recent college grad with no job prospects

[SSmith]

I would take a motorcycle trip as far as I could go. Find a part time job when cash gets low and repeat.

Along Came Bronson was the name of that show, right?

I hadn't heard of the show until you mentioned it here; but after a quick wiki review, it sounds about right. If I were in the OP's shoes, that's exactly what I would be doing right now. Bottom line, I've ever needed a job bad enough to work for someone else for free. It's just not rational.

And if that's truly where things are with the OP, then a healthy dose of perspective is needed immediately. Reality is that you only live once. You are only young once. And you are voluntarily choosing to give that time away.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I would take a motorcycle trip as far as I could go. Find a part time job when cash gets low and repeat.

Along Came Bronson was the name of that show, right?

I hadn't heard of the show until you mentioned it here; but after a quick wiki review, it sounds about right. If I were in the OP's shoes, that's exactly what I would be doing right now. Bottom line, I've ever needed a job bad enough to work for someone else for free. It's just not rational.

And if that's truly where things are with the OP, then a healthy dose of perspective is needed immediately. Reality is that you only live once. You are only young once. And you are voluntarily choosing to give that time away.

A friend of mine was a nuke power officer on the Abraham Licoln years and years ago. He said two other co-workers quit the Navy, bought Harleys and decided to circle the US counterclockwise. He said they got to Wyoming before they stopped and bought a bar together.

 

[Kephart P.E.]

Every morning, out the door at 0730, resumes, cards and a map in hand. Go pound on every door that is even close to what you want to do. Practice the elevator speech, be nice to the receptionist, the goal is to get the resume in the hands of someone other than the janitor.

do you mean literally drive door to door to engineering companies? a phone call won't do it? (gas's expensive these days)

@kephart: point taken, yeah i was talking to a senior eng. at a local city, he recommended also applying more towards private firms, since the govt jobs lag the economy by about 1 to 2 years.

this thurs. im going to an ASCE meeting in the bay area, to network and pass out my resume

i also just applied to grad school for a masters in Civil eng. as a backup in case i can't find a f/t job by fall.

thanks for the help guys, appreciate it

I know gas is expensive and you might be tapped out, but this is what Credit Cards are made for. I don't like using credit at all, but this is one area I would do it. You need a short term loan to get you over the hump, -----plus 500 dollars of gas will get you a long ways.

Just don't use it for other things.

 

[californiadude]

Today, (5/4/11), I had an interview at the county as an unpaid traffic intern. They offered me the intern spot. They said they plan on hiring 3 full time positions within the month for assistant/ associate traffic engineer. The deputy director & operations manager who interviewed me today will also be the hiring panel for the full time positions. (So if I do a good job, I’ve probably got at least a 70% shot at a permanent paid position)

This is a road services division under the dept. of public works. They handle the unincorporated areas of the county. Basically the areas of the county that are not under jurisdiction of a city. They do traffic counts and handle complaints of citizens, usually about speeding, parking etc... They come up with “creative solutions” to these problems. Usually speed signs, re striping etc… not too much traffic signalization since it deals with unincorporated areas.

They also told me that even if I work for this division, it does not stop me in the future from doing lateral transfers to other divisions such as engineering roadway design, sewers, etc…

Is it a good idea to take this offer to get my foot in the door & get paid while I look for opportunities to lateral transfer within the county if I don’t like this work? I told them I'd make a decision by early Friday. also this road services division has a separate budget than the county general budget meaning that this road services division is doing much better financially than the county or state, so they can afford to hire permanent positions

 

[wilheldp_PE]

If they offered it on the spot, and you have no other firm offers, you should have accepted it on the spot.

 

[SSmith]

Was there an interview before they offered the position? If I were doing the interview, I'd be doing cartwheels finding one person that would want the job without pay just the loose promise of something in the future...

Regardless, why were you even there if you weren't interested in accepting the internship they were offering?

And your 70% number is not rooted in anything close to reality IMHO...

 

[chaosiscash]

See quote below.

 

[californiadude]

Was there an interview before they offered the position? If I were doing the interview, I'd be doing cartwheels finding one person that would want the job without pay just the loose promise of something in the future...
Regardless, why were you even there if you weren't interested in accepting the internship they were offering?

And your 70% number is not rooted in anything close to reality IMHO...

See quote below.

u guys are in the deep south. i live in california, the largest and probably the most bankrupt state in the country. my professors usually ask at the start of each semester how many people have internships. out of 30 ppl, we'll see maybe 2 or 3 ppl with internships in our senior year. i know one girl a junior, who was lucky to have found an "unpaid" internship in LA county. our state dept. of transportation "caltrans" has been on a hiring freeze since late 2007 i believe. our state has MAJOR budget problems

california also has one the highest unemployment rates in the private sector. when i drove around in orange county late 2010, you would see clean cut white guys in their mid 30s at traffic intersections with signs begging for money. you would see signs saying "father of 2, can not find work, please help" these aren't ur average bums. CLEAN CUT WHITE GUYS in their 30's trying to sell bottled water for $2. that's how bad it is.

I have friends who graduated w/ 3.8 gpas and 2 years of experience with major construction firms unemployed for over 6 mths after sending out 200 resumes and using headhunters.

i'm not turning down paid jobs, but i have to take what i'm being offered.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

^You're so far out there, there isn't any point trying to retrieve you.

 

[willsee]

Why would you keep applying for government jobs when you yourself say that the state is bankrupt?

Why not move? I sold my house and moved 4 hours south into a rental home after being unemployed for a year and found a GREAT job with great people.

 

[MGX]

Why would you keep applying for government jobs when you yourself say that the state is bankrupt?Why not move? I sold my house and moved 4 hours south into a rental home after being unemployed for a year and found a GREAT job with great people.

Maybe you didn't get the memo but he lives in California where CLEAN CUT WHITE GUYS are unemployed.

 

[chaosiscash]

I moved for work when I graduated college. So can you. Or you can keep making excuses. Your call.

 

[picusld]

Also had to move.

Life lesson - Find where the work is and go there. It may or may not be more than an hours drive from your house.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Another member of the 'moved to where the job was' group.

 

[Kephart P.E.]

If california is as bad as you say why stick around?

Personally if everywhere is just as bad for hiring fresh grads I would look into joining the Military (they typically like engineers) or working for PeaceCorps rather than an unpaid internship for some random city.

I wouldn't go to grad school in engineering unless you want to become a instructor. Otherwise it is probably a waste of money.