College Degree...but a Lousy Job

[Erin]

Can anybody else relate?

I graduated last year with a Bachelor's in Marketing, and I find myself at an office job now making a measly salary. I work in an office half the time by myself, and if it's not by myself, it's with the developer for the "business" I work for.

I feel totally unimportant. I'm his assistant, get handed all the crappy jobs and tasks, and have ended up being his family's PT personal assistant (I work out of his home office in the basement). For instance, his wife would ask me to water their plants in the afternoons. Or, like today, I'm to go pick them up from the airport.

What gives!? I think I need to add more to my resume (graduate school aside). I've been thinking of joining the Peace Corps in order to get the experience that'll give me that extra edge.

Does anybody find themselves in a similar situation? Or are just plain in a job that they do not hate, and are mildly ashamed of doing?

 

[Vans]

Oh Erin...It sounds like they are taking advantage of you. You did not work so hard all those years to be an assistant/miscellaneous for the family. I hope you are able to get another job where you are appreciated. Just keep sending out resumes, I am sure something better will come along. You deserve so much better. Best of luck to you.

 

[kellyt]

Hi Erin,

I feel your pain I too graduated w/ a marketing degree (in May). but I have yet to find a job in the field at all. I did 2 internships so that I would have experience on my resume. However, right now I am working as a waitress, and i am not cool with this at all. I know it is what i have to do, but I hate doing a job you can do w/o a high school diploma when I have a bachelors. And i hate being talked to like a five year old by restaurant mgmt.

The positive side to this is I am getting interviews. I am waiting to see if I get an offer from a research company in Denver, and have an interview in NYC next week.

All I can say is look for another job. one where you can improve your skills and more important things than water plants. There are lots of ways to stregthen your resume. Brainstorm the most important things you do at you job now, and put those on your resume. Also incude some of your acedemic achievements, even if they are minor. I have a mentor that has helped me improve my resume tremendously, so you should have a few people look over yours and make suggestions. Use networking to get leads on to other jobs, and just keep applying. You can find something else I'm sure. Don't lose hope! I havent (yet)

 

[FashionFix]

Yep, I am in the same boat. I graduated 2 years ago with a bachelor's in Marketing and since then (I did luck out) and got a job with an international recruiting agency. Although it has been a great experience, the pay is low for what we do and the company is not very fair to us (I am on a team with 5 people and 4 of us feel this way). Our boss has made it unbearable. So I am looking and scared to death!!! There is nothing in my area and I am not in a position to move at the moment, so it's like I feel stuck putting up with S*#( and it is sooooo unfair!
I was lucky to find a job (in fashion luckily enough) that is in the works, but still sketchy so I can't rely on it yet. I just keep thinking that if this fashion job doesn't go through--what am I going to do?!
Let me ask you all something... what do you think of job levels and importance, like I have always had professional type office jobs. Of course my parents want to see me succeed, but lately my Dad has mentioned that I shouldn't get a different type of job and hold out until a better professional job comes along. But--that could be a LONG time!
I have wanted to try different things-even working a little boutique would suit me. I see the pros/cons, like less pay but I would be happier!!! But I have heard that if I try to get back into a professional environment it will be harder and they won't pay me as much b/c they see I am willing to accept less. Any thoughts?
I have been thinking about stuff like that so much the last few weeks that my head hurts! I mean, I try to make good decisions but now I am just confused!

 

[tangerine]

Erin, I recently read an article (I think it was in NY Times) about how there is now a class of Personal Assistants who have become indispensable to the wealthy families they work for, and who command respectable salaries (enough to buy designer clothes with )

I fully understand that you did not start out to be a personal assistant, and I encourage you to take whatever path seems to feel right for you, just wanted to say that if you became a very able PA, you could make a lot of money at it. It's an option.

FWIW, I don't know of many jobs where you start off doing the plum assignments and getting paid a lot of money. Usually there are dues to be paid, often for many years. I have been in my current job for 11 years, have some standing at work and I still do plenty of crappy jobs and tasks. As a friend of mine used to say, "that's why they call it work."

Anyway, good luck, be true to yourself and you will figure out what you should do.

 

[SammyTB]

Any sort of small-business ops available for you on the side?

I'm still chugging away I'm my backelor's (Biz Marketing too!) but have a decent field admin job right now + my company's revenue on the side! If I wasn't running the business on the side, I would be bored out of my mind...but! I'm not. I definitely keep busy and while sometimes it gets a little crazy...it's all worth it in the end. More so, I can occationally work on my stuff at work and of course read up @ TFS

But just keep searching! Something WILL come around. Man I wish I had my degree already..............degree = security

 

[SpookyGirl]

Well, you're lucky you are working. I have a Psychology degree, in a good college and I am unemployed. I have been working in all sorts of jobs for like 1 or 2 months, but I have never worked in my area (I finished my degree last year)... All my psychologist friends are unemployed, or working on another field.
Sometimes I hate my country! I'm already considering moving...

 

[misssakura]

^ At least you can get employedl I've been unemployed for 2 1/2 years.

(then again New Zealand wouldn't let me work for most of that)

 

[fourboltmain]

This is why I'm back in school. I'm just honing skills while shopping around. The job market is evil.

 

[adorefaith]

erin (or others)- have you thought about doing an internship or getting some unpaid experience with a company that does the kind of work you'd like to do?....i think the experience is priceless....and you show them that you're willing to do the work in order to get your foot in the door without being paid straight away....

i know not everyone is in the financial position to do this...but it has worked for me and many others....a lot of my friends started out even just doing one day a week of unpaid work experience-
that way you can keep your current job if you need the money, and at the same time you'll feel like you're investing in something and getting experience in the areas that you want and need it..

also, have you had a chat to your boss?...maybe you should....tell him that you're feeling frustrated and would really like to start getting involved in work that's related to your degree and that you feel capable of doing....ask him what he sees for the next 6 - 12 months of you working for him, lets say, and then offer your perspective....be respectful and polite but firm....make it known to him that you're ambitious and hard working and that you'd really like to start doing more marketing-related work and less plant-watering...

my last suggestion would be to keep networking and meeting people..get the word out there...
tell people you're looking for a job....tell them you're qualified....
word of mouth is an amazing thing...you never know what will pop up....
i read an amazing statistic (even though i cant remember what it is right now) about a huge majority of great jobs being filled before they are ever advertised in any way, shape or form....
so have a chat to friends and family and see if they know anyone or have any ideas about potential jobs for you..

last thing--(even though i said that already...)
how about sending out resumes and cover letters / letters of interest to the companies that you'd really like to work for?...
tell them you're interested....show them you're qualified....tell them why you want to work for them....and then sit it out...
they may not have any openings now...but they will in the future....and businesses always keep details / resumes on file of people they think will be good for their business....they will reach for your resume before they advertise a position...

*this is what worked for me....
there was no advertised position...and i got fed up...
so i sent them my resume and a cover letter explaining what i was looking for and asked that if anything came up could they please contact me....
i had forgotten all about it and about 6 months later i got a phone call...
they hadnt even advertised the position but had kept my information on file and i was the first person they rang....voila- it was almost like my dream job came knocking...

good luck....just dont lose hope...
....

 

[eternitygoddess]

Maybe marketing isn't a good major.

 

[bismarck]

A lot of majors don't have a lot of job security from what I've heard. Right now I'm getting a chemistry major, which can branch out to many things (including the ever-safe, but completely wrong for me, teaching job) so I'm working hard and have my fingers crossed. I think a lot of the less exciting majors, like accounting, are the best to go into if all you care about is making ends meet comfortably, or if you happen to be the rare, lucky person who's passionate about accounting.

 

[wrngco]

My opinion get in a large company where there is room to move up and grow and where a boss cannot make you do unethical things for fear of having an anon whistle blown upon them

 

[solg]

this is my biggest fear when i finish school.. that i'll end up doing something i can't relate with. i don't have a problem if it's something it doesn't have to do with my degree, as long as i feel good about it. yeah, that may have sounded a bit naive. i know there're lots of people who doesn't even like what they do for work, but they do it anyways.

i'm just so clueless about the job market. i'm still in school and i literally have no free time to get a job, it's pretty demanding and time-consuming. so i wonder what i'll do when i have to get a job...

 

[Erin]

Maybe marketing isn't a good major.

Well, 90% of people end up getting jobs in fields that weren't what their degree was in... (poor way to word that).

I have an accounting-type job now, though still in business, it's not a marketing job. Thank goodness! I went into Marketing because I knew I wanted to do business, but wasn't sure what part of business.

 

[adorefaith]

are you happier with your job now erin? ..

 

[Erin]

^ I am... at least, much better than the job I had in Chicago. I moved down to Florida with my boyfriend for his grad film school, the next year it's off to L.A... who knows how hard it will be to find a good business job there.