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MBAs who can't find jobs

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Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#61

Post by Etheryte »

nsxwolf wrote: post #45
Etheryte wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Measuring progress by application numbers, and similarly implying that some arbitrary number is too low, is honestly silly. The higher your application count the more you're wasting your time spraying and praying. Focus on leads that are either realistic or just out of reach and work on those, applying to countless jobs that aren't even remotely relevant to your skillset is a waste of your own time.

I mean, I am assuming serious job seekers would only be applying to relevant roles. I've applied to several hundred positions that are very much in line with my experience and skillset since summer without success - I would assume someone who has never worked in tech would need to be applying for at least as many positions as I have.

That's an interesting contrast, reading about your experience I'm not sure whether I'm doing it right or I'm doing it wrong. Usually when I'm looking for something new to do, I pick and apply to a few positions at most, and if I get a good offer, go with that. Every now and then I also fire some one-off shots if there's a position that sounds extremely interesting, even if it's realistically unlikely to land. Applying to hundreds of positions sounds arduous and hard to manage, how do you do it?

Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#62

Post by tacticalturtle »

abadpoli wrote: post #27
scottyah wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a socially acceptable break from your work that doesn't guarantee losing money. If you find yourself getting specialized in an industry you are falling out of love with, your company doesn't offer sabbaticals, and you don't exactly know what you want to do next it's a great option. That may be a Band-Aid covering a red flag, and this may be a special circumstance, but the people I know considering continued educ…

This is the primary reason most of the MBAs I know did it as well. There are very few socially acceptable ways to pivot your career, and an MBA is one of them. For example I know several people that wanted to pivot into something more software focused. There are boot camps, but they’re looked down on. Most colleges will not allow you to enroll for a bachelor’s in CS if you already have a bachelors in something else (…

> Most colleges will not allow you to enroll for a bachelor’s in CS if you already have a bachelors in something else (and also is looked down on), and likewise a master’s in CS is very unlikely.

I’m skeptical of this claim.

Programs like the Georgia Tech Online Masters in Computer Science were tailor made for this scenario - and I’ve known several who have followed it to great success.

Edit: looking into it - blocking second baccalaureates seems to be mostly a problem with California schools. Plenty of other state schools have no such restriction:

https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/prep...

Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#63

Post by [deleted] »

WJW wrote: post #58
nsxwolf wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, I am assuming serious job seekers would only be applying to relevant roles. I've applied to several hundred positions that are very much in line with my experience and skillset since summer without success - I would assume someone who has never worked in tech would need to be applying for at least as many positions as I have.

This is wild to me. I've applied to 4 jobs in my life and been hired for 3 of those. I can't imagine having to write hundreds of individual cover letters. Is this one of those US vs EU differences?

[deleted]

Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#64

Post by [deleted] »

hotpotamus wrote: post #57
beaeglebeached wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where are you getting equipment operators for 20? I live in very cheap area and an unlicensed joker with a tiny Kubota backhoe charges 80 an hour. A licensed contractor, double. I rented my own to excavate my house, rental charges with full delivery and maintenance only 40/hr which leaves a good 120 for labor overhead.

South Texas, so you also need to speak Spanish. If you paid equipment operators here $200K+/year, you'd have to hire security to control the crowd of people beating down your door to apply for a job.

[deleted]

Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#65

Post by nsxwolf »

jyunwai wrote: post #48
nsxwolf wrote: post #25

> “I had no idea, a year later, I’d still be searching for full-time employment,” said 32-year-old AJ Edelman, who decided to pursue a Yale M.B.A. to ease his transition from a skeleton-racing career into a management role in technology. Hundreds of applications later, he estimates, he’s still looking. From skeleton racing to management in technology? Did he really expect the Yale MBA would be enough, combined with "…

His background is likely more than enough. In my personal experience, I've seen people land jobs they weren't at all competitive for by applying anyways, while other people (such as myself in the past) decide not to apply for openings with the idea of preparing to become fully qualified first. In the longer-run, I've observed a few of the people who did apply did struggle greatly, and either had to find a new positio…

The added context makes this all seem rather grim then. You would expect someone like him to be fighting offers off with a stick.

Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#66

Post by abadpoli »

tacticalturtle wrote: post #62
abadpoli wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the primary reason most of the MBAs I know did it as well. There are very few socially acceptable ways to pivot your career, and an MBA is one of them. For example I know several people that wanted to pivot into something more software focused. There are boot camps, but they’re looked down on. Most colleges will not allow you to enroll for a bachelor’s in CS if you already have a bachelors in something else (…

> Most colleges will not allow you to enroll for a bachelor’s in CS if you already have a bachelors in something else (and also is looked down on), and likewise a master’s in CS is very unlikely. I’m skeptical of this claim. Programs like the Georgia Tech Online Masters in Computer Science were tailor made for this scenario - and I’ve known several who have followed it to great success. Edit: looking into it - blocki…

Georgia Tech’s online computer science major lists a preferred qualification of already holding a bachelors in CS, math, computer engineering, or electrical engineering, so I don’t think it’s “tailor made” for people that are looking for a mid-career pivot from non-tech to tech.

Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#67

Post by nsxwolf »

Etheryte wrote: post #61
nsxwolf wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, I am assuming serious job seekers would only be applying to relevant roles. I've applied to several hundred positions that are very much in line with my experience and skillset since summer without success - I would assume someone who has never worked in tech would need to be applying for at least as many positions as I have.

That's an interesting contrast, reading about your experience I'm not sure whether I'm doing it right or I'm doing it wrong. Usually when I'm looking for something new to do, I pick and apply to a few positions at most, and if I get a good offer, go with that. Every now and then I also fire some one-off shots if there's a position that sounds extremely interesting, even if it's realistically unlikely to land. Applyin…

Well, for now I'm not managing it because I've stopped. After surviving a round of mass layoffs, I wanted to answer the question "How screwed would I be if I got laid off in this job market right now?" And the answer I came to is "very!"

The experience was very draining, and it was interfering with my work and my home life. The last thing I wanted to do was lose my job because of job search created performance issues - so now I'm holding off on this until I have no choice.

Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#68

Post by gwbas1c »

I graduated with a BS in computer science in 2003. It took me a few months to find a job: I was a very attractive candidate. I don't have a lot of sympathy when it takes specialized candidates a few months to find work.

I took the attitude that I would be working for my entire career, and that it didn't matter if I took some time to enjoy myself. I don't regret it.

More importantly: A degree isn't a guarantee of work. We often forget that there is some risk in getting a fancy degree in a particular field.

Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#69

Post by annexrichmond »

l2silver wrote: post #10

The article mentions MBAs graduating from top schools not being able to find a job in a tough job market, but obviously this problem is as old as time for MBA graduating any given year. One of the issues is that the MBA is a money maker for these universities, so why not graduate as many people as possible. The other issue is what people expect from these MBA programs. They see it as a way to get career flexibility,…

> so why not graduate as many people as possible

surely there is a limit to this, unless people don't care about metrics like median graduate salary?

Re: MBAs who can't find jobs

#70

Post by mistrial9 »

Retric wrote: post #32
mistrial9 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it is obviously a systems problem if you cannot place people who are capable. It is a bad signal when constructive inputs are piling up and wasted right?

No? You want negative feedback signals in a free market economy not just positive ones. An excessive number of people got MBA degrees therefore it ends up being a bad choice for many of them. That then feeds back and noticeably reduces the number of people getting an MBA in the future.

"excess people" ? I am not sure you are looking past the immediate point here.. micro-economics are sometimes useful, but not the whole story..
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