Recent comments in /f/Washington

stem_ho t1_j0qeh07 wrote

I got a B.S. in Civil Engineering this may in PA and started a job here in Tacoma a week later. So it's possible with only a Bachelors, and tech is big here especially near Seattle but that might have more competition for you moving from out of state.

I'd say give it a shot whatever you want to do

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ShowMeDaData t1_j0p587a wrote

It really bothers me that this is such common advice for new grads. While this can be a good path for those with some experience, it's bad for new grads for a few reasons.

Going straight for a graduate degree without working means you won't have practical real world experiences to connect the concepts you learn to. This effectively leads to a all books smarts and no street smarts perspective.

Trying to land a job with a Masters degree and little to no professional work experience leads to being both over and under qualified at the same time. Employers will see you as under qualified for mid level roles because you don't have any work experience, and over qualified for every level roles. Plus if you do manage to get a mid level roles, you'll be behind your peers because you very likely haven't had the opportunity to learn any soft skills yet.

Edit: Skills you typically learn on the job versus in school include but are not limited to: stakeholder management, communication with non-technical audiences, negotiation skills, project management, strategic planning, technical troubleshooting, data visualization for business audiences, and written business communication.

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Fox-and-Sons t1_j0ojw2y wrote

I'm super perplexed by your interest in "Washington" generically, it's pretty well known for being a state that varies a ton. Seattle is quite different from Tacoma is different from Bellingham and wildly different from Spokane or Yakima, and the cities are all very different from the small towns which in turn vary drastically by region (coastal? In the mountains? Farm country?)

What is it that interests you about Washington? What are your goals? Do you want to live in a cool city with a big tech community while you're young and have a little money? Then I'd say go to Seattle. Do you want to try to get a job that's pretty stable and buy a house in a suburban environment? You could probably find work in the tri-cities.

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