was it easy forr you to land a job when you were fresh from college?

Yes, I let it happen in my case. I can wait for years to come for the right job that would suit my profession to come my way. I have to work in order to survive. And I have to work to be able to learn more. It was hard at first to look for a job when I graduated, there were so many things to consider. When there were no job opportunities as a nurse, my second option was to work in a call center. I went to a training center to know about this job for free and fortunately I got a job even before a month. It's not fulfilling, but at least I know I have a job and I can help with paying the bills at home.

Finding a job when you first come out of college can really be a pain if you aren't in the right major. An English major is never really going to find "work" unless they want to be a teacher. However, this economy is making it hard to find a job anywhere. Good luck though!

Hi chiyosan! When I graduated from college, I never really thought of applying in Manila. I knew how hard it is to get a job there. Especially with my course. It wasn't easy for me to get a job right after college. My mother actually helped me find a job. It was four months after I graduated when I started working. I didn't have any idea about it but I accepted it because I wanted to work already! I wanted to have a job and earn money. Luckily for me, it was still related to my course. Actually I did not want to apply for a job that's not related to my course. I thought, I would waste the four years I spent on it and the money spent if I just get a job that's totally unrelated. I mean, what would be the sense of taking that course if I get a job that's different from it?

Yeesh, it was awful for me. I did so many odd jobs and short-lived things that I can't even remember them all, to be honest. It took me years to get into IT in a proper job, even though I was qualified. In some ways, it was worse BECAUSE I was qualified - too much education, not enough experience. I took whatever work I could find because it's all money to live on and it's all experience. We gain from everything we do. But I always tried to make sure they were jobs I could walk away from quickly if an IT position came along.

I start my first year of university in september, and i am well aware that it is likely i will have to find some kind of work not relating to my course when i finish studying, at least until i find something to fit my qualifications. However, simply having such a job does not mean i would give up on finding more suitable work, it would simply be a way of paying the rent until a better option appears. Birdie -

When I was fresh out of college I was lucky enough to continue working full time at the design firm where I had been interning. Unfortunately due to the economy here in the US I was laid off a little over a year later. Trying to find a position in the field I was trained in proved impossible. I found a rewarding part time job, but am now making a small fraction of the income I was before.

When time is bad, grab whatever opportunity that comes your way. There are quite a number of testimonies that I heard from successful people today that they too can't find their dream job as their first job. Some of them would love to become a radio announcer but it was very competitive. So, he ended up as a marketing person in the same company. Later there is vacancy available and they offered to him. So he at last became a very successful Radio DJ. While you are at your first job, you may still look out, improve and upgrade yourself in the path/career that you want. So that you will be ready for it when the opportunity comes. All the best!

Hi chiyosan! I guess I have been lucky, or let's say blessed, back then while I was still a fresh graduate because right after graduation, the school where I graduated from offered me a job and so I accepted where I stayed for almost 3 years. Now I'm already into my new job because I just resigned last June. I'm happy that it didn't took me very long to find another one. I think they must have chosen what they really wanted to do. We have to be competitive enough in our field of expertise because competition is really high especially from graduates of well-known colleges and universities. I have also observed that there are many graduates who are under-employed. Usually they choose to be practical and as you have said that would just work for a company who would first get them. Of course I didn't want that to happen to me as well or will I allow it to happen.

There really is no easy way to get a job that you want. But if you want it you must struggle to get it. Yes, I do observe a lot of people just settle for those jobs that they don't want, but in turn they also quit abruptly which really is counter productive for their careers and time. For me, I will not settle for a job that I don't want. I work not to earn but to satisfy myself and fulfill what I want. If you only work to earn, then you are bound by that and you will have no option or choice. But still in the end, one will almost always try to look for that one job that can fulfill them in life. I'm trying to start out early to look for mine now.

Actually, that's what you call compensation. It's not a bad thing nor something to be ashamed of. We all know that with the life we have today, there are things that we need to compensate in order for us to live. If landing on job that is really not what you want, relax, that would not be a problem. Just take that step first and learn to mature from that world but, of course, don't ever forget what you want in your life the most. I say you learn first from things step by step. I tell you, this is a very great move because the moment that you will enter the CAREER you want in your life, you'll not be burned up and, most especially, it would just be a walk in the park. I have a lot of friends who graduated as an Engineering students but because of the perplexities in the society, the ended up being a casual worker in field where there studies don't speak of it. Fortunately, after a long period of persistence, they easily found a job that suits them well. Of course with the help of their pasts jobs. :)