Anyone taking gap year have trouble finding jobs?

[luckylee3]

---

Members don't see this ad.

most of jobs want experience in an office setting or something like that, and being a pre med i only have experience working at my school cafeteria and volunteering and research. I feel that im pretty limited in my jobs also since my major is neuroscience . anyone in my position also or could help me out? I dont want to do research jobs tho

 

[ES2]

I got a part time job as a lab tech at a community college, I'm not doing anything super technical: just maintaining the lab and tutoring students.

 

[ciestar]

I'm slaving away at CVS.

 

[TreadLightly]

I'm filling out a scribe application but I'm not expecting much. I'm also volunteering at my doc's office but that's obviously unpaid.

I've applied for a ton of low-level lab tech jobs and have nothing. Bio major with some research experience too. I seriously applied to two minimum wage positions that clearly stated "high school diploma preferred" and I'm still sitting here with $80 in my account.

 

[cookiemonsters]

It will always be like that. Job hunting sucks - welcome to the real world. Part of the appeal of medicine is that employment is essentially guaranteed for life.

 

[Yuyukachoo]

I graduated in Dec. 2011 and didn't find a job until Nov. 2012. I wanted to do research and thankfully that's what I found, but I was also applying to everything and anything, including food carts and coffee shops. It's a tough time to get cushy in-between jobs because a lot of people are looking for them.

 

[hockey40]

Wanted to do research; currently no money in research. Wanted to work entry level in a hospital; market's flooded with CNAs. Now I'm working QA at a plastics company, go figure.

 

[PingPongPro]

If you're looking for some short-term work, you should look into tutoring/teaching at an academy. The pay is good, you aren't really qualified for any other jobs, and most places aren't gonna hire you if you are just gonna leave to go to medical school within a year.

 

[gettheleadout]

Interviewing for an MCAT instructor position tomorrow. I can also keep my current TA job, but I'll likely need the income from both to meet expenses.

 

[chill3]

If you want to do lab work don't be afraid to "cold call" (email) PIs. You would be surprised how many of them would much rather take someone who reached out rather than go through the whole search process. I applied to a ton of online listings with no results, and then started contacting people directly and was able to wiggle my way into a ivy neuro lab. Just be sure to include your CV and references in the email as well as a statement of interest in the particular lab.

Best piece of advice I ever got for hunting grant funded positions: find the money, find the job....

http://report.nih.gov/award/index.cfm

edit sorry didn't see that you don't want to do research. However this could be advice for someone who does....

 

[Yuyukachoo]

If you want to do lab work don't be afraid to "cold call" (email) PIs. You would be surprised how many of them would much rather take someone who reached out rather than go through the whole search process. I applied to a ton of online listings with no results, and then started contacting people directly and was able to wiggle my way into a ivy neuro lab. Just be sure to include your CV and references in the email as well as a statement of interest in the particular lab.

Best piece of advice I ever got for hunting grant funded positions: find the money, find the job....

http://report.nih.gov/award/index.cfm

edit sorry didn't see that you don't want to do research. However this could be advice for someone who does....

This is very true. I got lucky and eventually got in the long way, but all the good undergrads in our lab we found through their reaching out to us. We even have a high school student that way and he's getting paid now.

 

[luckylee3]

anybody's confidence crushed that they were number one in classes and now have to work minimum wage jobs? makes me think going to med school or there is nothing else for me

 

[Yuyukachoo]

anybody's confidence crushed that they were number one in classes and now have to work minimum wage jobs? makes me think going to med school or there is nothing else for me

Plenty of qualified people with experience that weren't number one in their class. Comes down to a lot of things, but one thing I've found is what you spent your free time doing during college definitely matters. I had a job lined up until I had to relocate with my husband. Would also have helped to have majored in engineering...

 

[chill3]

anybody's confidence crushed that they were number one in classes and now have to work minimum wage jobs? makes me think going to med school or there is nothing else for me

It may seem like there are not a lot of good jobs, but that tends to be the real world for many many other majors. Medicine is an anomaly in the sense that you are in school until you are a doctor. Sure you have to work up the food chain but not nearly in the same way as a business major who busts his/her ass working at the bottom to slowly move up the ladder one step at a time with very little job security. If you are just looking for a short one year type of job it's hard to get something awesome because everyone else is looking for those jobs to build a career, while you may want to only do it for a short period. If you we're to decide not to do medicine and commit to the traditional career building endeavor than your outlook may be different. I know neuroscience majors working in; biotech, Silicon Valley/ startup culture, pharma, investment banking, etc..... However they all start at the bottom. Plus, working minimum wage for a year isn't the end of the world if you are just bridging the gap. It tends to give you time to explore other interests you may have.

 

[Jerry31xx]

.

 

[solitarius]

Could be a whole lot worse. You could be living in Spain, Italy, or Cyprus.

 

[Jimsy]

I haven't had any luck applying for jobs so far during my gap year, but luckily I have a part-time hospital job and part-time non-clinical and just fill in time with volunteering, so not so bad.

Same here 😀

OP, try looking for scribe jobs. It's a great experience 🙂

 

[Amba]

Working as a research assistant and I'm loving it. Pays the bills plus flexible hours. I'm fortunate that my PI was able to find funding to keep me around.

 

[occams_razor]

anybody's confidence crushed that they were number one in classes and now have to work minimum wage jobs? makes me think going to med school or there is nothing else for me

I have a family friend who graduated from upenn 4 years ago and is still working food service. Most of my friends who graduated and didn't go straight to grad school are working similar low paying jobs. i even know someone with a masters in education who is working as an administrative assistant because she hasnt been able to get any other job yet. You can even find people with JD's who are working jobs like this because they can't find work as a lawyer.

 

[SaiphRigel]

I've also been having trouble finding a job. I applied for a couple of Research Assistant jobs at a local Med School as well as Nurse Aide jobs but did not get an interview for any of those jobs. I also applied to work as a scribe but all positions were filled (no surprise there). It's tough, but I'm just going to keep trying.

I recently found another Research Assistant job at a college and just applied for it. I sent my credentials to HR as instructed, but I will probably e-mail the PI since her e-mail was provided. Based on the feedback given in the thread, it is better to contact the PI than to let HR decide my fate .

I hope everyone who is looking for a job finds one!

 

[lovemango]

I had the same problem when I graduated - all the jobs wanted someone with experience. I got a job as an ER scribe during my two gap years (no experience necessary and they'll train you) and it was awesome experience and gave me great talking points during med school interviews. The pay generally sucks, so I wouldn't recommend it if you need the money to live off of, but I moved back home with my parents after college so it wasn't a big deal for me (can't beat free rent).