So unsure of future path...

[hotdog36]

I have a situation that has been bothering me to no end lately. I am currently set to graduate with a degree in general business, but cannot find a job. Because of this, I have been looking at masters programs in Information Systems. But when I spoke to my parents about this, they were against this, and encouraged me to go to a community college to get something more marketable, such as a certificate in programming, and to break into the field this way. But when I spoke to a professor about this, she told me that a masters degree will do more for my future career than a community college certificate will.

I think my parent’s main objection is the cost of tuition (not a lot of schools have the program I want, so it will probably be about $40,000 per year to be an out of state student). I don’t want to go against my parents wishes, but I can see myself getting stuck in a low paying programming job if I go to community college, while I feel that I would have more prospects if I get a masters degree in information systems. I’m so confused as to what I should do. Any advice?

[J-girl]

First of all- Job search takes time, just beacsue you can't find a job you shouldnt jump into Graduate School. A lot of people and I am sure many will agree with me job ssearch takes up to 4-5-6 months. And you have to be focussed with your job search so right now you are in your final year so just focus on finishing your degree.

[bridgetjones]

The job hunt can take even longer than 6 months. It took me 8-9 months to get a job after uni. Plus the economy is better now so yeah about 6 months... Masters degrees can be a hindrance bc they can make you overqualified for certain jobs. You need to be patient.

A business degree should be able to get you a job! You can take programming classes at a college and list your IT skills on your resume. If you can say that you can program or use this or that, it means enough to do a job. My bro did not finish school for computers and managed to get good jobs. His experience meant more than his degree!

[winneythepooh7]

Most employers are not going to hire someone who hasn't graduated yet. It is still early. It's April 1st, when is graduation, in May or June? And honestly, I don't recommend jumping right into grad school without getting some working experience yet, even entry level, which is the type of job you most likely will be starting at when you graduate. I think your parents are wise.

[bridgetjones]

I might also recommend community college since some of them have coop programs where you can get some paid experience. They tend to be more focused on getting ppl jobs than university programs. In the 1-3 years a masters takes to finish, alot becomes obsolete. At least you have a degree that will not become obsolete in a few years (ie business) If you know Access or SQL along with an understanding of actg, that is good too. So get out there!

You can always go back to get a Masters if it is neccessary.

[wordsmith]

To echo everybody else, job searches take on average longer than you're probably thinking they do.

[hotdog36]

BridgetJones,

does actg = accounting?

Thanks

[yankeeyosh]

I agree with everyone else. Don't fret that you don't have a job yet. It's too early to go nuts over that. And definitely do not go to grad school because of this reason. A CC course or two is fine...but nothing as heavy-duty as grad school until you know you're ready.

[hotdog36]

Thanks a lot, you guys are great! That's really reassuring. I guess since a lot of my peers are getting job offers before they graduate with $80K+ salaries (finance jobs on Wall Street, mostly), I'm just worried of getting left behind. I know I shouldn't be comparing myself against them, but they're current my reference group for comparison sake, so that's what I've been using to judge myself. Since I shouldn't be comparing myself against them, how do you guys jusde whether you're 'successful' or not? I know part of it should be how you feel about yourself, but doesn't there come a time where you have to compare yourself to others?

[winneythepooh7]

Well, I don't know a lot about finance, but I do know that there are lots of bull-shit artists in NYC when it comes to salaries. However---I don't think it's good to ever compare yourself to others. It is inevitable that it will happen, but you never know how someone's life really is. I am a Social Worker and I don't make a lot of money (I live comfortably) but I have had people who make 2 and 3x as much as I do tell me they wish they had MY life believe it or not. Not only that, but if you read up on a lot of threads here, you will soon notice the trend that money does not buy happiness. People are always going to make you feel bad about your life and the way it is going (or not going). Live your life the way YOU want to though and screw what anyone else thinks. Plus, and again, I don't know too much about finance but know a few people in this field, and they hate their jobs because of the stress. I also had a friend admit to me that her boyfriend has topped out at $50K a year at a finance-related job in NYC. And he is now in his mid-30's and she is stressed because he hates his job but is not motivated to change fields.

[wordsmith]

Thanks a lot, you guys are great! That's really reassuring. I guess since a lot of my peers are getting job offers before they graduate with $80K+ salaries (finance jobs on Wall Street, mostly), I'm just worried of getting left behind. I know I shouldn't be comparing myself against them, but they're current my reference group for comparison sake, so that's what I've been using to judge myself. Since I shouldn't be comparing myself against them, how do you guys jusde whether you're 'successful' or not? I know part of it should be how you feel about yourself, but doesn't there come a time where you have to compare yourself to others?

Not really. Coincidentally, I was reporting tonight at a seminar on youth safety and welfare, and the foremost indicator of emotional maturity (and indicator of long-term happiness) is measuring your own personal worth and satisfaction with life independently of how it stacks up to what others around you are saying, doing, or thinking. I've always known this, but the way the panelists phrased it stuck with me. When you stop comparing yourself to others, and ask yourself if YOU'RE truly happy with where you're at and what you're doing, independent of that, you're in a healthy place. While benchmarks can be somewhat useful as vague guideposts, constant comparing how you measure up is a big red flag of emotional immaturity and insecurity, and you have to get past it.

[politicaljunkie]

I have a situation that has been bothering me to no end lately. I am currently set to graduate with a degree in general business, but cannot find a job. Because of this, I have been looking at masters programs in Information Systems. But when I spoke to my parents about this, they were against this, and encouraged me to go to a community college to get something more marketable, such as a certificate in programming, and to break into the field this way. But when I spoke to a professor about this, she told me that a masters degree will do more for my future career than a community college certificate will.



I have some news for you. A general business degree wont get you a job, and neither will a masters or CC certificate in IT. General business doesn't teach you anything, and the IT job market is horrible.

[MuBetaPsi_Xi]

I have some news for you. A general business degree wont get you a job, and neither will a masters or CC certificate in IT. General business doesn't teach you anything, and the IT job market is horrible.

I think this was out of line and I am wondering if you can substantiate such a broad generalization. I graduated with a degree in Communications and Business (which some may argue is pretty unmarketable itself), and I have a pretty decent job in Pittsburgh in the property and casualty insurance industry. I didn't even have to go back to college for any additional schooling. When I graduated from college seven years ago, I had very little idea of what the insurance industry actually entailed, and I didn't even know that my job title nor the job titles of my co-workers even existed. I do alot of stuff that I never learned in college, but I was willing to learn on the job. I think that anybody who decides that its just not possible to get a decent job with a certain degree has his or her own attitude problems.

BTW, I would be careful in comparing yourself to other people and the salaries that they are supposedly making. Alot of people exaggerate. In addition, alot of jobs include a commission or bonus that could potentially be earned given the meeting of certain goals. This does not necessearily mean that that person holding this job will meet all of the goals and collect the maximum bonus or commission. Also, some jobs include free parking while at other jobs its expense as hell to park and / or commute, and some jobs are alot more liberal in their benefits packages than other jobs. Its really hard to get an apples to apples comparison of other people's salaries.

[politicaljunkie]

I think this was out of line and I am wondering if you can substantiate such a broad generalization. I graduated with a degree in Communications and Business (which some may argue is pretty unmarketable itself), and I have a pretty decent job in Pittsburgh in the property and casualty insurance industry. I didn't even have to go back to college for any additional schooling. When I graduated from college seven years ago, I had very little idea of what the insurance industry actually entailed, and I didn't even know that my job title nor the job titles of my co-workers even existed. I do alot of stuff that I never learned in college, but I was willing to learn on the job. I think that anybody who decides that its just not possible to get a decent job with a certain degree has his or her own attitude problems.

BTW, I would be careful in comparing yourself to other people and the salaries that they are supposedly making. Alot of people exaggerate. In addition, alot of jobs include a commission or bonus that could potentially be earned given the meeting of certain goals. This does not necessearily mean that that person holding this job will meet all of the goals and collect the maximum bonus or commission. Also, some jobs include free parking while at other jobs its expense as hell to park and / or commute, and some jobs are alot more liberal in their benefits packages than other jobs. Its really hard to get an apples to apples comparison of other people's salaries.

You CAN find a job with a general business degree, it just has a potential to be a struggle. IMHO the best idea is to become a specialist in a semi-broad area like HR. The problem is that a general business degree doesn't teach you anything in much detail. If you want evidence that it can be a struggle to find a job with a general business degree, look at the original post in this thread.

[Winter Storm]

You CAN find a job with a general business degree, it just has a potential to be a struggle... If you want evidence that it can be a struggle to find a job with a general business degree, look at the original post in this thread.

It can be a struggle to find a job with ANY degree.

[lonestar]

I have some news for you. A general business degree wont get you a job, and neither will a masters or CC certificate in IT. General business doesn't teach you anything, and the IT job market is horrible.

I don't not know where you are getting your information from, poljunkie. People are getting hired every day in all types of fields with varying experience. A coworker of mine has a BBA and like me (I have a liberal arts degree), got hired as an accountant in the purchasing arm of an organization. Other friends of mine do not even have "traditional" IT degrees (CS, what have you) and they got hired into IT departments and are even being TRAINED by their employer in various languages. People get hired into positions with wide backgrounds...I think your way off on this one...

[bridgetjones]

BridgetJones,

does actg = accounting?

Thanks

Yes that is what I meant. Sorry I did not get back to you. I am not on the boards all that regular.

Your buddies getting the 80K offers... Well the jobs themselves may not be that great. Plus if it is any consolation you NEED alot of money to live it up in NYC esp. if you wanna live in Manhatton. Just to compare, 80K USD in NYC will buy the same material lifestyle that 40K CAD will buy you in Toronto, Canada. I have pals that make alot more than me. However they also travel constantly and work much longer hours.

Personally I do not think it matters what degree you have in the end. I work in an investments related job. One of the accountants there has a philosophy degree! He got a job at my company. General business? You probably know a little about alot in a practical subject. That is not a bad thing. Do not sweat it.

[politicaljunkie]

It can be a struggle to find a job with ANY degree.

Not "any" degree.

[wordsmith]

Sure it can.

When it comes to getting a job, there are a million factors at work other than your degree...your abilities, your personality/attitude, your professional skill set, your personal flexibility, how well you write a cover letter/resume, how you interview, who interviews you and their conceptions of you, whether or not they already have someone else in mind for the job, down to where you are living/looking for work and its general economic climate and employment rate, any other personal conditions or limitations you bring to the table, what your expectations are and whether or not they're realistic, even just plain and simple timing...I could go on and on.

Successfully obtaining a job way more complex than just boiling down to a matter of what you majored in and its perceived usefulness or lack thereof.

[lonestar]

wordsmith, it's not worth it.

[crystal_dance]

I have some news for you. A general business degree wont get you a job, and neither will a masters or CC certificate in IT. General business doesn't teach you anything, and the IT job market is horrible.

With all due respect politicaljunkie...... HA HA HA lol@you! dude/dudette, i'm not sure where you get your information from, but you are are obviously NOT a figure of authority in the field of business or IT. My education and work ex is a mixture of IT and business, and while I've had my ups and downs, I've realized from personal experience that having a combination of both skillsets will make you into a very lucrative asset for any organization. Reasons why? Companies are understanding the importance of IT-Business alignment. Presently, business managers and IT managers speak different languages and there's a real problem in getting the other to understand their requirements. Coz of this, there is a huge demand for business and business system analysts who can walk the walk and talk the talk of the business community yet be geeky enough to win the trust and respect of the IT folks ( :D joking!) Soooooooo... please check your facts before you crap pj.

To the OP - I am currently in a masters MIS program and I really love what I'm doing. Since you have a business background, you'll have alot to contribute. MIS programs are usually not very technical (as compared to CS programs) and usually deal with IT from a bigger picture perspective. It's pretty cool. There are alot of jobs out there for ppl with a business IT skillset and its a good place to be with alot of future growth potential. Good luck and pm me if you have any questions.

[wordsmith]

wordsmith, it's not worth it.

It's ALWAYS worth it. As a moderator, I can't leave crap postings unaddressed for newbies and guests to read and take at face value. It's a disservice to the people these boards are supposed to help.

I don't post for the benefit of the politicaljunkie...just for others potentially reading.

[bridgetjones]

Sure it can.

When it comes to getting a job, there are a million factors at work other than your degree...your abilities, your personality/attitude, your professional skill set, your personal flexibility, how well you write a cover letter/resume, how you interview, who interviews you and their conceptions of you, whether or not they already have someone else in mind for the job, down to where you are living/looking for work and its general economic climate and employment rate, any other personal conditions or limitations you bring to the table, what your expectations are and whether or not they're realistic, even just plain and simple timing...I could go on and on.

Successfully obtaining a job way more complex than just boiling down to a matter of what you majored in and its perceived usefulness or lack thereof.

I might also add there are a host of factors that are not fair that determine whether you get a job or not. These are outside your degree of choice.

Such as connections, neopotism, networking, family, whether the hiring manager likes you and pure luck. Well you can partly control the networking part after all luck can be created to some extent if you work at it.