graduates with a job?

[j.o.s.h.1408]

i was just wondering, how many recent graduates are finding it difficult to find a job related to there degree? i know i am struggling. i recently graduates myself in computer science and so far i have not had any interviews, just phone calls from company's telling me what type of job i am after etc.

any luck with you guys?

[johnny02004976]

mate i graduated last year and still having problems finding an IT job - after about 3 months i gave up and got a job with a company with scope to move into the IT department and sort of work my way through

[Funkstar]

this was on BBC news this morning. can't find it on the website though.

[JPreston]

this was on BBC news this morning. can't find it on the website though.

Not a very good computer scientist then are you!!!

[j.o.s.h.1408]

LOL!! yea it was on bbc thats why i mentiond it here

i know people who have graduates last year and still cant find a IT job. is it realy worth it going to Uni nowadays? my advice to people who just finish A-Level is dont go uni, its a waste of time to be honest. BBC even said that because their are some people who diddnt even go to college and these same people are earning up to 50k now without a degree while people with degree starts out on just 20k.

i know its true to an extent because one of my friends diddnt go uni and instead, he is earning over 25k working in the underground as a customer support

[LWA]

Well I guess I was kind of lucky - I did an industrial placement as part of my degree which I very much enjoyed. At the end of the placement they offered me sponsorship for my final uni year with a means to come back after I graduated.

I have not been working with the comany, as a graduate, for over a year.

[RedPutty]

LOL!! yea it was on bbc thats why i mentiond it here

i know people who have graduates last year and still cant find a IT job. is it realy worth it going to Uni nowadays? my advice to people who just finish A-Level is dont go uni, its a waste of time to be honest. BBC even said that because their are some people who diddnt even go to college and these same people are earning up to 50k now without a degree while people with degree starts out on just 20k.

that simply makes no sense, you seem to be stating that people who dont go to college earn 50k and those who do start on 20k.

i know its true to an extent because one of my friends diddnt go uni and instead, he is earning over 25k working in the underground as a customer support

So why dont you get a job there.

[Gerrard]

I graduated in 2004 with a computer engineering degree. I wasn't able to get any placements whilst I was at uni due to too much competition/not enough places, so I didn't really have much industry experience when I left, nor much confidence. However, I got very lucky when I saw a job advert in the local paper for a graduate with a computer related degree and managed to get a job (paid about £18k/year) within a month of graduating which involved programming/testing/customer support (the company only had about 7 people working there altogether).
So I guess I was lucky. However, I left after 7 months to join the RAF (which a lot of people here don't understand why...). Despite getting paid very well, I didn't enjoy the work atmosphere or the people I was working with, nor the 1 hour commute along Dorset country roads .
In regards of whether going to uni is worth it or not is diificult to say. I have to say that I enjoyed the lifestyle and the people I met very much, and would definately recommend it for that. It also helps you to live independately and with life skills in general. However, the academic side of it is still questionable. The big problem I found with the IT sector was that you needed experience to get a job, and you couldn't get experience without a job. By going to Uni, you can at least claim some sort of experience with your career and sometimes that is enough (as was in my case). If you can get a placement or sandwhich course (if they still do those) whilst at uni, then even better.

[Funkstar]

Not a very good computer scientist then are you!!!

no, not really. probably because i dropped out after two years of a CS course

Now earning twice what my brother is with a BSc Hons in Retail Mangement. He is going back to uni next month to do Radiology. By the time he graduates i'll probably be earning double what radiographers get, but then not everyone wants to work offshore

[phoenixmystic]

I graduted this year, still problems an I have not been fussy and where to go, still nothing. So I signed up to be an officer in the army instead. They are so slow to get round to anything,still waiting.

[Michael]

I've gone the other way round. Left school and gone straight to an I.T. job with a small business (~25 staff), i'm the I.T. Manager now and we are growing so i'm pretty secure.

Not really on an amazing wage but I do well for my age.

[Aaron]

I graduated from university three years ago and couldn't find a job that I liked. There were two main reasons for this - I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do and I left it until after I'd graduated before looking for a job.

After looking for a few months and generally not having much luck I decided to do a masters in applied mathematics and computing. I found that I had an apptitude for programming and decided to see if I could find a job as a software engineer.

Luckily, I was still signed up to all the graduate jobs sites from the previous summer, so I got to know about all the big graduate jobs over the Christmas period. I saw one I liked, got an interview and I've been working there for the past two years. Most of the big companies recruit in December/January so you really need to start looking early.

If anyone wants to be a software engineer in London then I'm more than willing to pass on the details for next year's intake when it happens.

[j.o.s.h.1408]

So why dont you get a job there.

no vacancy thats why

and in response to aaron, yea i am looking for a software enginner job in london

[TheAnimus]

I started my job 2 weeks before i graduated, based on a copy of my preliminary transcript meaning that i had a degree.

I got the interview by having an expected 2-1.

There is NO WAY i would of even got an interview without a degree, none what so-ever.

As someone who in his 7th week at the job was sitting in on an interview its become very clear what the problem is, A-Level.

A-Levels in Computer Science are bull****. Sorry, but they are. Also Computer Science != IT, no way at all, not enough people know this.

A-Level in IT, as was said when going through some CVs at least you've got something to wipe with when you run out of loo roll. IT A-Level, waste of time and goverments money, we would MUCH MUCH rather see Maths, Physics, Electronics. Even Computer Science than IT.

Universities. Some are better than others, and your uni course will limit your job options. If you don't have any Java or C# (just C++) as an OO language your not going to have as many doors open as if you did have C# or Java.

Now if you want to go into IT, ie hardware support, then a degree isn't really for you, enless you do EE & CS its not going to help prove you know how to troubleshoot pc hardware.

Certifications are better for IT, but IT as a carrier in my view is a bad one, you get shat one quite simply, blamed for everything. Also the pay is piss poor compared to an architect or a developer. IT you can do pretty much right after GCSE, a good local computer shop working weekends (whilst doing A-Levels)seam to be the most common.

Other things A-Levels in the following make many people chuck CVs into the looser pile:
Media/Film studides, enless you have 5 + A-levels. (3 at A2)
Photogophy,
Drama/Dance/Arts in general actually.

Looking at the recruitment company we use to hire graduates (its scary in 2 months how i've swapped sides) there are plenty of jobs going, well paid jobs. Now for the downside, if you take one like mine, it really takes it out on you, and you have to decide if its worth it. So there are plenty of jobs about, just you have to be willing and able to work hard.

Non Uni vrs Uni.
A mate of mine didn't goto uni he works in IT and is on about £20k, another works as a secretry, she after 4 years with the same firm is on £30k, I've a 2-1, and this time next year my basic salary (before descressionary bonus) will be more than both put together.

Short summery:

Plenty of jobs in IT If A your a developer, B you don't mind working 55 hours a week. A science degree will earn you more money (thou it might take 3-5 years before your earning more than if you had 3 years previous job experiance)

[directhex]

it took me about 4 months, from graduation to employment - that was in 2004. my pay's gone up about £3k since then, and is due for another £2.5k jump in october. that's a unix sysadmin job.

the problem with systems jobs in general, as far as i can tell, is everyone wants 3 years' experience - and since so many unis churn out bad comsci degrees, nobody really takes those seriously, other than in a "can stick at something for a while" sense.

if you lack the magic 3 years (and you obviously do, as a graduate) then other evidence of competance is vital - e.g. if you're after a programming job, list popular programs that you wrote or contributed to. for sysadmin jobs, point to articles & guides you've written.

[autopilot]

Getting involved in open source projects can help too if you want to build some experience. Might be worth signing up with a few agencies too.

Personally i turned my back on IT as a profession because while there were jobs available (i was offered a position as a java developer at a large high profile firm before i had even graduated) i just could not find a position or company i wanted to work for. I could have gritted my teeth and worked my way to a job i preferred, but i wanted a better/different life style than that; works just something to pay the bills for me and my life goes on hold while i am at work. For some people thier work is thier life. For me, that way of living will never satisfy me, in fact i find it quite depressing. I guess it depends on how much of a career person you are. Most people who are keen enough will get there. Most of my friends who were at uni got good IT jobs, not jobs i personally would want, but that fact than some of them were not exactly the 'sharpest tools in the box' shows it can be done.
I might get flamed for saying this, but while i know it's very hard for graduates to get good positions, i do think some people use this as an excuse sometimes to rest on their laurels at bit. I was guilty of this for sure. You just have to accept it, dont let it get you down and find something productive to do in the meantime. Thats the key, if you get to wrapped up in not find the job you want it can get you down and the situation spirals. And accept the fact that you might have to relocate. That was never an option for me, i dont want to leave my home/GF/family/friends, but i guess some people have less ties.

Now i run my own business which is completely unrelated to IT, but at least i get more enjoyment out of my 'toy's when i get home because of this.

Anyway, i dont know what im really ranting on about now. Best of luck to you mate, you will get there