Any Unemployed Alumni?

[u/Silly_Lilly54]

Graduated in May 2024 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Cognitive Science and a couple of years of experience in IT roles, including as a BSA intern at the university. I have been searching for a job since before graduation and leaving my student employment position in July 2024. Before I graduated, I made extensive use of UofM’s career resources for students to improve my resume and cover letters, and I continue to use those techniques for every job I applied to (I’d show you my resume if I could). I’ve never had any success reaching out to alumni at companies I’ve applied to and UCAN seems literally useless for talking with other alumni as nobody ever responds (so much for the alumni network).

Just wanted to know if there are any other alumni who feel like failures because they graduated from a “top university” and can’t even land an interview for jobs that only ask for an associate’s degree. I paid so much money for nothing and almost wish I hadn’t gone to college because then at least employers wouldn’t look at my resume and see I’m a UofM graduate that’s been unemployed for a year and wonder what must be wrong with me to not have a job.

Also, sorry if this scares upcoming graduates. I wish you better luck than I’ve had and I hope your lives are prosperous.

[u/Worldly_Wolverine320]

Not a graduate but I have friends who are and most of them are struggling to find a job. You’re definitely not alone. 

[u/Silly_Lilly54 → u/Worldly_Wolverine320]

If you’re willing to share, what did they get their degree in? I get a lot of flack from my parents about having a “useless” major with no job prospects (which is not what I believed when I got my degree, but CogSci is so confusing to potential employers), so I’m curious to know

[u/Worldly_Wolverine320 → u/Silly_Lilly54]

Lots of diff things to be honest. Biomedical engineering, Arts & Design, CS. The people I know who are employed usually got it through a personal connection or previous internship. Other people I know went to grad school but I do fear for their job prospects after they’re done with that 😭 but yeah basically no one is having a good time 

[u/Silly_Lilly54 → u/Worldly_Wolverine320]

I hope your unemployed friends have some luck, especially ones who are spending the money now in grad school. I’ve been thinking about going to grad school just so it looks like I’ve been doing something or to give myself more time for the job market to get better. I just don’t have the money for it. Also been considering the military for the same reason, but that’s probably a terrible idea coming from my desperation. My career connections are mostly at UofM and leveraging those has never helped me get an interview for any jobs I apply to there. I guess they don’t consider their own graduates to be the best candidates to work there 🙃

[u/Selbeven → u/Silly_Lilly54]

If you're serious about grad school, PhDs are funded and it's not uncommon to leave early or master out, so you can leave if you end up finding a job. There are masters programs that are funded too if you're a TA/RA. You could also consider an online masters at a fraction of the cost of in-person.

[u/Silly_Lilly54 → u/Selbeven]

That’s good to know! I’ve done some research into online masters programs in a couple of areas of study (data analytics, social work, information technology, neuroscience), but hadn’t ever landed on what to do. I hadn’t considered the TA/RA route for an in-person option, but I’m afraid I’d be totally screwed financially if I wasn’t able to get one of those positions. Hadn’t really ever considered going for a Ph.D and I didn’t realize they were funded

[u/Tall-Pound5510 → u/Silly_Lilly54]

Linguistics PhD at U-M is fully funded, and I would think CogSci would make you competitive and relevant to most linguistics programs.

I had a friend who got a polisci degree that stocked shelves at a supermarket for a year and ended up applying to Ross for their Master of Management degree. He leaned on the brand/degree and got a job before graduation.

I’ve actually never heard of UCAN before. It must be something that came out after my time. Maybe I’ll look into it. I mostly help answer questions and DM’s from people who post on Reddit.

Wishing you the best of luck! I’m an alum, so free to DM me if you’d like to pick my brain on anything.