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No, never follow up like that twice. Send a thank you for talking with me within 24 hours of the interview and if promised a response by a certain date and nothing happens a week later then just send a note saying you haven’t heard back but wanted to let them know you’re still available (without asking for a reply).

Company’s change or delay plans all the time. The recruiter will feel nagged if you ask twice which in a competitive field of applicants is enough to hurt your chances. If your feeling desperate I suggest using the Deniz Sazal’s interviewing techniques. I used LIG to job hunt last time and it worked well for me. Alternately, Orville Pierson’s Job search books are the same method but cheaper (if you’re a reader).

Remember these rules of thumb:
1- if your resume is a perfect fit for the job, you’ll get screened/interviewed 1/20 applications. If it’s poorly suited you’ll get 1/50 or less (and waste a bunch of people’s time in addition to your own);
2- from the screeners to the final interview is a numbers and practice game, but an average interviewer will need to talk to 25 decision makers before landing an offer.

If you assume a 50% interview passage rate, 5 final round candidates and a cold applications for one offer letter: 1 offer letter x 5 hiring manager interviews = 5 x 10 screener/other interviews= 50 interview level applications x 20 applications each = 1,000 applications that fit your resume. If you go the direction of applying for everything under the sun, this winds up around 5,000 and you’ll end up settling for a crap job out of desperation.

While it is a numbers game, networking and good honest self analysis can improve your odds dramatically! Figure out what makes you unique in the market by sending out 100 apps where your resume is totally honest but brags a little. (A language you can speak or code that’s rare in your field, or similar skill that other people don’t have). When you get responses note what’s unique about the positions, the companies, the hiring managers etc. Use that information to narrow your applications to more relevant jobs and highlight the (now proven) strengths in your resume.

For example, On my last job search I figured out I was really attractive to companies between 50 and 200 employees who were just beginning to hire HR because I have a legal background. I was also getting tons of recruiter calls for positions involving mandarin, which I speak at a cocktail party level as opposed to a business level. I decided the legal side fit me better, so I added to that by getting a certification in HR and focused on those companies. The job hunt took 3 weeks and I doubled my salary because I had two final round interviews the same week, which allowed me to pick the best place for me. I have a friend who had a rough year long job hunt after college but figured out he knew a language few people in his field knew and targeted positions that required it. Same result.

At the same time network like Orville and Sazal recommend and practice your interviewing. Make at least 10 targeted contacts and 10 targeted applications per day. At a rate of 20 QUALITY contacts per day, you should find yourself with 2-4 interviews per week within a couple of weeks. If not, go back and improve quality.

The mentality here is like dating for the best match as opposed to dating in a romantic win their heart frame of mind. You can do this but you’ve got to set the emotions to the side and focus on getting your daily numbers and quality.

Good luck!

I replied to a similar post recently, but it was specifically about sports broadcasting. Here's a little copy + paste and a few new bits:

I don't know about grad school, but my suggestion would be to study something that you actually care enough to want to report on. The best reporters and journalists usually have a really nuanced and detailed understanding of certain subjects they actually are interested in.

Grad school won't make you a good journalist. The work you put in outside of class and your passion will. You should speak to your advisors anyway about things like that. Also, find journalists that are doing what you'd like to do and look up their credentials or send them an email.

The internship sounds like a good step. It might lead to more, but it might not. It will at least give you a chance to see if you like it enough to continue on that path.

Does your university have a student radio or TV station? Those are going to be more relevant to broadcast journalism. However, starting something new at the paper does show initiative, which looks good for you.

If no on-air options are available through your school, see if there are any community radio stations with open air-shifts. Also, consider starting a podcast outside of the newspaper. It's relatively inexpensive to get started. If you want to be on camera or on-mic, you've got to spend a lot of time getting comfortable with it.

You should spend some time studying up on radio and voiceover in general. I'd suggest looking into these three books.

When everyone starts they put on an over the top "radio voice" or "TV personality" that just seems disingenuous and hokey. You'll need to work on being natural and relaxed. Smile when you talk. While you're on-air or recording, think about speaking to just one person. Seriously. You'll sound much better.

Piggybacking on the one person thing, don't say "everybody" "everyone" or "hello! insert city name." That's the easiest way you can hear an amateur right away. You're trying to make a personal connection. You wouldn't talk that way to your friends or a new acquaintance...don't do it just because you're in front of a mic.

Work on reading out loud until it doesn't sound like you're reading at all. Work on ad-libbing and improvising with information. KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO SAY BEFORE YOU EVER EVEN GET CLOSE TO THAT MICROPHONE. Being prepared will get you out of a jam if you drop your notes or forget something on the way to the studio...or if you have an old-fashioned equipment malfunction that requires you to fill up time until someone can jump in to resolve the issue.

Learn from your mistakes because you will make a lot. Luckily, audiences are fairly quick to forgive and forget. Don't let little slip ups ruin your confidence.

...I hope that's helpful. Maybe some of that isn't what you're looking for, but those are some things to think about.

I used to hate math, too. Rest assured, you don't hate math, you hate the way you've been taught math. Math is beautiful and wonderful and every bit as lovely as the most eloquent of sonnets. There's true beauty in Euclid's proof that there are infinitely many primes, and in Cantor's proof that the infinity of the real numbers is greater than the infinity of the integers, or in any proof of the Pythagorean theorem. Math isn't about numbers, or equations, or multiplication tables, it's about seeing the beauty that comes from exploring a set of rules, be that algebra or calculus or geometry.

If you want to make video games, you've come to the right place. If you want to try it out, Ludum Dare, a 48 hour game jam, is coming up soon, and you can make something very simple for it to see if coding is for you. More than math, computer science is about problem solving and logic. The math is there, but that stuff can be done with calculators and Wolfram|Alpha. Even if you don't like code, you may like designing games, and if you do, you can make simpler games with less coding knowledge in GameMaker or Twine or Stencyl until you've built up enough of a portfolio to justify working with coders to make your designs become reality. (GameMaker, Twine, and Stencyl are all really mature tools at this point. GameMaker was used to make Hotline Miami, and Twine was used to make Depression Quest)

Note, however, that game design is not just being an "idea guy". Game design is real work involving real problem solving, playtesting, and a lot of study of the greats of the past, like any artistic endeavor. You'll want to play and dissect the great works of the past and see how they tick and why they're still memorable all these years later, read things like Jesse Schell's "The Art of Game Design", or Steve Swink's "Game Feel" to understand what games are and what they can be, so you can push those boundaries in new and exciting directions.

Biomedical science/Biochemistry. Can't vouch for forensics degrees as ive not been on one but I think those two are broader spectrum and probably more useful to getting there. If you're interested in the subject, this is a good book and was on my University curriculum. Haematology (Fundamentals of Biomedical Science) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0199568839/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_1hyVCbQGJZ8R2
Biomedical and biochemistry aren't forensics but honestly probably go into more detail in terms of analysis. Read into your cell biology and chemistry. Also don't be so prepared to pidgeon hole yourself so early, your interests can change a lot; a goal is good but flexibility is better. Good luck

https://www.amazon.ca/Good-They-Cant-Ignore-You/dp/1455509124

Read this book before you do anything rash- he offers a framework/perspective you might find helpful.

It's always hard to tell whether we are thinking "this is hard I want to stop because it's hard even though its making me grow" VS. "this path is legitimately pointless and not going to lead me to where I want to go with my life".

Pretty sure everyone deals with this kind of doubt- especially when you're really challenging yourself. Which is OFTEN a good sign, it means you're outside of your comfort zone which is where growth happens.

I'm just saying step 1 is figure out if this is just edginess due to perfectly normal feelings of inferiority (I'm not good enough/this is easy to everyone else) The first sentence of your post makes it pretty clear you're AT THE VERY LEAST adequate. "3rd year PHd student at a large research university..." I would bet on you being fairly capable, hardworking/intelligent. just a hunch. :)

The idea of "quitting" is seductive because there's no reality there- it's a pure concept that exists in our heads, a fantasy we construct when facing a difficult reality. This is a normal human reaction- you are normal.

TLDR; It's super healthy and normal for these kinds of doubts to come up. Also, even the most meaningful work is often difficult, boring, demanding and stressful- that's true in any field. But if you hate yoga and believe it's useless you shouldn't be working in a yoga studio. And if you have some other ability/skill that will meaningfully contribute to the world (WHILE GETTING YOU PAID) then it might be worth exploring that option first- before throwing away all your hard work.

Sounds like your attitude towards work has taken a hit and you need to realign yourself with YOUR purpose and motivation that doesn't involve rewards such as the approval of a parent.

Honestly, if you are not passionate about library services, you should not be pursuing your MLIS. The job market is hard enough out there for people who are passionate about library services, tossing yourself in the mix (and adding to your debt while you're at it) isn't a great move.

That said, I'm also not sure about how realistic it is to pursue a career in writing for TV, but you seem pretty aware of that, and it sounds as if you've already been able to get writing positions, which seems like a good start. It sounds as if you already know what you want to do.

If you haven't read it yet, you might want to read Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. I personally don't know much at all about the business of writing for TV, but scattered throughout her book was her path through writing for TV, which I thought was super interesting.

It's possible without college, but it's not possible without education (leaving aside the incredibly rare exceptions like being a professional athlete.) That education can be apprenticeships; it can be on the job training (which is very hard to get in the US); it can be self taught; it can be college. Usually college is easiest.

Mathematics actually has very wide applicability although I'll grant you that many or most courses don't go out of their way to make that clear.

However, I'm not suggesting you should follow a math program. But you will need some form of education that's in demand to not live paycheck to paycheck. (This was much less true 40 years ago but it's true today, and getting more true with each passing year.)

Please look into this book:

https://www.amazon.ca/Good-They-Cant-Ignore-You/dp/1455509124/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1455509124&pd_rd_r=5cc4db23-5eb0-11e8-895a-49ce3940778b&pd_rd_w=DMRhC&pd_rd_wg=iXvs8&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=A3DWYIK6Y9EEQB&pf_rd_p=6833277728960378486&pf_rd_r=6JWDH0DQ5VZHRTJ0SG5K&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=6JWDH0DQ5VZHRTJ0SG5K

Here is a quote from the description:

"In this eye-opening account, Cal Newport debunks the long-held belief that "follow your passion" is good advice. Not only is the cliché flawed - preexisting passions are rare and have little to do with how most people end up loving their work - but it can also be dangerous, leading to anxiety and chronic job hopping.

After making his case against passion, Newport sets out on a quest to discover the reality of how people end up loving what they do. "

Have a great day.

Hi Roboman,

If your current position falls within the realm of the Security+ Cert, go after it. If you are hungry to gain knowledge in this field, I recommend https://www.amazon.com/CISSP-All-One-Guide-Seventh/dp/0071849270. You will crush the Security+ exam and the CISSP exam if you engulf this material. If you want a good career in IT Sec, this will help you tremendously. Happy Holidays!

Another thing you want to consider is where you want more income coming from. 'Earned Income' is the highest taxed income. What if you used your talents to create a product or provide a service outside of your current position?

You could work for a company, but really effectively and efficiently. Then on the side have a product you get income from, royalty income, rental income, etc.

Read The Four Hour Work Week

That book is not only for people that want to cut down their work hours, or work remotely, but also for creating additional income streams.

Richard Bolles for the What Color is Your Parachute.

I also agree with the Design Your Life book.

I would also recommend this book as well:

Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type

https://www.amazon.com/dp/031623673X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ojj6BbPQ0ATAG


That book along with the Parachute book and some self inventory help me a lot on deciding what path I should take next.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

I actually had a whole class on this some years ago. Essentially after WWII, there was an implicit contract between industry and workers that essentially traded employee loyalty for job security. Many people in the Silent Generation and even Boomers had one or two jobs for their entire lives. People were proud to say, I worked for GM, Ford or Hughes Aircraft my whole life. Today, the average shelf life of an employee is 4.5 years.

When was in high school, I worked after school for an insurance company where it was easy to find people who had been with the firm 10 , 20 even 30 years; cradle to grave as it were. My brother started with "Ma Bell" about a month after he graduated high school and stay with the various telephone companies for 30 years. He never went to college. He retired at 55, full pension and now lives in Thailand. T

Several things have caused this to be a different job market than the one your parents knew. First downsizing, then offshoring and finally automation. All of this done in the name of short term profits. This is where that implied social contract between employer and employer has been broken.

Sources:

1. The Great Reckoning
   
2. Corporate Abuse
   
3. Corporate Executions

I really enjoyed this book by Steve Askinosie

https://www.amazon.com/Meaningful-Work-Quest-Business-Calling/dp/0143130315/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=askinosie&qid=1572908969&sr=8-1

I listened to it through Audible, it was really enjoyable.

I found two useful articles.

https://webwisewording.com/inverted-pyramid/

https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/stratcommwriting/chapter/inverted-pyramid-style/

​

These are the books I have:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071363882/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The second is more of a reference book

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FJ1FG0S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Try /r/cscareerquestions (although read the sidebar first to see if the question is appropriate). For software engineering, you need to start building your project portfolio ASAP, ideally put it up on GitHub and put a link to your GitHub on your resume. Also, pick up a book on algorithms (CLRS is a popular choice), learn the algorithms, work through the problems, read up on how to approach interview algorithm questions, and then practice. The field is relatively open to people coming in with non-CS different degree, but you have to prove yourself.

https://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master/dp/020161622X/ref=nodl_

https://www.udacity.com/course/software-architecture-design--ud821

https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B004BBEYYW

https://www.distributed-systems.net/index.php/me/

http://aosabook.org/en/index.html

https://www.coursera.org/learn/software-architecture

Read this book. It changed my life: https://www.amazon.com/Looking-Beyond-Ivy-League-Finding/dp/0143112821

I disagree with your viewpoint of the basic problem: People are not single-purpose automatons. They are highly adaptive, and so is the economy (which includes influence and prodding at various levels.)

There's an interesting book called [The Rise and Fall of American Growth] (https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-American-Growth-Princeton-ebook/dp/B071W7JCKW) that discusses a lot of this problem in a historic context. Given the structure of things right now, my guess is that we have to first have the pain in order to sell the new changes to the population.

IMO A lot of the problems transitioning can be resolved in part by implementing universal healthcare sooner rather than later, thereby decoupling people's jobs and access to his own doctor. This will help make losing a job far less catastrophic, and can help to increase the risk tolerance of the population at large. For example, stepping back to retrain for a different job or even just stepping back and figuring out what kind of lifestyle is right for you.

As to the retraining, that's something where the government can help, as it did during other major economic shifts via subsidies or outright government employment programs. There will also need to be a culture shift (as much related to health as job availability) of discouraging people from working more than X hours per week.