Post-College life

Post Reply New Topic

I just got my degree in computer engineering from college and i am slowly coming to terms with that age old question. "What the heck am i gonna do with this thing?"

Right now, i am taking some time off before i start job hunting so in the mean time, i would like to hear from fellow aspies who have gotten their degree (high school/college/trade/whatever) and how they dealt with life after years of school. I have to be my own man now and i do admit, i am a bit scared for it.

Well I am somewhat in the same situation as you are being a graduate myself, its a while ago though as I left university during the fall/winter season.

I suffered (or suffer still) from burnout so things have been quite slow for me and I while I did take soem time off on purpose as in not doing much, like a summer vacation, no obligations etc then I have been looking around for jobs and I have sent a few applications and I have also had my first interview.

Getting my first interview was quite important, I did not get the job but it is a useful experience non the less at least for me and in terms of stress it went a bit better then I thought but as of today I am still looking around.

I do not know quite where you are in the process if you have had any interviews or not but I held getting one as my first goal towards the path of getting a job, it is of course rather obvious but still so far it has helped me.

The thing about graduating that I worries me the most in in relation to the social issues, I like very much to be alone and I have spent quite a bit of time alone during my years at university as it has been rather easy to hide due to the rather independant setting of university in itself at least that is what I feel, so now when I am looking for a job I notice that my social anxiety has gotten worse cause I have to force myself and met people again.

Of course I know that I do not know how it will play out yet and I also know that it might be better then I think it will be but still it doesn`t really make me feel at ease.

Other things like eventually living alone and paying bills etc I do not worry so much about, I have lived alone during my time as a student and that has been totally ok, I have enjoyed the freedom it has given me.

I do not know if it helps you that much, not much conrete in my post, just a bit of rambling, but still

Try to set yourself up for success as much as possible. Pick a job that you are interested in and plays to your strengths. You won't know what the job/work culture is really like until your in it. Try to become so skilled and knowledgable at your work that it makes up for any social weaknesses.

Good luck!

At least you have a useful degree. I have a master's in the liberal arts and I barely make minimum wage.

Thanks for your feedback! it's helping out alot. I have had a few job interviews here and there not in engineering but i do have some experience in them so i know what to expect. I plan to head job hunting soon but in the mean time i am beefing up my CV and such.

I cant believe it has been 2 weeks since my last exam and i fell as if it has been a month.

Don't worry Cyberfox... You have a useful technical degree. If you're good at what you do (I assume you are), then you're not going to have any problems.

I, on the other hand, have a degree in Economics. Sure, that's slightly better than a Sociology degree, but it's still pretty useless. I can't even get an interview to be a part-time merchandiser. You have no idea how much that depresses me. I've also been turned down from 2 economics-related government jobs. I was turned down to be a pizza delivery driver, too, despite having a spotless driving record.

I'm currently working my campus job until the end of the year, but after that, I'm out of luck. The debt collectors will be knocking on my door come October when my 6-month grace period is up. If congress didn't make it so that student loan debt couldn't be wiped by declaring bankruptcy, I would just do that and be done with it.

Thanks Cyanide. I am amazing at what i do! i recently got a 3rd place finish in my final year project and i got top marks in my computer graphics project. I have this perception that i may never find the right job for me out there but the thing is i have never done any "networking" and as an aspie, this sorta thing can be next to imposable. I have yet to "get out there" and see what is it like in the field. I am making strides in terms of social improvement but this "Networking" thing is gonna be something that could be important in the future and something i need to get skills in.

Plus when i selected a major, i selected something that were was gonna be a sure fire demand for. Also, I accidentaly fell in into engineering and i have enjoyed it ever since.

But as of now my current occupation is "Full time well deserved lazy slob". I had a tough semester and i am taking a well deserved rest.

@Cyanide

Did your course work involve Statistics? If so you might find something using the SAS package or doing entry level quant work. Neither may excite you but at least it would pay.

@cCberfox
One good thing to do is create a portfolio of projects that you can add to the CV/Resume. Nothing says 'results' like showing actual results. During my time in Software Development I have only had three people bring work samples with them and all three made a great impression. One turned us down because he got a better offer from a place that was impressed and could pay more.

I agree with Meow, for your area, it is a very strong impression to have some real work results on your resume.

Even if it is pro-bono, having something that a potential employer can look at as a result of your work performance is a great way to make an impression. Many fields just don't have these sort of easy to show results, but the computer fields often do. Whether it be a graphic for a non-pro, or some statistical database for a research study, that kind of stuff shows you know how to walk the talk!

Good luck.

Thanks everyone!

It has only bee two weeks since my last exam and i feel it as if it has been months. Since then, i have been sleeping like a fat cat and it is well deserved. You have no idea to work on a final year project + drama for a year + juggling courses.

I have another question to ask you. I have just completed a major life achievement, how should i feel about this? Right now i am just catching up on things i have put off for some time. I am glad to be over and done with school now and thats it. I don't feel an enormous sense of pride or something and i am rewarding myself with sleep, video games, and anime. What are your thoughts on this?

I was the same way... the reality of it did not hit me for a while.

Yeah. I took the 400-level stats sequence, and I had to take Econometrics for my major. Though sadly I never got around to taking Linear Algebra, so I couldn't take the real Econometrics class...

Where I live, however, even "entry-level" jobs require 1-2 years of experience. I'm just screwed either way. I'm thinking of going back to get a Master's in Statistics after a year, but I really don't know yet.

Silicon Valley is hiring. Seriously. Employment in the SF Bay Area for people with tech degrees hasn't been this good since the dot.com boom a dozen years ago. They really NEED American citizens with technology degrees, since importing qualified candidates is largely no longer possible. Take your savings and fly to San Jose, then start pounding the pavement.

I wish I had been able to get the degree in computer science I originally wanted, but couldn't get due to the incompetency of the school admins who didn't care that literally NOBODY was getting CS degrees due to their incompetence. When every single person who takes entry level programming flunks it, ya think there's a problem? Not these guys, it was the kids' faults.

So I got a degree in office management, which is totally useless. After I got that I realized that I had been in some sort of schooling from 1979 (born in 1974) to 2001, and I couldn't find a job, so I rested. It took me three years to get over the burnout. Then I still couldn't find a job, so I got certified as a computer technician, and I had to go to a for profit school to do it since the JC admins still had their heads up their butts.

That left me with $7700 in student loans, and no job. So I took a job as a teacher's aide for a school district, hated it. Tried to start a few businesses, they all failed. I'm currently saving up for another car after my Nissan quit. Once I have a car, I'll decide where to go from there.

@pezar You are not kidding there. My new business is to help people write resumes, prep for interviews etc and tech people are in serious demand right now. A lot of times my services are more for making sure they get the best offer than getting an interview in the first place.

@pezar Thanks for the suggestion. San Jose has got my interest it is something i would consider once i cant find anything in my own back yard

Where are you now? If it's some small college town or someplace in the Midwest or someplace similar where there aren't any jobs nor are there likely to be any for the foreseeable future, I'd say go to Silicon Valley. Step outside of your comfort zone, because once you do it will be easy to find work for somebody with a degree in CS.