Now what???

[Dr. Josh]

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So the only decent job possibility fell through today; I was rejected. 🙁 Rejection...another one. I'm getting used to rejections. It started with a rejection for a volunteer position. Who gets rejected for offering your services for free? Well, me I guess. Now it's been job after job. I've got nothing. I'm totally useless; my diploma is apparently useless. I'm a failure. 🙁 I actually almost cried today. Here I am a college graduate and I can't even get a crap job that I'm overqualified for. So do I apply for Starbucks, Subway; what do I do??? I've reached my level of uselessness and depression. Where do I go from here? Don't think I'm over-reacting; I've been without a job for over two months that I've been totally available. and I graduated last May. What do I do? As the days go on, it makes me look more and more like a failure because I've done nothing today.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

There is always work. It just might not be for a lot of money.

If you're going to med school in less than a year, people may be reluctant to hire you because they know they're going to lose you, and they won't want to spend a lot of time and effort training you. You might be best off looking at places where you can be easily replaced when you leave. Unless you are a registered sex offender. Then you may want to look at for-cash construction jobs or something.

 

[Tanner82]

So the only decent job possibility fell through today; I was rejected. 🙁 Rejection...another one. I'm getting used to rejections. It started with a rejection for a volunteer position. Who gets rejected for offering your services for free? Well, me I guess. Now it's been job after job. I've got nothing. I'm totally useless; my diploma is apparently useless. I'm a failure. 🙁 I actually almost cried today. Here I am a college graduate and I can't even get a crap job that I'm overqualified for. So do I apply for Starbucks, Subway; what do I do??? I've reached my level of uselessness and depression. Where do I go from here? Don't think I'm over-reacting; I've been without a job for over two months that I've been totally available. and I graduated last May. What do I do? As the days go on, it makes me look more and more like a failure because I've done nothing today.

Relax. What is your degree in? Sometimes you'll get turned down from a job because you are overqualified. What kind of job were you looking to get? I know it may be hard but try look at the big picture. You are applying to medical school!!!! You obviously are not a complete failure. Being hired for a job is a combination of luck, timing, and who you know. Keep on trucking, its really your only option but in the meantime, don't stress, 10 years from now you really will not even remember this.

 

[Tanner82]

If you're going to med school in less than a year, people may be reluctant to hire you because they know they're going to lose you, and they won't want to spend a lot of time and effort training you.

That's exactly it 👍 You can A- not tell them about med school or B- Find more volatile jobs.

 

[Punchap]

So the only decent job possibility fell through today; I was rejected. 🙁 Rejection...another one. I'm getting used to rejections. It started with a rejection for a volunteer position. Who gets rejected for offering your services for free? Well, me I guess. Now it's been job after job. I've got nothing. I'm totally useless; my diploma is apparently useless. I'm a failure. 🙁 I actually almost cried today. Here I am a college graduate and I can't even get a crap job that I'm overqualified for. So do I apply for Starbucks, Subway; what do I do??? I've reached my level of uselessness and depression. Where do I go from here? Don't think I'm over-reacting; I've been without a job for over two months that I've been totally available. and I graduated last May. What do I do? As the days go on, it makes me look more and more like a failure because I've done nothing today.

I have been in the exact position of the above poster, DrJosh. Mums the word regarding my medical school applications to prospective employers...I'm beginning to think I'm blacklisted somewhere as a cruel joke. I've posted similar questions before but does anyone have any suggestions on a decent paying job that requires no more than a general bachelors degree? Starbucks is great and all, but I was thinking of something that pays more than $7.50/hr. plus a pound of free coffee a week.

 

[JaggerPlate]

It's always darkest before the dawn my friend ....

That's what my Dad always says. Translation: You will get accepted soon and your feelings will do a 180, without a doubt 👍

 

[umean2tellme]

What is your degree in? What are you good at? Have you thought of going into teaching? there is teach for america, which is a program where you sign some kind of contract to get paid work as a teacher for underprivileged kids. You make decent money thru stipends or w/e. Or you could try and get a job as a middle school teacher teaching w/e subject you graduated in. There is also peace corps and even trying to go back to the school you graduated from and getting some kind of assistant job or something. Good luck to you.

 

[ina1220]

chin up, my friend. I was in your shoes too until yesterday. After graduating in May, my plan was to get a job, apply to med school, and move on with my life. Little did I know how much persistence was required to get a job. For 4 months, I dealt w/ rejection and unreturned phone calls from prospective employers. After a while, it really becomes frustrating and its easy to feel "useless". Last week, gave up and applied for a position at a department store. The same day the mall offered me a position, a clinical researcher at a local university called to offer me a position in her lab!

I'm not trying to rub my success in your face.... i'm just trying to encourage you. Your persistence will pay off. Be patient. Someone will notice how awesome and qualified you are! Your time will come. (suggested paradigm shift: you're not "over qualified", you are "fully qualified")

On another note, if you've already gained acceptance to a med school, then forget fighting for a real job and apply at starbucks and get some cash flow...

 

[Tanner82]

New treatment in the DSM-V for depression: the sdn pre-osteo forum.

 

[Punchap]

What is your degree in? What are you good at? Have you thought of going into teaching? there is teach for america, which is a program where you sign some kind of contract to get paid work as a teacher for underprivileged kids. You make decent money thru stipends or w/e. Or you could try and get a job as a middle school teacher teaching w/e subject you graduated in. There is also peace corps and even trying to go back to the school you graduated from and getting some kind of assistant job or something. Good luck to you.

I have a friend who does Teach for America -- the commitment is at least two years I believe and the Peace Corps is even longer (25+ months)...I have been looking into substitute teaching, but I prefer a job that offers benefits as I'm almost off of my dad's health plan. Good suggestions for others though. Thanks.

chin up, my friend. I was in your shoes too until yesterday. After graduating in May, my plan was to get a job, apply to med school, and move on with my life. Little did I know how much persistence was required to get a job. For 4 months, I dealt w/ rejection and unreturned phone calls from prospective employers. After a while, it really becomes frustrating and its easy to feel "useless". Last week, gave up and applied for a position at a department store. The same day the mall offered me a position, a clinical researcher at a local university called to offer me a position in her lab!

I'm not trying to rub my success in your face.... i'm just trying to encourage you. Your persistence will pay off. Be patient. Someone will notice how awesome and qualified you are! Your time will come. (suggested paradigm shift: you're not "over qualified", you are "fully qualified")

On another note, if you've already gained acceptance to a med school, then forget fighting for a real job and apply at starbucks and get some cash flow...

Congratulations on your job! 👍 I'll keep trucking.

 

[EEL08]

It's always darkest before the dawn my friend ....

That's what my Dad always says. Translation: You will get accepted soon and your feelings will do a 180, without a doubt 👍

That's what my husband just told me today when I was in the throes of being upset about trying to get a DO LOR. He definitely has more wisdom than I do.

 

[CatsandCradles]

So the only decent job possibility fell through today; I was rejected. 🙁 Rejection...another one. I'm getting used to rejections. It started with a rejection for a volunteer position. Who gets rejected for offering your services for free? Well, me I guess. Now it's been job after job. I've got nothing. I'm totally useless; my diploma is apparently useless. I'm a failure. 🙁 I actually almost cried today. Here I am a college graduate and I can't even get a crap job that I'm overqualified for. So do I apply for Starbucks, Subway; what do I do??? I've reached my level of uselessness and depression. Where do I go from here? Don't think I'm over-reacting; I've been without a job for over two months that I've been totally available. and I graduated last May. What do I do? As the days go on, it makes me look more and more like a failure because I've done nothing today.

Dr. Josh,

I cannot possibly know the depth of the agony you must be going through. But my heart goes out to you. Maybe if you can, try to hang out with some friends and family for a little bit.

Regroup and replan things. But I can totally understand the predicament you must be facing right now.

Maybe, you could try to be an EMT-B. There was an accelerated one and a half month course I took several years ago before I started school. It was really good to mess around with the long boards, fire drills, CPR drills, etc. So after that I volunteered after I finnished the course - and they really needed volunteers. I could have found a paid job very easily as well, but I didn't. Some ERs will also take EMT-Bs to do some of the physical work in the ER as well. You might want to look into this route.

Josh, another avenue you might want to look into is to join some sort of NGO group. By this I mean things like the Jesuit Volunteer Corp or the Lutheran Volunteer Corp. Basically they send you off to some underserved area where you might be teaching at a public school or helping at a homeless center.
I had a friend, who now is at PCOM, who was sent to Montana to work at a health care clinic for a year. If working with a religous organization isn't your thing, there are other groups like Americorp you can join as well. These organizations are all quite similar. The problem with these NGOs are that they are a huge committment - which might not be for you.

I wish you the very best!
C&C

 

[Boddhichita]

So the only decent job possibility fell through today; I was rejected. 🙁 Rejection...another one. I'm getting used to rejections. It started with a rejection for a volunteer position. Who gets rejected for offering your services for free? Well, me I guess. Now it's been job after job. I've got nothing. I'm totally useless; my diploma is apparently useless. I'm a failure. 🙁 I actually almost cried today. Here I am a college graduate and I can't even get a crap job that I'm overqualified for. So do I apply for Starbucks, Subway; what do I do??? I've reached my level of uselessness and depression. Where do I go from here? Don't think I'm over-reacting; I've been without a job for over two months that I've been totally available. and I graduated last May. What do I do? As the days go on, it makes me look more and more like a failure because I've done nothing today.

Hang in there Dr. Josh...I graduated 3 years ago and still haven't found a job related to my degree, so I feel ya. Have you considered a temp agency like Kelly Services? They may be able to help find you a job related to your background with benefits, and may be a good start that might lead to other opportunities.

 

[Nataliemay24]

DO NOT tell prospective employers you are planning on leaving in a year. don't know if you've been doing this, but if you have, stop! 🙂 i don't know what kind of job you are looking for, but assuming you're a typical just-graduated pre-med, i would guess something in bio/psych/chem research. email every head of department, or individual professors, of local universities in departments you have some experience in. for example, "hello, i'm so and so, just graduated from here with this degree, i've done this and this, and i saw on your webpage on your university's site that you do research in this and that, and i am interested in this and that because of this and this. if you are looking for any full or part time research assistants, i would be interested, blah blah blah. attached is a copy of my resume. thank you, sincerely, Dr. Josh." for the department heads, ask them to forward the email to anyone who's looking for a research assistant. try going a bit out of your comfort zone - for example if you majored in biology, you might try agricultural science, biology, botany, neuroscience, even chemistry and psychology departments...this is all just random practical advice that may not apply to your situation, or you may have already done it, but i just thought i'd post it because it's the way i've found jobs and the way people i know have found jobs. good luck.

 

[Dr. Josh]

Hang in there Dr. Josh...I graduated 3 years ago and still haven't found a job related to my degree, so I feel ya. Have you considered a temp agency like Kelly Services? They may be able to help find you a job related to your background with benefits, and may be a good start that might lead to other opportunities.

Do temp jobs give benefits? I really need benefits. 🙁

 

[Dr. Josh]

Hey thanks all for your kindness and advice. Just to give you some background and answer some questions. I was a psych major with concentration in bio, you know a useless degree.

Sorry, I guess I'm just having a meltdown now. I've held out for awhile but this was just the end of anything possible.

I've applied mostly to medical assistant jobs, some research; the one I just got turned down for was for an associate coordinator of clinical trials; I've even applied for office reception/assistant jobs, physical therapy aid jobs, almost anything that has the word medical in it. 🙁

I have not even applied to med school yet and plan to apply in June. I plan to take the MCAT in Jan. I can't afford to do volunteer work; I need money and benefits. I wish i didn't, but I do. In retrospect I should have spent all my downtime doing volunteer work but who would have thought it would take me this long to find a job? I feel like I'm totally screwed now.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

You know, looking for your first job out of school is going to be your hardest job search. This process is pretty miserable for most people, especially those of us with liberal arts type of degrees. All I can say is perfect your resume and cover letter as much as possible and try to find ways to network. And trust that something will work out because it will. In the interim, you might have to get that job at Starbucks, though, but hey, it pays (some of) the bills and gets you out of the house.

Good luck! Do what you can to enjoy yourself right now -- I know some people feel like they don't have a right to have a life when they're unemployed, but that's not productive.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

Do temp jobs give benefits? I really need benefits. 🙁

Some do and more importantly, they can lead to a fulltime job with benefits. You might have to take a non-ideal job to get to the job you want.

 

[cabound]

Hey DrJosh

I was in your situation a few months ago, and I really know how you must be feeling. I was so desperate looking for jobs that those internet "make money from home" jobs on craigslist were looking very tempting! The truth is, your state of mind can make or break your ability to find a job and turn things around. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but when I hit "rock bottom" someone told me to have faith and snap out of it!

As far as medical-related jobs go, it's a PAIN!!! almost everywhere you need an applied health degree of some sort. However, one thing (and I don't know how you might feel about this) is to look into a nurse assistant or tech job at a hospital or nursing home. Sure, you won't get the aroma of coffee like you would at Starbucks (you may get something else!), but it is deeply rewarding, and for me, it made my conviction much stronger that this is what I wanted to do. I was a tech at the ICU, and I did some direct patient care, but thre was other stuff like stocking code carrs, setting up rooms, running stuff to lab, etc. So, that was a great experience.

Another option would be to teach for a test prep company like Kaplan. Right now I'm teaching the MCAT, but my experience there tells me that they are consantly looking for new teachers for ACT/SAT and stuff, so I'm not sure how your scores were...

Also, with a psych background, there are various behavioral health/rehab type places for children or adults that will take on someone with a bachelor's in psych. These jobs do offer benefits (Along with all the others I listed)

Seriously though, stay strong. I know how this may seem especially when expenses are looming over you. I was going through this all alone, and I seriously think I was quite depressed... then it just seemed like all of a sudden one day I woke up and everything changed around me... it started from within and resonated all around. I realize this sounds like a fairy tale, but life can throw some surprises at you when you least expect it.

Keep searching far and wide, and open your doors to other job experiences - if nothing else, you'll get your shoe into a hospital network or something and end up finding something better!!!!

Keep smiling, you're on the right track. Sometimes we're challenged and tested by the world just to see how badly we desire something...

take care and good luck =)

 

[nlax30]

Good luck on the search!!

I was a pysch major as well and unfortunately also found out that there's not a whole lot out there for a psych 4yr degree. I had about a year break before/during applying to med school so I spent a summer working at an assisted living center (as a "CNA"). Unfortunately, if you want something medical it's either going to require (in most cases) some sort of certificate and/or it's not going to pay much for entry level work.

It may be worth it though to suck it up and work entry level in some sort of health setting if it will strengthen your application. You could also look into some mental health/counseling places there where you could possibly make use of your psych degree.

 

[VictorsLilSecrt]

No job for 2 months? Crikey! I didn't get a decent offer for 4. Thought I'd have to subside on cat food for the remainder of my life.

Cheer up, mate. Something will come your way soon. Keep fighting the good fight.

-vic

 

[Boddhichita]

Some do and more importantly, they can lead to a fulltime job with benefits. You might have to take a non-ideal job to get to the job you want.

I agree with that as well. From what I've heard, you can get health insurance through Kelly Services, or actually purchase Kaiser through them, although they may cost more than getting insurance through your work place...you may want to contact and confirm with them. There may be other temp agencies around your area with similar policies. You might want to try all these strategies given to you so far...job search is a pain but persistence is key, but i'm sure you'll land a job sooner or later. Keep us posted.

 

[DangQ3]

man i completely know how you feel. I have a freaking BS in bio and here I am working at fry's with and under a bunch of college students who asked me: "What are you doing here with a BS?" More degrading, I freaking had to clean the bathroom the other day! Most of these other places I applied to didn't even know I was applying to medical school; yet I got no call backs. I'm telling you, a BS in bio isn't worth a damn anymore.

 

[Dr. Josh]

No job for 2 months? Crikey! I didn't get a decent offer for 4. Thought I'd have to subside on cat food for the remainder of my life.

Cheer up, mate. Something will come your way soon. Keep fighting the good fight.

-vic

Just curious what you did in those 4 months? Aren't med schools going to look down on that?

 

[Dr. Josh]

man i completely know how you feel. I have a freaking BS in bio and here I am working at fry's with and under a bunch of college students who asked me: "What are you doing here with a BS?" More degrading, I freaking had to clean the bathroom the other day! Most of these other places I applied to didn't even know I was applying to medical school; yet I got no call backs. I'm telling you, a BS in bio isn't worth a damn anymore.

yea and a BS in psych is worth even less. 🙁

 

[Doctor Bagel]

man i completely know how you feel. I have a freaking BS in bio and here I am working at fry's with and under a bunch of college students who asked me: "What are you doing here with a BS?" More degrading, I freaking had to clean the bathroom the other day! Most of these other places I applied to didn't even know I was applying to medical school; yet I got no call backs. I'm telling you, a BS in bio isn't worth a damn anymore.

I'm sorry. 🙁 I always felt so bad for the people working at Fry's because of the dress requirements and because I always figured a lot of them were downsized IT professionals (first went to Fry's in Austin right after an economic downturn, so yeah, they probably were). Anyway, it's a job, and it's not the rest of your life.

 

[walrustooth]

I feel your pain brother, I feel the same way. I'm reminded all the time about how worthless college degrees tend to be these days.

My wife is in an accelerated BSN program (4 year nursing degree in 1 year deal), and was awarded a grant. In order to get the grant she was instructed to take a simple exam. When she arrived to take the exam she discovered the simple exam was the GED. Why is a GED required for a college graduate?

When I tried to register for chem 1 at a cc, the mandatory advisor balked. Focus on the word tried because I was not qualified to take the chem class despite my college degree. When I explained to her that I graduated from a major university with a B.A., all I got was a blank lexpression. They insisted that I take the ACT, which I explained I did, in 1994.

When I intereviewed to become a financial advisor, I had to take a simple math exam despite my college degree.

It seems like college degrees are worthless....my mother explained that in the 1960s a degree in business was a sure ticket to become an executive.

Things have changed..

 

[Dienekes]

 

[pakbabydoll]

I have been in the exact position of the above poster, DrJosh. Mums the word regarding my medical school applications to prospective employers...I'm beginning to think I'm blacklisted somewhere as a cruel joke. I've posted similar questions before but does anyone have any suggestions on a decent paying job that requires no more than a general bachelors degree? Starbucks is great and all, but I was thinking of something that pays more than $7.50/hr. plus a pound of free coffee a week.

Starbucks give you a pound of free coffee every week if you work there? DUDE!

Just apply broadly I guess. Thank god I got a decent job right after high school.

 

[Jpc984]

substitute teaching.

 

[dancer2002]

I have been in the exact position of the above poster, DrJosh. Mums the word regarding my medical school applications to prospective employers...I'm beginning to think I'm blacklisted somewhere as a cruel joke. I've posted similar questions before but does anyone have any suggestions on a decent paying job that requires no more than a general bachelors degree? Starbucks is great and all, but I was thinking of something that pays more than $7.50/hr. plus a pound of free coffee a week.

Substitute teaching and tutoring anywhere (I tutor at the local university) both pay well and employer does not care if you are starting medical school next year as long as you are available until the end of this school year.

 

[Dienekes]

Screw working at the hospital....I'm going to apply for a job at the Starbuck's on campus! I can finally live up to the t-shirt I have: "Will work for caffeine".

 

[pakbabydoll]

Screw working at the hospital....I'm going to apply for a job at the Starbuck's on campus! I can finally live up to the t-shirt I have: "Will work for caffeine".

My thoughts exactly lol

 

[Dienekes]

As a firefighter/EMT in a small town I received were several gifts for working calls in various locations:
-2 lbs of free coffee (whatever variety we wanted) after we took care of someone who collapsed in a coffee shop
-50 lbs of free steak after a semi transporting the stuff rolled over. The rule is apparently if it comes off the truck, they have to dispose of it for health and safety reasons. We offered to help. My partner made a comment about "Now if a beer truck would crash nearby, we would be set."
-Lots of beef from a farmer who was gored by a bull (which was the source of the beef).
-More deer jerky, deer sausage, ground venison, etc from people whom we treated or whose family we treated.
-The local Amish rebuilt my parents' garage after a fire; my dad offered to pay them but they refused to take it because both my father (who was one of my EMTs...I was his instructor actually ) and myself had on more than one occasion helped them out.
-The fire department receives a smoked ham every year at Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving from one of the Amish families after several of us went into a burning barn to get their dairy cattle out.
-After a call for a unconscious diabetic with a blood sugar so elevated that it simply read "HIGH" (which means over 650) on the glucometer, each of the responding personnel was given 4 lbs (yes pounds) of gourmet fudge by the owner of the shop the patient was in at the time. The irony was not lost on the owner.

 

[Obnoxious Dad]

If I were you, Dr. Josh, I would get certified as a nursing assistant. Go to your local community college/tech school to get this training. It usually only takes about a week. Earn the $200-300 in tuition at McDonald's

I would then work in a nursing home. They are often desperate for help. In many places you'd get decent medical benefits and better pay than retail. More importantly you'd get experience working in real health care. Only God knows what they'd ask you to do.

Ultimately this experience would make you a better person and a better physician. If you have elitist jerk tendencies, this experience will destroy them. In addition, pardon the Mike Ditka lecture, this experience would toughen you up. You will see nice old people in very dire circumstances and relatives who don't care. You will have coworkers who will never make more than $12 per hour.

 

[GreenShirt]

Don't throw in the towel just yet, as many have pointed out, it can take a while to track down a decent job. It sounds like you'll be out of school for 2 years so that should be a good amount of time to devote to a prospective employer. If you have a university or college near you, I would try to get research position within their pysch department. Research jobs at colleges are great for the in-between year for the following reasons:

1) The benefits are awesome
2) They're accustomed to employing student who are transitioning to other phases of their life (read as: sympathetic to time of for interviews)
3) Hours can be flexible
4) You get to pretend you're still a student and take advantage of the colleges resources

I'd look up a list of faculty and e-mail every single one to see if they have any openings in their lab. That's what I did with my two years off and if I remember correctly it took me 2 or 3 months to secure the position. Good luck.

 

[pakbabydoll]

If I were you, Dr. Josh, I would get certified as a nursing assistant. Go to your local community college/tech school to get this training. It usually only takes about a week. Earn the $200-300 in tuition at McDonald's

You don't even have to go to CC to get your CNA because I got it right after high school. If you go to the local hospital they'll give you this sheet with questions and answers and a practical sheet where it tells you what they'll have you do as your practical. The written test is exactly the same as the study sheet and practice too. Well at least thats how it is in Florida. I passed it so I have my CNA even though I work as a pharmacy tech at the hospital.

 

[Archer]

Starbucks in our area actually provides decent benefits - there are a lot of transitioning types working there.
The DO that organizes the "Pre-Osteopathic Med Student" group in my area worked in a plasma center as a phlebotomist (they train you) for 6 months and then got a job as phlebotomy tech at a local hospital and got even better benefits.
Good Luck and hang in there!

 

[JaggerPlate]

Hey btw Dr Josh ... this doesn't actually apply to your problem (and I'm sorry for that) but hopefully you will find this slightly funny, and in some way I will brighten your day (and mine in doing so!):

Your: 'Not a real Dr but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night' thing is hilarious. I work in an Emergency Room (in a volunteer intership program) but an ER-Tech kinda took me under his wing and taught me quite a few things about his job (setting splits, removing stiches, running the EKG machine etc ). One night the ER was insanely busy, and I really got to kinda spread my wings and really get some hands on experience. I was cleaning and assisting in dressing wounds, setting splints, hooking up EKG leads, and even got to do compressions ... Long story short I was telling my dad a few days later about my shift (it was an insane rush) and the whole time I was telling my story he just kept smirking and I couldn't understand why. Finally I finished and -waiting for his moment- he said ... ' What did you tell the people you were doing all this stuff to when the asked who in the world you were ? "I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night ???" '

Everyone erupted into laughter and so (as lame as it sounds) I think it's awesome that you adopted the same mindset 👍


Sorry to get so off topic ... I just had to!!

 

[Moestar]

Haha Jaggerplate! I liked your story!!! That's awesome that you got to experience all that as a volunteer!!

Dr. Josh, just wanted to let you know that you're not alone!! I know of a lot of people in your position, myself included that's hanging out in limbo right now after graduation. I haven't heard back from any employers either and I've applied to similiar positions as you, but it's true what some other ppl have said before, they are less likely to invest in you if you are going to be leaving in a short while. I was hoping to find temporary clerical positions at hospitals, maternity leave positions, but the search will continue!

I've been keeping myself busy by tutoring my friends' sis in chem, doing applications, and re-taking a physics course and surprisingly it has kept me pretty busy thus far. Tutoring is always a good alternative and it gives you a chance to keep your mind sharp, and if you end up tutoring bio, chem and physics well there's part of your MCAT review right there!! It also gives you a chance to work on communication! Just continue applying and put yourself out there! I know the uncertainty totally sucks and looking for a job is a full time job but just hang in there and something will turn out! In the mean time do something for yourself, if you have time now maybe start thinking about what you can write for your personal statement for when you apply in June and think about what you need to get sorted out for the application cycle so you can be on top of the game and get everything in early in the cycle next year! Check out placements at colleges, maybe take a medical terminiology course if you want to find a clerical position in a hospital or doc's office? (that's one of the requirements that I seem to notice that these positions ask for, but I'm Canadian so things might be different in the US)

Keep your spirits up bud! There are a lot of us in the same boat! We can have a boat party!!

A friend of mine has said that things always work out in the end, and if it didn't it just means that its not the end!

 

[Dr. Josh]

Hey btw Dr Josh ... this doesn't actually apply to your problem (and I'm sorry for that) but hopefully you will find this slightly funny, and in some way I will brighten your day (and mine in doing so!):

Your: 'Not a real Dr but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night' thing is hilarious. I work in an Emergency Room (in a volunteer intership program) but an ER-Tech kinda took me under his wing and taught me quite a few things about his job (setting splits, removing stiches, running the EKG machine etc ). One night the ER was insanely busy, and I really got to kinda spread my wings and really get some hands on experience. I was cleaning and assisting in dressing wounds, setting splints, hooking up EKG leads, and even got to do compressions ... Long story short I was telling my dad a few days later about my shift (it was an insane rush) and the whole time I was telling my story he just kept smirking and I couldn't understand why. Finally I finished and -waiting for his moment- he said ... ' What did you tell the people you were doing all this stuff to when the asked who in the world you were ? "I'm not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night ???" '

Everyone erupted into laughter and so (as lame as it sounds) I think it's awesome that you adopted the same mindset 👍


Sorry to get so off topic ... I just had to!!

thanks!! great story; it made my day!

 

[Dr. Josh]

Haha Jaggerplate! I liked your story!!! That's awesome that you got to experience all that as a volunteer!!

Dr. Josh, just wanted to let you know that you're not alone!! I know of a lot of people in your position, myself included that's hanging out in limbo right now after graduation. I haven't heard back from any employers either and I've applied to similiar positions as you, but it's true what some other ppl have said before, they are less likely to invest in you if you are going to be leaving in a short while. I was hoping to find temporary clerical positions at hospitals, maternity leave positions, but the search will continue!

I've been keeping myself busy by tutoring my friends' sis in chem, doing applications, and re-taking a physics course and surprisingly it has kept me pretty busy thus far. Tutoring is always a good alternative and it gives you a chance to keep your mind sharp, and if you end up tutoring bio, chem and physics well there's part of your MCAT review right there!! It also gives you a chance to work on communication! Just continue applying and put yourself out there! I know the uncertainty totally sucks and looking for a job is a full time job but just hang in there and something will turn out! In the mean time do something for yourself, if you have time now maybe start thinking about what you can write for your personal statement for when you apply in June and think about what you need to get sorted out for the application cycle so you can be on top of the game and get everything in early in the cycle next year! Check out placements at colleges, maybe take a medical terminiology course if you want to find a clerical position in a hospital or doc's office? (that's one of the requirements that I seem to notice that these positions ask for, but I'm Canadian so things might be different in the US)

Keep your spirits up bud! There are a lot of us in the same boat! We can have a boat party!!

A friend of mine has said that things always work out in the end, and if it didn't it just means that its not the end!

thanks for your support and for everyone else's. I thought I had one of my essays for a secondary; i thought surely i could use my endless and depressing job search for some secondary, but apparently it's not going to be very unique.

I am studying for my MCAT and have been thinking of doing my PS, but still this is not going to satisfy interviewers "what did you do with yourself for the 6 months you were unemployeed?"

me: "well I kept thinking tomorrow I would start my job, so i didn't want to start another volunteer service, or shadowing experience only to quit when it conflicted with the job I was surely getting?"

how lame, but actually I have a project I am working on but I hope I'll actually have something to show for it.