I'm one of those recent graduates (BS Electrical Engineering) who can't find a job. My options are to keep lowering my standards until I find employment ( I'm living off savings) or to take this opportunity to volunteer or intern in a French speaking country so that I can become fluent. I've learned a lot on my own with Rosetta Stone software but I've hit a road block without being able to immerse myself in the language.
I have found a lot of websites promoting study abroad programs but they're geared toward undergrads. It would be easy for me to leave everything I have with my parents and only take what I need but I need some way to live. Can anyone make some recommendations?
"In a modern democracy, no matter whom you vote for, the government always gets elected" -Christopher Westley
how far have you lowered your standards?
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Production is 'anarchistic' - Ludwig von Mises
I recently applied for temp position as an Administrative Assistant which as far as I can tell is just a knotch above Secretary.
Are you specifically trying to find a stable job within a company? Volunteering and everything would be great (especially since you can heavily exaggerate that experience on a resume), but I'd try looking for free-lance work if they have a lot of that in the electrical engineering field. I'm not sure how that sector works, but I'm sure that you could work something out with even a smaller company to prove your skill set and work under the table. Working under the table eventually saves money for everyone anyway.
EDIT: I'm sure you could even find a bilingual connection in France who'd set you up with a small job while you learn. Kill two birds with one stone.
French speaking country with need of engineers?
Consider Morroco? Algeria? Congo? West Africa? Some Carribean island?
Look up the most important companies in each of those regions and apply for a job, I guess.
You picked one terrible language in terms of working locations. The only french place I'd step foot on is Quebec and that is a menacing place for anyone speaking english.
You can always try the Peace Corps (get you a 1-2 year gig in a French-speaking country), Teach for America (in French), or if all else fails, see if the Koreans or Chinese will take you to teach English at one of their schools. I always thought that engineering majors would have the world at their fingertips. There's plenty of work out there - just keeping looking and apply for it even if it's just remotely interesting.
If you plan on being an EE in the future, now is the worst point in your career to drop EE. You'd be amazed how quickly your skills get rusty after not being used for a while. As others suggested, expand your searches and try to find an EE job anywhere in the world. Work more on gardening (building) your resume and less on how much money you'd make. Work for room & board if it'd have to come down to that. I'd put learning French way below your EE career on your priority list right now.
Also, consider applying for an MS (or a PhD, if you're so inclined) program in EE with a teaching/research assistantship. EE is (or at least used to be) one of the best fields for getting an assistantship (tuition waver + pay) as corporations and govts outsource a lot of their R&D to universities. This would improve your skills, and build you a network for finding future jobs. Try a Canadian or a French university for this, perhaps, and combine your language interest in the deal?
Just throwing some ideas out there. Good luck.
Z.
I certainly don't want to go back to school. For me the best case scenario would be to find an internship (paid or unpaid) that is EE related in Quebec. I'm always thinking long term as well. I think about what's coming up in America and that I will need more than money to get what I want out of life.
I guess I'll just keep looking.
i would not reconmend the peace corps... it takes too long to get accepted... it took my buddy 2 years to get accepted, and that is usually the waiting period... if i were you, i would get a job a resaurant as a server and go back to school
Besides having a BS in EE, what else can you do?
Do you have any skills? Prior work experience?
This ^^^ is what a potential employer cares about.
There is a ton of demand for semi-skilled labor in the digital space.
I worked at a TV station throughout college. I did a LOT of cabling. I supervised the student crew when setting up for sports broadcasts. I was in charge of making sure the right equipment made it to the setup and back to the station. I did cable repair in dorms. I helped setup for uplinks. If you saw Rand Paul on Fox News uplinked from Bowling Green it was usually me who setup for it. I have a amateur radio license. I'm good with computers.
As much as I'll catch a ton of flak for this, have you considered applying for defense contractor?
I have an acquaintance who was in a similar position as yours (degree in Electrical Engineering and problems finding work): he joined a British defense contractor and was sent to Iraq to work on generators in the RAF base at Basra. I won't lie to you: work was hard (with temperatures regularly exceeding 95 F) and risky (sniping and mortar fire were much more common than the press said) but the pay rate was handsome. He quit after a rocket landed meters from him and his squad and luckily failed to explode. He immediately found work with another firm, his military contractor experience proving the decisive point. He now works in much quieter Gulf States like Bahrain and Oman.
Ok, I'll dig out my old helmet before you start launching rockets at me.
You can WWOOF, you get free room and you have to work on an organic farm. I know a few people who have done it and had fun.
http://www.wwoof.org/
Sounds like you should be applying for jobs around town with studios, sound stages and productions so you can earn while you look for another job. It's essential for you to network with people. Going to work is not just punching in and punching out. It's about developing the connections which will help look out for you, and remember you when opportunities arise.
If you have computer skills, you might also want to check Odesk. I'm sure there are jobs on there for tech support/live help etc from home. It's not glamorous, but it beats being unemployed or doing something away from your field of study or interests.
Being employed creates its own momentum. Likewise does unemployment.
Very few of us walk straight out of school into our calling.