Jobs: Post Cal Poly Pomona

Greetings! I am an Alumni from Cal Poly Pomona, also known as Cow Poly Pomona. I graduated back in June 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration, emphasize in Marketing Management and International Business and I was ready to be a slave for corporate America. I was confident that I was not going to be like previous graduates that took months to find a job. And why shouldn’t I be confident? I had participated in multiple student organizations and held executive positions, I obtained the Dean’s Honor List, studied abroad, and had some work experience from a part time job. Before my job search, I had a long list of criteria for my first job ever out of college. What was I seeking? A rewarding entry-level job from a presitage and respectful Fortune 500 company, starting salary of $45k/year, a position related to my educational background, and great benefits! Soon enough, a few weeks after graduation, I hit the pavement in search for the ultimate job. I was approached from several family members and friends about certain job opportunities through their companies, but at that time, I was ignorant and wanted to do this ON MY OWN. Unfortunately, days turned into weeks and weeks into months. Sure, I have been on interviews and was offered several positions, but because of my ego, I felt that I could have done better. Fall came around and I figured the job market was terrible due to the holidays, so I thought 2008 would be a better time to start applying again. So, I took a break and enjoyed the season.

2009 arrived and I was ready to start my search again. This time, I was sure that my luck has come around. However, like many graduates, I had continued difficulties landing an entry level position.  Most of the time, even the entry level positions required years of experience, which is something I DID NOT HAVE. As time progressed, the criterias of my first job ever out of college had slowly deteriorated. I was not looking for an Entry-Level Marketing position, making $45k/year, with great benefits. Instead, I found myself applying for assistant positions and internships with salaries of $30k/year, all through craigslist. I soon became dissappointed in myself.

In April, I received a call from a friend that offered me a great job opportunity. This time around, I did not want to be ignorant and I had decided to take my friend up on that offer. Fortunately, this new job was from a well established organization and I will be receiving my goal salary, if not more. Sure, this is not the way I wanted to find my job, but the job growth opportunities within this company is excellent, I would be an idiot if I had turned this opportunity away. Six months later, I am still very appreciative to have this job. I am learning and growing everyday with my surrounding colleagues, job responsibilities and environment.

Looking back, I have realized that many opportunities were presented to me; however, I did not utilize them to my advantage. Recently, many of my college friends from Cal Poly Pomona graduated and I had often reminded them of my job search experience. Some took my advice to heart and some repeated my past mistakes, in which many of them are still looking for positions in this job market. Therefore, I had an idea of composing articles related to the current job market, hoping that readers will benefit from my compilations.  As time progresses, I will update my blogs as I continue my never ending job search post Cal Poly Pomona.