How can I get this year back?
May 14, 2010 5:55 AM Subscribe
What do I do if I feel like I wasted a year of my life in grad school? I just read the requirements for a job I should be qualified to get and just realized I haven't done any of it. I'm just about to graduate with a Master's in a field I have nothing to say about.
I know I spent a year being really busy, writing papers, and listening to alot of lectures, sitting through group project meetings and doing what I could to contribute (I found it was hard to actually contribute something of purpose when everyone grabbed up assignments for themselves), but I still have precious little to show for myself.
These are the requirements of the job:
Knowledge of information architecture, interaction design, user experience design or human factors engineering in the development of large-scale, dynamic Web sites, intranets or web based applications is required. Ability to create wireframes, process flows, flow charts, mock-ups, storyboards, interaction notes, prototypes, user scenarios, and functional requirements is required. Ability to develop detailed site maps that will define the page hierarchy, navigation schema, taxonomy and nomenclature is also important.
It seems like simple stuff that I know I can do and be interested in, but even after having a Masters I have no way of proving it.
Is it worth my time to complain? And how do I scrounge up some of these skills at the last minute? I feel like an idiot wasting a year sitting in boring-as-hell lectures when I could have been building an actual portfolio.
I know this question seems kind of whiny and it's my fault for not making my portfolio my #1 priority, but I had little time for extracurriculars with all the busywork I had to get done.
So my question now is how to proceed and how best to spend this upcoming summer job searching.
Throwaway email whatdidijustdowhatdoidonow2222@gmail.com
I know I spent a year being really busy, writing papers, and listening to alot of lectures, sitting through group project meetings and doing what I could to contribute (I found it was hard to actually contribute something of purpose when everyone grabbed up assignments for themselves), but I still have precious little to show for myself.
These are the requirements of the job:
Knowledge of information architecture, interaction design, user experience design or human factors engineering in the development of large-scale, dynamic Web sites, intranets or web based applications is required. Ability to create wireframes, process flows, flow charts, mock-ups, storyboards, interaction notes, prototypes, user scenarios, and functional requirements is required. Ability to develop detailed site maps that will define the page hierarchy, navigation schema, taxonomy and nomenclature is also important.
It seems like simple stuff that I know I can do and be interested in, but even after having a Masters I have no way of proving it.
Is it worth my time to complain? And how do I scrounge up some of these skills at the last minute? I feel like an idiot wasting a year sitting in boring-as-hell lectures when I could have been building an actual portfolio.
I know this question seems kind of whiny and it's my fault for not making my portfolio my #1 priority, but I had little time for extracurriculars with all the busywork I had to get done.
So my question now is how to proceed and how best to spend this upcoming summer job searching.
Throwaway email whatdidijustdowhatdoidonow2222@gmail.com
Get a smallish job and overdo it for a portfolio piece? That way there isn't a ton of pressure to deliver something insane, and possibly you have enough time to really tweak until it's great.
(for reference, the tag says your masters was in Human-Computer Interaction)
posted by tmcw at 6:16 AM on May 14, 2010
(for reference, the tag says your masters was in Human-Computer Interaction)
posted by tmcw at 6:16 AM on May 14, 2010
Nthing just apply for the job. You are an entry level employee of course you don't have experience doing those things. Start sending out those CVs. If you don't get interviews or it takes a long time, I'd recommend -- just see below.
Time to complain?
First, change your perspective. The graduate degree gave you a foundation in the content area. Now that you have a basic foundation, if someone hires you the assumption would be that you have the skills to teach yourself new material. Are you going to want them to hold your hand and list everything step by step and unless you get specific training you won’t be able to do it:? Or, can you go find the information that you need, teach yourself the material and ask people to supplement it (can you see a sample? Get a recommendation as to best practices?), and dip into the content knowledge that you have and build upon it. Change your perspective and show that you can do this.
If I were in your shoes, I’d demonstrate that you could do this to your potential employer and start building your own portfolio. Have info interviews with people in your field (Does your school have a list of alumni in your program? People that live in the area? Or that have interesting jobs doing what you want to do? Or use google and find companies with interesting projects and email people with job titles that you want) Email them and ask if they would talk to you for 30 minutes, answer email questions, or meet with you for 30 minutes – their choice. Don’t ask for a job, but ask them what 1 or 2 things do they think a potential candidate should have. Get the name of those types of projects (for example, are storyboards used frequently? Or drawing stick figures? They will probably point you in that direction). Lets pretend it is a storyboard. Can they share a sample with you? Are there places that they would recommend that you look for best practices. What else would they recommend to someone who just graduated and is looking for a job.
That is the research part. Now go create your own sample or samples. If during an interview you are asked if you have that experience – of course you don’t, you just graduated and that is obvious from your CV (probably no prior experience in the field, right?) However, you have a little bit of research into what is done for “storyboards”/X/whatever and ....here are your samples.
Lots of people have not had the experience they needed for a job. They find out about new opportunities by talking to people in their field. I’ve met a few people who may have even lacked the education, but they did their own legwork and created their own samples, and although the first potential employer may not hire you, someone will recognize that they have a person capable of more than being a vacant vessel waiting for info and/or step by step directions to be poured into them.
You may even look closer at the background of your profs. What are their publications in? Do any of them have industry experience? What if one of them wrote a journal article on "best practices in ...storyboards" (it wouldnt be on that topic, but you get the idea). Talk to your prof and probe them for more info and places to look.
posted by Wolfster at 7:25 AM on May 14, 2010
Time to complain?
First, change your perspective. The graduate degree gave you a foundation in the content area. Now that you have a basic foundation, if someone hires you the assumption would be that you have the skills to teach yourself new material. Are you going to want them to hold your hand and list everything step by step and unless you get specific training you won’t be able to do it:? Or, can you go find the information that you need, teach yourself the material and ask people to supplement it (can you see a sample? Get a recommendation as to best practices?), and dip into the content knowledge that you have and build upon it. Change your perspective and show that you can do this.
If I were in your shoes, I’d demonstrate that you could do this to your potential employer and start building your own portfolio. Have info interviews with people in your field (Does your school have a list of alumni in your program? People that live in the area? Or that have interesting jobs doing what you want to do? Or use google and find companies with interesting projects and email people with job titles that you want) Email them and ask if they would talk to you for 30 minutes, answer email questions, or meet with you for 30 minutes – their choice. Don’t ask for a job, but ask them what 1 or 2 things do they think a potential candidate should have. Get the name of those types of projects (for example, are storyboards used frequently? Or drawing stick figures? They will probably point you in that direction). Lets pretend it is a storyboard. Can they share a sample with you? Are there places that they would recommend that you look for best practices. What else would they recommend to someone who just graduated and is looking for a job.
That is the research part. Now go create your own sample or samples. If during an interview you are asked if you have that experience – of course you don’t, you just graduated and that is obvious from your CV (probably no prior experience in the field, right?) However, you have a little bit of research into what is done for “storyboards”/X/whatever and ....here are your samples.
Lots of people have not had the experience they needed for a job. They find out about new opportunities by talking to people in their field. I’ve met a few people who may have even lacked the education, but they did their own legwork and created their own samples, and although the first potential employer may not hire you, someone will recognize that they have a person capable of more than being a vacant vessel waiting for info and/or step by step directions to be poured into them.
You may even look closer at the background of your profs. What are their publications in? Do any of them have industry experience? What if one of them wrote a journal article on "best practices in ...storyboards" (it wouldnt be on that topic, but you get the idea). Talk to your prof and probe them for more info and places to look.
posted by Wolfster at 7:25 AM on May 14, 2010
Don't forget to list the software you've used. Even Word, but especially any related to the field. Know how to use Visio? A blunt tool in many regards, but some outfits still won't spend coin for specialized, decent software.
If you haven't gotten your hands on the cool software, does your school HAVE the software available at a computer lab? Many times the labs have mini-classes on specific software. I did this to learn WordPerfect (hey, it was 1992) before I graduated, and having it on my resume helped a lot.
I don't know the exact software that's big in that field right now, so you'll have to figure that out if you don't know already.
posted by wwartorff at 7:38 AM on May 14, 2010
If you haven't gotten your hands on the cool software, does your school HAVE the software available at a computer lab? Many times the labs have mini-classes on specific software. I did this to learn WordPerfect (hey, it was 1992) before I graduated, and having it on my resume helped a lot.
I don't know the exact software that's big in that field right now, so you'll have to figure that out if you don't know already.
posted by wwartorff at 7:38 AM on May 14, 2010
It is definitely good advice that virtually no candidate will meet every qualification, you have to meet a few and demonstrate an ability to learn.
Keep in mind that you don't know how tailored the job description is to the actual job requirements. I would never have applied for my current job had I read the job description first. 3-5 years experience? I was right out of college! Well, the HR job description and pay grade that most closely approximated what they wanted was "Data Analyst II." So, that's what they posted for, and that was the job description. I don't do everything that is in the formal description, and I do plenty of things outside of it. I imagine others have similar experiences.
posted by teragram at 7:43 AM on May 14, 2010
Keep in mind that you don't know how tailored the job description is to the actual job requirements. I would never have applied for my current job had I read the job description first. 3-5 years experience? I was right out of college! Well, the HR job description and pay grade that most closely approximated what they wanted was "Data Analyst II." So, that's what they posted for, and that was the job description. I don't do everything that is in the formal description, and I do plenty of things outside of it. I imagine others have similar experiences.
posted by teragram at 7:43 AM on May 14, 2010
I would second what bfranklin said. Just because a job description lists a bunch of requirements doesn't mean that any candidate is going to have all of those requirements. Having been on a couple of search committees myself, I can tell you that most candidates won't come close to having all of the listed requirements, and more than you think will have almost none.
posted by blucevalo at 7:56 AM on May 14, 2010
posted by blucevalo at 7:56 AM on May 14, 2010
I think the rule of thumb is that if you can do 60 to 75 percent of what a job description is asking for, you're probably in with a good chance. Remember, the employer is looking for the Golden Employee, who may not even exist (or maybe was the person who just quit/got fired).
Definitely list the software you use, even if you aren't superfamiliar with it. HR folks will scan resumes for that info. "Working knowledge of Quark" (yes, that was a long time ago) got me in the door for one of my jobs.
posted by vickyverky at 10:43 AM on May 14, 2010
Definitely list the software you use, even if you aren't superfamiliar with it. HR folks will scan resumes for that info. "Working knowledge of Quark" (yes, that was a long time ago) got me in the door for one of my jobs.
posted by vickyverky at 10:43 AM on May 14, 2010
I can totally identify with this question. It's frustrating that all these answers are saying something like "Don't worry if you're not qualified, apply anyway." Even with a stellar portfolio and years of experience you can apply for jobs (and internships) all day long and never get an interview. My only advice is to check in with your school's career center if you haven't done so already and don't write off your group projects even if you feel like you didn't contribute very much. Then, if you really feel like you can do this stuff, do work on building up that portfolio.
posted by amethysts at 2:25 PM on May 14, 2010
posted by amethysts at 2:25 PM on May 14, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
So you tell me, what did you actually _do_ during your schooling. It sounds like you've studied and are looking for work in HCI. So sit and think about what you've done and accomplished. Go through all your completed assignments, your extracurriculars, your jobs, and look at what you've done. Look at it through the lens of:
- What technical skills did I use to accomplish this? Organizing information for class presentations is a very analogous skill to developing a site hierarchy; it requires the same type of thinking. Have you mocked things up in coursework? Does your own assignment completion strategy include rough drafts, prototypes, storyboards, wireframes?
- What personal skills did I use to accomplish this? Was I resourceful in finding citations? Did I take a leadership role? Did I resolve group conflict? Did I show inventiveness in finding solutions?
Dirty little secret of job hunting: most candidates don't have all the requirements. Remember, your resume exists to get you an interview, and an interview exists to get you a job.
All this and more is discussed in the career tools podcasts at Manager Tools. I'd highly recommend the Your Resume Stinks! podcast as a starting point. Building a resume in this style is hard. It also works.
Finally, get yourself an internship ASAP, and job hunt while you're in it. An internship is the single biggest thing to do to help yourself. Once you get through that first job after academia, nobody gives a damn what you did in school.
posted by bfranklin at 6:15 AM on May 14, 2010 [14 favorites]