View Full Version : What should I do for a living?
MagicFlea
12-21-2005, 12:44 AM
I figure there's a lot of smart people here.
I am looking for an interesting job. Not necessarily a career, mind you, and not necessarily the highest paying job either. Here is some info
I will be graduating from Yale this year with a 3.6 GPA, 3.8 in my major, Mathematics
I have perfect standardized scores from high school, a 1520 on the GRE (800 Q, 720 V, 5 writing), and I'm a decently talented programmer, but not an experienced one
I have no career-related internship experience but impressive leadership experience in other activities, including athletics.
I am not trying to be cocky or impress anyone! I just know there are a lot of smart people here and I was wondering if anyone had in interesting idea of an industry I could get involved in. No plans at the moment to take my modest ability at 2-tabling 2/4 into a career /images/graemlins/smile.gif
Things I rate more highly than money: being a good person, interacting with people, being engaged in what I'm doing
FatalError
12-21-2005, 12:53 AM
work for yourself, whatever you do
MelchyBeau
12-21-2005, 12:54 AM
go to grad school
Melch
MagicFlea
12-21-2005, 12:56 AM
well its too late for next year although its certainly something I'm going to be thinking about... I kinda wanted to get away from school for a couple years
HtotheNootch
12-21-2005, 01:32 AM
Are you skull and bones?
If so, then just find ways to make money without working, and participate in the secret society that's running the country.
If not, then what the hell were you doing at Yale with those kinds of numbers?
as little as possible... then just do what you enjoy
mason55
12-23-2005, 05:27 AM
Suck dick for crack. You don't know how good it is until you try it, but trust me, it's totally worth it.
Living Statue! All you have to so stand there, on a box, and people give you $$$! What a COUNTRY!
F*cking yalie needs advice from us? seriously I am sure your school has a DECENT career services where they would love to hear about your GPA.
Gunny Highway
12-23-2005, 10:21 AM
[ QUOTE ]
work for yourself, whatever you do
[/ QUOTE ]
This is really bad advice for someone that doesn't know what he wants to do.
mrkilla
12-23-2005, 10:35 AM
3 Jobs for you
1) Food Engineer - with all that schooling you be promoted to French Fry Manager in no time
2) Petroleum Installer - as a side job you get to be a Washer Fluid Inspector
3) Inventory Manager - you can use all that math and geometry and see how High you can stack the toilet paper before it falls off the display
cokehead
12-23-2005, 10:52 AM
all three of these ideas seem very promising.
MrMon
12-23-2005, 10:53 AM
Math degree, Yale education. Wall Street beckons.
Seriously, someone down there will pay you very good money. You may not want to do it your entire life, but rake in the dough for a few years, then move on, go back to school, etc. Like it or hate it, it'll be an adventure.
Paluka
12-23-2005, 11:05 AM
To answer this question, we need to know more about your interests and less about your qualifications.
Gunny Highway
12-23-2005, 11:08 AM
[ QUOTE ]
To answer this question, we need to know more about your interests and less about your qualifications.
[/ QUOTE ]
Impressing everyone with his qualifications doesn't count as an interest?
honestly no one here cares about your gpa or school...we all are making more $ than you ever will without a degree, vn job waisting all that time although as a math major i'm sure you got all the women to make it worth it
Paluka
12-23-2005, 11:58 AM
[ QUOTE ]
honestly no one here cares about your gpa or school...we all are making more $ than you ever will without a degree, vn job waisting all that time although as a math major i'm sure you got all the women to make it worth it
[/ QUOTE ]
this post is awful, and I'm not even sure it makes sense.
What do you think about a lot in your spare time? I find that whatever I obsess about, I tend to succeed at. Whatever it is, you can probably come up with some way to make money at it.
livinitup0
12-23-2005, 12:41 PM
[ QUOTE ]
F*cking yalie needs advice from us? seriously I am sure your school has a DECENT career services where they would love to hear about your GPA.
[/ QUOTE ]
My thoughts exactly. Some people didnt have the luxury of an ivey-league education. Quit your bitchin' and get busy livin'.
spamuell
12-23-2005, 12:48 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
F*cking yalie needs advice from us? seriously I am sure your school has a DECENT career services where they would love to hear about your GPA.
[/ QUOTE ]
My thoughts exactly. Some people didnt have the luxury of an ivey-league education. Quit your bitchin' and get busy livin'.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I mean wtf. You're all edumucated and rather than being arrogant and thinking you're better than everyone, you're asking for advice? What a douche.
livinitup0
12-23-2005, 12:54 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
F*cking yalie needs advice from us? seriously I am sure your school has a DECENT career services where they would love to hear about your GPA.
[/ QUOTE ]
My thoughts exactly. Some people didnt have the luxury of an ivey-league education. Quit your bitchin' and get busy livin'.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I mean wtf. You're all edumucated and rather than being arrogant and thinking you're better than everyone, you're asking for advice? What a douche.
[/ QUOTE ]
No....@!#$ that. I know me and a lot of other people would have killed for that kind of education and credentials...Why the hell did you blow that kind of money (or the parents money) on that degree there if you dont know what you want to do? Go to your freak guidance office, Im sure they have some sort of overly-paid meaningless numbers job they can get you.
[ QUOTE ]
Things I rate more highly than money: being a good person, interacting with people, being engaged in what I'm doing
[/ QUOTE ]
Politics???
Although you said you wanted to be a "good person". Hmmm...
Good luck, son.
Oh, btw, you forgot to tell us how big you c0ck is in the OP.
bdmcgraw
12-23-2005, 02:01 PM
wow you jealous assholes need to calm down. the guy is obviously very smart, and just lacking focus in his life. perhaps you all would be content sitting behind an office desk sucking your bosses dick for 80grand/yr but some people are looking for something more fulfilling.
edtost
12-23-2005, 02:09 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I know me and a lot of other people would have killed for that kind of education and credentials...Why the hell did you blow that kind of money (or the parents money) on that degree there if you dont know what you want to do?
[/ QUOTE ]
this attitude really pisses me off - education is not job preparation. there's something to be said for learning for learning's sake, studying what you find interesting, and picking up some good critical reasoning skills and work habits along the way.
college is not about learning skills for a job, its about becoming more mature intellectually. i bet you were one of those people who majored in business and didn't nderstand why they'd make you take any classes outside the department, and dreaded filling all your liberal arts requirements.
</rant>
Gunny Highway
12-23-2005, 02:23 PM
[ QUOTE ]
What do you think about a lot in your spare time?...Whatever it is, you can probably come up with some way to make money at it.
[/ QUOTE ]
He's like 22. You just told him to become a man whore.
Start working in a career where you can make it to the top... Like casino management. Maybe you can be the next president of the Montecito...
Aloysius
12-23-2005, 02:40 PM
OP - unless UCS has improved since I've been there, they won't be of great assistance to you. They are primarily concerned with the recruiting process, which you've probably missed / don't care about anyway (for investment banking / management consulting). These jobs are still available to you, but if the scheduling is the same as when I was an undergrad, you have missed most of the major firms. There are niche firms / positions that might appeal to your specific interests, but the general Analyst track is not that fulfilling or interesting, probably not a great fit for you.
Here are some things I've done (during undergrad and post) that I've found helpful in finding a job I truly enjoy (I now work in strat planning in network television, and like my job alot).
1) Hook in to the alumni network. People really like talking to you about their careers. Based on the quick description of your interests, things off the top of my head you might be interested include 1) strat planning for a corporation; 2) government job with NSA or something with quant focus; 3) hedge fund stuff; 4) private equity / venture. You can get a list of people compiled for you by UCS (or you can use the alumni directory and start spammin people).
2) Don't listen to your fellow undergrads. Most people who did banking or consulting right after college got sick of it after a while. There's a reason why. Talk to recent grads. Current students think these tracks are the [censored] but they are wrong and have no perspective.
3) Possible to do an externship during spring break, look into that.
4) Don't worry if you aren't employed right after school. You're definitely employable, so don't feel pressure to rush into something if you're feeling very leery of the position.
5) Somewhat contradicting point 4 - jobs are very different even within the same industry, and have alot to do with team dynamics, management in place, culture etc. You'll never really know if it's a good fit until you work there. So if you have doubts before taking the job, it's natural.
Good Luck And PM Me with Specific Questions If You Want,
-Al
Edit - hm - maybe there is still time for resume drop for good consulting / private equity / banking positions, I'm thinking b-school sked. Definitely look into those positions carefully for possible good fits. Consulting / banking generally sucks, but there are more interesting positions within the field, even at the Analyst level. Also check PE shops like Blackstone.
Sponger15SB
12-23-2005, 02:52 PM
JERRY: So, what are you gonna do now? Are you gonna look for something else in real estate?
GEORGE: Nobody's hiring now. The market's terrible.
JERRY: So what are you gonna do?
GEORGE: I like sports. I could do something in sports.
JERRY: Uh-huh. Uh-huh. In what capacity?
GEORGE: You know, like the general manager of a baseball team or something.
JERRY: Yeah. Well, that - that could be tough to get.
GEORGE: Well, it doesn't even have to be the general manager. Maybe I could be like, an announcer. Like a caller man. You know how I always make those interesting comments during the game.
JERRY: Yeah. Yeah. You make good comments.
GEORGE: What about that?
JERRY: Well, they tend to give those jobs to ex-ballplayers and people that are, you know, in broadcasting.
GEORGE: Well, that's really not fair.
JERRY: I know. Well, okay. Okay. What else do ya like?
GEORGE: Movies. I like to watch movies.
JERRY: Yeah. Yeah.
GEORGE: Do they pay people to watch movies?
JERRY: Projectionists.
GEORGE: That's true.
JERRY: But you gotta know how to work the projector.
GEORGE: Right.
JERRY: And it's probably a union thing.
GEORGE: [scoffs] Those unions. [sighs] Okay. Sports, movies. What about a talk show host?
JERRY: Talk show host. That's good.
GEORGE: I think I'd be good at that. I talk to people all the time. Someone even told me once they thought I'd be a good talk show host.
JERRY: Really?
GEORGE: Yeah. A couple of people. I don't get that, though. Where do you start?
JERRY: Well, that's where it gets tricky.
GEORGE: You can't just walk into a building and say " I wanna be a talk show host."
JERRY: I wouldn't think so.
GEORGE: It's all politics.
JERRY: All right. Okay. Sports, movies, talk show host. What else?
GEORGE: This could have been a huge mistake.
JERRY: Well, it doesn't sound like you completely thought this through
CollinEstes
12-23-2005, 02:53 PM
[ QUOTE ]
wow you jealous assholes need to calm down. the guy is obviously very smart, and just lacking focus in his life. perhaps you all would be content sitting behind an office desk sucking your bosses dick for 80grand/yr but some people are looking for something more fulfilling.
[/ QUOTE ]
If work is what you are looking for to make your life fulfilling then you are going to be pretty unhappy. In the end work is still just [censored] work. Even pro athletes wake up some days and think "dam I don't want to go to work today."
Aloysius
12-23-2005, 02:57 PM
Collin - definitely true, and something most people forget. But one spends so much time at work, it behooves them to at least find something that they might really enjoy.
-Al
CollinEstes
12-23-2005, 03:02 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Collin - definitely true, and something most people forget. But one spends so much time at work, it behooves them to at least find something that they might really enjoy.
-Al
[/ QUOTE ]
No doubt I completly agree and it appears with this guy's creditials he has a chance to find a job he truly likes but come on not many people in this world get to do exactly what they want to. So ultimate fulfillment has to and should come from other things like spouses and children and such.
bdmcgraw
12-23-2005, 03:05 PM
you don't need ultimate fulfillment from your job but hopefully its moderately interesting to you or something you are doing aside from just earning money
nsdjoe
12-23-2005, 03:08 PM
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe I could be like, an announcer. Like a caller man. You know how I always make those interesting comments during the game.
[/ QUOTE ]
Not to nitpick, but this should be 'color man'.
Johnnyj580
12-23-2005, 03:11 PM
[ QUOTE ]
I am not trying to be cocky
[/ QUOTE ]
Too late
[ QUOTE ]
or impress anyone!
[/ QUOTE ]
Mission accomplished on this one!
SackUp
12-23-2005, 03:18 PM
gold jerry. gold!
CollinEstes
12-23-2005, 03:21 PM
If I was you dude I would try to get a job in sports like a statistican. I know ESPN employs alot people that look up stats and keep stats for them. Same with all the major sports leagues. I am sure these jobs are not easy to get but I would think they would be pretty cool.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What do you think about a lot in your spare time?...Whatever it is, you can probably come up with some way to make money at it.
[/ QUOTE ]
He's like 22. You just told him to become a man whore.
[/ QUOTE ]
lol, yeah, I suppose I did. Well, he can come up with mathematical models to improve his success rates with the ladies, and then he can market them to his fellow math nerds.
livinitup0
12-23-2005, 04:40 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I know me and a lot of other people would have killed for that kind of education and credentials...Why the hell did you blow that kind of money (or the parents money) on that degree there if you dont know what you want to do?
[/ QUOTE ]
this attitude really pisses me off - education is not job preparation. there's something to be said for learning for learning's sake, studying what you find interesting, and picking up some good critical reasoning skills and work habits along the way.
college is not about learning skills for a job, its about becoming more mature intellectually. i bet you were one of those people who majored in business and didn't nderstand why they'd make you take any classes outside the department, and dreaded filling all your liberal arts requirements.
</rant>
[/ QUOTE ]
No, actually im one of those guys that had to support himself at an early age and wasnt able to go to college. I know that makes me inferior to you.
Hello Mr. IBM executive, I don't have a college education but I am very mature for under 30 and have picked up some very good critical reasoning skills and work habits. Please hire me for $100,000.00 a year....please.
You want to know what I hate....people that take opportunity for granted. Some of us havent been so lucky as to be spoon fed a backup plan in life....such as an ivey league....or any college education.
And IMHO the only thing a degree is good for is job training and credentials. Try getting a good job without one.
Sorry if I seem heated up on this issue, but the college thing hits home for me....for others in the same situation im sure it hits home to them as well.
LearnedfromTV
12-23-2005, 04:42 PM
Teach at a private school. I was in roughly the same position as you after college (similar school '02) and went this route. It was a very good experience. Taught history and math and coached basketball for three years (left in June). Not much money but it is a good while-you-figure-things-out job.
There are three or so good placement companies that handle this. You don't need certification to teach at a private school.
Too bad you didn't post this a year ago. I could have pointed you to a Calc job opening. /images/graemlins/smile.gif
Sponger15SB
12-23-2005, 04:49 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe I could be like, an announcer. Like a caller man. You know how I always make those interesting comments during the game.
[/ QUOTE ]
Not to nitpick, but this should be 'color man'.
[/ QUOTE ]
Uh, so then why did you nitpick?
Also, I didn't write this out myself, I got it from www.seinfeldscripts.com (http://www.seinfeldscripts.com) and didn't proofread it for accuracy before hand.
LearnedfromTV
12-23-2005, 04:51 PM
[ QUOTE ]
And IMHO the only thing a degree is good for is job training and credentials. Try getting a good job without one.
[/ QUOTE ]
The flaw in your argument is that there are more important things in life than money. There is intrinsic value in a liberal arts education, whether it helps you get a job or not. This is Ed's point (or should be). It's unfortunate that you didn't have that opportunity but it doesn't mean that someone who spends a lot of money on school has to think of it solely as a financial investment.
[ QUOTE ]
Porn star.
[/ QUOTE ]
He doesn't have the grades to be a porn star.
livinitup0
12-23-2005, 06:49 PM
Good point....very well put together, seriously.
I'm still sticking to my guns and saying that there are far too many people (some in this thread) that took or are taking college for granted. I was just making that point. I understand your point but cannot relate to it. If I was able to college now, I really would care less about anything other than my degree. I don't know, maybe im just more of a realist I guess, there's nothing wrong with either side, heck live it up in college, do what you want...but I think everyone "given" (literally) the chance to do so should be appreciative and humble. If I see one more "Im 21 and going to quit college that my parents pay for to play poker" posts (not that this is one, but it adds to my point) I will literally puke.
I just know how hard the job market is if you are on your own, degreeless, and I'm going to respect someone a lot more for something they worked their ass for, and dedicated their whole life to one decisive thing...rather than someone finishing an ivey league school who still doesnt know what they want to do when they grow up, (after spending way too much money)and posting life-decision questions on a gambling forum.
1800GAMBLER
12-23-2005, 09:26 PM
You don't sound like you would have done well in college anyway. So no loss.
EliteNinja
12-23-2005, 09:38 PM
Start 8-tabling
a)grad school?
b)actuary?
spamuell
12-23-2005, 11:50 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I am not trying to be cocky
[/ QUOTE ]
Too late
[/ QUOTE ]
Sorry, this really annoys me. If people do well academically, there has to be a way for them to say this without being cocky. I don't think the original post came across as particularly arrogant or obnoxious, he's done well, he acknowledges that tons of us have and asks for advice. Ffs, once someone has good grades, is there anything they can do to stop some people thinking they're a wanker?
vBulletin® v3.8.11, Copyright ©2000-2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.