New graduate with a Econ degree from Cal Poly

So I just graduated in December 2012.. Not sure what I want to do except live somewhere where I can access the mountains. Had an interview with MassMutual yesterday, but I'm currently located near Santa Rosa, CA. Sonoma County. We'll see if I hear back from then... but even if I do hear back IDK if I'll be ending up there.

Can't say I have given a ton to this community, or met any of you guys at all. But I love skiing, and have a very level-headed approach to problems and situations. I just don't even know what people with econ degrees do? Go to grad school and teach? No thanks. Don't have a TON of work experience either, mostly summer construction jobs and repairs for property management companies.

Not really sure what I'm looking for here. Tips/tricks, ideas of where to look? I wouldn't mind working for a ski resort (not that I know ANYTHING about how they run or their culture), but I wouldn't even know how to contact them for an application? Call their HR department? I've skied my whole life at Squaw, including racing for a number of years, so that would be awesome to be a part of the business (although I am aware the Cushing family doesn't own it anymore)

I appreciate any advice you can give me. I'm just a 23 year old hoping to start the next chapter of my life. Getting into the Tahoe area would be ideal, but certainly not required. I'm not even sure how much rent is up there, doable on an entry-level wage/salary? Hell, I'd move out of state to another mountain area if it came to it.

Good luck. I glad I'm not just starting out......Well cept the age thing and banging hot girls and such. At least I still have "hookers and blow", and arcteryx, lots of arcteryx.

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Originally Posted by bushman

Well cept the age thing and banging hot girls and such.

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You won't be banging any hot girls with that attitude! hahahaha I've seen some young girls go for older guys, my Uncle is a prime example. Although he does go after them specifically....

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Originally Posted by jahoney

hahahaha I've seen some young girls go for older guys, my Uncle is a prime example. Although he does go after them specifically....

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ReportAPedo.com

As a fellow econ grad, i can relate. Qualified for anything, trained to do, well, nothing. ;)

you could always try what i did. Pack enough to live on your motorcycle, move to a resort area, [in my case it was Yellowstone] and start knocking on doors.

Personally the dots didn't connect when i was doing each job, but now looking back they connect really well, and in hindsight i couldn't have designed a better training program for what i ended up doing...good luck!!

They only way you will find out what you want to do is to get out in the workforce.

Live at home and work a local job until you save enough to move to Tahoe.

Take the first good job in Tahoe you can just to pay the bills and buy the beers.

Then keep your eyes and ears open for the best opportunity.

Probably should sell that lifted pickup with the poly stickers on it too.

sent from the future using my mind powers

Most people who work in econ work for banks and consultancies ngos/nonprofits/etc or for the government. Those jobs are a little hard to come by right now because of austerity at the federal and local level.

How's your gpa, financial/statistical modeling, or programming background? The big banks and consultancies probably don't recruit from poly so that is how you should market yourself if you want to work in econ as a field. Otoh lots of people don't end up working in the field that their undergrad degree is in.

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I knew someone with an econ degree who did an internship with Colorado Ski Country USA, turned that into a job with Vail Resorts photo dept, then Hospitality marketing and then a job with an energy bar co, and now some events job. It is what you make of it. Find an internship in something appealing.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by nickwm21

They only way you will find out what you want to do is to get out in the workforce.

Live at home and work a local job until you save enough to move to Tahoe.

Take the first good job in Tahoe you can just to pay the bills and buy the beers.

Then keep your eyes and ears open for the best opportunity.

Probably should sell that lifted pickup with the poly stickers on it too.

sent from the future using my mind powers

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This is a kind of plan I had imagined..

I drive a black subie with no stickers on it. LOL.

thanks for all the replies guys. Am currently living at home applying for small and career-type jobs locally, and career-type jobs in the bay area. I feel like I'm gonna end up in the bay area just because there are so many jobs there and they (probably) pay better than the ones in Tahoe. Time will tell.

Local banks would be a good place to start.... upward mobility, located everywhere, etc.

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Originally Posted by jahoney

I drive a black subie with no stickers on it. LOL.

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Sounds like a Chico State grad to me....

Anyway. Congrats on getting out of school and choosing a good major.

sent from the future using my mind powers

Chiming in because I'm at poly (best skier at this school) and will be moving up to Healdsburg/SR temporarily for a job after graduation in June.

Did you look into any of the on campus career resources? If your not planning to already, I'd highly recommend coming down to SLO for the spring career fair next Wednesday and Thursday. They hand out entry level jobs and internships like halloween candy. If you can't find a position you are in love with it is worth it for the interviewing experience and to hold as leverage against any other opportunities you may have. Bring a handful of well written resumes and wear business casual. Don't be the asshole who wears a suit- it's California and you ski.
details here- http://www.careerservices.calpoly.edu Get on mustangJobs and research some of the companies and positions that sound interesting to have some talking points with the recruiters and you'll be set. Contrary to sirshredalot this school is heavily recruited from by the big players, although jumping in bed with PWC or deloite doesn't seem like the best way to get your ski days in.

As far as renting in Tahoe, I found it to be much cheaper than where I have lived in both SLO and Sonoma county. It sounds like you have some experience in construction- I'd bet you could move to Truckee this week and find a summer job doing the same if you want to go that rout.

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Originally Posted by Charlie Don't Surf

Chiming in because I'm at poly (best skier at this school) and will be moving up to Healdsburg/SR temporarily for a job after graduation in June.

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Well, if folks are recruiting from there, that's definitely good news. The question is whether you want a cubicle job or whether you want to go skiing. The PWC or Deloitte people will definitely work entry level people like a kept bitch for a decent but unspectacular salary, though you can pull a few hundred k a year if you stick around to make partner, and maybe they would pay for grad school or something.

I ended up skiing full time while working all sorts of random jobs to get by: titty bar dj was the best. I went back to grad school and took a job with Uncle Sam, which is pretty good in terms of vacation time/flexible hours/whatever but getting increasingly lousy in terms of pay.

If you have a good background in econometrics and you're close to the bay area, there is a lot of work for data analysts, both at the big players and at start-ups. You can always take a couple coursera courses and fidget with R in your spare time while you're skiing to make yourself marketable. It seems like a good field to break into.

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Originally Posted by Charlie Don't Surf

Chiming in because I'm at poly (best skier at this school) and will be moving up to Healdsburg/SR temporarily for a job after graduation in June.

Did you look into any of the on campus career resources? If your not planning to already, I'd highly recommend coming down to SLO for the spring career fair next Wednesday and Thursday. They hand out entry level jobs and internships like halloween candy. If you can't find a position you are in love with it is worth it for the interviewing experience and to hold as leverage against any other opportunities you may have. Bring a handful of well written resumes and wear business casual. Don't be the asshole who wears a suit- it's California and you ski.
details here- http://www.careerservices.calpoly.edu Get on mustangJobs and research some of the companies and positions that sound interesting to have some talking points with the recruiters and you'll be set. Contrary to sirshredalot this school is heavily recruited from by the big players, although jumping in bed with PWC or deloite doesn't seem like the best way to get your ski days in.

As far as renting in Tahoe, I found it to be much cheaper than where I have lived in both SLO and Sonoma county. It sounds like you have some experience in construction- I'd bet you could move to Truckee this week and find a summer job doing the same if you want to go that rout.

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I'll take you up on that best skier at Poly challenge. :the_finge

I've been getting those emails about the career fair, I really should go. That's a lot of gas, though.

And I would definitely be wearing a suit if I went, it's like I have one, why wouldn't I?

I figured Tahoe would be a cheaper place to rent than SLO, I mean that's kind of obvious, but by how much?

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Originally Posted by jahoney

I figured Tahoe would be a cheaper place to rent than SLO, I mean that's kind of obvious, but by how much?

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There is this website called Craigslist.org.... I don't know if you have heard of it....

Expect $400 on the low end

sent from the future using my mind powers

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Originally Posted by nickwm21

There is this website called Craigslist.org.... I don't know if you have heard of it....

sent from the future using my mind powers

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http://i.imgur.com/UmpOi.gif

Definitely go to the job fair, wear a suit... do some homework before hand.... try googling "what to do with an econ major." And I'm not saying this with a mean intent, but it amazes me that today you could graduate and not have a clue what to do with your major.... trust me, I know it happened back when I was in school, but there are so many more resources easily available today that I'm surprised you weren't looking into this last summer, vs. several months after you graduated. Anyway, options... options are what you want, so look at everything then make a decision. good luck

Trust me, I've looked into it. Sure I could've tried harder to have a job already at this point but looking back on it isn't helping much is it?

Sadly, a lot of people get into sales of some sort... Insurance, products, anything. Not sure I'm a decent salesmen, or even if I could, that I would want to. Some of the only real options to do economics as a profession come by getting a masters or doctorate. Not trying to do that.

I should've been more clear in my first post; I'm trying to ask you guys how I could get into the ski industry, which I've had some responses for and I appreciate it. The rest I more or less have covered, unless someone knows of an opening.

Get a job with a tech startup and live in the City. My brother-in-law came out of UCLA with an econ degree in 2009 and that's what he does. And that's what I would do right now.

I was Econ as well. I live in a ski town and the folks who have life most dicked are, well, actually they're the trustfunders. But you're not so the group in second place for having life dicked is the guys with knowledge jobs that work remotely. They have some specialties like trading, all sorts of consulting, selling, publishing, etc that they can do from a home office anywhere. They didn't spend their 20s in a super cool place but the the best or luckiest can get there by 30, have kids there and raise them in a wholesome, cool place. I didn't realize this in my 20's, but we do live a long time and there is a life after 30 and spending 40 years in a ski town so you can still bike and ski at 70 is a life well lived.
If you liked the math of Econ, most finance work is a whole lot simpler and they seem to be the pricks who make too much money and have multiple ski homes.

chugach001...i have to disagree with you a little bit...I am what you describe...I worked in finance from 21-35...now work remotely from my new home in slc...21-35 was pretty terrible...90 hour work weeks - every week for 15 years...traveling 300 miles for grad school on every weekend for 3 of those years...one 1 week ski vacation per year...it took a big toll on relationships and my own sanity...what was I thinking?!...i lucked out...i dont know anyone else in my field who works from home in the mountains...yes its great now (even without the multiple ski homes)...but its not something i would advise anyone to plan on...my advice would be to figure out how to do what you love as much as you can, figure out how to pay rent after...money is not that important...and you could get hit by a bus and never get your 40 years in a ski town.

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Originally Posted by pvars

chugach001...i have to disagree with you a little bit...I am what you describe...I worked in finance from 21-35...now work remotely from my new home in slc...21-35 was pretty terrible...90 hour work weeks - every week for 15 years...traveling 300 miles for grad school on every weekend for 3 of those years...one 1 week ski vacation per year...it took a big toll on relationships and my own sanity...what was I thinking?!...i lucked out...i dont know anyone else in my field who works from home in the mountains...yes its great now (even without the multiple ski homes)...but its not something i would advise anyone to plan on...my advice would be to figure out how to do what you love as much as you can, figure out how to pay rent after...money is not that important...and you could get hit by a bus and never get your 40 years in a ski town.

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Put the ellipses down. Back away from the ellipses.

A ski town econ grad here. The problem is econ grads are smart enough to do anything in financial sector, but it's way easier for a company to hire a business/finance/accounting major as they usually have better starting knowledge of the nuts and bolts of those jobs. For a decent paying job in finance, the only econ grads that people look at are from the Ivys and such.

Pvars, thanks for the offsetting opinion. Quite frankly, I never did the grind in my 20's like I recommended. I fed a climbing/skiing addiction in Alaska during my 20's, paid my dues in my 30's with career and location and then got super lucky to end up in a ski town in my 40's. It may not last but I look back and see how it could if I had thought more long term in my 20's. I guess the path is always more obvious when you look backwards.

Also, focus on what you LIKE doing.
Do you like solving problems?
Do you like analyzing data?
Do you like talking to people?
Do you enjoy technical detail or not?
What classes did you enjoy most and why?

I also don't mean BS answers, but genuine ones, as that's going to point you towards career tracks. If you want a good job, you're going to have to work hard; which is a lot easier when you enjoy the type of work.

thanks for the bump/suggestion.

I went to that job fair, wore my suit, got a few interviews, got a ride-a-long with Kendall Jackson and just got back from my 3rd interview! So, they offered me a sales rep job in the Los Gatos (south bay) area or Sacramento area, with an account or two in Tahoe(!).

Thinking about taking the sac job, that way I can stop by in tahoe and just stay up there at our family's cabin. Pretty stoked. Gotta move and find a place to move into.

Congrats. I grew up in sac and am in the wine biz so let me know if you have any questions.
I know a few people who have gone to work for kj in production and all have positive things to say.

Will you be with majestic holding retail accounts?

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Thanks man.

If I take the job, I would be trying to sell additional cases of wine for displays for the different accounts. A sales representative, I think that's the official title. Mainly going around talking to liquor department managers and store managers to see if I can get some floor space for a display and thus additional sales. So yeah, retail accounts at grocery stores mostly.

It's regal wine company, I'm not sure about what majestic is, but I haven't gotten final details yet. I'd be selling KJ vintner's reserve chard, grand reserve chard, the avant line, la crema, murphy-goode, cambria, and a few others.

Buddy here in jackson that works at a bank said they are putting an ad out for a teller position soon...

well the wine slanging didn't go as planned.. they say I'm "still in the mix" but can't offer me a spot yet. So I was forced to take up other offers because I NEED to start making some money/get some references.

So I'm gonna be working customer service at Whole Foods, pending background check. Thanks anyways for the tip, Tye

Damn, am I ever glad I went to a school with 100% job placement. I don't know that someone could get though their first year there with any hope of graduating without at least some idea of what they can do with their degree.

Good luck!

Take advantage of your position as a young, trainable grad.

There are some pretty awesome programs at big companies that you can access, and someone just 5 yrs older than you cannot.

BP for example has a an awesome 2 yr program to train energy and power traders. You spend like 6 months in each dept. Analytics, trading, Power, Nat gas etc.. Then when you graduate you move to one of the dept's full time. Work there for 5 yrs then call a head headhunter in NYC for a job at a hedge fund.

Franklin Templeton used to have a management training program that was similar. (pay sucked though)

Good luck