Why do I feel like I wasted my whole summer here in Halifax. Oh that’s right, because there is no work for university grads here. Since I started the hunt in April, I have handed out over 100 resumes, and have had zero phonecalls. No wonder all my dating prospects are all losers sitting on their ass collecting welfare, there’s no fucking work in this city. I am out of here, one less university employed grad making french fries here, maybe Toronto will have better luck.
—over achiever
This article appears in Jul 16-22, 2009.
Join the club…
I don’t disagree that the job market here sucks. I went through a similar experience.
But if you’ve literally sent out 100 resumes and gotten 0 responses, and are not exagerating, perhaps you need to take a closer look at your resume. There may be something there (or not there) that’s keeping you down. It could be as simple as a couple spelling/grammer mistakes, like the ones in your post?
I don’t get the problem. You can’t expect your degree to guarantee you a job, especially in a city where everyone and their dog has one. There is more the city could do to support it’s educated masses, but until it does, you might as well go off to where the work is.
Halifax pays my job 36K a year, Toronto pays it 68K a year…. Love Halifax, Hate Toronto but I also love paying off my bills and saving up for a home vs living paycheque to paycheque and mounting on the credit card debt every month just to pay rent.
I have two degrees, OP. Same with PK. And we’re very employable people.
Nobody starts off as a firm partner, chairman of a board or CEO after graduation!
You didn’t graduate from MSVU’s PR program did you? I hear they have a knack for telling students that employers will be throwing jobs at them.
Haha, I got a job over 20 other people with “formal education” at universities around halifax. The only thing is, I only have one year at NSCC under my belt. I had no trouble finding work before this job either. I was just willing to do anything, and work hard. It pays off in the end. Stop complaining and work your way up. Its the way she goes.
They probably gave you a job over university graduates because they can pay you less.
HA!
It *is* true. Some university programs teach jack shit as far as job skills (HELLO bachelor of arts), so why pay someone more because they HAVE said degree when they can get someone to do the same job just as well and pay them less? All most general undergrad programs (namely the BA) do, employment wise, is increase salary potential. Doesn’t guarantee any sort of job upon graduation.
And I can say this because I *have* a BA.
If you don’t wnat to do anything post-undergrad, then take a professional undergrad…all the BA really does is prepare you for further study (BEd, LLB, MBA, MA, etc…).
I know there isnt a whole lot out there i have been on the job banks but with the jobs out there some people just dont wanna do them which is just as bad
So you can’t find work and you’re looking for a guy with a good job? Is that about right? lol
Gee OB what job are you looking for and the pay. Like it was previously stated, do not expect a $50,000yr job right out of school.
Check sites like Dalhousie’s Staffing Services (just Google it), there are new jobs posted on there every week! And the IWK and Capital Health sites always have jobs. The big job boards don’t always have them listed (or they’re easy to lose in the shuffle), but if you go to source I’m sure you’ll find something better than fries!
Bro Tim – you’re like a cousin or older ‘bro’, man! Love your ideals and comments. One of those beer/blunt cousins/bros.
I tell it like I see it. Right or wrong. But a proper argument may change my mind. May. LOL.
After I read your second sentence I think of a good/”lame” movie where the previous line is “I control this family….”
Yeah, I’ve been smokiing tonight…..
za-za!
Za zing!
refinedsugar-> that was a burn!!! lol and better have been directed to OP because iw ork 2 FT jobs!
Nice Goin’ Fat -> I did graduate from MSVU’s PR program and have never been jobless…and I’m not even from this province. I had actually wanted to take a few months off when I graduated, but got offered a job I didn’t apply for (from a company I didn’t know) a week after I finished my last class. I ended up hating the job, mind you, but it got me some more experience. I’ve had two great jobs since then.
I do agree, if you’ve handed out 100 resumes and haven’t heard back, you should probably review your resume. That said, you didn’t mention what you graduated with, OP, so maybe it’s a case of Halifax not needing another general “BA”, or “BBA” grad with little to no experience?
Blondevixen – how is that program from your POV? I hear many mixed reviews about the BPR.
Review thy résumé. And don’t just read it over, say it’s good enough, and put it back out there. The printer ink companies are rich enough. Best thing to do is find a local gov’t employment office and actually have someone there critique your résumé. Also, are you writing cover letters for these jobs you’re applying for? If not, get on it. Employers want to know that you want the job enough to actually do it.
If you know any ‘industry professionals’ – have them review your resume also, OP. After graduating with my second degree, I sent my resume to a few network contacts of mine for review and got some great feedback.
Anything helps!
Just a thought – if you have “objective” on your resume, remove it. I see a lot of younger people with an “objective” on their CV and its just wasted space (employers know what it means to drop a resume off). Some groups will say that you ‘must’ have an “objective” on your resume but its just a ridiculous myth.
Hey OP, sounds like you forgot to plan something to “fall back on”…go get a trade!
Nice Goin’ Fat ->
M’eh, it’s a degree. I mean, it’s more specialized then, say, a BBA or a BA, so in that sense, it’s good.
I did the program straight from high school, and I don’t really think you should be allowed to do that. I think, like some professional programs like pharmacy, ocupational therapy, etc., you should have to at least have a general first year before you can be accepted. I mean, I was a smart non-partying type, but I think I would have gotten more out of it if I had had a foundation-type year.
The program draws a lot of the pretentious types, so that can be a tad frustrating (and hard when you’re trying to fight the “PR” stereotypes). But overall, it was a great foundation. Couple it with, say, a project management program, or graphic design certificate, and it can be a great educational foundation for a rewarding career.
Like anything, any program is going to be what you make it (and what effort you exude to actually learn something).
I’ve met a lot of grads who say that after they’ve earned the BPR that they never have to go to school again. They believe that there is no need for professional development or that nothing more can be taught to them.
Pretentious is an understatement. Plus I hear its not that challenging for transfer students which makes them get bored.
I mean – I’d be bored/frustrated too if I came into that program with a degree already and had to dumb down to the level of a high school applicant.
100 resumes? Dude….or undude, you’re doing something wrong. I put out 10 resumes in 6 days, had 3 interviews, and two offers of employment. It’s not that freaking hard. Maybe your degree just sucks, or you go in acting all generic, so no wonder no one pays attention to you. Companies hire people who are NOT cookie-cut from the same mold of boring.
Maybe it’s your resume… Maybe it’s you… Did you bother to follow up with any of the places you applied? Have fun in TO.
Nice Goin’ Fat:
Agreed. I generally wasn’t a fan of the type of people the program attracted. And at the end of the day, too many people end up with pieces of paper stamped with a university seal simply because they forked over the cash.
I’m truthfully a tad jaded in my opinion of the value of a university education in general – especially for generic degrees where you come out with no actual skills per sey (and yes, I know that’s easy to say when you have one, and a good job to boot). But generally it’s a lot of money to invest at 18 when you really have no idea what you want to do for the rest of your life (I came from another province, worked two jobs, did the program in the allotted time and I still came out wit $35K in student loans).
Like any degree, whether required to maintain licenses or not, continuing education should be an assumed given; anyone who professes otherwise only proves their own ignorence and stupidity.
BV – I should come clean. I’m a graduate of the BPR also!
PK and I were grad-mates of the same year and we both found that the program barely challenged us. Plus, there are so many “try-hards” and brown-nosers in the program that get all the respect and admiration where the folks who don’t have to “try-hard” are ignored (so we found).
We both came in with BAs too and that helped a LOT with the analytical “work” that was required every now and again. However, for some reason, all the high school kids thought they were smarter than us and actually would talk down to us as if they already had more skills/education/PR knowledge even!
I’m taking a masters in fall even – and I have high school BPR ggrads that are all astounded that I’m “going back to school”.
NGF –
Hilarious. Well, I was a non-snotty post-high schooler (*gasp* or am I under the delusion I wasn’t one of *them*?!).
Wholeheartedly agree with the un-challenging-ness, though. Some classes we good, but I absolutely found the brown-nosing overachieving twits made me nautious most days…and got far too much attention. Some times it felt like it was still high school…which I hated. I’m curious…what year did you graduate?
Congrats for heading back in the fall! I’m hoping to do the “Masters Certificate in Project Management” at SMU at some point in time…but for now I’m hoping to take some photography at NSCAD.
Ha – wicked, BV! Actually there are a few younger, level-headed (high schoolers) in the BPR and don’t make all the younger students look like twits. They’re the ones who actually ask questions (not basic questions to sound smart), go to classes, do the readings and discuss (instead of trying to tell others how its done).
I graduated just last fall only! What about yourself?
NGF –
Ah, I graduated in the fall of 2005…I think? Good lord time flies.
PK and I were grad-mates of the same year …
We both came in with BAs too …
Posted by Donairious BIG on July 21, 2009 at 4:12 PM
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Now it is starting to add up. Does everybody else see it yet?
Nah. We’ve all had sex before and have real-life friends so we see things differently than you.