My degree didn't lead me to this job.
3 October 2013
Read by 1933 persons
Half the time, the first job doesn't match the studies. Here is the testimony of 2 young executives who are not unhappy to have changed direction. A change of direction early on, commented by our consultant.
"Yet, I always said "never computer science!"
Marie, 29, holds a Master's degree in Biology
Passionate about biology, Marie wanted to dedicate herself to the census of plant species. But, she failed in the 4th year of ecology... and finds herself in a dead end. "I couldn't find work with only that level of study, and I didn't want to waste a year doing nothing."
At university, she hears about a computer science company, ready to recruit and train scientific profiles. She decides to try the adventure. "Yet, I always said "never computer science!" Surely because my father did a lot of it in his work..." To her great surprise, Marie graduates top of this 4-month training course and officially becomes a studies engineer. Sent on trial to a first client, she spends 2 full years there. And she continues on a second mission, which has lasted 5 years already.
For the young woman, the assessment is more than positive. "Promoted project manager, I obtained the executive status, which I could never have had in the biology sector. Above all, computer science offers me possibilities for evolution that are incomparable with those I could have aspired to," she says.
"My Master's degree in ethnology helped me become a good manager"
Nicolas, 30, manager
"I have always been attracted to different cultures," says Nicolas. "Maybe because I come from a somewhat "bourgeois" background, not necessarily very open." To better decipher human behavior, he enrolls in history, with a sociology option, then goes on to a Master's 2 in anthropology, ethnology, and religious studies. Objective: to become a researcher at the EHESS (School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences). In parallel, the young father juggles odd jobs to support his family. "I notably hosted "chats" and managed content moderation in start-ups," explains this enthusiast of new technologies.
During his Master's 2, his financial needs become greater. "A newly created dating site was looking for full-time customer advisors. The atmosphere was good, and even if the job wasn't exactly qualified, I stayed."
1 year later, he becomes manager of a small team. He continues to progress in the structure and takes responsibility for customer service... "As the company opened subsidiaries in Europe and the workforce became internationalized, my ethnology studies really took on their full meaning," says Nicolas, who discovers a passion for intercultural management. Even if, as he confides: "becoming a manager, I would never have imagined it before." Today at the head of a project team in charge of improving the site's content, Nicolas plans to one day synthesize the two worlds, human sciences and management, by moving towards training or consulting.
Jean-Marie Blanc's comment, Apec expert, host of an Apec blog, particularly dedicated to students and young graduates
"The path of these 2 young people is nothing surprising. About half of the people who have higher education do not do what their degree intended them to do. Marie and Nicolas prove that by having an open mind and a certain ability to get enthusiastic, one can bounce back on the opportunities that life offers.
Nicolas studied ethnology out of intellectual drive, like a majority of people who choose literary fields. He could reasonably think that this would not directly lead to a job... However, and this is essential, he has a toolbox that is entirely transferable to other fields. He enters the web site's customer service out of financial necessity, but very quickly, he discovers the career path he can take there and decides to take advantage of it. He mobilized his energy and is building a real career.
Marie went into computer science a bit reluctantly, but she was probably right: in biology, it could have been "tough"! She finds interest in what she does, she makes a small effort for that, she put good will into it. It's important to emphasize that. In doing so, she also benefits from the other advantages of work: a social place, a certain comfort. Real life does not necessarily correspond to our childhood dreams, but that does not mean it is less good!"
Apec.fr
Posted online October 3, 2013.
"Yet, I always said "never computer science!"
Marie, 29, holds a Master's degree in Biology
Passionate about biology, Marie wanted to dedicate herself to the census of plant species. But, she failed in the 4th year of ecology... and finds herself in a dead end. "I couldn't find work with only that level of study, and I didn't want to waste a year doing nothing."
At university, she hears about a computer science company, ready to recruit and train scientific profiles. She decides to try the adventure. "Yet, I always said "never computer science!" Surely because my father did a lot of it in his work..." To her great surprise, Marie graduates top of this 4-month training course and officially becomes a studies engineer. Sent on trial to a first client, she spends 2 full years there. And she continues on a second mission, which has lasted 5 years already.
For the young woman, the assessment is more than positive. "Promoted project manager, I obtained the executive status, which I could never have had in the biology sector. Above all, computer science offers me possibilities for evolution that are incomparable with those I could have aspired to," she says.
"My Master's degree in ethnology helped me become a good manager"
Nicolas, 30, manager
"I have always been attracted to different cultures," says Nicolas. "Maybe because I come from a somewhat "bourgeois" background, not necessarily very open." To better decipher human behavior, he enrolls in history, with a sociology option, then goes on to a Master's 2 in anthropology, ethnology, and religious studies. Objective: to become a researcher at the EHESS (School of Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences). In parallel, the young father juggles odd jobs to support his family. "I notably hosted "chats" and managed content moderation in start-ups," explains this enthusiast of new technologies.
During his Master's 2, his financial needs become greater. "A newly created dating site was looking for full-time customer advisors. The atmosphere was good, and even if the job wasn't exactly qualified, I stayed."
1 year later, he becomes manager of a small team. He continues to progress in the structure and takes responsibility for customer service... "As the company opened subsidiaries in Europe and the workforce became internationalized, my ethnology studies really took on their full meaning," says Nicolas, who discovers a passion for intercultural management. Even if, as he confides: "becoming a manager, I would never have imagined it before." Today at the head of a project team in charge of improving the site's content, Nicolas plans to one day synthesize the two worlds, human sciences and management, by moving towards training or consulting.
Jean-Marie Blanc's comment, Apec expert, host of an Apec blog, particularly dedicated to students and young graduates
"The path of these 2 young people is nothing surprising. About half of the people who have higher education do not do what their degree intended them to do. Marie and Nicolas prove that by having an open mind and a certain ability to get enthusiastic, one can bounce back on the opportunities that life offers.
Nicolas studied ethnology out of intellectual drive, like a majority of people who choose literary fields. He could reasonably think that this would not directly lead to a job... However, and this is essential, he has a toolbox that is entirely transferable to other fields. He enters the web site's customer service out of financial necessity, but very quickly, he discovers the career path he can take there and decides to take advantage of it. He mobilized his energy and is building a real career.
Marie went into computer science a bit reluctantly, but she was probably right: in biology, it could have been "tough"! She finds interest in what she does, she makes a small effort for that, she put good will into it. It's important to emphasize that. In doing so, she also benefits from the other advantages of work: a social place, a certain comfort. Real life does not necessarily correspond to our childhood dreams, but that does not mean it is less good!"
Apec.fr
Posted online October 3, 2013.
