I graduated with a chemical engineering degree over a year ago from a top 20 American University and possess an EIT certification.
For the life of me, I can't find a job. I've sent out over 300 resumes, cold called companies, contacted network connections from school, showed up to companies with resume in hand...I've broadened my search to other engineering disciplines, looked outside of my state, and even volunteered free labor to large corporations.
No one will touch me. My GPA is on the lower side, though I had good reason for it during school and my work ethic and quality is admirable. I'm starting to lose hope, I recently accepted a job at a local coffee shop as a barista because unfortunately my financial situation cannot cope with another year of unemployment.
Does anyone have any sort of out of the box suggestions? I can't help but feel I really wasted my time working so hard for my degree - people who partied hard in college and majored in sociology found careers, while with the so called STEM promise of a decent career I'm left on my ass.
What did you do to get your first job? I don't have any family or friend connections in an engineering field.
>>7932584
bet your resume design looks like shit tho
>>7932593
I've reviewed templates and have a friend who works in HR (in an unrelated field).
Got any quick tips or resources I could use to buff up my resume? I don't have any applicable engineering experience, though I do have work experience in unrelated fields.
If you aren't mentioning how well of a team player you are you ain't gonna make it, did you do some sort of team project either extra curricular or not?
If you have a lower GPA (how low we talking?) you need to bring other stuff, eg tea working, management experience
Please post resume with appropriate content blocked
Post resume op
Thats probbly whats holding you back and preventing you from even being considered
>>7932584
>Studied what is literally not a real science
>Not only that but studied what is literally not even a real engineering
>Graduated with a shit GPA
>Expects to get a job
top fucking kek. You got rekked by reality.
>>7932584
>What did you do to get your first job?
Contacted a small company, told them I've been programming since 12, told them I master databases and every programming language that matters.
After that I graduated high school and now I'm working part time every week day right after I leave university, where I study Pure Mathematics.
Feels good to be pure math master race. Non pure math plebs cannot even fucking compare.
>>7932661
it's good that you're getting into the code monkey groove so early
>>7932676
>code monkey
top kek
>Graduate with a license of pure mathematics (title of the degree)
>Come out of school with literally 4 years of experience
That opens me up the doors for any simulation and computational science laboratory in the entire world.
>>7932684
>brags about the usefulness of his degree
>still in undergrad
>expects to get a job doing pure math
you're setting yourself up for great disappointment
>>7932692
>brags about the usefulness of his degree
Mathematics is the most useful degree, I mean this literally. I know people with the degree that work in medical institutions, biology labs and chemistry labs. If Physics was more heavily researched where I live I would probably know a handful of mathematicians working in that field.
You learn strong and general theory that can be literally applied everywhere and then you can get hired all across the board as statisticians or in any kind of mathematical simulation work.
And above all those opportunities in science, there is still the huge field of finance that just swallows math bachelors and masters like there's no tomorrow.
>>7932692
>still in undergrad
So what? Just by virtue of having a job I have accomplished more than you.
>>7932692
>expects to get a job doing pure math
Pure math stares at me from above, behind the mountains. It is there, calling me, but I will probably find more satisfaction in computational science. I have no interest in being a university professor.
>>7932584
Haha good thing I dropped out of Chemical Engineering after my first semester two years ago. Working in a grocery store full time now
>>7932773
people who are stupider and/or not as hard-working make more money than you. How does that make you feel?
>>7932704
>literally.
>uses "literally" in every sentence
>expects anyone to take him seriously
Move elsewhere. Chem eng is very dependent on location.
My brother is a chemical engineer and had to move from the east coast of Australia to the west coast to find a job, and it took him almost 2 years to find one. Now he's in senior management earning 150k+/yr.
>>7932684
The delusion is strong in this one.
>>7932584
>get a BS in biology
>graduate with a 2.6
>panic because I have no idea what I'm going to do
>send out five resumes and get five interviews
>literally have five job offers all around 50k starting with benefits
OP part of the problem might be you're dumb as fuck during the interview. You should show up a half hour early in a tailored suit with a nice hair cut. In addition you should know a fuck load about the company and their history (this is stupid but most companies won't hire the right person over this). In addition you should know your shit and when they ask you questions, even basic ones, relate it back to your experience as an engineer.
Like if they ask you about working in a team you should response with something like:
>during my time in university I worked on a team in P. Chem lab and each of us understood our responsibility to the team and as an individual.I was the leader of our group and I made that not only my portion of the task was completed and on time but as well as others.
Also lie. Tell them you really enjoy programming, reading, and doing mathematics in your free time.
>>7932704
not pure math, you're talking about applied math
you're clearly a freshman, please stop bragging of things you haven't studied yet
a shitty code monkey job isn't anything to brag about either, you're making me cringe
>>7932584
OP if you've gotten any interviews you should lie. Now don't lie about big things but small things. For example say that you enjoy programming but don't say you had a 4.0. Make up bullshit because HR is usually retarded and they seriously have no idea who's actually the right fit.
If you're telling the truth in a job interview you're not getting a job.
>My GPA is on the lower side
the standard response to that on /sci/ is that you're a waste of the instruction given to you if your gpa is sub 3.0 and you deserve to be flipping burgers
>>7932895
Did you have internships? If so how did you get them with such a bad GPA?
What did your extra stuff look like?
>>7932661
>did undergrad in pure math
>aced all my elective upper level cs courses
>tfw still NEET
i'm a sub 3.0 overall shitter though should i sudoku
>>7933065
GPA doesn't mean shit if you pass the FE exam.
>>7933070
Yeah I worked with bees for a little under a year at the university across the street. Not everyone is looking for some genius to understand the work. In addition I worked as a courier for lab taking water samples from the site and then bringing them to the lab.
>>7933093
Also I should mention that not once was asked about GPA or even what school I went to. They just asked did I have a BS and some general questions.
Part of the problem is that you have to be charming in the interview. Like you shouldn't just answer yes and no you should elaborate on your answers.
>>7933093
Lel I had the same job sampling water to bring to the lab. Then I had a job in the lab testing the water. Now I design water management systems.
Go to a third world industrialized country. Try oil companys or some polymer industry. The american dreams is dead.
>>7932584
broaden your search to include canada, europe, australia, new zealand, russia and china
if you don't want to stay there indefinitely, come back after 5 years of experience -- this should get you a job back home easy. or even -- try to find your way back home within the same company you're working in.
