The Student's Expectation After Graduation

As a college student attending school full time and working part time I expect to one day have a rewarding financial career. However, something tells me I’m not the only college student with this perception of having a career in their study. Surely were not all going to be content with the jobs we receive after college. The sooner we understand the competitiveness of getting the jobs worth going through college, the sooner we can help better position ourselves now.  The NY York Times stated, “According to an Associated Press analysis of data from 2011, 53.6 percent of college graduates under the age of 25 were unemployed or, if they were lucky, merely underemployed, which means they were in jobs for which their degrees weren’t necessary.” The question I’m left repeating over and over in my head is how can I be part of the other 46.3% with a satisfying job? After doing some research on the web I found some tips that can help college students studying finance stand out to employers.

Discovering What They’re Expecting

Before we earn our bachelor degree in Finance, it’s important to make sure we are ready for what is expected of us in our career field. Check out Careers-in-Finance, this site asks you personal questions that can help discover if a finance career is right for you. This site mentions qualities that are important in this career. “The number one attribute most corporate employers are looking for is initiative. If you can give examples in interviews of situations where you did something plain useful even though no one asked you to, you will be a hot commodity.” Therefore, getting your desired job after college involves demonstrating your ambition to the interviewer. So take some time and organize your accomplishments that are worth mentioning in an interview, to show the employer your initiative. If you find yourself without many achievements that correlate to impressing an employer start planning tasks that will! For example, finance careers are highly connected with the current state of the economy, so being currently aware of what is happening could be something to become more knowledgeable about.  Even just reading daily financial articles, like CNN Money can help gain current knowledge and show an employer your desire to learn.  

Networking

According to Classes and Careers there are 1.75 million college graduates per year. Networking just might be the key to standing a part from that number. I hear people always say “Sometimes is all about who you know,” so spreading the word about yourself is important. With the internet people can network like never before. Sites like LinkedIn allow you to present yourself professionally in front of millions of people and companies. Establishing relationships through networking can help open job opportunities for yourself. Joining a networking site like LinkedIn helps you establish these relationships within you’re interested field. It also allows you to learn about different companies as there are more than 2.6 million company pages subscribed to LinkedIn. This is the time to start networking! For most of us that are still in college, staying in touch with classmates after we graduate is a great way to create job opportunities for us in the future. For example, in one year from now when I will be looking for a finance job I might know a fellow classmate working for a financial company that can help me get an interview. 

Experience

You don’t become a great basketball player by reading a bunch of books on basketball. You become a great basketball player by actually playing the sport (athletic ability helps too). A college degree is a great tool for companies to evaluate a possible employee. However, having actual experience in the field is a better tool to measure how good someone actually is in the field. Studying finance in college is helping me understand what the field is all about, yet there’s a definite line between studying and actually working in finance. Knowing that I needed to obtain some hands on experience, three months ago I started investing in the stock market. Ever since then I am constantly checking my stocks everyday and have become a lot more enthusiastic about finance. I encourage everyone who’s studying finance to start investing in the market. Even if all you can afford is one share of stock, it will encourage you to be more involved. This hand’s on experience can also impress an employer on your initiative during an interview.

The Burden of General Education Requirements at San Francisco State University

I graduated high school in the spring of 2009, wanting to attend college for the sole purpose of playing collegiate baseball. I didn't receive any scholarship opportunities, so I spent the summer of 2009 trying out for several different schools. It was one stressful summer, as all my friends had already committed to universities and spent their time partying. Yet I was in a race against time, deciding what school I should pick. It wasn't till early August that I decided to choose San Francisco State because I figured I had the best possible chance to be on the baseball team. I decided to declare business finance as my major because I enjoyed working with numbers and thought I'd find it interesting. I particularly didn't care much about what major I choose, I was just focused on baseball. I ended up making the team and played two years for the gators. However, throughout my first 2 years attending school it appeared choosing a major made no difference. All students, no matter your major, were required to take these general ed courses. I took classes that had nothing to do with my major. These general ed classes were required courses to obtain my finance degree, yet they had nothing to do with finance. So there I sat in my classrooms, trying to justify how these lectures on biology and the Renaissance era was going to help me excel in a finance career. I could not come up with any motivating explanation for me to pay attention in class. I choose a bachelor’s degree in Finance hoping to explore this field of business throughout my time at SF State. Instead, I was forced to waste half my time taking courses that were meaningless towards my pursued career.

It turns out I made the right decision choosing Finance as my major. Now in my senior year at SFSU the majority of my classes are in fact finance courses, which I have become very interested in. It was not until last year that I started taking finance related courses. Yet, I've been a full time student averaging about 15 units each semester since the spring of 2009. Therefore, I'm left baffled by the fact that it took me 6 semesters to find out if the major I choose was the right fit for me. This issue makes me skeptical about the values of higher education. Is requiring irrelevant courses just a way for schools to make more money, extending the duration a student has to spend going to college? Or perhaps the reason is to develop well rounded learning. You can call me a pessimist, but I'm leaning towards my first idea.

Since my early adolescence, I have realized general science classes are not my cup of tea. However, since as early as i can remember I've been forced to take these science courses. In fact, even here at San Francisco State I have been required to take 4 general science courses. Are these general science courses really going to help me pursue a financial career? Absolutely not, the study of biology is great if i wanted to become a doctor, but its not going to help me choose the most profitable investments in the stock market. I understand why in middle school and high school these classes are taught. General science is information that we as a society should have a basic understanding of. However, college is not a required education. According to Merriam-Webster college is, “a part of a university offering a specialized group of courses." Therefore, I shouldn't have to spend 6 semesters of college before I get to "study the specialized group of courses" I chose.

 Universities need to restructure their undergraduate programs. Perhaps there are general courses all majors should be required to take. General sciences do not fit in that category. However, I did take a few general courses at SF State that were helpful. There was a critical thinking course I took that studied the structuring of arguments. Almost all majors require communication skills. Therefore, this class showed me how to become a more persuasive individual. My point is universities should create courses that educate students to become more of a desirable employee. Students go to college to obtain a better job once they graduate. Therefore, universities need to start recognizing this. Perhaps create more degree designed courses and less general courses. I want to be a financial expertise when I graduate not an expert on high school material.