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

Furze99 · 16-02-2022 01:41PM

Get some experience - anywhere will do for a while. Then figure for yourself whether you are good at working under your own initiative or instinctively happier in a work situation where it's clear what your role is each day. That would determine where you might direct yourself in the future.

BaywatchHQ · 16-02-2022 01:45PM

I was the same and I have been mostly unemployed since university, your course sounds better than mine though. Also put depression, social anxiety and possible autism into the mix made starting a career very difficult. In my opinion a lot of university degrees should be binned, you should only go to university if you are doing a major stem degree. When I was at school it was abnormal not to go to university, you didn't comprehend doing anything else. My mother used to say if I didn't work hard I would end up on a building site. I think the average person on a building site is a lot more wealthy than I am now.

mikethecop · 16-02-2022 01:49PM

try politics

seems easy enough , lots of money anyway

ifeelabreeze · 16-02-2022 03:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118640101#Comment_118640101

What was the advice exactly? I think you're using anecdotal evidence to say that I'm going to be just as useless and as arrogant as those who've you'd dealt with in the past.

You may very well be right, because frankly a degree will just about get you in the door it does feck all else in the way of preparing you for the real world. But I don't think it's arrogant to say I'd one day like to work for myself or potentially progress into a leadership position - I'm saying I could come in and do your job 10 times better for half the cost (because I'm not an idiot and I doubt you are), I'm just looking for advice on where to start.

Simply put college has done next to nothing to prepare me for work, I've hated college, I was never one for drinking, never one for sitting about in dingy student accommodation and I feel with a couple of exceptions (that I can count on my hand), I've taken away feck all from the academic side of things. Making friends, using your own initiative, group work, dealing with issues/conflicts - generally not relying on your parents for everything, that's what I've learnt, can't see myself sitting down to apply Ansoffs Matrix any time soon.

I guess by saying I'm not arrogant is probably going to be perceived as arrogant, I'm just eager to get started - at what exactly I don't know.

agoodusername · 16-02-2022 09:11PM

I'd know plenty of reasonably successful business owners, and pretty much none of them have anything in common in terms of qualifications or experience before starting their own company.

One guy was a qualified accountant (an absolutely mental guy, did not conform to any of the stereotypes) and he said that it was a useful qualification for running a business, as it made him feel a bit more comfortable working on the financial side of things. So maybe a big4 or similar type qualification would be worth pursuing?

Liberty_Bear · 17-02-2022 12:23AM

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

Thats the most cynical post I head read on this in a while...I'll give an alternate point

I manage staff in the public sector. I get graduates who come in and its only their first or second job but we break the bad habits and watch them grow and thrive. I knew one person who had to be pushed to do his work and over time we encouraged him to take ownership of what he did. Empowered him with the skills and training. Created an open forum that he could feed back up and I take criticism well once its constructive. Over time he would give ideas and we listened . He trained and mentored other staff over the years for me as I trusted him. Instead of you trying to knock down those graduates why didnt you turn around and use the expertise (which I take it you have) to try and challenge them , instill trust and give them the skills to empower themselves (aka coaching).

Most people when they start a job are clueless, they are flung into the deep end .....I for one hope to never end up as cynical as this...

Lillyfae · 17-02-2022 10:59AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118640101#Comment_118640101

Ambition isn't arrogance. It wasn't really smart or fair of your company to put someone who "just gave up on them" because he was retiring anyway mentoring them. Was it you, by any chance? Smacks of a tax break and not like the company were really invested in the development of graduates. The OP doesn't sound like he fits in the pigeonhole you're trying to put him in.

chrissb8 · 17-02-2022 02:06PM

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

What I'm taking from this here is loads of red flags.

Graduates are just that....people who do not have professional or personal skills developed in their chosen field. Yes, they may have a bit of "Ego" or be looking to make their mark but that's where management comes in.
"the guy in charge of them was retiring so let them do it what ever way they wanted"....??? So you had a manager who was phoning it in and this led to a whole team of raw graduates being left to their own devices? Who have no experience or don't know how to apply their skills and knowledge in a productive manner? Anything after that is not on the graduates, again on the company.
"He did try to direct them" no he didn't, the guy in charge of them is in charge of it. That is a failure to assert leadership and "he just left them to make a mess". What is wrong with this place that they would rather watch someone crash and burn than give a meaningful intervention....at an I don't know....early stage in their careers when graduates are needed to be told what to do and how to do it?

Your take on graduates no way reflects on the graduates. Just your s* way of managing and actualising them reflects on you and what seems like lazy incompetent managers.

Ficheall · 17-02-2022 02:48PM

OP, your degree is like a ticket that let's you apply for jobs in companies that have a degree as a requirement. That's about it. Sweet eff all difference between the graduates can be discerned based on their academic qualifications alone.

Many people don't know what they want to do after college. Degree, diploma, PhD, postgrad diploma.. I still don't know what I want to do..

Do one of those part-time springboard courses for a couple of years; they're pretty trivial and it's another piece of paper for people who think those matter.

And get some work experience in alongside it - worth more than any piece of paper from a uni. Where are you based? Saw today that Galway is looking for a Cemetery Supervisor - sounded like an interesting gig..

SomeGuyCalledMi · 17-02-2022 03:13PM

Defo think about the entrepreneur route or at least a side hustle . It costs practically nothing to set up an online business. Learn about SEO and online advertising. Start a blog or a YouTube channel. Read books like Millionaire Fastlane and Four Hour Work Week. They're both dated and unnecessarily long but they don't cost much.

Hangdogroad · 17-02-2022 11:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638177#Comment_118638177

Well if Gemma O Doherty thought she could be president.....

riclad · 22-02-2022 06:22AM

Go for a sales job with an American company , basically many jobs require a degree to get an interview, accounting is pretty boring unless you are really interested in it. Why would someone do a degree for years and then train as a plumber, that takes 3 years approx to be qualified. Tech company's pay good wages or American corporations. If you are good at sales you ll make a good wage. Most startups fail or make no profit but theres a chance a big company will buy them , in the tech sector. The point of a business degree is its an entry point to an interview with big company's or multinationals

riclad · 22-02-2022 07:13AM

I think many people work in business as managers, executives and they do not love their jobs , but the wages are good they can have a good lifestyle they can get a mortgage, buy a car etc I don't think everyone is suited or had the skills to run their own business or manage a startup

NSAman · 22-02-2022 07:58AM

Get a trade boy… electrician or plumber, you will be self employed and loaded

lawrencesummers · 22-02-2022 08:47AM

You probably have a few routes you can go down.

As much as you might not want to hear it a business degree isnt worth much in the real world, nobody is going to be beating a track to your door to hire you, its worth something but probably not as much as you think because they are extremely common and dont set you apart in any great way.

Where it does become valuable is when you tie additional qualifications to it, more specialist or specific.

What i would say is that you should travel, see the world and gain experience in other areas.

If i had my time again I would be off to the oil rigs or the middle east to get experience, travel and save some money.

so one option is travel, if you are a home bird then get work in some industry that can be transferrable back here like engineering, manufacturing, IT etc etc and then enroll in another course related to that field which will allow promotion and opportunity down the road.

The next alternative is to try and get an internship of graduate trainee program in some big company. They seldom come up, are hard to get but for the right person they can lead to a fasttrack in big companies.

Or you can get an entry level job here somewhere, doing admin type work and see where that takes you.

Ash.J.Williams · 22-02-2022 09:08AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638273#Comment_118638273

I got sorted at 44 (figured out a plan at 41)

riclad · 02-03-2022 11:23PM

if its not a technical degree ,chemistry, science, a degree is just a licence to apply for jobs, that are not basic entry level like cashier or a cleaner.You dont just get a job in IT you,d need to have skilla qualification in c plus eg programming ,have completed a course in basic programming.

03-03-2022 12:27AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058233203/nearly-done-with-college-and-i-have-no-clue-where-to-go-from-here

My major was business/finance, and the way you described yourself really matched with where I was two decades ago. The thing you've got to figure out pretty quickly is whether you want to work at small-med business or go corporate. They're very different environments, and the roles within, while they might have similar titles, often will be very different depending on the industry in question. It's also important to figure out if you want a competitive environment (for promotions/raises/etc) or just do a job... only you can really answer that one.

Look for a startup business of some kind, because it will expose you to so many aspects of operating any kind of small company, which gives you some insight into the various functions within any organisation, but also the types of roles out there. Place a time limit on yourself from the beginning as to how long you stay with them, because it's very easy to get sucked into staying, when you should be exploring for yourself what you want to do.

Then switch to something corporate, and allow yourself to switch between roles/companies for a few years. Don't get bracketed into one particular role type, if there is any kind of salary ceiling. You'll need to do your own research, asking professionals for advice or insights into their roles, as opposed to relying on articles online. Once you've dabbled in a few areas, then pick a core strength/focus and build it. The important thing about business is that you can move between many job titles or roles if you have the required soft/hard skills.. but it's important to figure out what it is that really gets you going.

It's also worth considering whether you want to stay in Ireland, or live/work abroad. Dependent on the industry you end up choosing, it can be a very very different experience between staying in Ireland or doing your role in Paris, Tokyo or NY. It's worth considering that you can travel quite well on a business degree.

BurgerFace · 03-03-2022 07:33PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638587#Comment_118638587

Yeah, waste deep in grease, flipping burgers alongside Svetlana and Mfubu, dealing with pissheads throwing their taco fries at your head and barfing on the tables. FCUK THAT!

OP sell your soul to some finance house like JP Morgan or whatnot. Work 70 hours a weeks for 10 years then throw in the towel and walk off with a few million in your early 30's. Go travel the world and then do something you really like.

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

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