Dear J.T. & Dale: I am now in sales, but I want to be in accounting. I’m in school working toward a B.A. in accounting, but I can’t even find a job as a bookkeeper. It seems that every company wants experience, but how do I get experience? – Jared DALE: One word: internship. That’s the solution to the old conundrum of “I need experience to get a job, but I need a job to get experience.”
J.T.: True, and your college should have a career center that can connect you to local opportunities. Further, you can make a list of companies you dream of working for and inquire directly as to whether they have internship opportunities. An internship is a “must do” these days for people getting a college degree. If you are willing to spend money on getting that degree, then be willing to invest the time in an internship. Your degree gets you a diploma; your internship gets you a job.
December 11th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
I agree with the internship advice but one question I have about that is whether Jared has enough money to afford to intern. I am in a situation where I should seek internships but am many years out of college and cannot afford to cut back at the low-paying part-time job that is keeping me from going broke. I was laid off from my last full-time job and did not seek another Exec. Assistant position because I know that doing so will permanent pigeonhole me into work that I find easy and boring and much more traditional than my old job was (I would not go back in the unlikely event that it was reinstated).
December 11th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Hi MH,
Great point. For some folks, it just doesn’t seem financially feasible to intern for free. So, here are two options I’ve seen work:
1) Identify 1-2 industry related organizations and join them. Then, try to volunteer and/or attend their meetings and events as frequently as your schedule allows so that you can begin to network within the industry and build contacts that can lead to referrals and knowledge of job opportunities you might not otherwise be made aware of.
2) Determine a way to ‘lilypad’ to your next job. See if you can leverage your Executive Admin experience into a job as an admin but specifically in your field of interest. That way, you can leverage your current skills and simultaneously start to get experience through osmosis in your desired profession. And, with a little determination and passion, you may be able to get the employer to eventually move you into the role you really want.
Thanks again for posting!
JT
January 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 am
I’m a single parent. I worked 3 jobs to pay bills and went to school full time (15 credit hours per semester) in order to obtain enough financial aid to pay for school. Between work, classes, homework, and above all, my son, there was never any time left over to dedicate to an internship for low or no pay. There was also no time left over to devote to the internship itself. So are you telling me that I spent 5 years busting my humps and putting myself $30,000 in debt for a piece of paper with no hope for a real job? There have to be other options. Otherwise I’m apt to believe that college is just a waste of time unless you don’t have any other obligations in your life.