What can I do with my Interior Design degree? Other than design?

Question

I have my bachelors degree, graduated 2004 from a big 10 university. In the meantime I have had a few jobs, mostly in the customer service industry. I feel like nobody wants to hire me. I don't want a job directly within my field since my interests have changed. I'm tired of people telling me that "just because you have a degree, doesn't mean you're more marketable than the next person" I totally understand that a degree doesn't automatically put me on the same playing field as someone who's been in the workforce for 10 years. But i do feel it should give me an advantage over someone with just a GED, right? Plus, I do have work experience. I'm not old, so it is limited. Why all the negativity toward a degree? Even worse, I had a job as a teller at a bank. My supervisor and manager praised my work, I clearly went above and beyond. But they still decided to hire a 35 yr/old lady who could BARELY do simple math, who could BARELY understand the basic banking concepts.. at a higher pay. WTF!

I don't get it. It's like, in the world of GED's, people only want to hire the inexperienced people.. probably out of pity, and the "been there" attitude. But for me, with my degree, it's like they despise me. I don't want some big corporate job. I just want a basic little job to fill my time.

Answer 1

I feel your pain.  My advice?  Start praying, or start paying...(to go back to college).  Bachelor's degrees don't mean what they used to.  On top of that, most people end up working in a career outside of the field that they majored in (insert irony here).  Add to that employers who want a bachelors as well as 5-7 years relevant experience for even some of the most trivial jobs and yes, you end up with lots of intelligent workers being passed over by "skilled" workers.  The single most prevalent obstacle to being hired in any industry these days is ageism.  Either you are too young, or you are too old.    

Answer 2

i think the problem is that you are applying for the "basic little job". they might wonder why someone with a Degree is applying for a job and maybe find you intimidating?

i think the opposite is true about Degree's. I don't have a degree i have a diploma, but i'm a software developer so i don't really need a degree cus i know a lot. but with a degree you should be able to do lots and have lots of opportunities. i have a friend who has a degree in english and is now working in marketing. just look for jobs that you want and apply for them. you're not limited to anything!

i once applied for a job at a travel agency and they turned me down because they saw that i'm a software developer. i just wanted the job cus i wanted to work once a week so i can get travel discounts, but they didn't hire me because they said that i have "different qualifications", i.e. they know eventually i would just quit because it's not my field, i have a higher education and lots of experience, why would i apply for a salesperson job at a travel agency? obviously i wouldn't be taking it seriously at all, and i'm sure they consider that too. so if you apply for a little job, like lets say, a retail job or a job at mcdonald's, they would probably hire someone who doesn't have a degree over someone who does because they know the person who doesn't have a degree would probably dedicate more of their time and future to mcdonalds and move on to become a supervisor, manager, etc., whereas someone with a degree is most likely to be looking for something else... get what i'm saying??