Graduate school for unemployed college students

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/06/graduate-school-for-unemployed-college-students.html

by oscardelben • 17 years ago

34 8 17 years ago

sethgodin.typepad.com

mahmud• 17 years ago

If you wake up every morning at 6, give up TV and treat this list like a job, you'll have no trouble accomplishing everything on it.

And quickly run out of money!

The reason unemployed people are not multitasking hobbies, volunteering and self-improvement programs is that it costs money to go places, do things, and meet people.

oscardelben• 17 years ago

Is it necessary to spend money for volunteering, meeting people and self-improvement programs? In any case, this list could apply to those who have the opportunity to support themselves with a part time job or something else

byrneseyeview• 17 years ago

I doubt it. I've lived in a fairly expensive city (New York) for about $800 a month. Add in $100 or so a month for extra food, and money for either a bike or a metrocard, and you still have a lifestyle you can pay for with a part-time job.

DanielBMarkham• 17 years ago

Seth -- I know what you're getting at. Instead of hanging out watching TV, get involved deeply with things that make you a better person.

Oddly enough, those qualities are supposed to be the things that college gives to kids. Yet we have to remind them. Wonder if the public could get a partial refund on all of that money we spent?

But putting it in a quick list loses the point. Makes it look like a to-do list instead of your life's mission: learn something! Pour yourself into something bigger than yourself! Plus people can then take potshots at each item in the list, completely missing the point.

turkishrevenge• 17 years ago

Theses are all great ideas, but they depend first on having the ability to pay rent, buy/obtain food and secure other basic requirements for life. That's hard to you when you don't have an income.

donal• 17 years ago

I don't believe that "unemployed" in this sense means "without paycheck." I considered myself unemployed after graduating from college because I was making my money by catering. Not exactly why I went to college...

So, with that interpretation; I was making barely enough to pay what little bills I had, I was able to do one of the things on Seth's list: I taught myself HTML, CSS, Javascript, SQL, and PHP. I built a couple simple DB driven websites for a friend's band. I then started messing around with the Asterisk PBX and foolishly tried to sell one to a company in the area and fortunately was saved a lot of pain and was hired by them instead.

The whole time I was told that I should be trying to get this type of job or the other, but I was dead-set on ending up in doing something technology-based. I think it was a good 18 months before that happened.

I don't think Seth is saying anything revolutionary. A piece of paper alone doesn't make your a good hire. If they aren't biting with what you have, then work on making it into what they want to see. Over simply; stop wallowing, get over any feelings of entitlement that may be lingering, and do something productive.

timwiseman• 17 years ago

You have an awesome point here and an excellent story.

One thing that Seth does not mention that may be worth considering is actual grad school. It is true that a master's will never replace experience, but it can help you get interviews and stand out in a stack of resumes. Certifications also help if you are interested in tech.

A certification will never get you a job (certainly not one you would really want), but it can help you get interviews. I say this as someone that was told point blank I got one of my earlier job interviews because of my certifications when I was starting out and who later used them to help weed out stacks of resumes when they were on my desk.

tbeseda• 17 years ago

Many of us have to get over the "I'm overqualified" complex, and take a non-tech job whilst we wait.

Graduate school for unemployed college students

Related Stories