need job advice

[c_carol]

(This is my first time starting a thread, so I hope I don't mess it up. May the hamsters be kind!)

I need help. I've been out of work for almost a year, and I can't stand it anymore. I'm hoping that some of you can help me figure out what I'm doing wrong and what I need to do next. Here's the situation:

I went to college with no idea of what I wanted to do. I took a C++ class for the basic computer requirement (it sounded more interesting than the computer-literacy class most people took). I found out that I liked programming and seemed to have a knack for it, and since I had run out of time to delay choosing a major, I sort of stumbled into Computer Science. I took as few elective CS classes as I could get away with, so that I could graduate before my scholarship money ran out. The end result: I have a lovely B.S. Computer Sci degree (with a very respectable GPA), and virtually no practical skills to go with it. Nothing that seems to be marketable, anyway.

After working a while in a non-computer job, I did manage to get a programming job. Unfortunately, the language I learned there was company-specific, so my work experience isn't very ... portable. Even more unfortunately, I got canned after nine months, through a complicated combination of mismanagement on their part and stupidity and inexperience on mine.

Since then, I've been looking for a job and not finding one. Ten months of nothing. So what do I do now? Keep plugging away at it? Try a different approach to job hunting? (Like what?) Go to grad school? Take certification classes? Give up on computers and go into a different field? (Which one? No, really, how do people figure out what to be when they grow up?) Resign myself to a life of burger-flipping? Somebody out there has to be able to advise me. Help!

[DeadlyAccurate]

Is relocation a possibility? It could be that the area you're in has fewer opportunities for computer jobs. Have you considered Austin or Dallas, TX or California? I can't tell if you're an American, so these may be unreasonable. Check out http://www.computerjobs.com. Also, showing enthusiasm in the interview goes a long way towards getting you a job, even if you don't have the experience. That's how my husband got his first job, as a research analyst (programming VBA in MS Office) despite having a psychology degree and only a minor in computer information systems.

I wish you the best of luck. I had a friend who was out of a job for months.

[dantheman]

This might not be the best job economy, but it seems to me that there's still quite a need for computer programmers. There's another site, dice.com, that deals with technical jobs, and having C++ certification is a huge plus (no pun intended).

Since you've invested so much time and money into this field, it might not be a good idea to venture into other pastures - yet.

[welby]

How's your resume? Have you had someone with either work experience or hiring experience go over it? What about your cover letters? Are they well edited and well written? Have you garnered any interviews at all? If so, how did they go? Do you follow up after applying?

Job seeking is a proactive task. You can't hurl a bunch of resumes out there and expect a multitude of phone calls just because you're you. You should follow up every resume with a phone call a few days leter to verify they recieved it. This actually saved my butt once, because the personnel department misplaced my resume, so I resent it and wound up getting the job.

Be active, treat your job search like a job itself, and apply for anything you're remotely qualified for. You can determine if you can handle the position during the interview. Be honest with yourself though, don't jump at a job offer if you can't do the job.

[istara]

Have you also tried specialist agencies?

I think continued training is a great idea too.

Another is work experience - I know that you already have worked, but you can always do work placements to gain new skills for free, then the chances are that company might give you a paid job since they know you.

[c_carol]

Thanks for the replies, everybody.

I'd like to stay in North Carolina if at all possible. I've looked at lots of the online job sites, and almost all the jobs posted there want at least a year or two of experience and/or Microsoft certifications. I have had a couple of interviews, and I thought I did OK at them, but nothing came of them. I never have quite mastered the art of the cover letter, so that could be one of my problems. And I probably should do more followup -- at worst, I'd get definite "no"s instead of just being ignored. Thanks again, folks, I guess I won't give up hope yet.