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I'm almost three years out of school. I had an internship in school. After I graduated I couldn't find anything in my field for 10 months. During this time I was also volunteering in my field. Thank you professor! I had a few interviews, but nothing ground breaking...or where I got hired. Personally, I really feel I went all out with my search, pavement pounding, and networking during that period. Nothing worked. I gave up and accept a job in a call center. I stayed for about 8-9 months before I had enough. Didn't search anything for about 4 weeks; I'd been searching for stuff the whole time while I was working. Found another call center job when I started looking again.
The past year I have secured and quit 5 call center related jobs. They are easy to get. I usually quit to go after slightly higher pay. Meh. I think maybe I should stick one out (current one) to show stability, but what's the point? I couldn't get anything in my field when I first graduated and had some inkling of a network and fresh new grad stench/etc. Now what am? Trash. Employers don't respect a beat-up couldn't find crap in his field so went call center applicant.
I don't want to be a manager or advance up the call center ladder. I hate them all. What's my solution here?
Advice? Change fields? Go back to grad school? What?
What was your degree in? Depending on what it is, see if you can leverage into the customer service (call center) jobs (if applicable) for companies in that industry and then into a division that you would have your degree in. It's often easier to get a job in these companies from the inside than it is, the outside.
In some fields you can hop around and some you can't. I had a boss who was a job hopper when he was young. He told me that he eventually applied for a job he really wanted and was told that he was too much of a job hopper and didn't have a stable work history, so they weren't going to consider him for the position.
You may have to change fields which is something I had to when I graduated. I could no longer hold on to a dream because the reality was I needed a job to bring money in and ended up getting a referral to another field which is the field I have been in for 13 years now.
And I say change fields because a crappy call center job is just not worth it in the long run espeically when you have no idea how long it will take you to get a job in your field.
You may have to change fields which is something I had to when I graduated. I could no longer hold on to a dream because the reality was I needed a job to bring money in and ended up getting a referral to another field which is the field I have been in for 13 years now.
And I say change fields because a crappy call center job is just not worth it in the long run espeically when you have no idea how long it will take you to get a job in your field.
What field did you change to and from?
I would say just stay in your current call center job until you can find another job or until you go off to grad school if you choose too. I'm planning on going off to grad school after a few years after graduating. I think it's just best for me.
(1) You are yet another example of the waste we know as internships. Never do an internship again unless it [a] guarantees permanent placement and/or [b] pays you a desirable salary
(2) Give us more background for context (where you live, are you willing to move, what is your field)
(3) Join the military as a Reservist. It would give you great experience, leadership, part-time pay, benefits, funding for graduate school and resume padding
(4) Go to graduate school. Pick a field that is highly in-demand but does not require more than a 2-3 year Masters (priority goes to your local region, or if your region sucks, then to what is in demand in general throughout the country). Examples would be Finance & Accounting, IT, Computer Engineering, Law, etc.
(5) Consider moving out of your area.
(6) If you talk about job hopping, you should be talking about hopping around firms where you are making 50K+ a year in. If that's not you, then you did not follow the first 5 points in this list. In other words, you should not be talking about hopping around in call centers. You should not be in call centers at all. It is one thing to be a mediocre/unsatisfying job, but it is also a low paying job. It is not worth your precious time. Stop doing this. Go to the nearest mirror, tell yourself you will actually do something worthwhile, and then do it.
lifeexplorer, you are right to a point. Some companies do use interns as a potential recruiting pool, but depending on the field (that is to say, in most fields) interns are viewed as nothing but free labor (which, i may add, is illegal). When they burn out (or become financially incapable of supporting indentured servitude, they are discarded with no strings attached. Read this for knowledge: America is raising a generation of interns - The Week
Your goal is to go for an entry professional position, and that does NOT include internship. If you are looking for an internship, you need to go back and get more academic and/or professional credentials attached to your name.
I would say just stay in your current call center job until you can find another job or until you go off to grad school if you choose too. I'm planning on going off to grad school after a few years after graduating. I think it's just best for me.
I wanted to work in broadcasting in TV Production but had no clue you needed connections to get a job like that. So I took a referral for a employment counselor job for a company that never advertised job openings and that's what I been doing for 13 with different populations.
(1) You are yet another example of the waste we know as internships. Never do an internship again unless it [a] guarantees permanent placement and/or [b] pays you a desirable salary
(2) Give us more background for context (where you live, are you willing to move, what is your field)
(3) Join the military as a Reservist. It would give you great experience, leadership, part-time pay, benefits, funding for graduate school and resume padding
(4) Go to graduate school. Pick a field that is highly in-demand but does not require more than a 2-3 year Masters (priority goes to your local region, or if your region sucks, then to what is in demand in general throughout the country). Examples would be Finance & Accounting, IT, Computer Engineering, Law, etc.
(5) Consider moving out of your area.
(6) If you talk about job hopping, you should be talking about hopping around firms where you are making 50K+ a year in. If that's not you, then you did not follow the first 5 points in this list. In other words, you should not be talking about hopping around in call centers. You should not be in call centers at all. It is one thing to be a mediocre/unsatisfying job, but it is also a low paying job. It is not worth your precious time. Stop doing this. Go to the nearest mirror, tell yourself you will actually do something worthwhile, and then do it.
1) I got the latter without the promise of the former.
2) I have degree in environmental science. I live in Toronto. I'll move anywhere in Canada, but I don't want to move to another Country.
3) I have very serious Asthma and a screwed up knee from a car wreck. Not sure I could even serve...but I'll look into it. Long as I don't have to fight it sounds like a decent option.
4) Sounds good, but I'm not sure I could jump into half of those areas given my background. Wouldn't I need an undergrad in some of those first? Law sounds the most secure of the lot, but I'd figure it's a very long process. I'd guess 5+ years...maybe more..
5) Without a job in that city/ area and having to forgo what income I'm making here? Er...I'd love to move, but the question is where... I have searched nation-wide when looking.
6) Ha! Yeah, I know. God I know! I think it's just my general disgust with these jobs and the whole culture behind call centers. I just can't stomach any of these places too long. I don't want to get rooted in. Meh. In any case, I would at least say my job is ' bottom barrel low paying' exactly. I mean, I'm not screaming yippie and absolutely want a better future, but it's still like 1.5-2 times minimum wage so I can survive.
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