Any tips for helping me work out what the hell I want to do career wise?

[Shicky]

Long story short I will graduate with a 1st in Comp Science if I keep working hard, this summer. About all I know is I dont want to sit at a desk, staring at a screen 9-5. I have nothing against working in the office but I would want a more hybrid role between IT and business/finance, I really dont think I could handle straight software development and I dont feel like a talented enough programmer. I imagine I could be very good as the man in the middle so to speak from development team to other sectors of a business.

Outside of this I have applied for a teaching degree, I think I would be a good teacher, but its impossible to tell without gaining some experience. The amount of jobs available and job security worry me as well as pay but like the idea of everyday being different and being a very sporty the chance to coach would be awesome.

I've applied for the JET programme (teach english in japan) and if I wasnt able to get a spot, I have a lot of links in Korea so could get the same job there without need to study TOEFL or similar. This would most likely be a year delay, but friends have gotten to university level quickly and are on great money.

BUNAC, do some certificates in being a mountain biking instructor, then bugger off to Whistler in Canada to do that and also some barwork. Again probably a year long thing only, just to enjoy myself.

As for IT i've a list of graduate opportunities at companies and know deadlines for a good 60 or so companies. My CV is strong enough to get an offer from most providing I interviewed well and was strong at assessment centres.

Really at the moment I am applying for anything and everything to keep my options open but I can only do that for so long. Some day I have to make a decision what I want to do. Hell it doesnt need to be that exact, just get started on the right path for me then I can move around till I find something I am happy in. Anybody have any tips on me narrowing my options down? Working out which path I should head down? Or shall I just have an almighty coin-flipping session to decide a winner?

 

[Xelene]

If you are not tied down to family, girlfriend etc now is the ideal time to get a consultancy type role and travel the world. (Or at least the arse end of the UK). You'll meet loads of people, see lots, get paid well and spend bugger all. You will burn out on it after a year or three, but should have a nice nest egg to set you up for life and a CV entry recruiters will love. Second, or third language help with this a lot.

See what folk like Logica and Accenture have to offer.

FWIW, my career went something like this:

Graduate, get a job with a small local tech company to get experience in cutting edge stuff for 2 years. Jump to a bluechip telco and progress from junior through senior, lead, manager in 3 years then 6 years in a highly respected startup as a Tech Architect working with Bluechips and major Consultancies at a senior level. 50% of my job is geeking out, the other 50% is meeting people.

 

[mikeyp123]

Consultancy sounds like a brilliant option, we had a talk from some of our 3rd years who had done 7 week placements at Accenture, he spent 3 weeks in Stockholm as an undergraduate consulting for a massive pharmaceutical company, expenses paid.

Japan or Consultancy would be a lovely way to travel and work.

 

[Xelene]

Consultancy is a great job and will set you up for life, but you do have to be prepared to put in some years living in Hotels. That's not a bad thing necessarily, but it's a lot easier to do when you are in your twenties and don't have a family. I get grumpy spending 2 months a year in hotels, but have a wife and a kid on the way.

 

[Hades]

Fresh out of university means you will not have any experience. How will you be a consultant without that? You need a few years groundwork in your chosen area before you can advise more experienced people in how/what/why they should be doing something.

 

[Hades]

Double post

 

[NickK]

Consultancy sounds like a brilliant option, we had a talk from some of our 3rd years who had done 7 week placements at Accenture, he spent 3 weeks in Stockholm as an undergraduate consulting for a massive pharmaceutical company, expenses paid.

Japan or Consultancy would be a lovely way to travel and work.

I spent 12 years in Logica. Although I don't have time this morning, I'll put my experiences down in a post this evening.

 

[memyselfandi]

Fresh out of university means you will not have any experience. How will you be a consultant without that? You need a few years groundwork in your chosen area before you can advise more experienced people in how/what/why they should be doing something.

Graduate Consultants .... *shudders* .... always fun seeing the first time their ideas are shot down in flames as they are unusable in the real world (as they don't have the experience to know that).

That being said my cousin joined Accenture as one just out of Uni a few years ago and seems to have enjoyed herself with it. Think she's doing Java development now.

 

[m4cc45]

Consultancy is a great job and will set you up for life, but you do have to be prepared to put in some years living in Hotels. That's not a bad thing necessarily, but it's a lot easier to do when you are in your twenties and don't have a family. I get grumpy spending 2 months a year in hotels, but have a wife and a kid on the way.

Not neccessarily. To be a consultant you have to have experience and be damn good at your subject to get the bigger contracts. By it's very nature it's not a guaranteed income. When you have work it would be brilliant and would certainly get the money rolling in, when you are out of work it would be very scarey (well to me anyway).


M.

 

[Shicky]

I assumed consulting wouldn't be an option without a good 5+ years experience in the chosen field. Just saw a guy talking about being a pre-sale technology consultant which at first glance seems a good mix of business/technology. Anybody know the preceeding steps to getting into that kind of job?

Im pretty goal oriented and im finding myself very distracted by not knowing whats coming after I graduate. Since application deadlines are already passing it no longer seems a case of getting my first then seeing what comes next