2 answers
Keenan
Student
Flagstaff, Arizona
1
Question
Updated
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How many people start their career right after college, in their degree's field of study?
I know a lot of people that graduated and don't always start their career in their degree's field of study right after they graduated. There are some who are still looking for a job or career in their field of study year later. #how-to-stand-out #how-long-should-it-take #career-counseling #career-path
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2 answers
Bruce Mihok
VP Digital Sales Marketing, speaker, author. Delivering digital tools that drive positive customer experience.
8
Answers
Portland, Oregon
Updated
Bruce’s Answer
Hi Keenan ... unless you graduate with a degree is dentistry or some other narrowly defined and specialized degree, one may find themselves in a job (perhaps not a career at this early point) in a field outside of their degree field.
One thing I see in many students is that they do not seize the opportunity for networking in their prospective field while in school. Alumni associations, internships, etc. all provide insights as well as connections that may help your post-grad employment possibilities.
Careers are often determined by happenstance --- that is, taking advantage of things that happen along the way that pique your interest and take you in a different direction than the one that you originally started on.
Advice: be open, engaging, networking and always learning
Your degree is a door opener to building a career. And, don't forget, that many of us (self included) have multiple careers within a working life. I started as a music major and ended up in digital marketing but passed through semiconductor manufacturing along the way.
One thing I see in many students is that they do not seize the opportunity for networking in their prospective field while in school. Alumni associations, internships, etc. all provide insights as well as connections that may help your post-grad employment possibilities.
Careers are often determined by happenstance --- that is, taking advantage of things that happen along the way that pique your interest and take you in a different direction than the one that you originally started on.
Advice: be open, engaging, networking and always learning
Your degree is a door opener to building a career. And, don't forget, that many of us (self included) have multiple careers within a working life. I started as a music major and ended up in digital marketing but passed through semiconductor manufacturing along the way.
Dhairya Dalal
AI Research Scientist @ Posh Technologies
104
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Dhairya’s Answer
Short answer is: its takes as long as it takes. For some, they find the perfect role right away. For many others (myself included) it can takes years of meandering, making mistakes, experimenting, and learning before we find what we are looking for.
I would imagine for narrowly defined programs (e.g. pharmacy, med school track), most student find what they are looking for. This is primarily because the program is well defined (schooling - internships - residency). The other way to maximize your probability of finding a job in your space is to intern during college. Many companies use internships as a recruiting mechanism. Internships are great way for both the student to learn what life is that career path would look like and for the company to get a sense of the student's fit as a potential employee.
But the reality is, many people end doing something different. This is not a bad thing. Part of the challenge is that the real world often doesn't align to your expectations when you are in college. I was a creative writing major in college. But after working with nonprofits and helping them with their technology needs, I found myself really passionate about machine learning and artificial intelligence. I realized I could have a large impact on the world through developing technologies and algorithms to solve challenges at scale. I've since pivoted to work as data scientist focusing on applying machine learning techniques to solve interesting real world problems.
The best advice I can give is to keep on open mind. When you are in your twenties, you have the space to make mistakes, follow diverse opportunities, and experiment. Give yourself that space and you may surprised to find new opportunities you may not have imagined while in college.
I would imagine for narrowly defined programs (e.g. pharmacy, med school track), most student find what they are looking for. This is primarily because the program is well defined (schooling - internships - residency). The other way to maximize your probability of finding a job in your space is to intern during college. Many companies use internships as a recruiting mechanism. Internships are great way for both the student to learn what life is that career path would look like and for the company to get a sense of the student's fit as a potential employee.
But the reality is, many people end doing something different. This is not a bad thing. Part of the challenge is that the real world often doesn't align to your expectations when you are in college. I was a creative writing major in college. But after working with nonprofits and helping them with their technology needs, I found myself really passionate about machine learning and artificial intelligence. I realized I could have a large impact on the world through developing technologies and algorithms to solve challenges at scale. I've since pivoted to work as data scientist focusing on applying machine learning techniques to solve interesting real world problems.
The best advice I can give is to keep on open mind. When you are in your twenties, you have the space to make mistakes, follow diverse opportunities, and experiment. Give yourself that space and you may surprised to find new opportunities you may not have imagined while in college.