Advice for a newbie professional?

[kathryn]

Hey everybody, I am hoping some of you won't mind giving me some advice. I'm just graduating from my master's program (I defend on Friday!) and so I'm applying for jobs. In my field, there aren't a lot of full-time, year-rounds jobs available (most of them are seasonal). Right now, I think my chances of getting one of these jobs are slim but existent. However, I'm also applying for seasonal jobs as a backup.

Here's the problem. The seasonal-job people are WAY more on the ball than the year-round-job people. I have an interview scheduled for tomorrow, which is exactly two business days after I sent in my resume. Based on what they're looking for, I think it's fairly likely that I'll get this job, which I don't really want, but is better than nothing. But if I take it, I won't be able to take a better job should I get one. What do I do?

[Laura]

Congrats on the degree! What kind of work are you in?

I think (and I am probably the worst person in the world to get advice from, so keep that in mind) that with the economy the way it is, you might want to take what you can get, and keep looking for a job that will let you start when the seasonal job is over. Seasonal work can give you experience you need to get the jobs you do want later.

Of course, everyone's situation is different!

[rosa]

You're in bioscience, right? One of them?

Judging by my friends who graduated during the last, milder recession (late '90s) I would say, take the job you get offered and then continue to look while you work. Most jobs in your field will understand if you interview and they hire you and you say "i'm under contract until August 30, I wouldn't be able to start til then."

But it's hard to get a job when you don't have one, and a temp job in your field is better than a job outside your field.

p.s. if you're looking at parks & outdoor jobs, and you get discouraged, you might try corporate bioscience - lab work is less exciting & doesn't lead to a PhD ever, but medical, food testing, and other labs pay WAY better and are year-round.

[kathryn]

Yep, I'm an unemployed ecologist. (My degree is in Natural Resources, but my training is almost all ecology). Thanks for responding. I've thought about taking the job and continuing to look, but most jobs start between March-May, and the job I just interviewed for runs March-September. Also, the job is in plants, and I'm hoping to get more into bird work, so I can't decide if I should hold out for a seasonal bird job (assuming I have to take seasonal work). Your suggestions are helpful, though-- I don't know much about the professional world, including this kind of decision. The woman I just interviewed with said she probably won't get back to me before the 25th anyway, so that gives me a little time.

[rosa]

Job hunting is depressing

My best friend from high school got her degree in animal toxicology, did seasonal work for several years (maybe 5?) and now is the manager of a food testing plant.

There's corporate work for ecologists in designing safety studies for GMO foods, pesticides, etc - and of course doing field survey for construction & development. None of it's soul work but it pays a lot better than public service & academia.

[mrsconfused]

Trying having a violin performance degree and trying to get a job...anywhere. This is why I'm in graduate school

[Laura]

ouch, mrsconfused, I thought my degree was worthless. But at least it's something you love, right?

[juliet]

kathryn, what would keep you from taking a better job a little later if you took the very likey job now?
I recently found myself in a similar situation where taking a lower-than-preferred-paying/more-hours-than-prefered job was conflicting with the potential that my private practice has.

[kathryn]

Well, it's a 6-month contract position. Ecology work tends to be short-season, high-intensity. In taking this job, it would be a commitment to work the full 6 months, which seems short to most people, except that it's the entire field season for most of the world. So I probably wouldn't be able to get a better job until the next spring/summer. Not the end of the world, but I'm trying to figure out the best thing I can do for *this* field season. There are not many year-round jobs I'll be qualified for (and that I want) before I get my PhD.

[mrsconfused]

Yes Laura, it is something I love And thankfully, I have the opportunity to do what I love in addition to my day job!