Is it easy to get a job with a master's degree....

[ok]

...and no work experience? I just graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer engineering and I just cant find a job in my field. Every employer is looking for years of work experience in specific areas, even entry level positions. I don't have experience in a technical field because i am just coming from school. I've been admitted to graduate school and starting my masters in fall. Do you think this is a wise decision? When I complete my masters and have no experience in this field, will i be able to get a job?

[FPEPro]

ok

Depends on the country you are in. In some countries advanced studies can take the place of "some" experience. This is fairly common in the States. Especially amongst government employment. The US government is kind of strange about this topic. They will often hire a Masters degree holder over a lightly experience bachelors holder. That's good for people like yourself, but is completely opposite to most of the industry. Experience is usually the number one hiring credential for most companies. And you have to also consider that if the job doesn't really require a Masters degree, then why would a company hire a more expensive Masters degree holder when they could get a cheaper guy with a bachelors? That's the big question you must answer before going to grad school. How will you market it, so you are worth the investment to a firm?

I really feel every college should make marketing a requirement for any degree. You need to know how to market yourself. You must be part Salesman and part Engineer, and sell yourself to clients. This is a subject that so few Engineers understand well.



Chris

[AvifromAUT]

thanks chris! I've been wondering the same thing for the past few days. I might take you up on that marketing advice, I have three paper slots for electives that I need to fill.

[jonwachob]

Maybe looking for a job isn't the right approach. The recent grads that I see get hired the quickest are those that have interships under their belt. Those that skip internships and only focus on school tend to have a long uphill battle that they will probably not win.

In the US it is common to start interning 8-10 hours a week in the Junior year at some pretty awesome companies (Lockheed, Boeing, Northrup, Siemens, etc) and then after 2 semesters (over the summer) they work 40 hours, and then at the start of their senior year you are usually working 20 hours a week at one of those companies. But I also go to school in Orlando which has a very strong engineering community, so I'm not sure if it is like that everywhere else in the country.

My suggestion is to look for an internship and go from there