Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with entrylevel

What industries are relevant to my mathematical interests?

alligatorman — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:13:23 -0800

I've just obtained a BS in Mathematics and am planning to go to grad school, but not before I work for a few years. What industries should I be looking at, and what entry level jobs should I aim for? Details inside. My interests are in discrete math, probability, and related fields. I hope to return to school, but I would like to work first, and I'd like to work in a field even slightly relevant to my interests.

What industries should I be looking at, and what entry level jobs are out there?

I can program, though not well enough for software development. (And I have no interest in software development.)

I also don't want to apply for any position that requires a security clearance, so the obvious NSA is out of the question.

What's out there? Operations Research comes to mind, but I'm not sure what types of companies do this kind of work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I know I won't be doing any kind of real math work with just a BS.

How do I get my foot in the door?

entropicamericana — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:48:24 -0800

The old conundrum: How do you get experience without a job, how do you get job without experience? (Public sector variant.) I'm trying to get into the public sector. I graduated from a state university with a bachelor's degree in Public Administration. I graduated near the top of my class, a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, have excellent references. Unfortunately, I was not able to work an internship. Most of the entry level positions I'm coming across are still asking for a year of relevant experience. I'm about at the end of my rope; how the hell do I get my foot in the door?

9-5 without a degree?

Anonymous — Sun, 11 May 2008 17:51:03 -0800

What are some non-retail, 9-5 jobs that don't require a degree? I've been working at an electronics retailer for about 5 years now, and I think it's time to move on. I'd love a 9-5, Monday-Friday type job. Something with holidays off (not necessarily paid for, but always nice) and something that I don't have to work 20 hours the day after Thanksgiving.

The biggest problem: I never finished college. Part of the reason why I'd like it to be 9-5, so maybe night classes would be an option. Also, I'm a little picky. No more retail, no food service jobs, no call centers, and I'd prefer no sales-type jobs.

Aside from that, I'm pretty open. It doesn't have to be super glamorous or exciting; life in a cubicle would be fine with me at this point in life. It'd be nice if it paid close to (or better) than my $12/hour. I've been a supervisor for over a year now, so I do have some leadership experience. Without getting too specific, I live in Pennsylvania. I haven't tried Monster or anything since I don't know exactly what to look for. Any ideas?

Which consulting job?

jckll — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 14:43:31 -0800

Entry-level consulting positions: graduating in May, I have two standing offers from consulting companies, one in Dallas and one in Manhattan. Help me choose! I am graduating in May with a BA. I have been doing the recruiting two-step for the past several months, and it's (finally!) near the end. I've explored options in several fields--I don't really have an ideal career at this point in my life--and I have it more-or-less narrowed down to two consulting companies. Both have given me nearly identical offers (in the low $60's, plus potential bonuses, etc).

One is in Dallas and is a small to mid-sized financial/banking consulting firm. It would involve a lot of travel, and I would need to relocate to Dallas, which isn't terrible but isn't my ideal spot, especially compared with...The second is with a larger (although not big-X accounting or consulting firms) firm in Manhattan, and the position is within a healthcare group. Very little (if any) travel, relocation to New York, which is still relocation but it's better than Dallas for a recent college graduate.

Like I said, I don't really have an idea of what I want to be doing in ten years, so choosing between these two offers is quite tough. I've been counseled that if I want to make contacts, etc. in the consulting biz it would be wise for me to take the New York job as it is, obviously, in New York, and is with a larger organization, etcetera. One thing that worries me is the prospect of living/existing in New York on the same salary as in Dallas. How tight is it going to be living in New York on that salary? Would I be crazy if I wanted to avoid living across a bridge or tunnel?

I know this is a relatively open question, but I'm wondering if anyone in the consulting industry, or anyone who has faced a similar choice in another industry, can give me some insight.

PS...for what it's worth, I have asked the New York company if there's any upward negotiability in their offer given that I have an identical offer from a company in a locale with a much lower cost of living. I haven't heard from them in regards to that yet; my gut feeling is that given my lack of leverage as an entry-level scab they're going to offer me more, as a sort of token gesture, but not much more.

What do I need to know?

jourman2 — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 22:35:35 -0800

first job interview question(s) So I've graduated and I have a couple of questions from the hivemind about what I can expect at my first real job interview.

This is for a market research position in NYC. I got an email last night from a recruiter for a position that I applied to a while ago. We set up the phone interview for this morning and it went really well. Later tonight, she sent me another email that the hiring partner wants to meet with me. That meeting is set up for Friday.

So my question is what do I need to know that I don't know as an entry level job applicant. Apparently you are supposed to have references. I didn't mention anything about them on my resume, and the recruiter didn't say anything. Am I expected to bring a list of them? Who should I get to be my references if this is my first real job? I've done some internships, but I doubt some of the people would even remember me/work there anymore.

Also, will there be a need for transcripts if there was no mention of them?

Also she mentioned it's going to be a 2 hour interview. What can I expect over those two hours? There's only so many variations of "tell me about yourself" you can ask. So what else is likely to happen?

I've read through some of the "interview" tags and they're pretty helpful, but none of them seem entry-level focused. So any and all ideas about what I should and shouldn't do, what I can expect at the interview, and how to prepare are welcome.

Thanks all.

How to gain computer science experience?

hcastro — Thu, 17 May 2007 08:36:41 -0800

What should a recent computer science graduate, who is currently job hunting, do to gain the experience almost every potential employer is seeking? Today I have officially graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from Temple University. I can't say my degree has prepared me for any specific field, but instead has left me with a broad foundation with which to build upon. My grades have always been good and my professors have confidence in my ability; however, I feel that my lack of experience is going to make it difficult to land a job.

Stress is starting to take its toll because I don't have a stable source of income and am hesitant to apply for a "regular" summer job in case I do get hired. Perhaps I underestimated how difficult this process was going to be.

Help me find an entry-level Math/CS job.

philomathoholic — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 02:39:33 -0800

I will be graduating with a B.A. in Math/C.S. in two years. What sort of job should I be looking for now? I'm getting fed up with my current entry-level customer service job, and I would like to gain some experience in the field before I graduate. So now I'm looking for an entry level, part-time IT job.

This next quarter, I will be learning OOP in C++, and I am already proficient in Ada (as proficient as a I can be without any "real" experience). And adding that I have a good working knowledge of computers in general, I hope that finding a better (hopefully non-customer service) and higher paying job isn't impossible.

Since I'm going to school full time, and I need to be making a fair bit of money to pay for it, so, the extremely low paying jobs at the school, volunteering, and probably temping would not be able to both work around school and pay enough. That said, come summer time, I will definitely be hitting up sourceforge and the not-for-profits. Oh, and from what I have heard around here, rentacoder.com works best if you are fast, good and cheap (which I am not). Also consulting is out of the question for the same previous reasons, but it might be better later.

Bonus points for location-specific answers (location: between Seattle and Vancouver, but not close enough to either of them to commute).

Attached to the copier... Help!

fillsthepews — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 10:47:56 -0800

Fresh out of college, with an entry level job in a neat industry. What’s the best way to acquire as much knowledge as possible from folks who are in positions I desire? I don't want to just make copies and deliver the mail forever! I'm thinking something along the lines of a loose mentorship. I'm not after their jobs or anything, as I realize this would be a long-term endeavor. My most important concern is appearing to be an annoyance, and interrupting the work they need to get done on a day to day basis. It's not that I'm unhappy with my job right now, I just am thinking towards the future. I have a lot to offer (worked my way through college/ committed/ semi-intelligent), and I just want to make good use of my time as a n00b. Industry - publishing/comics.

Getting a job as a technical writer?

drezdn — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 21:37:14 -0800

How can I get an entry level technical writer position? I have a degree in journalism, more than a year of experience in professional writing, and some background (a year of engineering courses) in engineering. Is it possible for me to break into technical writing with these qualifications? If so, what steps should I take to get a position?

Changing career paths?

drezdn — Sun, 21 Dec 2003 20:52:16 -0800

What's the best way to change career paths? [more inside] Currently, I've been out of college a year and a half. My degree is in journalism- both print and broadcast. I have some background in the field but no interest in pursueing journalism- especially with the direction the field seems to be taking.

Experience wise, I'm sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. I know a wide arrange of things, but don't have much work experience in other areas besides retail.

Most of my actual work (7 years)experience is in retail, and I currently work at a bookstore (where I have worked for 1 1/2 years). Due to financial concerns, I'm not sure I can pay to return to school, and in order to go back, I'd need to pay off money I still owe my school (there's a hold on my records). I might be able to borrow the money from an understanding friend to pay the school back.

My dream is to write fiction, but I'd like a career that pays the bills and at least makes life comfortable. I've had thoughts of trying to work in publishing as a reader, but my location and current situation make that difficult.

I'm open to possibly teaching, but that would require more schooling- which I'm not sure is the best answer.

What would you do?