Thursday, November 14 – “My Degree Feels Worthless”

Happy Thursday!

Here’s what’s on the job description for today:

1. New roles from a massive and very important investment firm.

2. Brooks asks, “I’ve been looking for a job for over 6 months now and have applied to hundreds of jobs. Was my degree totally worthless ?”

IN HIRING

BlackRock

• One of the most influential companies not only in finance, BlackRock is a must watch for anyone in or interested in the financial ecosystem.

• Currently there are a few hundred roles in all regions of the world and many UK, USA, and Canada options.

• Here are a few of the most interesting roles available

  • Associate, Business Analyst – Click here for full details

  • Wealth Product Implementation Associate – Click here for full details

  • Associate / Vice President, Synthetics Portfolio Management – Click here for full details

Click here for the company’s career page

TODAY’S QUESTION

Brooks asks, “I’ve been looking for a job for over 6 months now and have applied to hundreds of jobs. Was my degree totally worthless ?”

Recommendation: you’re in a tough spot Brooks and I’ve been there myself. Here are my thoughts:

• First, nearly everyone thinks at some point that their degree is worthless. If you don’t, something might be wrong with you.

  • Most of the time this happens when students begin to understand that the brochure saying 99% of graduates have their dream job may have told a biased version of reality.

• Second, six months is a while to be looking for a role. Most of the time, when I speak to people who have been looking for that long, they fall into a category of candidates who can find opportunities and get through the beginning rounds of interviews but struggle with final rounds.

  • If this sounds familiar, focus the your prep and practice on tailoring the interview answers directly to the company. Here is a real example:

    • Look at the “people” section of the company’s LinkedIn page and use it to tailor your answers such as, “because the company is 20% engineers, I would adapt my communication style to include more technical aspects so the engineering teams can get on board.

• Finally, to answer your main question, many people find their degree gives them more value 4+ years after the completion.

  • This is when your cohort has gone on and become directors or in management positions and can help you get clients, funding, or a new job.

Conclusion:

I’m not surprised when I hear this – we’ve all been there. I hope, like many of us who graduated a few years ago, you change your mind in years to come.