Why did I just pay for an education?

When I dropped out of college at 19, I was told I would not get a decent job because I did not have a college education. After a few years of working at low-paying part-time jobs, I went back to school. WHY? Because every job I applied to told me I needed at least a BS degree to even be considered.
So now, I graduated with a BS in Fisheries Biology last May. Guess what? I am still working for 7 bucks an hour at a pet store. WHY? You ask. I'll tell you why, because once you have the BS degree, you now need experience to get a job. Every job I have looked at (even the entry level positions) are listed with the minimum requirements of a BS degree AND 3-4 years of experience. They will forgo the experience if you have a Master's degree. NOW please tell me, just how the heck do I get experience without a job? I am willing to relocate at my own expense and I still can't find anything. And no, I am not being picky. I just can't get a job without experience, I can't get experience without a job. I am caught in the loop and it REALLY SUCKS.
Now for the other problem, I hate my current job but I can't even find another low-paying crap job. WHY? because now I am OVER QUALIFIED for those. These employers are looking for people who will stay and I will obviously jet when I get offered a job in my field.
Now I am asking myself, was it worth it? I spent many years working part-time, going to school full time, living with my parents to conserve money, having no time for a social life, almost having a nervous breakdown and 40,000 bucks for what? A piece of paper that is not really getting me any further in life. hmmmmmmm, I'm not so sure it was worth it anymore.

Welcome to another vicious circle in life. I have often wondered where they get their employment figures. There say there are enough jobs to go around. I don't care what they say.
You have spent your money and fought long and hard to get your degree. That should give you great satisfaction in that aspect.
Can you live on that satisfaction? No!!!!
I agree with you, I never have understood how you are supposed to get experience when never given the chance. It is kind of like applying for credit when you are young. Do you have credit?, No, I am applying for credit. Oh, sorry, we can't give you credit because you don't have any credit. (Another Vicious Circle).
Try looking for some groups online that are in your field and participate in their boards. I had a friend get hired by Sea World that way.
Years ago, when I came to North Carolina, I had a BS in computer science. The area was so far behind where I had come from that my degree was usless here. The computers were some that I had learned about in my computer history class. I liked it, granted it was 19 years ago, but they wanted 12 years experience and were willing to pay $5.23 an hour. I just laughed.
I feel your frustration and wish you luck on finding something better. Most jobs seem to be won by who you know, not what you know.
My biggest piece of advice is to go out to the woods somewhere, scream and kick some dead wood around. Don't keep your frustration in, it will eat you alive.
Good luck,
Candy

This is why I really hope I can score an internship. I'm afraid I'll be in your position in a year and a half. Then on the other hand, my dad is trying thus far unsucessully to find a job, and he has 25 years experience. I guess you just have to know someone?

Erin Benner

I graduated with a BA in Studio Art last May, now work in custom framing. My fellow graduates have jobs such as: cleaning tools in a hospital, waitressing, and serving coffee at Starbuck's! We've gone through other low-payers like camp councellor, retail, and I was a school (yearbook) photographer for their short "season". I suppose you can guess why I still live in my parents' basement. Having a college degree did help me secure a loan on a new car, that was nice. Doesn't help me MAKE money, though.
I try to make myself feel better by thinking of the non-educational experience I "bought" with college. I saw a lot of things and did a lot I would have never done if I had jumped right into my can't-afford-to-live-on-my-own job. Some days it works, some days it definitely doesn't. That's when another skill I learned in college comes in handy. That, of course is drinking LARGE quantities of alcohol very quickly.

Seriously, though as an art major I knew my financial horizon would be dreary, but my friends who graduated with degrees in useful fields are making it clear that it's tough for everyone. Maybe if the economy brightens up, it will get better? Or maybe the whole "you need college" thing is a scam to keep us consuming without producing for four more years of our lives because the system can't support so many "skilled" people. I don't know. Does this help? Probably not. Just know you aren't alone in job-finding frustration.

....not that he's bragging folks.



I'm in a similar place, except I've always been the lazy genious.

The one math teachers pass with a 65 (and recommend for honors next year) simply because there's no point holding back someone who is only failing because they refuse to show work.


Well that attitude obviously hasn't cut it in College, and I've basically gone nowhere fast. Of course the knowledge that my degree in Philosophy wasn't going to help anyway didn't improve my mindset.


Now of course, I'm in the spoiled mindset where I know I'm qualified for the jobs I want, but only capable of getting the jobs I'll detest and therefor perform poorly in.

Well, I wasn't trying to brag, but I guess it looked that way. Sorry.

I was just trying to show that even if you do very well in pursuit of a Bachelor's degree, it just isn't enough in today's market place. It takes more education at the graduate level to overcome the requirement of experience.

The only other option, as I see it, is to skip college all together, and attain a vocational certification. From there, you can work your way into a fairly good paying job in about the same time as you can attain that B.S. However, there is a ceiling of earning opportunity in most of those routes.

That's the dilemma of modern higher education. A little is often times worse than none, and a lot is not much better!

There was supposed to be a smilie in there, oops.

The thing I've noticed is that just having 'a degree' doesn't do a bit of good. The attitude of alot of people I met while going to college is that they could get 'a degree' and it would be this magic piece of paper that would ensure they got the job they always wanted.

A good number of them were going for degrees that wouldn't really help them in life... things like history or psychology. Unless you're planning on being a historian or a teacher, a degree in history isn't good for all that much. But no, according to them once they had 'a degree' (and it didn't matter which one), they could get a good job (which they couldn't define either, except it paid better than fast food or retail and wasn't as strenuous).

TBH, and I stand by this, college is only good if you're there to learn something. If you're there to learn about your chosen field and learn the skills needed to succeed in that area, then great. College is the place for you. If you don't know what you want to do, or you're hoping to get that magic piece of paper that'll get you a better job... you're wasting time and money by going to college.

If you're going to college to learn skills and whatnot that you need for your chosen field, then go. If you're going to college to simply get 'a better job' or if you're looking for that magic piece of paper, you'll find yourself worse off than before... because after four years of chasing that magic piece of paper, all you'll have is student loans and tuition debt.

Atleast that's my take on the whole deal. (And for the record, I do have a degree in my chosen field... and the knowledge gained while acquiring that degree has proven invaluable at work.)

-Kat Hall

When I was looking at colleges, I thought about the exact thing you are talking about. I knew that having a BS degree in Marine Bio wouldn't do me a darn bit of good. I had enough sense to see that I would need a master's or PhD in order to get a job in that field. So I searched around. After talking with a few Professors, I was given the impression that I would have an easier time finding a job with a degree in Fisheries Bio. The degree would allow me to do something I enjoyed, if I couldn't or didn't desire to go right into my graduate studies.
I didn't go to college with the idea that a degree was a "magic" piece of paper that would make me rich. ALL I am looking for is a job where I can use the degree I earned and get out of retail. I am not looking to jump into a managerial position in my field. I'm not that stupid. Entry-level is fine but even the darn entry-level require experience.
My degree gave me some practical experience. I was required to do a research project (unusual for a Bachelor's degree), then present and defend my research before my peers and professors.
I had to do an internship. I traveled from NY to Alabama to work for 6 weeks w/o getting paid. Then worked for anther 5 getting paid. We won't even talk about how much of an economic hardship this was on someone my age who has things called BILLS. Now keep in mind that some other degrees, at the college I attended, allowed you to take a class instead of doing the internship. Seeing as how I was not 18 and not being supported by my parents, I figured that going all summer without a paycheck would seriously hurt me economically. When I approached my professor about this, his reply was "You HAVE to do the internship". Do you want to know the hell I went through trying to find an internship that would take me? My first choice was Alaska. Nope couldn't go there, they didn't really want to deal with a GIRL. (thats off the record of course) Second choice....the same result. Auburn University Fish Pathology Lab was the LAST resort. Now don't get me wrong, I had a blast down there, made great contacts for grad school and some cool friends and I learned ALOT but this so called "looks good on a resume and gets you experience" thing, hasn't helped one bit. 11 weeks doesn't add up to 3-4 years of experience.
I have applied to a few jobs in other states and I have gotten the impression that one of the reasons I can't even get an interview is because they don't think I will really relocate. I am moving to a larger city in a week and we will see if things change.

Have you tried volunteering somewhere where you could get experiance in your field. Even if it's mopping floors at a Fisheries place, you may be able to move your way up to something more suiting your talents, or you could at least make more contacts and get inside info on upcoming jobs. I graduate next year and have been volunteering at the school that I want to work at for the last three years, just so that I could get to know the principal and all the teachers, and so that I could see who is leaving when and what my chances are, and they are now better than some of my classmates who want to work there...