev/null]

I was a Communications major in TV and Radio production (Minor in interpersonal communication)

 

In my best Mythbusters impersonation...There's your problem

Not exactly the most in demand field and tough to get your foot into, especially if you have a desire to be the on air talent

 

Yeah, vote for Romney. Ooops, wrong forum.

Acutally not a bad suggestion. Who you vote for is up to you, but this is an election year. Which means tons of TV and Radio commercials for President, Senate, Congress, Governor, State Legislatures, etc. Maybe you can catch on as a junior staffer with a political campaign. Good chance you won't get paid for it, but if you can't find a paying position it's something to put on your resume showing that you have real world experience and you were at least trying to do something productive while you were unemployed

[billsfan89]

In my best Mythbusters impersonation...There's your problem

Not exactly the most in demand field and tough to get your foot into, especially if you have a desire to be the on air talent

 

 

Acutally not a bad suggestion. Who you vote for is up to you, but this is an election year. Which means tons of TV and Radio commercials for President, Senate, Congress, Governor, State Legislatures, etc. Maybe you can catch on as a junior staffer with a political campaign. Good chance you won't get paid for it, but if you can't find a paying position it's something to put on your resume showing that you have real world experience and you were at least trying to do something productive while you were unemployed

 

I don't have any desire to be on air talent. I would like to work off screen in the field of production. Although the interpersonal minor and my prior retail management experience seems to be opening up more avenues.

 

I know its not the most conventional field to get into but I loved my internship and am just looking to get my foot in the door even on a low paid basis or if I even had to I would be willing to take another internship if I had to.

Edited July 6, 2012 by billsfan89

[boyst]

Always be open to livestock and agriculture. A growing field even in the worst of times, a financial cash cow. There are a lot of companies that do online and television auctions - from equipment, to livestock, to land.

[NoSaint]

Always be open to livestock and agriculture. A growing field even in the worst of times, a financial cash cow. There are a lot of companies that do online and television auctions - from equipment, to livestock, to land.

 

Is there some worry that someone without experience would be a bit lost? Or are the basics easy enough to pick up on?

[Marv's Neighbor]

IF you can get the job in LA, take it NOW!

[DC Tom]

Always be open to livestock and agriculture. A growing field even in the worst of times, a financial cash cow. There are a lot of companies that do online and television auctions - from equipment, to livestock, to land.

 

Livestock, a financial cash cow? I call bull ****.

[LeviF]

IF you can get the job in LA, take it NOW!

This, absolutely.

[billsfan89]

IF you can get the job in LA, take it NOW!

 

Unfortunately I didn't a relocation offer to their office in LA. I would love to have taken a job offer in LA esp if it was doing a job similar to what they had me doing. I loved working at my internship it was work I was passionate about and I did a fairly good job at it.

[boyst]

Is there some worry that someone without experience would be a bit lost? Or are the basics easy enough to pick up on?

As a producer? I can't imagine he has to know the product as much as know the delivery.

One of the fastest growing networks if RFD.

[The Poojer]

First off, know what the act starting salary for your position & experience is and ask for that...don't ever add the 'or lower' because 100% of the time you'll get the 'or lower' part. What part of the country are you in now?

 

 

I was a Communications major in TV and Radio production (Minor in interpersonal communication). I interned at a production company that did a whole bunch of reality TV shows. My salary expectations aren't that grand as I would be willing to start at 30k or lower and either get the experience or work my way up through a company.

 

As far as relocation I would consider relocation if there was a good offer but I would prefer to stay in my area but relocation isn't off the table.

[plenzmd1]

In all seriousness , I say this ....fug the job search, pack and get your ass to Europe for the next 6-12 months. I have mant regrets , but prolly biggest is not spending a year after school in Europe. I would still be right where I am career wise..but would have learned a whole lot and had a great experience.

 

You can get a Working Holiday Visa in Ireland and then be able to travel from there as a base. Here is a link on how it works

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_holiday_visa

Edited July 6, 2012 by plenzmd1

[Mantis Toboggan M.D]

This may not be the best advice but this is what I did 3 years ago when I graduated. Do you have a monsters.com profile? dice.com? Linkedin profile? You need to get your name out there. When I graduated in 2009, economy wasn't so great, I literally went on those websites everyday and applied to jobs fitting my expertise from school. Job searching is frustrating, but takes persistence. Don't ever stop applying to jobs even after you hear back and have interviews secured. Having multiple interviews gives you the chance to leverage your offers.

[The Poojer]

hopefully this doesn't need to be said, but if you are on facebook or other social media, don't be stupid...have fun, but if you put pictures of yourself in questionable situations then you are inviting trouble and unwanted scrutiny from people that may check those things...

 

as the above said, linkedin is a great resource to network in a virtual sense.

 

if you are in media production, put together a 'zizzle reel' and if you have the resources, do some independent stuff to showcase your abilities...

 

you say you have retail management? get busy learning e-commerce, plenty of opportunities in that field and it is only going to increase as brick and mortar go away....learn how ebay & amazon work

[The Big Cat]

You graduated in May and you're worried your career hasn't started yet?

[The Poojer]

i graduated in '86 and am STILL worried about it....

 

You graduated in May and you're worried your career hasn't started yet?

[shrader]

Don't be afraid to relocate. It's not easy, but if you really want to be in the area, you can return once you have experience and are in higher demand.

[NoSaint]

Don't be afraid to relocate. It's not easy, but if you really want to be in the area, you can return once you have experience and are in higher demand.

 

honestly, if you didnt go away to college, relocating can be a pretty good life experience to try atleast once and its nice to try without wife and kids and everything else down the line.

[DC Tom]

You graduated in May and you're worried your career hasn't started yet?

 

I was gonna say. Mine took about six years to start (in a similar economy).

 

 

Which is not to discourage you, billsfan89. Just remember: it's a marathon, not a sprint.

[The Big Cat]

I was gonna say. Mine took about six years to start (in a similar economy).

 

 

Which is not to discourage you, billsfan89. Just remember: it's a marathon, not a sprint.

 

That's great advice, billsfan89. I graduated in 06, took a non-career job right out of the gate (b2b telecom sales), decided to get my act together, floundered for a year or two, hit a couple home runs in graduate school, and started my "career" about a year and a half ago.

 

Meanwhile, I have four post-college friends who started the career grind IMMEDIATELY after college and hit a wall before they each turned 28.

 

Two of them went back to business school (what a raging farce that is, even though one of them went to Booth (U of Chicago), the other Kellogg (Northwestern.)Now the Booth grad is knee deep in a job search, while the Kellogg guy has another year, though he's since accepted the reality of having to relocate from Chicago to the Twin Cities for work once he's finished.

 

Another one of my buddies quit his job to play online poker professionally, which worked out well until the Feds clamped down the website and he lost every penny he invested/won/lost in the process, so he now sinks his money into a blog that he runs with friend number four, who quit his job a little over a year go and is now going through a full-on quarter life crisis (white guy problems, yes, but he's a mess).

 

All these guys had their eyes on the prize when they were 22, and have since found their veritable forks in the road. Some of the older posters here will scoff when I say this because they know much more profoundly than I do--but you'll be amazed at home much life you have to live between now and 30. Things get A LOT different when your annual calendar isn't segmented into 9 month increments that refresh every September.

[Captain Hindsight]

This is all good stuff for me to. Im currently Interning for NYS but I make only 10 grand a year and this is not even close to my end goal. I'm here til thanksgiving but after that I'm really a bit lost on whats next. Ive toyed with Grad school ideas or looking for a job in WNY, but like the OP said the job market sucks and I'm not sure I'm ready to drop thousands of dollars i don't have for a degree I'm not sure i want or need.

[The Poojer]

none of this advice is aimed at you...this is for billsfan...he asked...butt out...if you want your own advice, start your own damned thread....

 

This is all good stuff for me to. Im currently Interning for NYS but I make only 10 grand a year and this is not even close to my end goal. I'm here til thanksgiving but after that I'm really a bit lost on whats next. Ive toyed with Grad school ideas or looking for a job in WNY, but like the OP said the job market sucks and I'm not sure I'm ready to drop thousands of dollars i don't have for a degree I'm not sure i want or need.

[Captain Hindsight]

none of this advice is aimed at you...this is for billsfan...he asked...butt out...if you want your own advice, start your own damned thread....

[billsfan89]

You graduated in May and you're worried your career hasn't started yet?

 

Its more so because I am only working 20 hours a week making 10.50 an hour. Granted its a job I have been doing for 5 years (And the money isn't terrible) and I don't mind doing it, but without school I just feel like I have a **** load of time on my hands and I can't quite put my finger on why but its got me feeling like I am wasting my time.

 

I don't want to work full time at my current job as I feel like its not something I am passionate about, but I also am not finding a job in my career field. Anyway lots of good advice from you guys, I guess I just have to keep on it and hope for the best.

[Fezmid]

You might also consider applying to grad school, as a plan b.

So he can get into more debt? No... Grad school is good - but I don't think it's something that should be done until late 20s/early 30s at the earliest. I just completed my Master's degree (at 37) and found that the students who had real-world experience had much better insights and stories to share than the guys who went into grad school right from undergrad. They didn't contribute as much to the courses.

[CosmicBills]

I was a Communications major in TV and Radio production (Minor in interpersonal communication). I interned at a production company that did a whole bunch of reality TV shows. My salary expectations aren't that grand as I would be willing to start at 30k or lower and either get the experience or work my way up through a company.

 

As far as relocation I would consider relocation if there was a good offer but I would prefer to stay in my area but relocation isn't off the table.

There are only four places to be if you want to work in production:

 

1. LA

2. LA

3. LA

4. NYC

 

Atlanta and London also have opportunities, but far less than LA or NYC. Getting started in LA is easier than getting started in NYC simply due to the amount of on set opportunities out here.

 

What company did you work for in Reality TV? I have some (limited) connections in that arena.

[The Poojer]

NFL Films is in Cherry Hill NJ. ESPN is in Storrs CT, there are plenty of media related production opportunities around

 

There are only four places to be if you want to work in production:

 

1. LA

2. LA

3. LA

4. NYC

 

Atlanta and London also have opportunities, but far less than LA or NYC. Getting started in LA is easier than getting started in NYC simply due to the amount of on set opportunities out here.

 

What company did you work for in Reality TV? I have some (limited) connections in that arena.

[Fezmid]

NFL Films is in Cherry Hill NJ. ESPN is in Storrs CT, there are plenty of media related production opportunities around

I think his point is that sure there's a few jobs here and there in other locations, but in LA (and to a lesser extent, NYC), there's a LOT of jobs.

[The Poojer]

well of course...but don't limit yourself, there are so many alternatives than NY & LA, sure that may be the glamour job. But, Atlanta has TNT & TBS. A buddy of mine, coincidentally lives near NYC runs his own production company and flys across the country/world to do shows...just got back from Denver where he produced Discovery Channel After the Catch...production companies are all over the place....

 

I think his point is that sure there's a few jobs here and there in other locations, but in LA (and to a lesser extent, NYC), there's a LOT of jobs.

[KRC]

NFL Films is in Cherry Hill NJ. ESPN is in Storrs CT, there are plenty of media related production opportunities around

 

NFL Network is in Culver City. They are hiring for various positions right now.

[CosmicBills]

NFL Films is in Cherry Hill NJ. ESPN is in Storrs CT, there are plenty of media related production opportunities around

Absolutely -- it's just you'll be up against 1,000 people for one job opportunity there. In LA you'll still be up against 1,000 people but there are hundreds more jobs available. And you'll have more exposure to different sorts of production (sports, features, TV, reality, news, documentary) etc where as in NYC you really only get news, sports with a smattering of features, tv and docs thrown in.

 

It's just a numbers game. You can certainly find production jobs anywhere -- it's just easier to get started out here.

[billsfan89]

There are only four places to be if you want to work in production:

 

1. LA

2. LA

3. LA

4. NYC

 

Atlanta and London also have opportunities, but far less than LA or NYC. Getting started in LA is easier than getting started in NYC simply due to the amount of on set opportunities out here.

 

What company did you work for in Reality TV? I have some (limited) connections in that arena.

 

I worked/interned for Fake Empire Productions New York they were mainly a typical production company, their biggest client was North South Productions, but once North South pulled out last month they decided to close up shop and bring some of the staff back to LA, the rest were fired.

 

I live in New Jersey and I am told that NYC/Tri-state area is the best place to look for production work outside of LA. But that LA is by far the best to get started. Its just I can't move out there without getting a job first.

 

They were a simple production for hire company. But once North South dropped them it just wasn't worth their while.

Edited July 6, 2012 by billsfan89

[The Poojer]

Where in Jersey are you?

 

 

I worked/interned for Fake Empire Productions New York they were mainly a typical production company, their biggest client was North South Productions, but once North South pulled out last month they decided to close up shop and bring some of the staff back to LA, the rest were fired.

 

I live in New Jersey and I am told that NYC/Tri-state area is the best place to look for production work outside of LA. But that LA is by far the best to get started. Its just I can't move out there without getting a job first.

 

They were a simple production for hire company. But once North South dropped them it just wasn't worth their while.

[Smears]

I like the, " go to Europe " and " party as much as possible " advice.

Soon as you start something (job) worth keeping it will suck you in, and then comes the family. By the time you are through you're 60 years old. I took a year off and saw the country. The things you learn from just experiencing new places will never leave you. Life sometimes moves too fast to enjoy.