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I say build your references and experience. Figure out what you want to do and go for it. From my experience, it wasn't easy and I ended up doing something way different than what I saw doing (well at least some 10-15 years out from graduating.) I wanted to be a professor in business school but instead I became a paraprofessional at a high school for special education. That's a bit far removed from business don'tcha think...
This is a bit hard unless you have money. I'd LOVE to work for myself but unless I want to be a YouTube business or something, I can't do it on the piggy bank. You need a war chest to do this.
First off, who is entitled and what are we entitled to?
Whining is hard to define just as being a kiss ass. Whining to one, is complaining to another, and is legitimate to yet another. You can replace that with being a kiss ass too.
Being valuable is often tough. Just like whining to one boss, your work maybe valuable and they love it but to another it is J. Jonah Jameson going through Peter Parker's Spider-Man pictures claiming they are nothing but crap.
Seizing opportunities can also backfire at the water cooler too. Remember my comment about being a kiss ass, yeah even though you are taking additional tasks to expand your worth, others think you are doing it for your own reasons and get jealous.
1) If you are unable to land ideal job right away, be willing to settle for a different position. The hope is that when the ideal position opens up again, because you already work for the company, because they know your work ethic, you have solid references etc... you will generally have a much better shot at landing that ideal position.
2) Be wary of how long the unemployment gap lasts, believe me those 3 months of no job can quickly turn into 6 months, year and you may not even realize it. Now I am not saying "grab the nearest Walmart job because the dream job won't hire", just be wary of the unemployment gap.
3) The new grad smell wears off quick, unemployment gaps are like black holes on a resume- they will be asked about.
4) Ultimately, experience is better than no experience. Just because you settle for job B does not mean you give up on the job you really want. Apply for the real job on the weekend, nights, days off etc... At the very least you are building up your resume.
5) Connections help immensely, look to friends, family, friend of a friend of a friend etc...
6) Find some balance between looking for work days and not looking for work days. Going full steam "job hunting mode" 24/7 will wear you out quick.
When it comes to applying for jobs out of state, what would you say is the best way to get noticed or past the whole "not a local" thing?
I would suggest mentioning in the cover letter that you are willing to relocate to that area and you will pay for your relocation including any needed interview trips.
Then, when interviewing, if they ask about relocation you can mention that you had always planned to relocate and you are looking forward to the new location. If the new location is where you have family, it's good to mention that because this means it's more likely you will stay in the new location.
Keep in mind one of the biggest issues with hiring someone from another state is that they are more likely to change their mind and move back to their home state. Employers don't want to go through the task of having to re-hire in 2 years because you don't like the new state.
Yeah I don't expect Portland to be an easy one. But I heard Seattle and Denver were pretty easy to find jobs for. Both Denver and Seattle look pretty good for my field. Seattle a little more so.
I have no interest in the South really... However Atlanta and D.C. are sort of the "Silicon Valleys" of Public Health. I would be dumb not to look in Atlanta and D.C. but that's where all the other public health kids will probably look. D.C. and Atlanta can recruit from John Hopkins and Emory which are the best Public Health schools in the country and are located right within commuting distance for the most part. Georgetown also has a reputable program. Government, especially on the federal level, is sort of the "go to" for Public Health. Though there are private companies there that look for PH graduates to work with the government, usually the CDC and the NIH in these cities. Part of the reason the South is big in this field is because of mosquitos and other infectious diseases that love that kind of weather.
I will be applying for jobs that look interesting and I feel like I would be competitive, regardless of location. Though like I said, those cities will be where I'll look the most.
When it comes to applying for jobs out of state, what would you say is the best way to get noticed or past the whole "not a local" thing?
The jobs/internships/fellowships at NIH or CDC are incredibly difficult to get in, so I'd say aim for them, but don't rely on them because chances of landing one of these jobs are pretty slim, even for qualified public health graduates from JHU, Emory, UNC, GWU, etc. There are tons of other jobs nearby if you're looking into the public health sector. Aside from Atlanta or DC, there's Seattle, Boston, SF, and Chicago...all super big on public health, though perhaps more towards epidemiology or health policy/promotion rather than EOH. You mentioned looking more towards ABQ or SLC, which is good because there are a lot of defense contractors, DOE/DOD labs, or manufacturing companies in that area always looking for Safety/IH professionals.
One of the things I was never told when graduating six years ago was how critical the area you live in is to your job prospects.
I went to college in a small town in Tennessee that didn't have much opportunity outside of medical and education. It was nearly impossible to get internships because there weren't any jobs of note in many fields that are normally decent (computer science and accounting, for example) in larger areas. Because you're far away from major job centers, you don't get the internship, which leaves you a bit handicapped upon graduation. When you're in a small town away from job centers, it's likely employers have better colleges closer to them to choose from.
It's a huge problem the education racket fails to address.
The jobs/internships/fellowships at NIH or CDC are incredibly difficult to get in, so I'd say aim for them, but don't rely on them because chances of landing one of these jobs are pretty slim, even for qualified public health graduates from JHU, Emory, UNC, GWU, etc. There are tons of other jobs nearby if you're looking into the public health sector. Aside from Atlanta or DC, there's Seattle, Boston, SF, and Chicago...all super big on public health, though perhaps more towards epidemiology or health policy/promotion rather than EOH. You mentioned looking more towards ABQ or SLC, which is good because there are a lot of defense contractors, DOE/DOD labs, or manufacturing companies in that area always looking for Safety/IH professionals.
I have no desire to work for them anyway. Health policy and epidemiology are also concentrated in these two cities because public health is mostly government work and non-profits, and it's these agencies who usually fund the research. Not that they don't exist elsewhere, each state and county government, sometimes even city if it's large enough, have similar positions. But they are harder to come by and the government work is competitive to get into as it is.
Tucson is similar here, with mining and defense. This is the field Im looking into within public health and they are much more evenly scattered and less concentrated that the other fields. Also the biggest one in the private sector. Safety or environmental health is what I want to do. Environmental health is more interesting but they tie really closely together, which is why they are usually combined in college programs and in real life, hence "EHS" acronym that is so common.
Logistics places are big too. For an example Amazon usually hires for this job in their distribution centers. Saw one in Denver the other day but I'm still in college so I'm not ready yet.
EHS if anything favors mid-sized cities with more affordable real estate because it ties so close with blue-collar work. At least what I am seeing.
One of the things I was never told when graduating six years ago was how critical the area you live in is to your job prospects.
I went to college in a small town in Tennessee that didn't have much opportunity outside of medical and education. It was nearly impossible to get internships because there weren't any jobs of note in many fields that are normally decent (computer science and accounting, for example) in larger areas. Because you're far away from major job centers, you don't get the internship, which leaves you a bit handicapped upon graduation. When you're in a small town away from job centers, it's likely employers have better colleges closer to them to choose from.
It's a huge problem the education racket fails to address.
Yeah living in Tucson isn't good for that, I can agree. Hopefully I'll be able to make it out. I might start cold calling some places who could be interested in someone like me. Speaking of which, what is the best way to go about it?
I mentioned previously that I found an internship that fit perfectly posted a few days ago but I don't know when I should reach out to them to ask about my application. What's the standard protocol for the waiting period? The internship I have now I got hired right when I applied, literally.
I had my first job out of school in 2011. I sent out over 200 resumes all over the country in jobs in my field (logistics) and got exactly one reply from a company on the west coast (I was on the east coast.) They refused to do a Skype interview, and had no desire to fly me out, so I had to pay to fly there and interview. They hired me, but then I had to pay to move out there (I had to borrow multiple thousands to do it.) Then I worked at a hellish job for two years for $15 an hour, which was not a living wage where I was located.
However, that mere two years of experience changed everything. When I started looking for jobs after two years, I got tons of callbacks, people flew me places for interviews, salary offers were much better, and people were clamoring for me and showing me respect. All because I had some practical experience.
As it turns out, your education probably taught you little about how to actually do the job. Employers are far more interested in experience than education. They want to know what you can bring to the position. Therefore, the first job you get will be the hardest one to acquire, and it will probably suck for any number of reasons. My advice? Send out resumes all over the place. If a rural county in North Dakota wants you to come work there, go, no matter how much it will suck living there (sorry ND folks.) In two years, that experience will open many, many doors for you, and you will still be young.
I had my first job out of school in 2011. I sent out over 200 resumes all over the country in jobs in my field (logistics) and got exactly one reply from a company on the west coast (I was on the east coast.) They refused to do a Skype interview, and had no desire to fly me out, so I had to pay to fly there and interview. They hired me, but then I had to pay to move out there (I had to borrow multiple thousands to do it.) Then I worked at a hellish job for two years for $15 an hour, which was not a living wage where I was located.
However, that mere two years of experience changed everything. When I started looking for jobs after two years, I got tons of callbacks, people flew me places for interviews, salary offers were much better, and people were clamoring for me and showing me respect. All because I had some practical experience.
As it turns out, your education probably taught you little about how to actually do the job. Employers are far more interested in experience than education. They want to know what you can bring to the position. Therefore, the first job you get will be the hardest one to acquire, and it will probably suck for any number of reasons. My advice? Send out resumes all over the place. If a rural county in North Dakota wants you to come work there, go, no matter how much it will suck living there (sorry ND folks.) In two years, that experience will open many, many doors for you, and you will still be young.
2011 was only 1 year removed from the depth of the recession so a graduate today might fare a bit better.... but yes, this.
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