The prospective job market

[samnwck]

Well the time of schooling for me is drawing to a close(hopefully) and it's just about time to go into the job market. I was doing research on my degree field and a lot of people were saying there is no jobs for noobies in my field right now. Kind of a downer... So I guess what I was wondering was has anyone else, fresh out of college, had similar prospects or does it sound like I'm going into the wrong career field? I know the job market is tough right now but some of the stuff I'm reading online make it sound outright dreary. I'd hate to find out I went through all this schooling just to find out I can't make a living on it, hopefully I'm not the only one.

[Timo]

What career field are you in? It's normally a good idea to understand the job prospects for graduates with a certain degree before you spend money on it :s

e: Does your university have any careers/graduates programs/departments to help you get out into the workforce?

[Limited]

Like Timo said we need a bit of information - like what are you learning and what state you live in etc.

I know that when I finished, the job market dried up and I've had to change career type, its a minor deviation and I can bombard any fools with some technical jargon to get them to associate my degree with my work.

[samnwck]

Well by trade I will be an aircraft mechanic (more specifically an airframe and powerplant mechanic). The degree would be an Applied Sciences degree. While my community college does not offer any job placement assistance, there are several teachers of mine who do work in the industry, and they would have been able to get me a job recently. But the distance involved would have been too bothersome for the amount they were paying. Now don't get me wrong I'm not expecting to be making huge bucks right outta school but I really didn't want to be driving 40 mins each way to a job that pays 15 an hour.


It's normally a good idea to understand the job prospects for graduates with a certain degree before you spend money on it :s

And yes I agree... But alas I saw something that sounded interesting and just kinda jumped on that train. But I will say some of the guys I am going to school with have gotten a job in the field, but I myself have not had any luck.

Oh and I live in Arizona, home to plenty of days of VFR flight so it's not like there isn't people flying...

[PopeAK49]

At first I wanted to be a 3d designer, but I was not satisfied with the research that I gathered in terms of a job. So I went down to my second favorite thing; computers. I researched everything involving IT Jobs, and was immediently pleased by the pay and the ease of getting a job.

My suggestions would be:

A: Find the next best thing that you enjoy or are really good at and research how it can be a good job for you.
B: Look at something similar that can be interesting or unknown to your field of study.
C: Try harder to find a job that can satisfy your needs.
D: Do whatever you want to do, but never give up.

[Limited]

Word of advice when looking for a job, dont think "oh no I dont want this to be my life job" it probably wont be. Think of it as a stepping stone to your final goal.

[Llama Juice]

^^This. You're flexable. You can do whatever you want, just it might take a while to get there.

[Timo]

If you're fully trained as an airplane mechanic i'm sure you'll be able to pick up a job as a regular mechanic for a time. Practical experience in the job can go a very long way to getting hired in an area you enjoy. Getting connections in your field can be a massive help too. It's often who you know, not what you know that gets your hired.

[samnwck]

Yeah I'd have to agree, experience goes very far, but working as a traditional mechanic in this field unfortunately doesn't get you far as you still have many regulations that need to be followed. Unfortunately aircraft and cars are very unalike. Currently I'm thinking about just continuing my education by getting an apprenticeship. I've been talking to one of my family members who's a journeyman electrician and said I should look into it. So I looked into Hydroelectrician apprenticeships, something that has always interested me, as well a lot of the power in the state I'm looking to move to (Washington) has quite a few hydro electric power stations. Not to mention it's paid, doesn't start well but if I stick with it should pay off to wait (it seems most electricians make more than probably 90% of all aircraft mechanics). Has anyone here gone through an apprenticeship type program? Any tips getting through the front door?

The best part is that I don't feel like I'm wasting my schooling I'm doing right now but rather just adding more to my skill set (though I don't know if my parents really agree haha).