Hi Dopers! I have a few questions about the NYC Job Market. I am going to be graduating in December of 2004 and I have a few questions about that. Firstly I am not looking for something long term. I would like some kind of Job that allows me to live decently as a bachelor. However, I am kinda cheap, so I don’t think that will be so hard. I am not really in to “things” as others are, so I don’t expect any unusual expenses. I do need some help finding out what kind of job I can expect to get. So you know I will have graduated with a degree in International Studies and I will have lived in Germany for 16 months and Spain for 6 months, meaning that my skills in those languages are pretty good. I saw a job opportunity on Monster.com, and it is here
There was a pretty good looking one too, but it appears to have already been taken, but that’s quite a lot of money, isn’t it? how much is 35k to 45k for a bachelor living in a modest appartment somewhere? I assume that most of my contacts would be university-type people so I wouldn’t be living any kind of expensive lifestyle. What would rent typically be? I imagine about 1000 a month? It just seems strange that I could actually make THAT much money. I would most likely save almost all of it because I plan on going to graduate school somewhere in Europe later on.
I suppose my question is this: would my language skills make it this easy to get a job there? Should I post a resume although I haven’t graduated yet? I haven’t really had many accomplishments to brag about. I have done a lot of neat things, but nothing that is so easy to put down. I think that my time spent living in new culture without any help is commendable but how could I convey that in my resume? My real desire is to work for some kind of International non-profit orgainzation in NY. If I could work for the UN it would be a really good thing. How would I go about doing that?
I am not sure if I even want to live in NYC though. I was thinking about living in Madrid or possibly Berlin. Would language skills help me there too?
My language skills: I am not really sure how to define them. As an American, when someone says fluent, I tend to think that they have perfectly mastered the language. But if you see the way the word is used in other languages then is more of a litteral term having to do with speaking fluidly. I can certainly do that on a range of topics. I understand most of television and can understand about 95 percent of conversations. My speaking and writing are obviously not perfect but I get compliments all the time, and how it is unusual for an American to speak so well in such a small amount of time. I have done well on oral tests involving Politics. I don’t know every word, obviously, but I can usually describe what I need to say. So I suppose my question would be if my language skills will be a big factor in hiring me? I think I do well in interview situations and other high-pressure situations.
I am getting to the point where I am winding down my studies for a little while in order to take a break and hopefully have a little fun while trying to get a few career-building jobs. Paid internships would be good too, but I doubt that there’s too many of those available in my field.
Just one tip that might not be job-related, but NYC-related: you do not want to live in Manhattan unless you want 12 roommates. Look into New Jersey, Brooklyn, Queens, etc., if you want a halfway affordable rent.
I would consider $35- 40,000 the minimum you need to get by in New York. I realize people survive on less, but personally I need a few little comforts in life. I spend about $1,000/month on rent and $1,000 on other expenses, which would be leave nothing to save if you had an income of $35,000. Are you forgetting about taxes?
Those jobs are very very competitive. You may not be able to find an unpaid internship if you don’t already have a lot of experience. “Paid internship” is a contradiction. (This creates a screwed-up system in which only the children of the very wealthy are able to enter into these fields, but I shouldn’t go into that.) Even after you gain several years of experience you will need a lucky break to land a decent job. UN jobs are advertised here (you will find nothing you are remotely qualified for). A good source of non-profit job listings is Idealist.org.
Wow! I remember being in elementary school in the early 80’s and reading about $1000/month New York rents in my Weekly Reader. So rents in New York are only about $1000 today, too?
Just is just curiosity and sorry to deviate from the OP, but what do you get for $1000 month?
It’s probably worth sending the resume, but to be frank that doesn’t look like a “real” job. It looks like a mandated posting to keep an existing employee with a visa problem in his/her current job. It’s not uncommon – if you’ve got a person on an L-1 visa whom you like, you run an ad, summarily dismiss all the resumes as not sufficient for the position and award the job to your current guy.
As to your other questions, $35ish is about right for a liberal arts major with little or no finance background and no connections. And no, you can’t live on the island of Manhattan south of 96st St. on that without roommates. There are extensive roommate matching services and advertisements, though (craigslist.com is a popular example, though I’ve never used it and can’t vouch for it). And as mentioned, Jersey and the outer boroughs can also work, depending on where in the city you work and your tolerance for a commute.
Hehe, I kind of planned living with roomates. Maybe it would even be a good way to meet people. I am also open to living in other parts of Manhattan. I am not particularly too particular. But I am thinking about 1000 a month expenses. I am not so sure what could cost that much. I have been to grocery stores in NYC and the prices didn’t seem that much different. But I’ll take you guys word for it.
BTW, I REALLY appreciate the help guys, and give me any advice. Don’t worry about hurting my feelings or anything, because I need all the honest info I can get.
It’s not just for food; that $1,000 has to pay for everything. It’s hard to make a list of what that includes but think: shampoo, medicine, dentist, subway, occasional cab ride, drinks with friends, clothing, plane ticket to visit family, etc., etc. There is a thread in IMHO (where this one belongs as well, by the way) asking if you can survive on $1,000 /month in Salem, Oregon, which is almost exactly equivalent to earning $35,000 / year in New York.
Did you notice that it requires 5 years experience? This is not the kind of field where you going to get away with less. Odds are they’re getting applications from people who are overqualfied in the extreme.
Well, that information has helped a lot. And if the position was for people with 5 years experience, then there’s no way I could get that, obviously. But I don’t have problems working other places in the world. I would have about 8 months before I would want to begin work.
I suppose the appropriate question would be should I be looking for specific jobs, or should I simply be submitting my resume to several places? How would I go about picking the appropriate places.
You New Yorkers are so optimistic!
But honestly, not everyone in NYC is rich right? Is it honestly impossible for someone with a college education to go and get a job there? Should I give up any hope at all? I am not so particular what the job is, but I figured that my language skills would be the only advantage that I have, really. Maybe I’m being too optimistic.
And yes I suppose this is more of an IMHO OP, if a mod sees this please move it.
It’s not impossible, but very difficult to have a halfway-decent lifestyle, at least living in Manhattan (or even in many of the more attractive, easily commutable communities nearby). People who are already here benefit from having acquired their apartments in the past, either by buying one when they were much cheaper (my case) or by having found one that’s rent-stabilized (my boyfriend’s case). But rent-stabilized apartments are very hard to find - generally, you need connections to get one and as a newcomer you ain’t got those. I was in NY for five years before I finally got a rent-stabilized sublet, and that was nine years ago when the market was much easier. I bought my apt in 1997; I could never afford to buy where I now live. Hell, on my job (I went from law to publishing) I wouldn’t even be able to afford rent in my current apartment, which is a 450 s.f. studio and would easily go for about $2,000 a month market-rate.
As was said, you’re really better off getting a job in the city and living outside of it - I commute three hours each way, but I get the benefit of making NYC wages and living… well, ok I’m a bad example because I live in Fairfield County, CT but… it’s still cheaper than living in Manhattan would be. I make pretty decent money, but there’s no way I could afford to live here.
That said, don’t be too discouraged - I have a truly amazing job with a very large company, and I don’t have a degree, but I do have a strong background - even if you don’t notice it at first glance. All I am saying is, just because you might lack a paper here or there shouldn’t discourage you from trying out for something you feel you’re qualified for. Except for the listings that say “Those without experience X need not apply” - if they specifically state something as required, and you apply for it without meeting it, you’re just wasting your AND their time.
But that applies anywhere. My main point is, work in city good, live in city, expensive. There are a lot of choices outside the city that you can easily commute to, and still have all of NYC at your disposal whenever you want it.
