Nearly done with college and I have no clue where to go from here

ifeelabreeze

I'm aware that this is after hours.

I'm a final year Business student, hoping to come out with a 2.1, and I haven't the faintest clue what to do after all that!

I'll be the first to say that I am not a great student (not that I'm proud of that), my attendance is good and I engage in lectures but I have awful trouble maintaining focus, in a sense I've been blessed that I'm smart enough to pass without much effort but cursed to never achieve a result that's indicative of my true potential - because I can't put the head down to study.

As I'm sure most Business students would say, I've a head for Business. I'm fascinated with how companies make their money, how they're run and how they make their decisions/maintain their edge. We've lecture(rs) talking about the subject, discussing why McDonalds is so successful, or the genius behind the Starbucks' card, I love that crap.

I don't have any real interest in a career in HR or Marketing and Finance probably isn't for me (considering I scrapped by in the finance exams).. I've been trying to convince myself to do an add on in Accounting, because Big4 Audit would set me up nicely with exit opportunities, but I think I'm forgetting about the ACA/ACCA, I was never bad at accounting, but I never chose the modules simply because I find it a lot easier to just waffle and string a coherent essay together.

Sales also piqued my interest - money, and maybe I've a knack for it.

Part of me has it in my head to just go out working construction or something of the sort, learning a Business and going it my own, be it hanging ceilings or training as a plumber.

I've always had an admiration for (and probably wanted to emulate) fellas who started successful companies from the ground up, never mind Branson or Gates, the most successful man I know runs an Tech support business, another is in car transport, abattoirs, sheds you name it.

Starting my own Business or getting to a point where I'm running an existing one has always interested me, but that's for down the line, I need to look at what I want to do now day in day out, and honestly I haven't a clue

So I just haven't a clue what to go into after college, I don't know what I should be doing, no real clue where my strengths lie even, so where should I even start?

Gant21

I’d join Twitter if I were you and learn to compose short threads.

ifeelabreeze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638141#Comment_118638141

Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?

When me president, they see. They see.

ifeelabreeze

TL;DR - Business student, interested in how Businesses are set up, how they run, maintain advantage, smart business decisions etc. etc.

No idea what to do after college, maybe Accounting because - good prospects, maybe Sales because - good money (if I'm good at it), maybe just oing out working hands on.

Always been interested in starting my own Business or getting to a point in my career where I can run/have a say in the running of an existing Business, but that's down the road.

TL;DR of TL;DR - Graduating in May, haven't the faintest clue where to go from there.

Liberty_Bear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638141#Comment_118638141

Would you like some pictures ?

Geuze

Try ALDI and Lidl graduate recruitment?

https://www.aldirecruitment.ie/area-manager-programme

https://jobs.lidl.ie/

fryup

buy & sell bitcoin

ifeelabreeze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638216#Comment_118638216

I've been looking at the likes of those but I think I'd struggle to get a look in with my results, you're coming up against lads and lassies with first class honours from UCD

Liberty_Bear

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638189#Comment_118638189

Thats the beauty of the world at the moment, the whole world is in a state of flux so nothing is defined. Can you take a year off and go do travel , work abroad perhaps gaining some experience in an industry you might not have thought of. Saw a great website called English speaking jobs. The site was full of things like bar work, call centres etc etc. That gap year could lead to new ideas, language skills, cultural experiences that you never knew. There is also EURES which is the EU jobs portal. If you have a particular country in mind then its worth hunting around the various sites of members states for a few hours for jobs - https://ec.europa.eu/eures/public/index_en

The other idea I would suggest is the route I took. Work through the civil service and then find yourself a job that you find engaging.

The wonderous thing about your degree is you might be able to horizantally move into a masters or post grad in journalism, management, etc. In fact the world is your oyster.

Another option is if you want to put your skills to good use and gain some grounding is volunteer for a year somewhere like the UNHCR, Red Crosss. choose some path that you have not found before

Gant21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638211#Comment_118638211

I’ll take some of the dung you have to fertilise the garden.

I'm 46 and still don't know what I want to do when I grow up. But I have been working in the same job, that I love, for 23 years! Never my plan, just worked out that way.

bodhrandude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638189#Comment_118638189

Maybe get into event management, one of the live music companies and use your business ideas with them, maybe one of the developing music festivals that will spring up again, just my two cents.

corner of hells

Army for you OP , front line infantry.

The DayDream

Wait, aldi's graduate program or whatever it's called is considered a lucrative choice for first class honours earners?

Then how come they still can't figure out how many tills to have open? and why is it every food item I actually like they eventually stop stocking it, surely that isn't a brilliant business strategy, put those eggheads in charge of that shít, sort it out

ifeelabreeze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638423#Comment_118638423

Aldi Area Graduate Manager Programme is a fast track to Corporate, 60k a year and a company car (they also work you to the bone).

So for them, it's not about having a cashier for every customer, it's about minimising cost, working each employee hard whilst paying them above market rates, then they do this for all the stores in their area.

Not sure about the stopping stock stuff you actually like, maybe they just do it to annoy you?

ifeelabreeze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638386#Comment_118638386

Alas asthma and a distain for physical exercise hinders my progress in this career path.

Mrs OBumble

McDonalds management trainee. Or Supermacs if you can't make the grade with maccas.

BorneTobyWilde

cool

Donald Trump

#onlyfans

Captain Barnacles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638189#Comment_118638189

Stay away from America - it's the american dream for the few , the american nightmare for many...

Captain Barnacles

I hear Spain are looking to hire mamporerros

Ray Palmer

OP if you think you know how to run a business straight out of college you are hoping to be the exception. Have you ever actually managed people for any length of time? That is something many people find very difficult and your business will rely on it the most.

What work experience do you have? Your college qualification mean very little in the real world without work experience

looksee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638423#Comment_118638423

I admire their approach to tills, flexible and uses staff to best advantage. And I'd rather have 'we are opening till 4 for you....' on loop than the horrible 'music' that most places inflict you with. I don't mind their 'subject to availability' stock approach either, I go and buy what is available then off to Supervalu to spend almost the same amount for a few items they didn't have in Aldi.

ifeelabreeze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118639157#Comment_118639157

No absolutely not, I just have it in my head that down the line I'd like to work for myself, or work my way up in a company so that I'm in a 'similar' leadership role.

As for work experience, I've 2 years retail, I've worked construction on and off and I worked for my university on a paid placement, so I was subjected to 101 meetings with senior board members/dean's of faculty and what not, in that I also presented to 50 or so students fairly regularly.

My father fixes iPhones in his spare time and I've helped with the setting up and progression of that.

The problem more so is - I don't know what I want to do after college..

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118639290#Comment_118639290

You are suffering from what many graduate suffer from which is ego. None of what you said is impressive. You were working in a play area. Graduate programs are in place in many places I worked and I deal with them once a year now for 9 years. Clueless graduates who think they know it all trying to change things they don't know.

I was asked to review a graduate plan. For some reason they were tasked at getting a stock keeping system in place and the guy in charge of them was retiring so let them do it what ever way they wanted. Had been working on it for 3 months before I was asked to review it. They had all these charts and plans for the system which basically amounted to coding a system from scratch which they hadn't even attempted just planned. It was an ungodly mess. Asked them had they even looked at freeware or even creating an access database, it was a low stock situation not a major commercial system needed. Within a day a open source system was identified and installed and then they could get on with actually entering the stock information. The guy in charge of them showed me his brief to them and it was pretty clear they weren't tasked with reinventing the wheel but picking a product and implementing it. He did try to direct them but as they were so arrogant he just left them to make a mess. Not one of them was hired permanently and these were top of their class and went through a tough recruitment process. They told me of all their plans about how they would be owners of their own businesses making a fortune in 5 years. They are not

MrMusician18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118639387#Comment_118639387

Nothing really surprising there. Universities don't really equip graduates with workplace skills - everyone that's been in the workplace a few years knows that. The failure here was the guy retiring who didn't give a **** and gave even less direction.

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118639669#Comment_118639669

To an extent but he just gave up on them because they all claimed they knew better and didn't listen. One thing to give direction and another to have to control people and if you are retiring would you bother? There little faces when they were told they wasted their time and were way behind in what they had to achieve was amusing. They were nice enough just clueless and arrogant. Qualifications may get you the job but they don't mean you are capable

ifeelabreeze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118639387#Comment_118639387

Do you not think you're putting a backstory behind a few simple comments?

You asked what my work history was, I told you, it's not something to be impressed by - I stock shelves in a supermarket!

I appreciate what you're saying, I think it's quite easy to look in from the outside and say 'that's not hard, I could do that'

But I'm under no illusion about my abilities or lack there of.

I'm simply saying - I have this notion in my head that I would like to start my own Business or get a point whereby I'm running an existing one, call it a pipe dream, but I'm also acutely aware of lack of actual, demonstrable ability - I just want to learn and I don't know where to start, hence the question.

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118640012#Comment_118640012

OK it is a pipe dream and you need a dose of reality. Take the advice or don't but this is just another show of arrogance

Do an MBA.

McDonald's CEO made more than $10.8 million last year

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/08/mcdonalds-ceo-chris-kempczinski-made-more-than-10point8-million-in-2020.html

backwards_man

Try to get into Sales in a US multi national. Really good learning ground. If you want to run your own business some day Sales is one o the most important areas to know and will stand you well. If you are any good it can be very lucrative, and if you are not academic or like sitting at a desk all day it offers good flexibility.