Current Events > What do I have to do to get a job/career?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I graduated with a Bachelors Degree last year in January in Computer Science. I worked paid internships and jobs throuhout schoo so I have work experience too. The best job I've been able to find after graduating was working at Best Buy for the Geek Squad.. and that was only seasonal -_-

My last day there was Saturday. I worked hard there too did everything I could but supposedly they couldn't keep me because they would have had to fire somebody else to keep me on. They just didn't have the hours supposedly.(This could be bs but thats what I was told)

I have about 9,000 in Credit card debt now and no income. What do I do?

I'm in NYC btw

What was your GPA, and where do you live?
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Be good or be good at it
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My GPA is 3.051. I graduated with 144 credits

That's a pretty good GPA

Did the companies you did internships at not have open positions?
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That GPA hurts you a little bit. If you're putting it on your resume, consider either leaving it or having a separate GPA for classes relevant to your major. I've seen the latter on resumes and while it's a bit grinding to see, if you've got like a 3.8 in CS classes and a 3.0 in other classes it at least shows that you know your stuff where it really matters.

As for finding a job, NYC sets a really high bar... you'd be better off looking in North Jersey or Connecticut and commuting. Both of those places also have a lot of tech jobs, but without the crazy standards held by a company that can actually afford to exist in NYC.
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I'll tell you what NOT to do lol

https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/400-current-events/76208862

MacadamianNut3 posted...

That's a pretty good GPA

Did the companies you did internships at not have open positions?

Pretty much. I worked in an NY Public school as an IT person for about 3 years. The thing is to work officially for the Department of Ed in the position I had you have to go through a process that involves getting a teaching license.

The other internship I did was tutoring intro level CS classes at my school. I got paid for that too but it's not something I could do permanently. I may go back and try to get reinvolved with my former classmates and school staff to see if theres anything I can help out with/any opportunities though. Been thinking about doing that for a long time but just has been busy the past year

Expand your location range if you haven't. You might have to move.
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^Internships in school districts and tutoring classmates aren't worth anything in the tech sector. Consider an internship at an actual company if you can make it happen, but realize that even though you have "experience", from a corporate perspective you're no better than a fresh grad.
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s0nicfan posted...

That GPA hurts you a little bit. If you're putting it on your resume, consider either leaving it off or having a separate GPA for classes relevant to your major. I've seen the latter on resumes and while it's a bit grinding to see, if you've got like a 3.8 in CS classes and a 3.0 in other classes it at least shows that you know your stuff where it really matters.

As for finding a job, NYC sets a really high bar... you'd be better off looking in North Jersey or Connecticut and commuting. Both of those places also have a lot of tech jobs, but without the crazy standards held by a company that can actually afford to exist in NYC.

I think my CS major GPA may be around 3.2 or something in that range. Just a little higher than my average GPA

I also have noticed that about NYC. The calls and responses I've gotten back in my search were usually in Jersey and PA. I've been using ZipRecruiter though and Linkedin it feels like most repsones are "junk" responses though. I'll admit I did get burned out around June and haven't been applying to "real jobs" as aggressively as I was

Tony_Biggie_Pun posted...

I think my CS major GPA may be around 3.2 or something in that range. Just a little higher than my average GPA

I also have noticed that about NYC. The calls and responses I've gotten back in my search were usually in Jersey and PA. I've been using ZipRecruiter though and Linkedin it feels like most repsones are "junk" responses though. I'll admit I did get burned out around June and haven't been applying to "real jobs" as aggressively as I was

3.2 is a "magic number" for some HR systems for getting interview callbacks. I don't really advocate being deceptive, but you may want to consider listing your GPA as something like 3.2 in-major/3.0 General or something to try and skirt those requirements.

Also recruiters are good, but you're better off finding what major companies exist near you and seeing if they have their own internal job posting system which you can browse. Also never be afraid to cold call, you'll never know what you find.

EDIT: Correction, recruiters and real head-hunters are good, but job posting sited like ZipRecruiter, Monster Jobs, The Ladders, etc are mostly money and time sinks.
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s0nicfan posted...

^Internships in school districts and tutoring classmates aren't worth anything in the tech sector. Consider an internship at an actual company if you can make it happen, but realize that even though you have "experience", from a corporate perspective you're no better than a fresh grad.

Dang. If I had known that I might have not worked at the IT job in the school as long as I did. Tbh the time spent working and traveling took away a lot during my actually time in school.

What I really wanted was an Internship that involved actual programming so I could get more practice. It's never too late though. I'm glad I'm actually at the milestone of having the degree I just need to make something happen with it

Tony_Biggie_Pun posted...

Dang. If I had known that I might have not worked at the IT job in the school as long as I did. Tbh the time spent working and traveling took away a lot during my actually time in school.

IT and CS are 2 very different things. Companies looking to hire CS people want to see experience executing requirements, engineering solutions, algorithms experience, testing to verify accuracy, and ideally some writing skills as well. Your IT experience will look good if you start applying for IT positions, but those are going to have you managing networks and handling support tickets, not coding.
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yeah that's a pretty bad gpa tbh

You should consider moving.
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s0nicfan posted...

Also recruiters are good, but you're better off finding what major companies exist near you and seeing if they have their own internal job posting system which you can browse. Also never be afraid to cold call, you'll never know what you find.

Okay cool. Today I'm going to check out local companies and write a list to call.

Do you have an idea on which types of jobs may be best for a new grad? Like which particular subject? I have basic experience with C++, and Java. Creating Android Applications and also Database Management. As far as IT I have experience with Desktop Repar and setting up networks.

Is there any type of job I should zero in more on? Focus more on applying too? I think another issue I've been having is that I'm not specialized into anything.

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

yeah that's a pretty bad gpa tbh

You should consider moving.

I can't move. I live with my mother in NYC. This is my only home. Also no money to pay rent anywhere else

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

yeah that's a pretty bad gpa tbh

You should consider moving.

To be more specific, a 3.0 isn't bad in general, but a company that can afford to operate out of NYC is making enough money to afford to be picky. The best companies are going to want to best employees, and a 3.0 is going to be a tough sell if everyone else applying has a 3.8+. It's not a deal-breaker, but its an uphill climb, especially since your work experience isn't relevant to a CS position.

Again, I think expanding your search to the surrounding suburbs will be a good start.
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I ruined my GPA right before I graduated. I decided to do summer school to finish my minor so I could graduate on time and took multiple Spanish classes at once. Taking foreign language in summer school is already a mistake since it's a lot harder to keep up when everything is crammed into a short time and taking multiple classes makes it even harder. And of course part of it is that I admittedly wasn't the best student.

I'm still kinda kicking myself for that
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s0nicfan posted...

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

yeah that's a pretty bad gpa tbh

You should consider moving.

To be more specific, a 3.0 isn't bad in general, but a company that can afford to operate out of NYC is making enough money to afford to be picky. The best companies are going to want to best employees, and a 3.0 is going to be a tough sell if everyone else applying has a 3.8+. It's not a deal-breaker, but its an uphill climb, especially since your work experience isn't relevant to a CS position.

Again, I think expanding your search to the surrounding suburbs will be a good start.

Its terrible in a competitive market and very mediocre anywhere else.
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Tony_Biggie_Pun posted...

s0nicfan posted...

Also recruiters are good, but you're better off finding what major companies exist near you and seeing if they have their own internal job posting system which you can browse. Also never be afraid to cold call, you'll never know what you find.

Okay cool. Today I'm going to check out local companies and write a list to call.

Do you have an idea on which types of jobs may be best for a new grad? Like which particular subject? I have basic experience with C++, and Java. Creating Android Applications and also Database Management. As far as IT I have experience with Desktop Repar and setting up networks.

Is there any type of job I should zero in more on? Focus more on applying too? I think another issue I've been having is that I'm not specialized into anything.

You're going to want to look for anything advertised as "associate level", primarily software engineer and computer scientists positions. Experience with mobile development will be a bigger deal at smaller companies, but you might also want to look at advertising firms that often need coders to create the platforms for their ads. DB management is another one that will pop up a lot as optional requirements but isn't going to sell itself.

Focus more on your programming experience, your knowledge of IDEs and build systems (eclipse, visual studios, make files, and ant scripts), make sure you know about either git or subversion, and ideally also let them know you know about test harnesses like JUnit. Nobody is going to expect you to be specialized as a new hire, but they're going to want to know that you have at least enough general skills to do basic coding tasks and are willing/able to learn new skills on the job as you go.
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Same boat, no job experience, but was offered a job in Atlanta, a city i know nothing about, and is 400 miles from where i live
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daftpunk_mk5 posted...

yeah that's a pretty bad gpa tbh

You should consider moving.

He should move out of one of the biggest hotspots for CS people on the east side of the country?
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r4X0r posted...

daftpunk_mk5 posted...

yeah that's a pretty bad gpa tbh

You should consider moving.

He should move out of one of the biggest hotspots for CS people on the east side of the country?

Atlanta...
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Moving to Atlanta is going to be tough for somebody from New York City, and when you add the fact he's broke to the mix, it moves dangerously close to impossible.

If he can't find a job in NYC or northern NJ, it's because he doesn't want one. He lives with his mom and chills out, and openly admits he's not trying very hard.
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I wouldn't say that. I was trying very hard actually, plus it's not like I wasn't doing anything in the time since. Have been working at different jobs even though no "real" ones

I have used LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter to great success. Every week I would get multiple emails for openings. I just chose which ones to follow up on after briefly researching the company. I recently got an email from Itech Solutions about an HR Assistant opening, although it would be contract and the estimate is 1 year+. You can find their site at: http://www.itechsolutions.com/jobportal/job2.php Another option you might consider is doing Freelance work. There are multiple websites out there that people post projects that need to be done. I have done this myself on the side to get some extra income.

I also agree with the comments about leaving out your GPA. If it is 3.5 or higher list it, otherwise don't put it.
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Thanks

Make accounts/upload resume on Indeed and Dice. Recruiters scour those sites like they do LinkedIn. I get nonstop emails and calls from recruiters because of those 3 sites. Also call a tech recruiting company and schedule an appointment.
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