From my interaction with students both on the recruiting end and with my interaction with career centers, I often see university students, upon graduation pick a career almost out of thin air. Some claim that their life calling is in finance while others feel that marketing is what they were born to do.
Though, despite career perceptions that a lot of recent graduates perceive to be factual, many don't know what they want to do and, moreover many are afraid to admit it. However, let's dig deeper, dissect what the young professionals are saying and, via a few case studies base their employment desires on the type company and people that exist in a company and its subsequent position.
Now, prior to doing so, we must spell out a few truths that will help explain the conclusions of each case study.
1. Everybody wants to feel important and wanted. This is in both job and life.
2. Everybody has a voice and they should be able to express it openly.
3. Everybody has different personal and life aspirations whether it be to start a family, be in a competitive atmosphere, give their life to the hopes of helping those who cannot help themselves or, of course make money.
Conversely, students will only give this information up if you gain their trust. Otherwise, you will hear the "make money" answer almost 100% of the time.
4. Most of these students are coming out of college with too many theories in their head that leads to mass confusion and, sometimes a feeling of isolation.
The financial arena is a great area to begin:
Case Study - "The Born Financial Analyst or Trader"
Contrary to popular belief, a lot of students that go after financial analyst or trading positions do it not for the money, but for the peer pressure. From frequent interactions with the young professionals, there is no passion behind these choices as if there was, they would have been reading Barrons weekly. In this case, their main driver is having a sense of community and gaining the respect of others within their group.
Possible Underlying Career Desires
In this scenario, the only way that the recent graduate is going to be happy is that if they make an above average salary with a position that is going to match them with people their age and is going to be a job that they can counter their friends' boasting with something of substance.
Possible Careers Out of Finance
The careers that this person has open to them as we should assume that they are ambitious and driven by a strong sense to be accepted within their community via making money, are quite vast. It is the company, regardless of industry or actual job, that makes or breaks a recent college graduate's enjoyment and personal / professional fulfillment.
Some industries that do very well (company aptitude of course on an ad hoc basis) and have a younger group as well as above average compensation and a future include jobs in the engineering vertical, social media, accounting as well as an entrepreneurial sales role at a firm that has interesting management and great people to work with.
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