Help out a recent BA Grad

[King]

Hey brehs,

I recently graduated 4 months ago from a top 5 school in the Bay with a BA degree. It obviously wasn't my first choice but for a lot of reasons, mainly debt, I couldn’t transfer out. Luckily I managed to graduate debt free.

During my time in school, I started 3 different startups with some talented people I met, which took up most of my time. So I neglected getting an internship - because I really thought my ventures were going to take off. Focused too much on the business.

I am wondering what my options are right now. I learned a lot of business acumen as a founder - and it’s very broad. Things like marketing, project management, customer acquisition, QA work, and some basic finance. Pretty much anything that isn’t coding or software engineering.

However, things have not been good with this pandemic. I was planning on staying in the bay for a few months to solidify my networking and secure a job. Now I'm back home. As of right now, I had about 200+ rejected applications and 2 interviews since May. I’m working right now with one of my startup mentors who’s letting me pad my resume at his company.

//

Tbh I really don’t know where to take it from here. I’m not really hurting for money rn and have enough finances to sustain myself for one year. But I don't see a way out of this. I honestly don't even know what I can do.

This whole filling out applications thing hasn’t been working for me. My network is very small, that is something I really neglected while in college. Trying to do the linkedin game, but I'm spinning my wheels on that rn

Anybody been in my position? Any advice on how to move forward? Mainly looking for networking and job search advice. I've been told that I'm a standout candidate - if entrepreneurship was a job lmao

It seems like this degree isn't speaking for me that way I hoped it would. I will say that I’m a jack of all trades. As long as it's non-technical, I can jump into it. If any brehs are working at companies looking for talent right now, please shoot me a PM. Location isn't an issue for me.

 

[NZA]

i would pick one of those skills, marketing, project management, or customer acquisition, etc. and start making your resume reflect mastery of that one thing. then start applying for jobs needing that kind of employee.

jack of all trades doesnt work for non-technical people. it will help you once you get the job, but it wont get you the job.

 

[King]

i would pick one of those skills, marketing, project management, or customer acquisition, etc. and start making your resume reflect mastery of that one thing. then start applying for jobs needing that kind of employee.

jack of all trades doesnt work for non-technical people. it will help you once you get the job, but it wont get you the job.

Looking into that - my long term goal is to get a nice job then go back to school. Save up enough capital and get an engineering or CS degree.

Might have to take on some debt, but it is what it is

 

[KingBeez]

Hey brehs,

I recently graduated 4 months ago from a top 5 school in the Bay with a BA degree. It obviously wasn't my first choice but for a lot of reasons, mainly debt, I couldn’t transfer out. Luckily I managed to graduate debt free.

During my time in school, I started 3 different startups with some talented people I met, which took up most of my time. So I neglected getting an internship - because I really thought my ventures were going to take off. Focused too much on the business.

I am wondering what my options are right now. I learned a lot of business acumen as a founder - and it’s very broad. Things like marketing, project management, customer acquisition, QA work, and some basic finance. Pretty much anything that isn’t coding or software engineering.

However, things have not been good with this pandemic. I was planning on staying in the bay for a few months to solidify my networking and secure a job. Now I'm back home. As of right now, I had about 200+ rejected applications and 2 interviews since May. I’m working right now with one of my startup mentors who’s letting me pad my resume at his company.

//

Tbh I really don’t know where to take it from here. I’m not really hurting for money rn and have enough finances to sustain myself for one year. But I don't see a way out of this. I honestly don't even know what I can do.

This whole filling out applications thing hasn’t been working for me. My network is very small, that is something I really neglected while in college. Trying to do the linkedin game, but I'm spinning my wheels on that rn

Anybody been in my position? Any advice on how to move forward? Mainly looking for networking and job search advice. I've been told that I'm a standout candidate - if entrepreneurship was a job lmao

It seems like this degree isn't speaking for me that way I hoped it would. I will say that I’m a jack of all trades. As long as it's non-technical, I can jump into it. If any brehs are working at companies looking for talent right now, please shoot me a PM. Location isn't an issue for me.

1. Jack of all trades, master of none. Pick one of those that you listed and become skilled in it. There's tons of online classes that can get you on the right path

2. If you're able to go to the bay, check for internships/apprenticeships here, there's a lot of opportunities, especially for POCs, first gen college students, etc.

3. check meetup.com or craigslist for virtual networking workshops

4. cold call/email jobs that you like, interest you, or see yourself working at, and ask for an informational interview or a mock interview to work on your interview skills.

5. get your resume checked out by multiple people, primarily people who have good jobs/had a tough interviewing process

6. if all else fails, then go to grad school get that MBA, make connections that you didn't do in undergrad, and get out of your comfort zone and talk to professors, club committees, etc. Also jobs always like an intern candidate that's currently in school compared to an already graduated one

 

[King]

1. Jack of all trades, master of none. Pick one of those that you listed and become skilled in it. There's tons of online classes that can get you on the right path

2. If you're able to go to the bay, check for internships/apprenticeships here, there's a lot of opportunities, especially for POCs, first gen college students, etc.

3. check meetup.com or craigslist for virtual networking workshops

4. cold call/email jobs that you like, interest you, or see yourself working at, and ask for an informational interview or a mock interview to work on your interview skills.

5. get your resume checked out by multiple people, primarily people who have good jobs/had a tough interviewing process

6. if all else fails, then go to grad school get that MBA, make connections that you didn't do in undergrad, and get out of your comfort zone and talk to professors, club committees, etc. Also jobs always like an intern candidate that's currently in school compared to an already graduated one

Never really considered this as an option. But it looks like it might be a legit way to redo things the right way.

Gonna see if I can get hired at a company that sponsors MBA degrees.

I’m gonna start studying for my GMAT and GRE now while I have the free time and get as high a score as possible. Start applying to scholarships too, I know one of the deans at my business school so I’m gonna reach out to him

That way I have fall back if I can’t secure anything right away.

 

[KingBeez]

Never really considered this as an option. But it looks like it might be a legit way to redo things the right way.

Gonna see if I can get hired at a company that sponsors MBA degrees.

I’m gonna start studying for my GMAT and GRE now while I have the free time and get as high a score as possible. Start applying to scholarships too, I know one of the deans at my business school so I’m gonna reach out to him

That way I have fall back if I can’t secure anything right away.

I'm looking into getting my MBA and hopefully starting next fall, depending on COVID.

One tip I would give would be look at university jobs, as they usually give out tuition fee waivers (mine does free tuition for part time, and 50% off full time for any university in the system). Grad school is a great option, especially since you came out of undergrad debt free.

Also due to COVID, GMAT and GRE's are being suspended for a lot of universities (UCLA is considering this), so that can help you out too.

 

[King]

I'm looking into getting my MBA and hopefully starting next fall, depending on COVID.

One tip I would give would be look at university jobs, as they usually give out tuition fee waivers (mine does free tuition for part time, and 50% off full time for any university in the system). Grad school is a great option, especially since you came out of undergrad debt free.

Also due to COVID, GMAT and GRE's are being suspended for a lot of universities (UCLA is considering this), so that can help you out too.

How much does experience factor in for you personally? Do you have a lot of experience working already?

I'll be fresh out of school, no internships, maybe a few jobs, competing with established candidates near 30. If not a top 10, def a top 20 school for me. Realistically I don't see my odds being that great - undergrad GPA was sub 3.50. But I def got a great shot in reapplying with some more experience.

Do you think that's a huge factor? I mean, especially with how the testing looks to be phased out rn. I'm sure I can score at least a 750 on my GMAT - get 2 good letters of rec.

 

[KingBeez]

How much does experience factor in for you personally? Do you have a lot of experience working already?

I'll be fresh out of school, no internships, maybe a few jobs, competing with established candidates near 30. If not a top 10, def a top 20 school for me. Realistically I don't see my odds being that great - undergrad GPA was sub 3.50. But I def got a great shot in reapplying with some more experience.

Do you think that's a huge factor? I mean, especially with how the testing looks to be phased out rn. I'm sure I can score at least a 750 on my GMAT - get 2 good letters of rec.

MBA candidates usually skew older, as they usually are trying to move up to the next level career wise, but colleges still enroll a lot of recent grads. Experience will factor in a lot more now that testing is getting phased out, but that's not everything. They look at extracurriculars, personal statements, recs, and interviews if they conduct them.

I graduated last year from a bay area uni with 2 biz degrees, and was fortunate to have 3 internships during college on top of summer jobs and on campus leadership opportunities. My GPA was low (3.15), but I'm hoping that my experience and other qualities prop me up

Starting your own company is impressive, I'd include that in every personal statement you make. You could structure a good portion of you essay on that alone, so you have more potential than most. You also have a good GPA, but they will also look at the classes you took. How was your grades within biz courses?

Finally, take the rest of this year to build your resume up, whether it's getting an excel cert, studying biz & finance concepts, getting another job, etc.

 

[King]

MBA candidates usually skew older, as they usually are trying to move up to the next level career wise, but colleges still enroll a lot of recent grads. Experience will factor in a lot more now that testing is getting phased out, but that's not everything. They look at extracurriculars, personal statements, recs, and interviews if they conduct them.

I graduated last year from a bay area uni with 2 biz degrees, and was fortunate to have 3 internships during college on top of summer jobs and on campus leadership opportunities. My GPA was low (3.15), but I'm hoping that my experience and other qualities prop me up

Starting your own company is impressive, I'd include that in every personal statement you make. You could structure a good portion of you essay on that alone, so you have more potential than most. You also have a good GPA, but they will also look at the classes you took. How was your grades within biz courses?

Finally, take the rest of this year to build your resume up, whether it's getting an excel cert, studying biz & finance concepts, getting another job, etc.

Pretty good, actually took all the core prereqs for undergrad mba, but wasn't selected. Took a lot of mba extracurriculars as well. We may have gone to the same school breh

Seems like you're pretty set for it, don't doubt that you're going to a top 10

 

[KingBeez]

Pretty good, actually took all the core prereqs for undergrad mba, but wasn't selected. Took a lot of mba extracurriculars as well. We may have gone to the same school breh

Seems like you're pretty set for it, don't doubt that you're going to a top 10

I definitely didn't attend a top 5 school but I honestly think you'd be a shoe in for a good MBA program.

You have way more positive qualities than negative, and you have a whole year to build upon those positives and obtain more professional experience, you should be good.

 

[JT-Money]

Avoid any student loan debt at all costs. Apply for any job with a stable reputable company in your area. Having any type of job is better than a huge gap in your resume.

 

[R.B.J1]

You should apply for a civil service job (state,city,county) until you figure out your next move. There are a lot of government jobs which require a 4 year degree in any subject.

 

[phcitywarrior]

OP, it might be worth your while to look for roles at companies centered on Biz Dev. But with Biz Dev, ensure it's not sales. Biz Dev will more so resemble Corporate Development and will likely involve more skills that are up your alley.

 

[hatealot]

MBA candidates usually skew older, as they usually are trying to move up to the next level career wise, but colleges still enroll a lot of recent grads. Experience will factor in a lot more now that testing is getting phased out, but that's not everything. They look at extracurriculars, personal statements, recs, and interviews if they conduct them.

I graduated last year from a bay area uni with 2 biz degrees, and was fortunate to have 3 internships during college on top of summer jobs and on campus leadership opportunities. My GPA was low (3.15), but I'm hoping that my experience and other qualities prop me up

Starting your own company is impressive, I'd include that in every personal statement you make. You could structure a good portion of you essay on that alone, so you have more potential than most. You also have a good GPA, but they will also look at the classes you took. How was your grades within biz courses?

Finally, take the rest of this year to build your resume up, whether it's getting an excel cert, studying biz & finance concepts, getting another job, etc.

Stop lying to him

 

[TheAnointedOne]

However, things have not been good with this pandemic. I was planning on staying in the bay for a few months to solidify my networking and secure a job. Now I'm back home. As of right now, I had about 200+ rejected applications and 2 interviews since May. I’m working right now with one of my startup mentors who’s letting me pad my resume at his company.

damn

You didn't apply for any scholarship yet managed to graduate debt-free. So I'm assuming your businesses made enough money for you to pay for college, but not enough to be classified as 'successful' businesses.

Right?