- 13,065
- 2,322
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2002
EDIT: Part II posted in the lower section of this page.
EDIT: Part III posted on page 4.
EDIT on 12/15/13: I have put all parts on the first page for those who wants to read the whole thing continuously.
For what it is worth, I'm posting up my thoughts through my own experience and from debates and opinions of those I value. If this thread can somehow help out one member, it's done its job.
I've been on NT since the 9th grade or so in the early 2000s, but didn't registered until a year later. I'm now 26 years old and about to wrap up my 2nd master's program. I learned a lot throughout the last several years and even though I'm not that old, if I can go back to 2003 when I started my undergrad career, I would've done a lot of things differently.
To those who are just starting the university journey: major in something you like, don't do it purely for the money because you will have a miserable time doing what it is you plan to do. If you are great at whatever it is you're doing, the money will follow. College is suppose to be the best time of your life. Enjoy it, but at the same time, make sure you're on your game with your school work. Pick up internships. Don't spend valuable summers doing nothing productive. A lot of my friends, myself included, were set on being doctors, lawyers, etc. fresh out of high school. The real life experience through internships changed that train of thought.
If you realize that you want to switch major to something you truly want to do and would require more time to earn that major...do it even if it will take you a bit longer.
If you are not attending a top tier college, don't be discouraged. I fell in this bracket. I attended state universities, and thought I would be outlooked by those who went to higher ranking schools. Aside from a few companies like Google that hire exclusively from that tiet of schools, you will be fine. I know a lot of bright people who graduated from no name schools, and conversely, I know a lot of dummies who got degrees from ivy league schools. Sooner or later, your experience will outweigh your school's reputation.
Entering the job market: Be humble, and be hungry. A lot of newly graduates think they are automatically entitled to good jobs. I see a lot of newly grads that say something like "I want to have a job with great benefits, pay at least this much per year, and it has to be within 20 miles of my house." Guess what...aside from your degree, you have nothing to offer. If you need to drive farther than you would prefer, or work odd shifts to get a job in your field...do it. Do the job to the best of your ability and take nothing for granted, even if the job may not pay as much as you want.
Job offer negotiation: Never take the initial offer, even if it is what you want. The worst they can say is no. However, don't be greedy and demand an outragious amount. Know what is the competitive rate for your job and go off that.
Keep friends and coworkers seperate. No matter how close you become with your coworkers, acknowledge them just as that. And if you are looking for a new job, do not tell anyone. I was in a unique work situation where I worked with 2 friends from my program at my former employer. We were all looking for a new job that would pay more, but one of the 'friends' told the big boss that I was looking for a new job. I got on his radar and was slowly written up. I was on the verge of getting canned before I put my two weeks in when I secured a better job. There is also no set rule as to how long you should stay at your first job. It can be 3 months, it can be 3 years. When an opportunity shows up, you need to go grab it. At the end of the day, you need to look out for yourself, but remain friendly and humble to your coworkers. If the company needs to restructure, and cut you...they will do it in a heartbeat. Don't fall in love with being at one job for a long time without getting a raise or promotion, especially earlier on in your career. When you are older, with a family..it's a different situation because you are not as mobile.
I will post a part 2 later tonight.
Part II:
The interviewing/job hunting process: It is imperative that you have a respectable email address. Emails such as JohnSmith@gmail.com and jane.jones@ucla.edu are fine. You don't want to submit a resume or inquiry a job with your old email of Johnsoicyburr@gmail.com.
Having a nicely written cover letter can be very impressive. To do this, you need to research on the company, its history, and things that will make you stand out from the other generic cover letters that simply replace the firm's name from the last firm.
Also remember to use proper grammar and be polite when sending out emails or phone calls. At my former job, I was involved in hiring a couple of associates to work under me. I just wanted newly graduates with no experience. I could teach them the skills. I reached out to my professors at the program and told them to have the kids email me.
Some of the emails were something like:
"hey man, i heard about the job from professor xxxxx. i'm getting the degree in a couple of weeks. let me know where i go from here. thx."
Those emails were erased automatically. Also, some of them acted like they were the most qualified candidates in the world and wanted to make 6 figure off the bat. I had a hard time filling out spots at the $45k/year salary I was allowed to offer. Again, these jobs were for anyone for the taking as long as they did OK in the interviews and will be getting the degree soon.
RE: Not hiring you over a couple of grand, and going with the next candidate. That's unlikely. When a spot is vacant, the whole team is hurting because everyone is working extra hard to get that missing person's job done. They pick the top candidate because of multiple variables: competency, intelligence, ability to mesh with the firm's culture among other things. From corporate's point of view: it is highly wasteful for me to hire the second candidate to save the extra $5k that the top candidate wants, having the second candidate work through the 90 day probation period, and risking the probability that the candidate is incoherent and you may need to find someone else. The intrinsic value is that the lost time, which does not exactly translate to money. The company did that once. They hired a second in line manager, and the guy got axed within 90 days because he was irresponsible, and rude to his employees.
Dress to impress when going to job interview, but know that you actually need to know what you're talking about. Example: I interviewed 3 candidates back to back to back. 2 came in suits, 1 came in chinos and dress shirt. I turned down the suits, and hired the last guy because he was best fitted for the job. More than likely, you will be asked questions that will make you think on your feet. There are no right or wrong answers, but we just want to hear/see your thought process. And for the technical questions that you don't know the answer to, just simply say I don't know the answer at the moment, but I can research and get back to you. I asked a candidate a pretty technical question, and he said the same thing..which impressed me. Except he never got back to me, so he never got the job. Had he send me an email or give me a call, the job would've been his. Also, speak confidently, and don't say things like "umm". Also, never badmouth your employer. I made this mistake and it was why I was not hired at ESPN. If asked "aren't you happy with your current employer?", you need to stay humble and say something like "I really like the place, but I feel like I need to move on to continue to grow in the field".
FYI: I never wore a suit to the interviews at my first job because I didn't have any. I went in a vest, dress shirt, tie, and chinos. As long as you look presentable and not like you just woke up, you will be fine.
The sky is the limit: As corny as this sounds...if there is one country to be rich/successful in...it's the USA. You have homeless people becoming millionaires, felons becoming millionaires. We don't know how easy we have it in this country. This is why half of the world wants to immigrate here. I recently met a former homeless through a professor of mine He slept on a bench at the local park for nearly 15 years. He is now a multimillionaire. I'm not saying everyone can be him, but I'm saying the chance in this country is a whole lot higher than any other country. This brings me to the next point...you need to hang out with like minded individuals. If you have an entrepreneurship state of mind, you need to find folks who can bounce ideas off of, and give you feedback. You probably will not want to hang out with people who are doing nothing with their lives because they will just put you down and offer nothing constructive.
While at work: Filter what you say to your coworkers period. Don't crack a racial joke that you would do on NT. Be nice, and friendly, but monitor what you say. Things can turn around on you and get ugly real quick. Also, don't get on the wrong foot with Human Resources. If HR wants you to get fired, you will eventually get fired. I've seen this done to many many people.
Always expand your network. Keep in touch with respected professors and classmates, you never know when they can help you or vice versa. Example: There were 4 companies that gave me job offers in December. I took one and gave the other 3 contacts to my friends, who nearly had the same background and degrees as me. Two of them got hired.
Always look at the glass as half full, not empty: Even when the job sucks, you can always learn from it. Another example: My former job was nothing like I've ever seen before. I would say 95% of the workforce did not speak English, and management were more or less like grown up kids. A lot of people looked at me funny because I was the young gun with a master's, while most had no degrees. I got physically threatened by the rough neck employees, and I got countered with smart remarks like "I've been working here longer than you've been alive, kid. Why should I listen to you?"
The pro is that I learned how to treat my employees right, which is important if you want to go into management.
Set short term goals for yourself to reach the long term goal. I always hear goals like "I want to be rich by the time I turn 35". When asked "how do you plan on getting there?", no one can formulate an answer. Be realistic with your goal. Short term goals would be like "I want to get my bachelor's in 4 years". You then break down the steps on how to get there, ie I know more GEs are required so I probably need to take summer courses.
Money is not everything. Some people just want to be well off, live comfortably, and able to enjoy life. You need to figure where is your happy median. Know that if you want to become affluent, you will probably put more work in the typical 40 hours a week, so be prepared for it. I have friends who think I'm crazy and superficial because of my goal. But I'm willing to push myself to see if I can make it. These friends are happy making their 75-85k a year doing the 9-5 gig and have social life and such. You need to find the right lifestyle that fits your needs.
Make a mission statement for yourself. If you look at any company, they would have a mission statement of some sort. Some are simple, some are complex. A mission statement is suppose to tell what your purpose is. Everyone here has a purpose. My professor told me to make a mission statement for myself about 3 years ago. I still follow through it to this day. Mine is pretty straight forward. It's "to better myself in all possible aspects."
This is personal, but I follow this rule: Be kind. Be humble. However, always have a plan to take out the competition". Always be a kind and caring person, but don't let anyone mistake that for weakness.
Part III:
I basically grew up on NT so I felt that it was my duty to come back to share with my young dudes in here. I was on here before I knew how to drive and member "damn its me" would have to give me rides to go buy Nikes.
College life: Your undergraduate years should be the best time of your life. You're not a kid anymore, yet you're not a full grown up. My advice would be to study hard and party hard. Enjoy these years because when real life starts, you don't get summer/winter/spring breaks anymore. You get your 2 weeks of paid off time and that's it. It would be foolish for me to advise you guys to study 24/7 because: A) you probably won't do it, and B) I don't think that is what college is fully about. The earlier years will be easier because of your GEs so you can slack off more. This is exactly what I did. I didn't go to classes on a regular basis, and still had a sub 3.0 GPA...which was OK. I thought I could turn it on/off when the tests come. It only worked for the GEs. It killed me severely in the more challenging courses pertaining to my major. It took me 6 years to get my BS because I lost a year due to screwing around and had to retake classes, and another year because I switched majors. DO NOT let your GPA slide down to the point where you're on probation. I think you need at least a 2.0 GPA to be in the clear, but even then...it's pretty low. I was down to a 2.2 GPA, and it took me 2 years to climb up to a 2.98 GPA. I wanted to break even at 3.0 GPA before I walked for the BS, but it didn't happened.
There are different types of kids that I see emerge from colleges...from all sorts of colleges, best and no name ones. I see kids who are extremely focused, these are 21-22 years old with their own websites that show the resume, link to their LinkedIn account, letters of recommendation, etc. I also see kids who are at a lost after getting their bachelor's because they went to school just because. A local barista at a Starbucks has a BA in History from USC and is making $12/hour because she couldn't find a job in the field. She majored in that field because it was easy. She owes a crap load of money on the tuition, and doesn't really have interest in obtaining a job in the field she majored in. Don't go this route.
Social media: It is extremely important to monitor what you say/post. Employers look at this all the time, especially for prospects they think they may hire. I had a coworker getting fired because of this. He called out sick on a Friday. He posted up pictures of him partying on Friday night a couple of days later. He is friends with a couple of folks from the firm...one is his manager. Personally, I don't have anyone at work in my social media setting. I don't even hang out with them because you never know what may happen. It can very well turn into a he say she say situation.
Be loyal to yourself: No matter how much you love the company, know that it is business, if they can cut cost by letting you go..they will. Always keep in touch with friends in the field and know of the current pay in your position. If you feel you are underpaid, start looking.
If you start getting corrective actions for whatever reason: start looking for a new job. Like I said before, if they want you to get fired, you will. I was clueless as to why I was getting corrective actions. I used to go all in for my former employer. I started getting written up for very small things, such as being late 10 mins, taking more than 30 mins lunch. Not that I was the only one who did this, but no one else got called out for it. I was on my final, when I found out what happened. I accidentally got CC'd in on an email that discussed the planning of my replacement. I worked with a couple of friends from college so our office was like a dorm room. We were all looking for a new job because we had pretty much stayed for a year and knew we were not getting a raise. One of the friends told on me so the management team wanted to replace me before I can quit so that way my position would not be interrupted. If I quit before they can cut me loose, someone else would have to do my job and pick up my slack. Again, the point of the story is to never tell anyone at work when you are looking for a new job. And when you start getting written up when you know you did nothing wrong...start looking for a new place to work.
You will make mistakes, learn from them. You will be fresh out of school. Mistakes will be made, just learn from them. We need to fall a few times before we can walk. Try not to take it personally. Sometimes it's hard when your manager is ripping you a new one, but the stress is not worth it. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Apologize when necessary so you don't seem like a hard head. Personally, I don't take my work with me when I leave. I just leave that stuff at the door. I only do work stuff when I'm not in the office when it's an emergency and I get a call on my work phone...part of being on call 24/7.
I know I have already mentioned this...but stay hungry for your first job. My first job, I got within 2 weeks of looking. Not too many people wanted it because it was a swing shift job, 2-11PM. I loved it. I woke up when I felt like it, I was able to do my errands in the early morning with no traffic/crowding. And when I drove home, there was no traffic. I eventually covered all shifts, morning (6AM-3PM) and graveyard (10PM-7AM). You guys will be young, you have the energy to go for jobs that others may not because of whatever reason, ie family.
Also, if your first employer is a crappy one...don't be discouraged. Simply suck it up and go to work, while you look around for other opportunities. A lot of firms out there suck, and that's a fact. Don't feel like you're alone on this one because you are definitely not. I was sending dozens of resumes daily during the time from my first corrective action.
Also, another tip regarding the interviewing process. We know that you probably sent resumes to the first 15-20 pages on Monster.com and other sites of that nature. But when you are asked "why are you interested in this company?"...make sure you have an answer they want to hear. Say something like "I want to work for ABC firm because I know you guys are among the top performers in this field. Furthermore, I know you have branches in over 20 countries, which shows you are a global brand." Before you go in for your interview, make sure you look up history on the company first and do your homework.
Follow your dream, my bros. There is no such thing as a stupid idea. I really like the program I'm in because most of my professors were born out of this country and they all have very inspiring stories to tell. It is quite uplifting and is something NT can use I think. There is no such thing as a dead end job, just a dead end state of mind.
EDIT: Part III posted on page 4.
EDIT on 12/15/13: I have put all parts on the first page for those who wants to read the whole thing continuously.
For what it is worth, I'm posting up my thoughts through my own experience and from debates and opinions of those I value. If this thread can somehow help out one member, it's done its job.
I've been on NT since the 9th grade or so in the early 2000s, but didn't registered until a year later. I'm now 26 years old and about to wrap up my 2nd master's program. I learned a lot throughout the last several years and even though I'm not that old, if I can go back to 2003 when I started my undergrad career, I would've done a lot of things differently.
To those who are just starting the university journey: major in something you like, don't do it purely for the money because you will have a miserable time doing what it is you plan to do. If you are great at whatever it is you're doing, the money will follow. College is suppose to be the best time of your life. Enjoy it, but at the same time, make sure you're on your game with your school work. Pick up internships. Don't spend valuable summers doing nothing productive. A lot of my friends, myself included, were set on being doctors, lawyers, etc. fresh out of high school. The real life experience through internships changed that train of thought.
If you realize that you want to switch major to something you truly want to do and would require more time to earn that major...do it even if it will take you a bit longer.
If you are not attending a top tier college, don't be discouraged. I fell in this bracket. I attended state universities, and thought I would be outlooked by those who went to higher ranking schools. Aside from a few companies like Google that hire exclusively from that tiet of schools, you will be fine. I know a lot of bright people who graduated from no name schools, and conversely, I know a lot of dummies who got degrees from ivy league schools. Sooner or later, your experience will outweigh your school's reputation.
Entering the job market: Be humble, and be hungry. A lot of newly graduates think they are automatically entitled to good jobs. I see a lot of newly grads that say something like "I want to have a job with great benefits, pay at least this much per year, and it has to be within 20 miles of my house." Guess what...aside from your degree, you have nothing to offer. If you need to drive farther than you would prefer, or work odd shifts to get a job in your field...do it. Do the job to the best of your ability and take nothing for granted, even if the job may not pay as much as you want.
Job offer negotiation: Never take the initial offer, even if it is what you want. The worst they can say is no. However, don't be greedy and demand an outragious amount. Know what is the competitive rate for your job and go off that.
Keep friends and coworkers seperate. No matter how close you become with your coworkers, acknowledge them just as that. And if you are looking for a new job, do not tell anyone. I was in a unique work situation where I worked with 2 friends from my program at my former employer. We were all looking for a new job that would pay more, but one of the 'friends' told the big boss that I was looking for a new job. I got on his radar and was slowly written up. I was on the verge of getting canned before I put my two weeks in when I secured a better job. There is also no set rule as to how long you should stay at your first job. It can be 3 months, it can be 3 years. When an opportunity shows up, you need to go grab it. At the end of the day, you need to look out for yourself, but remain friendly and humble to your coworkers. If the company needs to restructure, and cut you...they will do it in a heartbeat. Don't fall in love with being at one job for a long time without getting a raise or promotion, especially earlier on in your career. When you are older, with a family..it's a different situation because you are not as mobile.
I will post a part 2 later tonight.
Part II:
The interviewing/job hunting process: It is imperative that you have a respectable email address. Emails such as JohnSmith@gmail.com and jane.jones@ucla.edu are fine. You don't want to submit a resume or inquiry a job with your old email of Johnsoicyburr@gmail.com.
Having a nicely written cover letter can be very impressive. To do this, you need to research on the company, its history, and things that will make you stand out from the other generic cover letters that simply replace the firm's name from the last firm.
Also remember to use proper grammar and be polite when sending out emails or phone calls. At my former job, I was involved in hiring a couple of associates to work under me. I just wanted newly graduates with no experience. I could teach them the skills. I reached out to my professors at the program and told them to have the kids email me.
Some of the emails were something like:
"hey man, i heard about the job from professor xxxxx. i'm getting the degree in a couple of weeks. let me know where i go from here. thx."
Those emails were erased automatically. Also, some of them acted like they were the most qualified candidates in the world and wanted to make 6 figure off the bat. I had a hard time filling out spots at the $45k/year salary I was allowed to offer. Again, these jobs were for anyone for the taking as long as they did OK in the interviews and will be getting the degree soon.
RE: Not hiring you over a couple of grand, and going with the next candidate. That's unlikely. When a spot is vacant, the whole team is hurting because everyone is working extra hard to get that missing person's job done. They pick the top candidate because of multiple variables: competency, intelligence, ability to mesh with the firm's culture among other things. From corporate's point of view: it is highly wasteful for me to hire the second candidate to save the extra $5k that the top candidate wants, having the second candidate work through the 90 day probation period, and risking the probability that the candidate is incoherent and you may need to find someone else. The intrinsic value is that the lost time, which does not exactly translate to money. The company did that once. They hired a second in line manager, and the guy got axed within 90 days because he was irresponsible, and rude to his employees.
Dress to impress when going to job interview, but know that you actually need to know what you're talking about. Example: I interviewed 3 candidates back to back to back. 2 came in suits, 1 came in chinos and dress shirt. I turned down the suits, and hired the last guy because he was best fitted for the job. More than likely, you will be asked questions that will make you think on your feet. There are no right or wrong answers, but we just want to hear/see your thought process. And for the technical questions that you don't know the answer to, just simply say I don't know the answer at the moment, but I can research and get back to you. I asked a candidate a pretty technical question, and he said the same thing..which impressed me. Except he never got back to me, so he never got the job. Had he send me an email or give me a call, the job would've been his. Also, speak confidently, and don't say things like "umm". Also, never badmouth your employer. I made this mistake and it was why I was not hired at ESPN. If asked "aren't you happy with your current employer?", you need to stay humble and say something like "I really like the place, but I feel like I need to move on to continue to grow in the field".
FYI: I never wore a suit to the interviews at my first job because I didn't have any. I went in a vest, dress shirt, tie, and chinos. As long as you look presentable and not like you just woke up, you will be fine.
The sky is the limit: As corny as this sounds...if there is one country to be rich/successful in...it's the USA. You have homeless people becoming millionaires, felons becoming millionaires. We don't know how easy we have it in this country. This is why half of the world wants to immigrate here. I recently met a former homeless through a professor of mine He slept on a bench at the local park for nearly 15 years. He is now a multimillionaire. I'm not saying everyone can be him, but I'm saying the chance in this country is a whole lot higher than any other country. This brings me to the next point...you need to hang out with like minded individuals. If you have an entrepreneurship state of mind, you need to find folks who can bounce ideas off of, and give you feedback. You probably will not want to hang out with people who are doing nothing with their lives because they will just put you down and offer nothing constructive.
While at work: Filter what you say to your coworkers period. Don't crack a racial joke that you would do on NT. Be nice, and friendly, but monitor what you say. Things can turn around on you and get ugly real quick. Also, don't get on the wrong foot with Human Resources. If HR wants you to get fired, you will eventually get fired. I've seen this done to many many people.
Always expand your network. Keep in touch with respected professors and classmates, you never know when they can help you or vice versa. Example: There were 4 companies that gave me job offers in December. I took one and gave the other 3 contacts to my friends, who nearly had the same background and degrees as me. Two of them got hired.
Always look at the glass as half full, not empty: Even when the job sucks, you can always learn from it. Another example: My former job was nothing like I've ever seen before. I would say 95% of the workforce did not speak English, and management were more or less like grown up kids. A lot of people looked at me funny because I was the young gun with a master's, while most had no degrees. I got physically threatened by the rough neck employees, and I got countered with smart remarks like "I've been working here longer than you've been alive, kid. Why should I listen to you?"
The pro is that I learned how to treat my employees right, which is important if you want to go into management.
Set short term goals for yourself to reach the long term goal. I always hear goals like "I want to be rich by the time I turn 35". When asked "how do you plan on getting there?", no one can formulate an answer. Be realistic with your goal. Short term goals would be like "I want to get my bachelor's in 4 years". You then break down the steps on how to get there, ie I know more GEs are required so I probably need to take summer courses.
Money is not everything. Some people just want to be well off, live comfortably, and able to enjoy life. You need to figure where is your happy median. Know that if you want to become affluent, you will probably put more work in the typical 40 hours a week, so be prepared for it. I have friends who think I'm crazy and superficial because of my goal. But I'm willing to push myself to see if I can make it. These friends are happy making their 75-85k a year doing the 9-5 gig and have social life and such. You need to find the right lifestyle that fits your needs.
Make a mission statement for yourself. If you look at any company, they would have a mission statement of some sort. Some are simple, some are complex. A mission statement is suppose to tell what your purpose is. Everyone here has a purpose. My professor told me to make a mission statement for myself about 3 years ago. I still follow through it to this day. Mine is pretty straight forward. It's "to better myself in all possible aspects."
This is personal, but I follow this rule: Be kind. Be humble. However, always have a plan to take out the competition". Always be a kind and caring person, but don't let anyone mistake that for weakness.
Part III:
I basically grew up on NT so I felt that it was my duty to come back to share with my young dudes in here. I was on here before I knew how to drive and member "damn its me" would have to give me rides to go buy Nikes.
College life: Your undergraduate years should be the best time of your life. You're not a kid anymore, yet you're not a full grown up. My advice would be to study hard and party hard. Enjoy these years because when real life starts, you don't get summer/winter/spring breaks anymore. You get your 2 weeks of paid off time and that's it. It would be foolish for me to advise you guys to study 24/7 because: A) you probably won't do it, and B) I don't think that is what college is fully about. The earlier years will be easier because of your GEs so you can slack off more. This is exactly what I did. I didn't go to classes on a regular basis, and still had a sub 3.0 GPA...which was OK. I thought I could turn it on/off when the tests come. It only worked for the GEs. It killed me severely in the more challenging courses pertaining to my major. It took me 6 years to get my BS because I lost a year due to screwing around and had to retake classes, and another year because I switched majors. DO NOT let your GPA slide down to the point where you're on probation. I think you need at least a 2.0 GPA to be in the clear, but even then...it's pretty low. I was down to a 2.2 GPA, and it took me 2 years to climb up to a 2.98 GPA. I wanted to break even at 3.0 GPA before I walked for the BS, but it didn't happened.
There are different types of kids that I see emerge from colleges...from all sorts of colleges, best and no name ones. I see kids who are extremely focused, these are 21-22 years old with their own websites that show the resume, link to their LinkedIn account, letters of recommendation, etc. I also see kids who are at a lost after getting their bachelor's because they went to school just because. A local barista at a Starbucks has a BA in History from USC and is making $12/hour because she couldn't find a job in the field. She majored in that field because it was easy. She owes a crap load of money on the tuition, and doesn't really have interest in obtaining a job in the field she majored in. Don't go this route.
Social media: It is extremely important to monitor what you say/post. Employers look at this all the time, especially for prospects they think they may hire. I had a coworker getting fired because of this. He called out sick on a Friday. He posted up pictures of him partying on Friday night a couple of days later. He is friends with a couple of folks from the firm...one is his manager. Personally, I don't have anyone at work in my social media setting. I don't even hang out with them because you never know what may happen. It can very well turn into a he say she say situation.
Be loyal to yourself: No matter how much you love the company, know that it is business, if they can cut cost by letting you go..they will. Always keep in touch with friends in the field and know of the current pay in your position. If you feel you are underpaid, start looking.
If you start getting corrective actions for whatever reason: start looking for a new job. Like I said before, if they want you to get fired, you will. I was clueless as to why I was getting corrective actions. I used to go all in for my former employer. I started getting written up for very small things, such as being late 10 mins, taking more than 30 mins lunch. Not that I was the only one who did this, but no one else got called out for it. I was on my final, when I found out what happened. I accidentally got CC'd in on an email that discussed the planning of my replacement. I worked with a couple of friends from college so our office was like a dorm room. We were all looking for a new job because we had pretty much stayed for a year and knew we were not getting a raise. One of the friends told on me so the management team wanted to replace me before I can quit so that way my position would not be interrupted. If I quit before they can cut me loose, someone else would have to do my job and pick up my slack. Again, the point of the story is to never tell anyone at work when you are looking for a new job. And when you start getting written up when you know you did nothing wrong...start looking for a new place to work.
You will make mistakes, learn from them. You will be fresh out of school. Mistakes will be made, just learn from them. We need to fall a few times before we can walk. Try not to take it personally. Sometimes it's hard when your manager is ripping you a new one, but the stress is not worth it. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Apologize when necessary so you don't seem like a hard head. Personally, I don't take my work with me when I leave. I just leave that stuff at the door. I only do work stuff when I'm not in the office when it's an emergency and I get a call on my work phone...part of being on call 24/7.
I know I have already mentioned this...but stay hungry for your first job. My first job, I got within 2 weeks of looking. Not too many people wanted it because it was a swing shift job, 2-11PM. I loved it. I woke up when I felt like it, I was able to do my errands in the early morning with no traffic/crowding. And when I drove home, there was no traffic. I eventually covered all shifts, morning (6AM-3PM) and graveyard (10PM-7AM). You guys will be young, you have the energy to go for jobs that others may not because of whatever reason, ie family.
Also, if your first employer is a crappy one...don't be discouraged. Simply suck it up and go to work, while you look around for other opportunities. A lot of firms out there suck, and that's a fact. Don't feel like you're alone on this one because you are definitely not. I was sending dozens of resumes daily during the time from my first corrective action.
Also, another tip regarding the interviewing process. We know that you probably sent resumes to the first 15-20 pages on Monster.com and other sites of that nature. But when you are asked "why are you interested in this company?"...make sure you have an answer they want to hear. Say something like "I want to work for ABC firm because I know you guys are among the top performers in this field. Furthermore, I know you have branches in over 20 countries, which shows you are a global brand." Before you go in for your interview, make sure you look up history on the company first and do your homework.
Follow your dream, my bros. There is no such thing as a stupid idea. I really like the program I'm in because most of my professors were born out of this country and they all have very inspiring stories to tell. It is quite uplifting and is something NT can use I think. There is no such thing as a dead end job, just a dead end state of mind.
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