need help in finding a job

[LostCanadian]

Hi,

I am a recent Comp. Eng. grad from an Ontario University. I also have more than sixteen months coop experience. Problem is i am having a real hard time finding a full time job...though i never had a serious problem finding a coop.

One of the reasons is that i dont like programming. I can do it but dont really enjoy it and am not that great in it either. So far i have more than ten interviews and no job. therefore i decided to stop applying to programming jobs.

I was wondering if anyone has faced a situation similar to mine. Any ideas what kind of jobs other than programming would be good for me. I tried workopolis and monster but those sites seem crap. Any suggestions for good job sites for new grads ?

Frankly I realized after 2nd yr that i shouldn't have gone into Comp Eng, but was too lazy to switch and coop money kept me lured. I have been applying to systems analyst and QA jobs, but no interiviews yet. Speaking of interivews do u guys know any good sites for interview prep ?

Thanks,

[commie]

Depending on which university you graduated from, you might want to investigate going through the management consulting field.
Many of the accounting/consulting firms (Deloitte, Accenture,CapGemini,IBM,Ernst&Young,BearingPoint,K PMG,etc..) have entry level consultant/analyst positions where they hire undergrads from engineering, commerce, and comp. science.
You will go through extensive training, typically 2-3 months once you start. Some would called it 'brainwashing'. hehehe
After your training is completed, you will be placed in a practice, with a engineering background, most likely it will be in the Enterprise Applications side (ERP,CRM,etc..)....Where you will be part of the implementation team on Large scale applications, like SAP or Siebel.
There is not much programming involved, mostly modifications, and reports, etc...With SAP there might be more with their own scripting language.
Once you are more experienced(1-2 years) and develop more knowledge of the business, you might choose to move to the strategy/process design area, where you help clients come up with their IT process or design. No programming here.
Or you can get involve with project management. The options are really limitless with the amount of training they give you. Plus, you are doing new things with each project, typically projects last 4 to 6 months.

[boxingday_forever]

I have the same problem. I just graduated from computer science major in Apr. and I had 16-month co-op experience too. However, I've been desperately looking for a job (most of them are programming and QA) for more than one month, still no interview yet. Any suggestion?

[AnimeEd]

don't be picky guys
get what you can and then switch when you get the chance

[conundrumfp]

don't be picky guys
get what you can and then switch when you get the chance

That's the whole problem, isn't it.
In the earlys 90s, you could get an IT job with no special training whatsoever.
The late 90s, with training, but even with bad grades.
The early 00s, with co-op, but according to the above, even that's not enough anymore.

To get an IT job these days, you'll either have to know someone who can give you a job, or:

Make a list of companies who you think may have IT people, approach them with your resume, in person, and tell them what you have to offer. That may not sound like much fun, but that's the way it is.
Ads are a complete waste of time. By then there are way too many people looking.

[nano]

rule number 1 of job hunting


dont look on workopolis, monster or any other job sites.

i just graduated from college and i got 2 job offers one at my coop placement and the one i took as a wireless technician with a small company north of toronto.

you gotta look for jobs in unconventional ways, cold calls, informational interviews, you might want to join a few professional associations. the best jobs are never advertised and most decision makers dont have time to intewview people they rather hire someone they know

[lqd_ice]

welcome to the club..
.

[toalan]

nano is right, you gotta be creative. Honestly if your ex co-op employers did not offer you a job after graduation you must have done something wrong, I thought most places would die to hire a new grad that already had a good history working for them.

[UrbanPoet]

nano is right, you gotta be creative. Honestly if your ex co-op employers did not offer you a job after graduation you must have done something wrong, I thought most places would die to hire a new grad that already had a good history working for them.

maybe the fault he admiited to as being a medicore programer is his downfall.
Arent engineers suppose to be good @ that?

[toalan]

Sorry for my last post, in hindsight it was more a dagger in your back than any legit advice.

My personal experience with Monster was pretty bad. When I graduated I already signed an offer with a company, but decided to see what else was available. I put up a profile looking for a hardware job, I forgot about it and 4 years later I log back in and see zero people interested in me. I had like 50 profile views but no messages or anything.

Anyways Congrats on you finishing your degree, comp eng is a tough program. If I could go back in time I would of taken a year off to see the world, but I understand how bad it is for new grads without a job.

I started out in the power industry and it is a decent sector to work in. Try applying to OPG, the IMO, and Hydro One.

[peterbrowne]

Your options are limited to:
1) Job Sites
2) Become A Realtor (what I would do!!!!!!!!!!!) - PM Me for The How To
3) Go Homeless

[Rehan]

You should've learned a lot more in Comp. Eng. than just programming...in fact, that should not have been the focus of it at all.

You've mentioned what you don't like (programming), but what is it that interests you most? That is the most important question to ask when choosing a job/career. If you could create your 'perfect job', what would it be?


There are lots of techie opportunities that don't require you to be a total geek. commie suggested some. A couple of my former engineering classmates are now working in Ernst & Young's SR&ED consulting practice, so that's another.

[elty]

about being in the management consultant field: in general what are the company looking for? Also, what is the difference between a business analyst and a consultant?

[LostCanadian]

Yeah you are rite, Comp. Eng is not just about programming. It has a heavy emphsis on digital and analogue electronics. But I dont know where the hell to find those analagoue and digital jobs for new grads. I havent seen a single hardware job posting, where they dont ask for at least 2 years of experience in the electronics field.

For my interests, I am definitely good in math. I enjoyed couple economics courses at university but they were basic, so dont know if finance is really a field for me. Actually i took one course about organizational design (production, supply chain stuff), i really liked. But to be honest, i feel like my undergrad program never let me have enough time to think and focus on what i really want.

Anyways these financial companies still sound cool. What is the best way to apply for those jobs. Any suggestions why they would hire engineers over business ppl?

thanks for the help though.

You should've learned a lot more in Comp. Eng. than just programming...in fact, that should not have been the focus of it at all.

You've mentioned what you don't like (programming), but what is it that interests you most? That is the most important question to ask when choosing a job/career. If you could create your 'perfect job', what would it be?


There are lots of techie opportunities that don't require you to be a total geek. commie suggested some. A couple of my former engineering classmates are now working in Ernst & Young's SR&ED consulting practice, so that's another.

[gman]

Yeah you are rite, Comp. Eng is not just about programming. It has a heavy emphsis on digital and analogue electronics. But I dont know where the hell to find those analagoue and digital jobs for new grads. I havent seen a single hardware job posting, where they dont ask for at least 2 years of experience in the electronics field.

For my interests, I am definitely good in math. I enjoyed couple economics courses at university but they were basic, so dont know if finance is really a field for me. Actually i took one course about organizational design (production, supply chain stuff), i really liked. But to be honest, i feel like my undergrad program never let me have enough time to think and focus on what i really want.

Anyways these financial companies still sound cool. What is the best way to apply for those jobs. Any suggestions why they would hire engineers over business ppl?

thanks for the help though.

Did you try ATI? .... assuming you like to do hardware.