Another problem will be I want to stay in Bakersfield, CA so I won't be seeking jobs outside the city.

 

im kinda in the same boat as him with business admin degree and recent grad (may 2007) but I have an economics minor...any suggest with this speciality? good luck to you amer

 

With your degree, go to where the money is. I have a BA in economics from UT Austin with a minor in Mandarin [in my early 20's]. I already had a long resume but regardless the oil sector had some great opportunites in Houston [already worked for National OilWell Varco for 2 years while in school but would have gone a similar route regardless]. Banking won't be so hot until the housing market/securities market stabilizes which won't be tomorrow.

If accountants are getting paid your area, get a CPA. If you like private equity, get your lvl 1 CFA [I'm considering this now if I don't move overseas]. If start-ups are in need of management interview with a bunch of them. With a degree in BA, my advice is to take a big, broad look at the markets defining the business landscape in your area. Go where the money is at. If you are unable to come up with anything, get out of there before you end up working a crap job [pay isn't everything, it's about 1/3 of it IMO], getting a girl pregnant, and then coming on here 10 years later asking where you went wrong.

At this point I'd focus on cash flow and future cash flow. Keep saving until you get a new business idea so when you do you can run with it. A higher paying job that takes up all your time, stresses you out, has no real future, etc. isn't worth it if their are alternatives. I had 3 friends do consulting after college. 2 of them ended up well paid and absolutely miserable. The third [4.0 in EE at UT] worked for D&T and was able to get in to a great grad school because of it. The $ alone wasn't worth it though. I'd rather have a 9-6 job that allows me to have the resources to work on other projects, I've done the 60+ hours a week deal too much already. Spend as little time as possible making other people rich unless it's commission based.

 

Accenture, maybe. McKinsey and BCG, forget about it unless you have a 4.0 gpa from an Ivy league school and are well connected.

"I had 3 friends do consulting after college. 2 of them ended up well paid and absolutely miserable. The third [4.0 in EE at UT] worked for D&T and was able to get in to a great grad school because of it. The $ alone wasn't worth it though. I'd rather have a 9-6 job that allows me to have the resources to work on other projects, I've done the 60+ hours a week deal too much already. Spend as little time as possible making other people rich unless it's commission based."


I'm a consultant at a top 4 firm, I've done the 9-5 in the worlds biggest tech company and found it boring, got into consulting, it's fast paced, hard work but you get a lot more responsibility and work with executives vs. being a peon in the corner cube.

All things considered, my advice to you is look into accounting and get a CPA.