Sorry more of a rant than anything but comments, opinions and advice is appreciated. Posting for or rather about a friend (seriously not me). He did 5 years of engineering school, got dual bachelors and masters in mechanical engineering and could not get a job after graduation. He decided to go for a second masters instead in computer engineering, as in his last year he took some CE electives and liked it (I told him to do CS at least). During this period got an internship in finance and suddenly was all about quants and machine learning. Now he graduated again with his CE degree and even after applying early on, is still unable to get a job. One problem is that he thinks he is too good. Until recently he was only applying to quant positions and at fancy hedge funds. I told him to apply to an average company and just secure a first offer as a backup. Even offered to refer him to my company. Now that most new grad positions have expired, he is scrambling to get a job as he has officially graduated with nothing in the pipeline. Considering his parents already bailed him out of similar situation by paying huge sums of money for a second masters and now it has been 7 years he has been in school, is there any hope to find a job? What is wrong with people like these and How should I support as a friend? PS: I give him advice indirectly but he is too arrogant (more as a defense mechanism imo). Even after no accomplishments he still feels he is an excellent intellectual and loves to boast his knowledge and this really grinds my gears.
Let natural selection take its course
Your friend sounds like a person nobody wants to be around. That has a much greater impact in hiring decisions than whatever knowledge he thinks he has.
With that attitude, no wonder no one will hire them. No one likes or wants to work with a know-it-all.
I dont think the degree your friend has anything to do with this...
Sounds like a “I have two masters, I deserve a good job” type of guy. Getting two masters was just his second problem. Going for first masters was his first. Tell him he needs to earn his job. He needs to show he’s a hard and smart worker, not just some bookworm.
No. The mistake that he made was not getting a master in leetcode!
The entitlement is real.
Don’t help him unless he asks for it. That’s the best you can do IMO. People like these are best left to pave their own path, for the good or worst.
Do what markets demand, then you get job.
I wouldn't hire someone who has that level of arrogance and entitlement. And yes, you can see that in an interview if the hiring manager is half way intelligent.
Tell him to swallow his pride if he wants to make progress. Tell him sometimes it's better to step one step backward in order to move two steps forward later.