In college, I kicked ass. Unfortunately for me, I had no idea good grades don’t guarantee a good job.
I completed a dual major in four years, while working 20-30 hours a week. I was part of a few college organizations. Becoming the secretary, and eventually president, of the Student Psychological Association at my campus was particularly fun and challenging. I kept a 3.75 GPA and graduated magna cum laude. I completed an undergraduate research thesis (a project typically reserved for master’s students) to get first-hand experience implementing, analyzing, and reporting on psychological experiments. My research paper for this work was published, and I even presented the results at a couple of conferences. I found an entry-level position in “my field” during the last year or so of my college career to best position myself for my first adult job.
The entryway to my career. The path towards “success.”
At the time I wanted to keep my options open, so the semester before I graduated I applied to a handful of graduate programs. All were doctorate programs – otherwise the programs varied widely. I applied to a university in Hawaii just for the location. A few applications went out to universities in the Northeast that focused on my master’s thesis topic, which is the typical graduate student research progression. And I applied to a couple of universities as a statistics major rather than a psychology major.
Why? Because committing to a particular research path felt claustrophobic. I was just turning 22, and the idea of locking down my research specialty was daunting. So I reasoned that specializing in statistics and experimentation as a discipline left many more industries open to me. Basically, I felt less tied down with that approach.
But then there was the reality. The exhaustion. Four years of overachieving good grades, extra projects and extracurricular activities started weighing on me. Working 20-30 hours a week, and picking classes that I could fit into a work schedule was getting old. Missing evenings and weekends hanging out with my friends was isolating. I went out maybe three or four times a year, always feeling a little guilty that I was not home studying. Or, frankly, exhausted and just wanting to get home and go to sleep.
When letters started coming back from these graduate programs, I was halfway through my senior year. I didn’t get into most of the programs. They could probably tell what I already knew – I wasn’t very committed. I did get into some programs. But in the end, I was tired of being tired. Always out of time, poor, and drained. I lived on a diet of caffeine, nicotine, carbs and sugar. With occasional alcohol and THC binges.
So, I decided to take a break and get a job. I already had over a year’s experience working as a research assistant at Applied Human Factors while in college. Plus I had that undergraduate thesis publication. Getting a job would be easy.
Famous last words. I was about to discover that good grades don’t guarantee a job.
I spent months applying to positions. Frankly, I spent months looking for positions, applying for a few. There weren’t as many junior research roles open as I thought. Those that were open wanted more medical or chemistry background. Or they wanted at least a master’s degree.
I tried applying just to research assistant roles in larger institutions in the hopes of working my way up, but I was overqualified with my experience and academic work.
So I tried applying to research associate roles in those same institutions. No luck, I didn’t have a master’s degree, nor a degree in the desired field.
I couldn’t believe it! I’d done so well in college, how the hell was it so hard to get a job with a college degree? While I loved my job as a research assistant at Applied Human Factors, it was a mom and pop business. I made just barely more than minimum wage, and couldn’t have the independence I wanted with that income.
This went on for over a year. I watched my friends get jobs in the food and retail industries. Some went onto graduate programs… and the majority of them dropped out. Those that stuck with it had just as much trouble getting a job out of college. Ironically, a few of them got administrative jobs at the university they graduated from, hardly the career they were hoping for.
Rather than go for the perfect role, I shifted my approach towards getting in at good company. I was flexible, a quick learner. So I looked at the larger companies and institutions in my area and started applying for anything I had a chance for. I asked friends for recommendations. And I stumbled on a mid-sized technical company that took a chance on me.
As an administrative assistant.
The same role I had at a CPA firm before college, that’s what got me in the door at this company. Not my college degree, not my GPA, definitely not my published thesis. I had experience taking notes during meetings and coordinating schedules and calendars.
It was disheartening.
That is, until I had the actual job offer. For the first time, I had an annual salary instead of hourly wages. I could count on my paychecks. I had time off, so if I got sick, I could still count on my paychecks. If I got sick, I had medical insurance. I could go see a doctor. This imperfect job had its perks.
For the first time in my life, I felt financial security and independence.
So, did I waste my time going to college? Absolutely not!
But I didn’t get what I thought I would out of it. That’s the perception I wish we’d change. There are many ways to secure a great career, and a college degree isn’t always necessary for many of them. Sure, there are professionals like accountants, doctors, and lawyers that require a degree.
The beauty of university life is that it exposes you to so much knowledge. And if you’re not sure what you want to be when you grow up (and most of us aren’t), it’s a wonderful way to get exposure to many disciplines and different types of people. This journey can lead you to finding the perfect career, even if it doesn’t require a college degree.
Many won’t pursue academia. Some of my high school friends were more mechanically inclined and shunned university after high school. We thought they were fools. They went on to be auto mechanics, plumbers, and electricians. One friend now owns a construction company and coordinates many tradesmen. When I met up with several old friends a few years into college, you can imagine my surprise when I saw these guys driving up to the club in new trucks. Guess who felt like the fool then?
Again, I don’t think pursuing a college degree was a waste of time. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be.
I thought a college degree was my ticket to a good job; a career.
But my degree didn’t get me that first job. Doing what other companies needed instead of what I wanted got me my first job. I didn’t know it at the time, but this would be the beginning of a career lasting more than a decade. I would move my way up to an analyst, senior analyst… manager, senior manager.
This career would give me the building blocks I’d need to begin a journey towards financial independence.
But not without some sacrifices.