IT is definitely a good place to go if you have an interest in computers and do not know for certain what you want to do. I was in that boat 2 years ago. I graduated from UT with a government degree in 97 and knew I did not want to work at the Capital, so i took a job in Insurance/ Investments which I hated. I worked there for over a year and left to do some thinking about what I really wanted to do. After 2 months I decided to go into IT after to talking to friends of mine already in the industry. I took an entry-level job paying almost nothing and took some classes at SMU. (there is an SMU computer center the West Loop at Bellaire) It was expensive and it helped me get my current job, but may not be worth it if you can get worthwhile experience on the job. After working 2 entry-level call center jobs I am currently at Dell, and being technical, I am not in any danger from the inpending lay-offs. If you are serious about IT, you will have to work through some low paying jobs that will get old fast to work your way up. But once you have a good technical base there are a lot of places to go with it, sales, management, etc. With advertising it would seem you are capable of relating to people which is a big plus in tech, the combo of tech skills and people skills will a open a lot of doors. Anyway, just my observations frmo being in a similar situation, hope it helps and good luck. ------------------
DoD: "quadrupled my salary" , "since then", "20k" We know how much you make now Dod . Notice how you didn't say pentupled? Pretty good for a QA guy. Who's next? I more than tripled my annual salary....and I doubled up on that...since then...minus one. And I used to be the President:grin:. ------------------
I left it ambiguous... notice I said "around 20k". That could mean 15k or 25k. Quadrupling each would be the difference between 60k and 100k. And let's not turn this into a "how much do you make?" thread. We already had one of those. Let's try to help this Lynus character out. ------------------ NBA Draft Lottery is May 20th. Start praying now. [This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited May 14, 2001).]
Thanks DoD. Here's an update: I don't think I'm going with these guys. I've read (thanks to Finn*) WAY too much negative info about these guys. Anyway, I'm back to doing what I've been doing: Scouring the internet and the want ads. I was online for 5 hourse straight today, looking at monster.com and a few others. In all, I sent out about 20 online resumes and applications. Here's the problem: Everyone I contact tells me to "Check our website for job postings." The problem with this is that the internet offers no way to follow up with anything. At most, I'll get an automatically generated "thank you for your interest......" email, with still no way to follow up. This is (more or less) what I've been doing for months. Sometimes the outcome is an interview, but most times its not. I think I'm missing something here. I've even been to HBU's career center (I went to a baptist school, so they agreed to help me). I was shocked to find nothing but summer job-type positions and no real leads for actual career opportunities. Tomorrow I'll change my searching prefs at a few sites and hope for the best. Vengeance, if you're out there, I sent you an email about that job fair you mentioned. More tomorrow......... 302 ------------------ "I have no regrets except that I wasn't up to keep Randy from getting on that plane." --Ozzy Osbourne on guitarist Randy Rhodes
Try some of the following. I'm not sure how good they are for finding jobs for new graduates, however. Also, many of these search engines (such as computerjobs.com) have a very "Information Technology" bias. www.dice.com (my favorite) www.headhunter.net www.careerbuilder.com (searches a bajillion other search engines) www.computerjobs.com ------------------ NBA Draft Lottery is May 20th. Start praying now.
It's definitely true that what you see posted is only a small percentage of what's out there. The problem is that lots of large institutions don't always use their own HR departments; the HR departments are too slow, or the actual employer would rather hire you himself. I haven't been in the same field as you, but my advice would be to: send letters to people/offices you want to work for. Do NOT send them to the HR people. Otherwise, you know what happens. "Your resume is now on file." (I'd like to see where they file all those resumes. ) Doing the above, at random, got me a good job that changed the whole course of my life. This was as a biomedical lab tech at Baylor; so, if there's anyone with a science background, there are lots of medical and university research tech jobs. They will train you. But back to Lynus's situation: my husband couldn't find work in his field either, and he got into tech support. Those are fairly easy to get... they just made him take a test on Windows/ computer stuff. Real headhunter/ job placement offices don't charge you. They are paid by the companies to find people. I had a mixed experience with one; these people may not really have your best interests in mind, and you can get placed in "temp-to-perm" jobs where you may get subjected to all kinds of abuse depending on who it's for... but at least they may help you get something and you'll have an income until you can pick your own job. Good luck... if you live in a place like Houston, you should be able to find something in town eventually. Try to work any contacts you might have; even if they're not high up in the field, any leads as to who might be hiring will help. ------------------ Isabel,clutchcity.net lurker since 1996 All your base are belong to Heypartner.
Lynus, hope things are improving. I've been reading this thread with interest since I'll likely be in your shoes in a couple years (with a degree in Sociology; how much better is that?) I'm surprised you haven't picked up on the consulting firms. I'm still in college (which has everything to do with it, I suppose) and they're all over the place. I don't know how competitive they are, but I do know they recruit like crazy because turnover is so high (people get in, get burnt out, take the experience and move out) Something else you might consider aside from IT is the financial industry. Interested in being a financial advisor? But I guess that's sales. I'll probably be opening my own thread soliciting everyone's advice on career, grad school options soon. Jumping into consulting for a year is something I'm seriously considering after graduation, although likely not immediately following. I'm wondering what my chances are of getting into computer consulting with extremely little programming experience. I don't see myself in IT as a career, but it might be fun to mess around with that for a little bit, and wouldn't hurt to get some cash and real work experience either. Best of luck, Lynus. Let us know when you land something, and I'm confident you will land something you like. ------------------
University of Texas Houston Health Science Center Position Number: 01-4698 Position: Personal Computer Specialist Department: Integrative Biology (Medical School) Department Contact: Martin, Elizabeth (Elizabeth.R.Martin@uth.tmc.edu, Network Support Specialist II) HR Contact: Jodie Glaze The primary purpose of this position is to provide advanced knowledge of hardware skills, report generation, maintaining databases, and other software applications for use on personal computers within the department. Associates Degree in computer science/ technology, business, or related field with an emphasis in personal computer applications or its equivalent. One year experience directly related to personal computer hardware, software and related applications. Technical knowledge of personal computing (hardware, software, LAN, etc.) and proficiency in the use of multiple commercial software packages. Familiarity with area network connections and configurations. Salary Range: Min $25,260 - Mid $31,572/annually Position Number: 01-4640 Position: Personal Computer Specialist Department: Center for Health Promotion (School of Public Health) Department Contact: Wilson, Kathleen (Kathleen.A.Wilson@uth.tmc.edu, Network Support Specialist III) HR Contact: Jodie Glaze Responsible for performing hardware and software problem determination and resolution; installing new computer hardware and software and upgrading older machines. Typical duties include but are not limited to hardware and software support for over 150 PCs; setup and installation of new PCs and software; network printer management and monitoring; specifications and price quotes for new equipment; PDA support as needed; computer hardware and software maintenance and upgrades for all equipment; and software training as needed. Associates Degree in computer science/ technology, business, or related field with an emphasis in personal computer applications or its equivalent. One year experience directly related to personal computer software and related applications. Salary Range: Min $25,260 - Mid $31,572/annually [Note: Don't be intimidated by the wording of the position description. It sounds to me like the above two positions will work under an analyst who will most likely train you and get you acclimated to the network setup of the respective departments. UT also has an IT Help Desk that provides assistance to individual department support analysts.] PS I would contact the department contact directly. <hr align="left" width=50%> University of Houston Position: KUHF Marketing Assistant Hiring Range: 1,931.40-2,461.32/Month Posting Number: 010715 Ê Date Opened: 03/26/2001 Ê Department: KUHF FM Radio Description Responsible for editing all on-air underwriting spots to ensure compliance with FCC regulations and KUHF Station policies. Provides support to the marketing section of KUHF. Remains up-to-date on changing FCC regulations; interprets regulations for station personnel and clients. Prepares underwriting and promotional schedules for radio broadcast, ensures spot is entered into traffic system and on-air book. Maintains updated promotional materials, including media information and pricing kits for prospective underwriters. Coordinates special events for KUHF marketing section; participates in station events as required. Assists with fundraising activities for annual campaign; solicits donations and trades to feed volunteers during the campaign. Implements policies and procedures for marketing section; participates in developing procedures. Requires a job-related four (4) year college degree or equivalent in-depth training. Position: Events Assistant Hiring Range: 1,931.40-2,461.32/Month Posting Number: 010601 Date Opened: 02/16/2001 Department: Athletics Description Assists in the coordination of events. Responsible for the accuracy of constituent information in the event tracking system. Manages the event tracking system; generates recurring and ad-hoc reports and trains staff. Researches community information using current media. Coordinates agreements with vendors for the provision of hospitality services. Coordinates assigned invitation mail-outs. Ensures accuracy and timeliness of guest lists, invitations, nametags, programs and other printed event materials. Creates and maintains event files. Coordinates event registration process, preparation of presentation items and distribution of information packets. Attends all Athletics special events to manage details and oversee the activities of events. Assists in the Athletic Development Office day to day operations as needed. Evening and weekend hours required. Requires a related four-year degree, or equivalent, and a minimum of six months of directly job-related experience. Position:Athletics Assistant Hiring Range: 1,931.40-2,461.32/Month Posting Number: 010798 Ê Date Opened: 05/07/2001 Department: Athletics Description Serves as Coordinator of Athletic Operations and Event Management. Provides assistance to the Associate Athletics Director for Facilities and Operations in the Athletics Department. Provides administrative support to ensure that daily operations are accomplished in a timely and efficient manner. Responsibilities include facility scheduling and oversight of home game operations, special events, summer camps, parking and traffic control, and concessions. Supervises professional game staff involved in the conduct of intercollegiate and special events. Responsible for logistics surrounding game operations for all home events. Plans and develops game operations manual and check lists. Schedules facilities for practices, home contests and special events. Coordinates efforts with concessions operations relative to event management. Coordinates visitor and spectator parking and traffic control. Requires a related four-year degree, or equivalent training or experience. Position:Area Coordinator Hiring Range: 1,931.40-2,461.32/Month Posting Number: 010842 Ê Date Opened: 05/07/2001 ÊÊÊ ÊÊ Department: Residential Life and Housing Description Coordinates the operations of a major area of the Residence Hall, which includes office administration, property management, community development, policy enforcement, programming, and personnel administration. Coordinates and maintains records on occupancy reports, room assignments, check-in files, room transfers, contract releases, and key transmittal for each resident. Ensures forms are maintained on each resident accurately, and that proper procedure is followed when a resident checks in, changes rooms or moves out. Enforces policies, rules and regulations. Reports damages to building, investigates responsibility, determines liabilities and assesses damage charges for repairs. Inspects area for safety, maintenance and housekeeping needs, and reports problems to appropriate department. Requires a four-year degree, or equivalent, and three years of directly job-related experience. SECURITY SENSITIVE POSITION. [Applications: http://www.uh.edu/admin/hr/Apply.htm] Good luck. [This message has been edited by University Blue (edited May 16, 2001).]
That job fair today really, really sucked. REALLY, REALLY Sucked. MEGA SUCK. I will /NEVER/ goto a job fair ever again. They suck. ------------------ "Up and down, inside out, outside in, some you lose some you win" -- DMB -> "Sweet Up and Down"
Yeah Vengeance. I agree. I have yet to go to a job fair that was worth a ****. They're all filled with people who want you for sales and not much else. I filled out a couple of applications, one for an assisstant manager position with Luby's (suprisingly, there's a lot of oppotunity with them) and one with Clear Channel (radio: 740AM, 950AM, etc). I looked for you (or rather, someone who looked like he might be you), but I got there and left before you said you might be there. ------------------ "I have no regrets except that I wasn't up to keep Randy from getting on that plane." --Ozzy Osbourne on guitarist Randy Rhodes
You could become a food-preparation scientist, also called, a burger-flipper at McDonalds! ------------------ The Protrolls.com message boards! Protrolls.com! Don't visit my site.
