Wasting time searching for a career?! Kudos!!!

Question

Hello everyone,

Here is the deal. I've kind of asked this question before, but worded it differently. Basically, like many others, I can't find a job. I've worked for a total of 8 months and have been looking for a job since the beginning of this year. I am a very competitive type of person and I crave success. However, I am not patient. Sometimes patience is overrated. I've already wasted more than a year of my life looking for jobs. I will never get this back.

My degree is in Biology and this makes it harder to break into business. I also do understand I don't necessarily need to work in business to get an MBA, but since I am just wasting time looking for job opportunities, I need to figure out a plan to transition into business.

Do I study hard as heck to get a great GMAT score and somehow try to get into top 50 MBA programs only with 8 months of work experience? My GPA is not that great.

Do I look for alternative programs such as MS degrees in entrepreneurship, finance, management and etc.?

I am basically asking you about the smartest, most economically viable and shortest path to take to work in a business setting with a reputable company. My interest is finance/entrepreneurship.

mdavis46278 · Answer

There are plenty of people who have their degrees in biology who decide to go into the medical career. What better way to become a surgeon if you already are well acquainted with the inner workings of the human body? As far as GPA's go, what do you call a doctor with a D average? A doctor. With 96 million baby boomers aging and retiring, the medical field will continue to grow.

same7 · Answer

I appreciate your reply, but is it a joke?

BlueRobin · Answer

If your a national in European or Pacific countries, then you can get into business with a good gmat score and decent mba education.

That will be more helpful than any other MS in ... degrees, because your MBA degree will be more valued and recognized in the long run.

You can get into decent MBA programs with good/high GMAT scores as they admit 70% nationals. So you can do HR/Finance/General Management MBA from any program and pursue your interests.

mdavis46278 · Answer

No, this is not a joke at all. One person with whom I had worked with had a bachelor's in biology and went on to PA (Physician's Assistant) school. He plans to eventually work in the surgery department alongside a surgeon.
Another lady who currently works with me is doing something similar. I meant no disrespect. I just meant there are always alternatives.

nphelan · Answer

Here's my basic story and maybe it'll help you. I just graduated with a BBA. I was having a lot of problems finding a job because everyone wants a BComm student with a designation and aspirations of going further. My intentions are to write my GMAT and get a better paying job. So what I did, is I looked at some of the big companies out there Exxon Mobil, Husky, Deloitte, PWC, etc. and I applied for entrance level basic jobs where they are not looking for individuals with a business degree. An administrative role. I lucked out and got an interview with Deloitte and in the interview I talked about what I wanted to do, where my goals were, and Deloitte was good enough to give me a better position (Production Assistant) on a 6 month contract. From there I can try to impress, make a name for myself, and eventually after 6 months I would have experience with a HUGE employer that jumps out off of my resume. From what I can gather it seems that after the 6 months they want to sit down with me and evaluate my performance and where I go from here. My goal is to grab a higher position after showing my performance in a role that I am overqualified for, on a 6 month term, and then take a Part time MBA program while continuing to move up the corporate ladder. So my advice to you when you're looking for jobs, lower your standards of the position, and raise your standard of potential growth. Look at companies that have a pool of opportunities and make the impression you have to make, at the very least you build more experience with a well known company and if you're willing to put in the effort you can climb up.

So if you saw that chunk of word vomit and opted not to read it, i'll sum it up. Find a good company, take a bottom feeder role, and work your way up. An application with dedication to one company will look much better than one with 3 months in 10 different places. Then consider a part time MBA program while you're working. All the best!

So if you saw that chunk of word vomit and opted not to read it, i'll sum it up. Find a good company, take a bottom feeder role, and work your way up. An application with dedication to one company will look much better than one with 3 months in 10 different places. Then consider a part time MBA program while you're working. All the best!

lagomez · Answer

Top 50 is very doable with only 8 months work experience and a good GMAT. Honestly, you are probably looking at schools in the top 30-50.

EChopeful12 · Answer

I graduated from university in '09 and was in the same boat as you. After 7 months I was going CRAZY trying to find a "real" job and decided that I should push my MBA plans up by a few years. I studied a lot and ended up taking the GMAT and not doing as well as I wanted (650) and so I felt even worse about myself and the world. A month later, I kept on trucking and found a full time consulting position with a major government contractor. Three months after that, I retook the GMAT and managed to score a 700, which is exactly what I was shooting for.

Basically, don't treat your MBA as a fallback plan. Adcoms will see right through it and you'll end up just wasting your time and money on applications, or you'll end up in a mediocre program that won't help you in the future. Remember that when recruiters come to campus, the average person will have 4-5 years of experience, so you won't be very competitive. You'll probably end up with an entry-level type job and be saddled with way too much debt. I talked to a ton of admissions consultants (I used the free consultations, you should consider doing that as well...) and they all basically told me that it'd be detrimental to my future to try to go to school so early.

DON'T give up on your job search. Keep networking with your university alumni, apply to everything in sight, and remember that even if your job isn't a typical "business" role, you won't be hindered come application time. Adcoms want a unique mixture of backgrounds and if you keep plugging along and make the most of your situation, you'll end up in a good place in about 3 or 4 years.

nphelan · Answer

well put echopeful12, +1

Wasting time searching for a career?! Kudos!!!

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