Jobs after graduation?

[peligro]

I'm a first year MA student at UCLA, on leave for the quarter and working full time in an unrelated field (computer programming, my former profession). Anyway, I'm debating whether to re-enroll in the Fall...And I wanted to know how common it is for MA students to have a job lined up before graduation. None of the second years I've talked to here have any offers, they are all planning on being unemployed for a few months while they look for work. I find this astonishing, frankly...I don't know whether this is a quirk of UCLA, or a symptom of a bad job market, or what, but certainly its not a situation I want to be in myself. Anyone care to share their observations? Do most people in your program have job offers by the time they graduate?

 

[Cardinal]

What you are hearing is very common, not only for Ucla, and not only in planning. Except for the really sought-after grads (engineering, etc.) very few people graduate with a job already lined up.

 

[jordanb]

Heh, I know a ton of out-of-work engineering grads. :-D

I'm actually thinking about going to europe for a few years after graduation. I've been speaking to a scottish coworker of mine and he seems to think it's pretty easy to get a work visa (easier than getting one here as a european according to him). Since I'm getting an English undergrad, I plan on ether doing translation work or teaching ESL (you don't need a teaching certificate :-D).

I'd like to go to France but I have a leg up on Germany as I'm already fairly good with the language. So it depends on if I can pick up French good enough to take the buisness translation certification thing before I graduate.

 

[mendelman]

I was without a planning job for about five months after graduation. I had several low-paying jobs in-between, but generally most of my fellow graduates had to wait awhile before getting their first job.

peligro - You have work experience already and a skill set (computer programming) that will most likely make you more desireable to employers.

Engineering and computer expertise are great complementary skill sets with planning. Those are the people that usually get jobs much easier than use History undergrads with no/little relevant work experience.

 

[OhioPlanner]

About half of the graduating class had a job before or right at graduation. In part the other half didn't start applying until a few weeks before graduation, some only want to live in a particular city, and others are sending resumes out and waiting for interviews.