so who here graduated and got a job outside of your field

im really not feeling engineering right now, but im smart and well rounded so i may consider searching other jobs, as a leader

whats your experience with job searches outside of your field?

4/30/2008 10:43:30 AM

I got a BS and MS in computer science but ended up cost estimating (finance); I'll admit I did it because I was hungry, unemployed, the parents had a boot against me, and it was the first thing offered to me. However, I'm working on an MA in International Affairs, so I'll probably look into a functional shift five or six years down the line, depending on how life plays out.

4/30/2008 11:59:36 AM

i got my degree in CSC but spent 6 years managing college bookstores. really helped me understand business, people management and all that good stuff. i actually went back into software development last summer but i doubt i'll be here forever

4/30/2008 1:10:58 PM

I have a BA in Anthropology and sell IT training materials to (mostly) International companies.

4/30/2008 1:19:12 PM

Think of it this way lafta: an engineering degree does not necessarily bind you to an "engineering" job. Your degree to show that you can theoretically decipher and understand technology and engineering processes. For a lot of non-engineering functions, you can help serve as a bridge with the technical side of the house. However, if you do go down this path, just be warned that it's extremely difficult to get back on a technical track.

4/30/2008 1:23:20 PM

I got a BS in botany.

I'm currently working on my MS in nutrition and I work at a gym.

5/1/2008 11:34:53 AM

i have a BS in Economics and i blow shit up

5/1/2008 11:38:09 AM

i graduated in Marketing

but i do commercial electrical construction project management and estimation. but my family is also in the industry too.


i'm like a 5th generation electrician

5/1/2008 11:43:38 AM

got my BS in exercise physiology

work as a web designer. Of course they're not related at all, I basically don't use my degree in any sense except to say "hey look I can graduate college". I've gotten jobs because of work experience.

[Edited on May 1, 2008 at 12:05 PM. Reason : .]

5/1/2008 12:04:08 PM

I have a BA in communications

I am a PM for a commercial construction company

5/1/2008 3:31:37 PM

major: marine and oceanographic natural resources

job: IT and construction PM ^holla

5/1/2008 5:43:44 PM

human resource degree
financial current

5/1/2008 7:16:59 PM

banks often hire ppl w/ engineering backgrounds as analysts

5/1/2008 8:27:43 PM

I don't know shit about shit- somehow I still got a job

5/1/2008 8:44:54 PM

Just like g-dubya!

5/2/2008 9:53:05 AM

Getting a job outside your field is all about how you market yourself when submitting resumes, cover letters, and networking. If you have experience in the field you're looking into, that's great, but depending on the field may not even be necessary.

My background was in math for undergrad, but I had some experience in the past with programming and was able to parlay that into a job as a software designer in RTP. In the interview, I played up how mathematics teaches you how to think in a structured, algorithmic manner, and was able to show I had enough experience coding in other languages that I would be able to quickly pick up the constructs I needed for the particular job.

After getting a master's in math, I did the same thing again and landed a job as a business analyst and general consultant at McKinsey and Company. Being a consultant is all about creative problem solving, and having analytical skills to back up your recommendations with models and structured analysis. Again, math was a great match for that, and they hired me despite the fact that I had zero business, economics, or finance background whatsoever.

Now, I'm back in the IT field doing web design for eight months until I start a PhD program in the fall. So I've never gotten a job "in my field," and have never had a problem finding something. Just make sure you emphasize your strengths and apply to jobs that would be a good fit for you; it sounds like you're looking for something in project management, maybe? On your resume, definitely be detailed in listing some of the non-technical skills you've learned from your engineering background that you think will transfer well to another job, and be concrete about listing other experiences you've had that relate to the field you're going for. Don't just say things like "extensive leadership and communications experience" in a Skills bullet on your resume.

5/2/2008 4:09:11 PM

bs in Criminology.... totally burned out of corrections in the first year...picked up some construction job for past 3 yrs, now getting prepped to go back to get a ms in accounting.

7/10/2008 2:34:14 AM

^^Math really isn't the hard sell you are making it out to be. Everyone already realizes math skills are universally applicable, and most people respect those skills, anyway. Additionally, CS is really applied math.

[Edited on July 10, 2008 at 2:54 AM. Reason : damn, two months late on the response]

7/10/2008 2:53:44 AM

not everyone says they want to be a leader

what's your vision?

i only ask because you're going to need followers

7/10/2008 4:38:05 AM

Got a BS in Microbiology

Currently work in outside sales, Telecom industry

7/10/2008 1:59:24 PM

got my BSEE.

since then, i've always been working in EE positions, as an engineer or designer. no regrets. good salary/benefits, decent work environment, flexible hours...

except for about 4 months when i was out of work (dont quit a job before you have another lined up) and i worked as an "espresso machine technician"

lol

7/10/2008 8:52:14 PM

i have a BA in history. pretty much a worthless degree unless i were to teach.
i am the GM now for a residential construction material company.

7/11/2008 7:41:01 AM

you find out pretty soon after college that most companies don't care what degree you have, just as long as you have one

If I would have known that in college I would have majored in communications or some shit, instead of busting my ass for 5 year in Microbiology

7/11/2008 10:35:12 AM

you arent applying yourself, then.

theres a big fucking difference in both the type of job and the pay that you'll be qualified for, based on your degree and relevant experience.

you damn sure arent going to get hired for a high paying tech job, like engineering, with a communications degree. unless you are prepared to start at the bottom, battle your way up, and eventually get replaced by some recent grad with a CS or EE degree.

now microbiology, that's really a step toward graduate-level work, like most of the pure sciences.

but still, you could go work in the clinical research fields at major pharmaceutical, and after a few years be making $TEXAS with a BS in microbiology.

7/11/2008 7:06:44 PM