Finding a job after university

[Jack D]

I've noticed that this sub-forum hasn't gotten an awful lot of content at this moment in time, so I thought it would be beneficial to a lot of people if I talked about an issue that I, and I'm sure plenty of other people are facing.

Im still in my second year of university, on a three-year programme, and I have a lot to think about in terms of getting a well paid job or starting a career. For context, I'm particularly interested in getting into renewables or the environment in general, hence my choice of Degree being a Bachelors in Environmental Science.

But the problem is, I don't know if that alone will be enough to guarantee me attention in todays current job climate where people are a lot more competitive. I'm concerned that what I am doing now won't be enough for me to be noticed by employers.

So i was wondering, what would you suggest people do if they are worried about their "employability"? I'm aware of options to do with changing to a Masters Degree, doing volunteering, using LinkedIn (although I've never used it) etc. Does anybody on here have any suggestions to improve yourself or to perhaps get more experience in general?

Any and all advice is appreciated

 

[Rockclimbinggirl]

Do you have job experience (including stuff not related to your degree)? I am also a student. I am hoping that having a job not related to school will help.

 

[Jack D]

Do you have job experience (including stuff not related to your degree)? I am also a student. I am hoping that having a job not related to school will help.

Not particularly. I am however interested in looking for some internship programmes or some method of experience

 

[Freya]

Experience is extremely important so anything you can do paid or unpaid to gain experience is an excellent start. Also, as an employer, I look for people who had a job while doing their degree - any job, it really doesn't matter if it is fast food or cleaning or waiting tables etc, but I want to see people with a work ethic and who have proven that they can hold down a job. You need to be prepared when you graduate to 'start at the bottom' - so many people now have a degree and the field you want to get into, everyone will have a degree, so employment out of uni will be about getting an entry level job and working your ass off to prove yourself. I would think of your degree as the "foundation" that you are going to build your career on, not the thing that is going to give you a career.

 

[sickanon2]

Get experience. By whatever means you can. No offense, but employers don't give a shit about your degree once you at least passed it. I have a first class honours degree and it made no difference to my prospects. All employers care about is how many years experience you have. If possible, start hunting before you graduate so you don't end up with a big gap in your CV / Resume.