It was like this when I, and my friends graduated. This too will pass. Do not let it discourage you and take away everything you've worked so hard to achieve. You will triumph anyway. It's not easy to get into, let alone graduate from a school like MiT. God speed my friend.
Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
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Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#22If you're interesting in automated manufacturing, contact me at paul@neofactory.ai
Most hardtech startups dont have the same constraints as big tech in hiring. More than anything we need smart dedicated people to create the future.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#23Truly sorry you feel this way. For what it’s worth, this was common for people graduating into the 2008 financial crisis, too. It’s actually unusual that we went for so long without another period of contraction. From last time around: The people who kept pushing and took any job, anywhere turned out okay. This translated to a lot of people taking jobs below what they expected to get or having to move when they didn’…
> You’re early in your career. This current period of turmoil doesn’t mean that much
Is that true? I seem to remember data showing that the 2008-2010 graduate cohorts never overall caught up to the ones that came immediately before or after them.
Like sure sure OP has an engineering degree from MIT they're more like the ones that did catch up. But I'll bet there are a lot more people reading this who are about to graduate with degrees from perfectly adequate state schools and I'm not sure this unalloyed optimism is exactly correct for them. I don't think it turned out to be for their 2008 predecessors.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#24You are one of the best in history prepared to do your job, with current knowledge etc. and best university in the world, get your colleagues and start a company. You don't need a jerk who barely passed a college to tell you what to do.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#25Truly sorry you feel this way. For what it’s worth, this was common for people graduating into the 2008 financial crisis, too. It’s actually unusual that we went for so long without another period of contraction. From last time around: The people who kept pushing and took any job, anywhere turned out okay. This translated to a lot of people taking jobs below what they expected to get or having to move when they didn’…
> From last time around: The people who kept pushing and took any job, anywhere turned out okay. This translated to a lot of people taking jobs below what they expected to get or having to move when they didn’t want to, but it was ultimately temporary.
I'm going to challenge this as you didn't give specific data to back it up. I read an article recently that did have data, and it made the argument that first jobs, and first salaries, tend to be remarkably "sticky". That is, if you are desperate for a job out of college so take one that causes you to be underemployed and underpaid, that doesn't just stick with you for your first job, but data showed that people were underemployed and underpaid for at least a decade after college.
The advice in this article was to hold out as long as possible for a desirable job, which meant a ton of networking, taking internships if possible, and also possibly additional schooling.
Apologies for not having the article on hand, but here's another one I found in 30 seconds of googling that makes the same argument, with research:
https://www.highereddive.com/news/half-of-graduates-end-up-u...
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#26Welcome to the machine. What sort of jobs are you applying for? If you haven't worked in your field at all yet, keep your sights low and apply for entry level positions or internships. IME there can be a large gap between what formal education provides and actually producing work. Also, soft skills are very important and often overlooked.
I've interviewed some PhD students that we deep in their field, but they had zero work experience. That, combined with the fact that they were applying to a non-entry level position, meant that I'd be taking a large-ish risk in my position if I were to hire them.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#27Don't be afraid to:
- Hit up alumni on LinkedIn, even though you've never met them before.
- Cold-call companies.
But at the very least be genuine, and look up what the companies and people do.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#28Truly sorry you feel this way. For what it’s worth, this was common for people graduating into the 2008 financial crisis, too. It’s actually unusual that we went for so long without another period of contraction. From last time around: The people who kept pushing and took any job, anywhere turned out okay. This translated to a lot of people taking jobs below what they expected to get or having to move when they didn’…
> You’re early in your career. This current period of turmoil doesn’t mean that much Is that true? I seem to remember data showing that the 2008-2010 graduate cohorts never overall caught up to the ones that came immediately before or after them. Like sure sure OP has an engineering degree from MIT they're more like the ones that did catch up. But I'll bet there are a lot more people reading this who are about to gra…
It doesn’t mean much in the course of an entire career.
Comparing to other cohorts isn’t useful because you can’t pick your cohort. You are born into one timeline and you play the hand you’re dealt.
There’s a lot of research that people who graduate into bad job markets are more cautious and less risk taking which can make them look like they’re behind peers who are more risk hungry when the market is up. I wouldn’t be surprised if it also makes them come out ahead in periods where the market is down.
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#29Become a founder. It's the easiest way to make something people want and get paid a moderately decent salary while you're doing it!
Re: Ask HN: I'm an MIT senior and still unemployed – and so are most of my friends
#30Is there no pipeline--or a job fair? A way to get a moment with prospective employers? It seems tragically stupid if MIT offers no such thing. Applying into the void seems like a fool's errand.