For e.g
I have a degree in Buss/Commerce (Hospitality), I'm currently a retail salesperson. And before that, I worked in IT Helpdesk.
The closest thing to hospitality I have ever done was work in a cafe and that was BEFORE I started studying university. Haven't touched hospitality jobs since.
So per title: what did you study, and what related / unrelated field do you work in now? And have you given up trying to look for said related job?
Is it hard to find work or did you lose interest in computer science?
Im guessing it would be hard to get into it without any experience
Lost interest during my uni years. Just wanted a job after uni. Stayed in sales for the money. Maybe i'll revisit it one day. Alot has changed in IT since i finished uni 15+ years ago. LOL.
Move to chennai for experience
Computer engineering, now I work related to retail stores.
Seriously? Wow. I just started a degree in IT networking (security). I hope I don't end up in retail computer sales again. I hated every moment of it.
Lol you don't know who scotty is?
If you mean Scotty as in the character from Star Trek, yes, If you mean Scotty as in the person sitting behind the computer typing those words, no.
Computer science and psychology.
I work in IT now.
lol so you didn't want to program a psychologists app that gets you to lie down on a couch and spill your guts to it, which charges you $200 an hour???
Once again we have another person who can't tell between a Psychologist, Psychiatrist, Psychology researcher and a social worker. Oh may as well add a Physiotherapist, a nurse or even a GP.
Take a chill pill… It was a joke didn't have any intention of being accurate.
@scud70: Well I take Psychology very seriously. I often get alot of people asking me whether I can read minds or that I'm a nut job ( Coz psychologists are crazier than their patients). I don't really mind that too much. However it gets to me when people say you're a psychologist, you "should" be able to read minds! Or like get this patient fixed! Even though it's my job to, the current methods of treatment such as the common (CBT, ECT's etc) therapies doesn't cater for every patient.
A lot of people saying that have Computer Science degrees and don't have jobs in the field.
Just want to say that Ive got a Comp Science degree and am a Software Engineer. So just as to not give others out there the impression that there is no work. Ive also got a lot of my friends in development jobs. Use most of the stuff I learnt in uni in my job. Except ofcourse some of the really theoretical AI and DB stuff. But which degree doesn't give you more than you'll need.
i started in comp-sci but had to move into business systems cuz my brain isn't wired for programming/dev … i don't think its a reflection on the job market more so that it takes a particular type of personality to become a developer and do it full time :) … i knew pretty quick that wasn't me (and same for a lot of my friends in the same degree at the time), some get through the whole degree on the back of hard work and just cant sustain it full time.
What sort of work do you do in "business systems", as in is that like solution architecture kinda stuff?
@potatoface: kind of but a solutions architect in business systems, mainly to do with DB's, BI, CRM, sharepoint etc basically information/knowledge management systems, that type of thing .. i ended up as a systems admin so my studies had none of what i do in the curriculum back when i did it ..hehe (my jobs more the techy stuff)
Gynecology, now in Politics.
Tony, that you?
:)
I reckon Tones would be a Proctologist.
No, but he was there when he was born.
Lol
now in Politics.
Interesting move to Proctology there.
well, both involve dealing with assholes
I always thought being in politics meant you didn't have to deal with assholes seeing politians were assholes… or am I way off base here?
I wasn't sure of what a Proctologist did, thanks Mr. Exposition!
¬_¬
That's an actual degree? lol
You mean medicine, right?
possibly a non-official degree that is related to the study of the female reproductive organs …. i guess old fashioned way might have been at a bar and a few drinks later … recently a beer in your hand and tinder app open on your phone .. hehehehehehehe
lol
Self-taught?
Electrical Engineering (Computer), now an information management consultant
Ditto
High school science teacher -> telecommunications
IT Degree —> Project Management in IT. Nothing I learnt at Uni has assisted me in my day to day life at any point other than being able to meet deadlines
All IT degrees come with Project Management and Business Transformation subjects, did you missed those classes? Yeah I know, they are boring back in the days of uni.
Not sure about today, but when I did IT 10 years ago there was no mention of Project Management at any level. I did Programming, Networking, Databasing, Graphic designs, SQL & a bunch of other random stuff. I wish they taught me about the Software Delivery Life Cycle (SDLC) it might have actually been useful.
Just finished an MBIS which is classed as an IT degree. There was quite a lot of focus on PM. A lot of students also decide to specialise in the area as it is less technical and more relaxed.
I am at least 5 years older than you and my Uni is better then. Hehe it has PM as selective and Business Process as core.
@goraygo: Yeah I did mine at CQU, to be frank there may have been PM subjects on offer but no one ever explained to me the relevance or important of the subject so I stuck to primarily computer specific stuff. Would have been nice if someone had sat down with me at the end of High School and told me what job actually look like in the IT sector, no such advice was on offer
@cypher67: it was UTS, totally agreed with your comment. I didn't take PM subjects because no one tell me it is better pay.
Hey scrimmers, I reckon your current work is not unrelated to your degree at all.
I mean, you work for a business, selling stuff (i.e. facilitating their commerce), and your degree was 'Business/Commerce'. Then there's the 'hospitality' aspect of your degree… a huge part of hospitality is understanding the importance of good customer-service, and knowing how to deliver it; and that's also a huge part of being a successful salesperson. Or at least it's one strategy you can use to be a successful salesperson (the others being less honourable, trickory/strong-arming etc.).
If I needed a salesperson and 10 peeps applied for the job, none with any experience but five of whom had degrees (let's say, a law graduate, a medical graduate, a science graduate, an arts graduate and your qualifications/degree, I'd defo' pick you, based on the relevance of your degree compared to the others. When you went for the job, did you tell them about your degree/submit a resume with that information on it? I bet that's a big part of why they hired you… that and the IT expertise being on the help-desk would have been testament to; that would be considered a great asset these days, in this day and age of 'digital commerce/online sales'.
most of the casuals working with me in my store don't seem to be uni graduates. I know of at least 3 of them that are still in university and are doing creative industry work (say, music, drama or sound engineering) but the vast majority don't appear to be any more educated past TAFE Dip. level.
though I must say my work experience in IT did give me a very big leg up and helped me land my current sales job. My university degree less so and I barely even mention it when I work apply for other jobs these days.
The exception is of course when I'm trying to apply for hotel jobs but for almost every other category i downplay my education.
Out of interest, may I ask what you are selling (please feel free to ignore the question outright, if it breaches some sort of anonymity barrier you'd rather not cross)?
I can't directly say what it is, but it serves the higher end of the market. Kind of fashion oriented? (some people can laugh now) I only work casually though and I don't plan to stay at my current job for long. I have zero interest in the stuff I sell :)
Only stayed because I needed $$$ and it benefits my resume.
And before anyone asks, I have never posted a deal from my store (so no shady sockpuppetry or anything like that).
"I don't plan to stay at my current job for long."
What sort of job are you hoping to move into? One that is more directly related to your degree? Or back into an IT role? Or do you want to stay in retail, but working for a company taht deals in products/services you are more interested in?
this
but working for a company taht deals in products/services you are more interested in?
I may give telecomms a shot. Work my way up and see where I can go.
Electrical Engineering (both Computer and Power) - Petrol station console jockey.
Weird part is I've been making more per hour for the last three years than my friends who got HD's five years out, and I have plenty of time to work on my own company (I have wasted years applying for corporate jobs).
What type of money are we talking? If you dont mind me asking…
I make Award. Most of my electrical engineering mates make between $19-28/hr for a fifty hour week.
Straight out of uni one of my mates was on $55/hr with a 38 hour week, but he was a contractor and lost that when the mining boom ended.
I know a few people doing a little better, but they were pass or credit students.
Oh no I get the engineering wages (I studied the same) just interested how the servo guy is making more per hour?
Do you work longer hours and more OT to get more pay to earn more than your mates earning 28/hr?
@This Guy:
so if you worked typical hours during the days (38hrs/week), would you be making more than 28/hr or about 80k a year?
80k for 38hrs is ~$40/hr (ignoring benefits). My HD mate works ~55hrs each week (salaried 38hrs) and earns less than $80k.
For my roster, 38hrs would average ~$29/hr.
I have one mate who has a gov job in our field of study, and another few in other areas. They work ~36hrs and earn ~$80k with the extra super gov jobs provide.
Yes salaried workers get paid vacation, sick leave and an hour off for lunch (which many work though). I have job stability, paid breaks and can take unpaid leave anytime but Christmas.
As for careers, a few who got a cadetship or paid internship early in their degree have excellent careers (and are paid a lot more than $80k). The rest have slow, if any, career progression. I honestly can't think of a class mate who got a multinational job without work experience.
As for me, the company I interned with started downsizing 6 months before everyone else, a month into my unpaid internship, making it impossible to get a job there.
@This Guy: I think the majority of people that graduated in my year (2011) graduated on $100k or more in electrical. Could be based on where they want to move?
Same year, different circles.
From memory my group was ~110k for mines, 77k - 84k almost everywhere else (I only heard of class mates taking what was offered and I applied for a lot of jobs myself that year).
Don't get me wrong, some of my mates who did their work experience early or earnt a cadetship are doing extremely well. But I also know of others who went to work for their dad's business after graduating and many who changed fields completely.
@This Guy: Fair enough, I graduated at JCU in Townsville as well, so it likely contributed to people not minding moving out to work in the mines coming from a non-capital.
Only issue is theyll have the experience on their CV, and youll have console jockey.
He can pass himself off as a Petroleum Engineer can't he guys? ;)
When did you graduate?
By petrol station jockey you mean a person who serves customers who buy petrol?
They'll probably get some pretty delicious increases later though.
Took up Engineering in Uni, currently doing Finance/Accounting related work. The only way the two are related is that I work with numbers.
Applied Science (Computing), Business (Accounting).
I have always worked in IT and my first job was with a finance company using a lot of my accounting skills. Various consulting jobs as consulting manager/practice manager/etc where both degrees were useful.
So i have definitely always used them
studied arts and design.
now working in retail
Wasted 3 years of uni money
Sounds like my story. Studied graphic design, now working in retail.
I don't think any education is a waste. :)
Diesel Mechanic -> Orthopaedic Surgeon
WOW!! Anything that you learned in school that helps in your day job??
If it can't be fixed with a 12" shifter, it's a(n) electrical/neuron problem.
For everything else, there's WD40
So you did a medicine degree and then specialization? At what age, if you don't mind me asking?
Hey Scrooge, I've always wondered how surgeons reconcile financial conflicts of interest when it comes to surgery. The surgeon has a financial incentive to operate right? I've never dared to ask a doctor this….so I'm asking here
Med student here. A surgeon tends to operate in the patients best interest as it is also in the surgeons best interest. Shoddy or unnecessary work leads to increased complication rates and less referrals for the surgeon. There will always be people requiring surgery so to protect one's reputation even if it means rejecting risky money making surgeries tends to be the norm.
not always true. a private orthopod based in north sydney will have very different thresholds to operate than a staff orthopod in western sydney
'oh your knees hurt after kneeling doing garden for an hour? let me replace those for you'
what has changed? besides the glorified garage
First degree - B.A. (Hons) in Pol Sci.
Worked in banking and state gov.
Second degree - LLB (Dist.).
Now working in that field (but wouldn't recommend it to anyone).
B.A. now in legal
doing a post grad psych to get into psych
Statistics. I've never been a statistian, but I use the critical thinking and concepts learned in my degree every single day. I can't recommend a statistics degree highly enough.
I've done a huge variety of roles from sales/marketing/media to sitting on boards and running my own business. It has been invaluable for every role.
i want to try a variety of roles.. what sort of business did you run?
Currently run. It's a biotech company in forestry, I'm not involved much with he science side though. Very early days, and my house is literally on the line, but I'm confident :)
Good luck!! But in all probability you won't need it.
Boards of what sized companies?
And Thenarrator, as I say to anyone that asks about statistics: Happy to help anyone get started. A lot of people run and hide from stats, but it's actually really easy to grasp when you apply it to real world situations. It often seems so abstract and absurd, but it isn't.
I've mentored a few people through completing their stats degrees. Even though I've got no idea of the detailed theory now days, the concepts remain simple. Just don't ask me to differentiate anything!
You should swing to Data Scientist. Big cash in the Big Data field for people with your skill set.
Yes there is. Huge amounts. It's what I was doing a year ago. Highly recommended for people with good data skills and a grounding in real life (those are the ones making the real money).
But I've had a taste for running my own business now. I could never go back to working for others. Could be swayed into my own consultancy, but I CBF being a consultant myself and working lawyer hours at the whim of others.
Can totally appreciate that!
Hi what are the job prospects like?
Outstanding, If you can do statistics and think about the real world applications. As MoMoney says, big data is one area that's currently in fashion.
But whatever the current title, the underlying principle never changes, if you can use statistics and data to make good decisions you'll always be in demand.
Did you work for Australia's NSO?
NSO? I assume you mean the National Statistics Office?
Here we have the Australian Bureau of Statistics
http://www.abs.gov.au/
I'm not familiar with the NSO, but I believe that our organisation is a little different, mostly because of the size (everyone) and frequency (5 years) of our census.
I've never worked for them, and I can't ever see myself working for the government. But the stuff they produce is very high quality. I have used a lot of their data in the past and actually spoke at one of their conferences as an industry person.
I was referring to National Statistical Organization. But yes, that's the ABS.
So you work in private industry in statistics to be precise?
First Degree - Chemistry/Chemical Engineering Science - came out during a depression in '82, got a Technical Assistant job that required HSC level.
Second Degree - Digital Technology. - Got out in '86 and was offered jobs from 7 different companies. This is the one I based my career on. I'm now a Senior Network Architect.
I'm from that small window when not only was there no HECS, the government paid us TEAS to allow us to live. Back then they realised that the amount of additional tax we paid made up for the cost of the degree. Not the idiot politicians we have now days.
Comp Sci, worked in IT for 20+ years.
1st degree in Computer science ended up working in restaurants, retail and as a manufacturing HR manager
2nd degree while studying to be a medical assistant (nurse with a lower level degree) I got a job in the field as a Medical Assistant with limited skills but was not able to complete the degree yet allowed to keep the job.
Computer science, now I work in a retail store. Lol.