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Post-College Job Progression/History

post #1 of 10
11/13/09 at 1:58am
Thread Starter 
Out of curiosity, how did you get to where you are today? What jobs did you hold before your current position? Did you take any risks or did you "play it safe?"
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post #2 of 10
11/13/09 at 9:25am
Graduated with a degree that saw me double major in public relations and electronic business. Interned at a publicity firm in Adelaide during final year of study. Hired by a PR firm as a Jnr Account Manager in Melbourne. Promoted to Account Manager. Offered role as Account Director in Singapore. Promoted to Regional Account Director.. Promoted to Regional Business Development Manager as an additional responsibility on top of my account role. Traveled too much. Approached to found and be MD of a Vietnam office of a different PR firm. Still here.
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post #3 of 10
11/13/09 at 11:17am
1. Double majored in economics and international studies concentrating in international political economy. Drank my way through college and had the mediocre grades to show for it.
2. However, aced the right courses (upper level economics and political science classes), studied abroad, more or less knew what I wanted from the get go.
3. Lucked into government consulting job right after college (luck as in it was the only offer I ever got - Thanks Monster!). Kicked ass while there though I hated life for 24 out of the 29 months I was there. However got a ton of experience dealing with international business and domestic policy issues.
4. Plugged away at miserable US government applications until I interviewed and got my current position. I really don't know what they were thinking hiring me but I seem to be impressing the right folks. Anyway, just completed my first year.

PS - your question is a little odd. Why are "playing it safe" and "getting lucky" the only options? Aren't they a little similar?
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post #4 of 10
11/13/09 at 12:04pm
Attended college on an AFROTC scholarship, picking up a degree in criminology and a Commission in the USAF in the process. After graduation, while waiting to go on active duty, I was offered a position as Chief of Police for a local town's, nine man police force.
Entered active duty and served a bit more than 12 years, when I was presented with an opportunity to work in law enforcement on the civilian side of our Federal Govt. Transferred to the Air Force Reserve and became a full time civil servant.
Retired from the USAF Reserve, with 31 years of service
Retired from the US Civil Service with just short of 32 years service (included the 12 years of active military service I was able to pay into the CSRS, to include those years in my civil service retirement).

During my pre-retirement years, I worked as an adjunct and/or assistant professor at five different universities, that were collocated with where I happened to be stationed at the time. Since my retirement I have done a bit of consulting work in emergency management, worked as a substitute teacher for several of our local school districts; worked as a bookseller at Barnes & Nobles and done a good bit of community volunteer work. Otherwise, I am enjoying sitting back and just being a blight on society!
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post #5 of 10
11/13/09 at 2:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eagle View Post
Attended college on an AFROTC scholarship, picking up a degree in criminology and a Commission in the USAF in the process. After graduation, while waiting to go on active duty, I was offered a position as Chief of Police for a local town's, nine man police force.
Entered active duty and served a bit more than 12 years, when I was presented with an opportunity to work in law enforcement on the civilian side of our Federal Govt. Transferred to the Air Force Reserve and became a full time civil servant.
Retired from the USAF Reserve, with 31 years of service
Retired from the US Civil Service with just short of 32 years service (included the 12 years of active military service I was able to pay into the CSRS, to include those years in my civil service retirement).

During my pre-retirement years, I worked as an adjunct and/or assistant professor at five different universities, that were collocated with where I happened to be stationed at the time. Since my retirement I have done a bit of consulting work in emergency management, worked as a substitute teacher for several of our local school districts; worked as a bookseller at Barnes & Nobles and done a good bit of community volunteer work. Otherwise, I am enjoying sitting back and just being a blight on society!

32 years of service
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post #6 of 10
11/13/09 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eagle View Post
Retired from the USAF Reserve, with 31 years of service
Retired from the US Civil Service with just short of 32 years service (included the 12 years of active military service I was able to pay into the CSRS, to include those years in my civil service retirement).

Since my retirement I have done a bit of consulting work in emergency management, worked as a substitute teacher for several of our local school districts; worked as a bookseller at Barnes & Nobles and done a good bit of community volunteer work. Otherwise, I am enjoying sitting back and just being a blight on society!

Sounds like you are living the life my friend, way to go. Definitely Screw taking risks in our capitalist society.
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post #7 of 10
11/13/09 at 3:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eagle View Post
Attended college on an AFROTC scholarship, picking up a degree in criminology and a Commission in the USAF in the process. After graduation, while waiting to go on active duty, I was offered a position as Chief of Police for a local town's, nine man police force.
Entered active duty and served a bit more than 12 years, when I was presented with an opportunity to work in law enforcement on the civilian side of our Federal Govt. Transferred to the Air Force Reserve and became a full time civil servant.
Retired from the USAF Reserve, with 31 years of service
Retired from the US Civil Service with just short of 32 years service (included the 12 years of active military service I was able to pay into the CSRS, to include those years in my civil service retirement).

During my pre-retirement years, I worked as an adjunct and/or assistant professor at five different universities, that were collocated with where I happened to be stationed at the time. Since my retirement I have done a bit of consulting work in emergency management, worked as a substitute teacher for several of our local school districts; worked as a bookseller at Barnes & Nobles and done a good bit of community volunteer work. Otherwise, I am enjoying sitting back and just being a blight on society!

You are definitely no blight on society. Thanks for your service!
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post #8 of 10
11/13/09 at 4:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boston Tweed View Post
You are definitely no blight on society. Thanks for your service!

QFE. much appreciated, you are a good guy.
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post #9 of 10
11/14/09 at 4:48pm
  1. Jan 2005: Graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science.
  2. April 2005: Couldn't find a job, took a job from a temp agency doing customer service, making $12/hr.
  3. Applied to an internal position within the company for a QA Tester position, got rejected for someone with more experience.
  4. Jun 2006: Got let go from cust. service job for taking too may sick days.
  5. July 2006: Got a job from another temp agency doing 1st level tech support, making $14/hr.
  6. Sept 2007: Got fired for calling out on a Saturday (worked a swing shift).
  7. Oct 2007: Got a job from yet another temp agency doing 2nd level application support. $18/hr.
  8. May 2009: Got laid off.
  9. May-Sept 2009: Unemployed.
  10. Oct 2009: Found a job from, surprise, another temp agency, doing 2nd level application support (almost identical to my previous job.) $20/hr.
I guess you can say post-college was an epic fail.
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post #10 of 10
11/15/09 at 12:16am
Interesting thread and it's always something I like to ask people I work with as well. I like to find out the different paths that successful people take to get where they are.

For me (in Australia):

2004 - Graduated with honours degree in Commerce, applied for a lot of grad positions, unsuccessfully
2004/05 - Worked part time in medical clinic whilst still applying for grad roles
2006 - Determination paid off and I started on the 18 month graduate rotation program for a large financial services company
2007 - Got taken off the program after 15 months and offered a permanent role as a product development analyst
2009 - Got placed on a 6 month secondment to KL in our Asia Division to work on an M&A integration project
Now - Have just been offered a 2 year + 'permanent' extension to my stay in Asia
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