Graduating college soon...what next?

[HybridSquirrel]

I am supposed to be graduating in May of next year, but have no idea what to do next. I will be getting my BA in History, and can't really do anything with it. I was thinking about going to Grad school, but I won't be eligible for any student loans. I haven't worked any internships because there are about 500 applications for every position I have applied for. I was planning on working for a government agency (CO hires a lot of federal/state employees), but there haven't been any entry level positions open since last yearish. I don't have any loans to pay off (I paid off my ones I used my first 2 years of college). I just have no idea what to do. I would appreciate any advice. Should I attempt to apply for graduate programs? I assume i'd have to take the GRE, as well as other things. But I am nearly certain I won't be able to qualify for loans (my little brother just got denied a loan with my parents co-signing). How good is monster.com for finding a job? Another option, is that I stay till next December and take some blow off classes I've wanted to take and couldn't and hopefully the job market gets better by then.


cliffs:
graduating college, dont know what to do.


edit: my minor is anthropology, and I only need 21 additional credits (semester + 1/2) to double major

 

[rcpratt]

I don't really know what else you'd do besides grad school. What do you want to do with your career?

 

[TheVrolok]

BA in History?

Choices are 1) Grad School 2) Teaching cert and teach 3) Starbucks

 

[HybridSquirrel]

I don't really know what else you'd do besides grad school. What do you want to do with your career?

Honestly, I would be comfortable making 35k a year. Which is what my mom said I could make being a public school teacher, so that is my benchmark. I really want to go to grad school, but I think thats out of the question at this point.

edit: starting level grade school teacher. with 1% raise per year (at least in denver public schools)

 

[Nebor]

I know a lot of restaurant managers with History degrees.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

You have headed in a generally wrong direction with your History BA or Majors, as there are not a lot of things you can do with this specified field. Try to get a second hand major so you have a wider choice for the future during unexpected times.

 

[Ns1]

I will be getting my BA in History, and can't really do anything with it

so WTF did you think you were going to do when you signed up for it?

 

[Nintendesert]

You should join the Air Force and use that History degree to get on one of the SGC teams. You'll definitely be a shoe in though if you get a graduate degree in archeology or anthropology. There's really nothing that compares to the first time you'll get to go off-world either.



Oh, and that's about as likely a scenario as you doing anything useful with a history degree.

 

[roguerower]

I'm not trying to be condescending...but why, oh why did you get a degree in history? I don't understand why people are spending 40k+ at school for a degree that limits their career possibilities and gives them almost no marketable skills. If you had fun with your degree, that's fine, but when you matriculated, did you ever look to the future and think "what am I going to do with this degree after I graduate?". You're obviously not a student athlete with the ability to go pro so that's an excuse out the door.

Of my good friends from college:
-1 graduated with a BA-History degree. He got a degree only so he could go into the USMC and he's now a 2nd Lt as a Communications Officer. He got a shload of marketable skills from Comm School.
-1 graduated with a Poli Sci degree so he could join the Navy. Currently in Advanced Jet Flight School
-1 graduated with a Poli Sci degree and isn't doing jack besides trying to get into Law School
-1 graduated with a Poli Sci degree and is trying to become a cop. Been looking for almost 12 months now. Nothing
-1 graduated with a Poli Sci degree and is working at Sam's Club
-1 graduated with me (5 years) with a Mechanical Engineering Degree. He's a 2nd Lt in the Army with the Corps of Engineers
-I graduated in 5 years with a Building Construction Degree. Now work for a Construction Management company.

Trend: Guys with BAs in the military are fine. Guys with BAs not in the military are screwed.

HS grads are expected to go to college regardless of how they do in HS. I can see this being a big problem in about a decade.

 

[TheVrolok]

HS grads are expected to go to college regardless of how they do in HS. I can see this being a big problem in about a decade.

So true. It's a shame society has put such a stigma on vocational training, it's such a great route for many people.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

You should join the Air Force and use that History degree to get on one of the SGC teams. You'll definitely be a shoe in though if you get a graduate degree in archeology or anthropology. There's really nothing that compares to the first time you'll get to go off-world either.

Oh, and that's about as likely a scenario as you doing anything useful with a history degree.

what is an sgc team? I should also have mentioned my minor is anthropology, and only requires a few semester hours to double major in it. honestly had not even thought about joining the military.

so WTF did you think you were going to do when you signed up for it?

I did something I was passionate about, I wasn't going to suffer through 4 years of undergrad and do something I hated. I am also not very good at math, I scored very low on the ACT and had to take 3 remidial courses. So anything with math was out of the question for me (cs, eng, che, bio, ect)

 

[TheVrolok]

I did something I was passionate about, I wasn't going to suffer through 4 years of undergrad and do something I hated. I am also not very good at math, I scored very low on the ACT and had to take 3 remidial courses. So anything with math was out of the question for me (cs, eng, che, bio, ect)

Not to be a jerk, but why couldn't you be passionate about history .. as a hobby? Rent library books, etc.. rather than spend tons of money on a degree that, essentially, has no use unless you did well enough to get into a good graduate program.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

Not to be a jerk, but why couldn't you be passionate about history .. as a hobby? Rent library books, etc.. rather than spend tons of money on a degree that, essentially, has no use unless you did well enough to get into a good graduate program.

I already answered that question? I wasn't going to suffer through college doing something I didn't like, and especially not something I was just not good at.

edit: ill bbl my train is coming in like 3 minutes and i gotta jump on it.

 

[roguerower]

So true. It's a shame society has put such a stigma on vocational training, it's such a great route for many people.

In my opinion, the biggest problem is the continued shrinking of the blue-collar workforce as more jobs are sent overseas leading to an overall reduction in the skilled workforce and a slow gradual increase in unemployment. What happens one day when the dumbass politicians wake up and realize that NONE of the goods are produced in the US and they erect outrageous tariffs in order to bring jobs back to the US? No skilled laborers to train the young guys.

I would gladly pay an extra couple of bucks if I knew that what I was buying was made here in the USA (without hunting all over the box for a Made in USA)

 

[Ns1]

I already answered that question? I wasn't going to suffer through college doing something I didn't like, and especially not something I was just not good at.

edit: ill bbl my train is coming in like 3 minutes and i gotta jump on it.

so now it looks like you're going to be spending your life doing something you don't like. As an added bonus, you'll have all that college debt + a paper weight!

I loved computers but hated CS, so I majored in business and took a specialization in a CS related field.

 

[Numenorean]

Work for the next 50 years, retire and die.

 

[TheVrolok]

I already answered that question? I wasn't going to suffer through college doing something I didn't like, and especially not something I was just not good at.

edit: ill bbl my train is coming in like 3 minutes and i gotta jump on it.

You're saying there wasn't a single other major that you liked? It was history of bust? Why go to college at all, then?

 

[eldorado99]

My sister got a BA about 4 years ago and she spent the next 4 years working a job she hated for 17 bucks an hour, now shes gone back to school for vocational training in GIS. I'd say you need to find an actual marketable skill you like and start over.

 

[rcpratt]

There's no point in criticizing him for his decisions now, although I certainly agree about most LA degrees.

 

[Ns1]

I'd say take a minor in a marketable area and pray (business)

 

[DanDaManJC]

In my opinion, the biggest problem is the continued shrinking of the blue-collar workforce as more jobs are sent overseas leading to an overall reduction in the skilled workforce and a slow gradual increase in unemployment. What happens one day when the dumbass politicians wake up and realize that NONE of the goods are produced in the US and they erect outrageous tariffs in order to bring jobs back to the US? No skilled laborers to train the young guys.

I would gladly pay an extra couple of bucks if I knew that what I was buying was made here in the USA (without hunting all over the box for a Made in USA)

In the long run robots will be doing all blue collar work. Saying robots is a gross oversimplification -- but really it's just like how our economy shifted from an agricultural to industrial one 100 years ago. Going from industrial to services oriented though... iono what's going to happen.

 

[Schfifty Five]

I think as a short term goal, teaching wouldn't be a bad start.

But longer term goal, definitely higher education would be a good idea.

Just don't be idle, especially not with a BA in History. If you can get into a grad program right away, do so. If not, do your best to find a job and start earning some money for now. Having post college work experience can really improve your chances in finding better jobs and entering Grad programs.

But honestly, you need to really sit down and figure out what you want to do in life.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

Why did you get a major in History? Studying what you want is all well and good, but there's no point if you can't get a job or even do graduate study afterwards.

I would go on studying, getting those extra credits for a double major or finding something else that's more marketable, doing that, and hoping when you finish with that either the job market's improved or your extra time has been worthwhile in giving you an extra edge.

 

[nick1985]

Just start applying for jobs OP. I have degrees in History and Anthropology and I work for a county government doing IT work :awe:

 

[Mide]

Monster generally sucks. Your best bet is the Career services dept of your Alma mater. That's how I got the majority of interviews. But yeah as it has been stated, a BA in History is not too marketable...it's only a piece of paper. Go be in the Officer in the military, go get a PhD and teach, or try to get some job...any job with benefits. Bad thing is that there are a ton of people like you in that last boat. Govt jobs usually take forever to get in...a few months for State positions and multiple years for Fed, if something opens up of course.