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I`ve suffered a body blow. And I don't know how to move along.
What happened? I graduated from university last summer. After weeks and month of job searching I thought that a chance, if not THAT chance, would turn up.
The last few years I studied at Germanys number one "elite" university in munich, and graduated in engineering. I've got acceptable marks in all the exams and best marks in my both term papers and in my diploma thesis. So I've got a good end rating. I now applied on a job at university at one of the chairs. Which one is irrelevant.
What happened is that I was not invited to an interview but was judged only on my "A-level" marks which where moderate or as rated and credited by the chair where I applied my "very bad" A-level marks.So I'm only on second row or the other way round "uninteresting".
Those ratings are more than 7.5 years old. Ratings that have nothing to do with my university achivements and motivations. Nothing to do with engineering. 7.5 years I worked hard,developed,matured and never let my aimes out of sight. I put some extra time beyond in the projects and suggested my own subject for my diploma thesis (Eigeninitiative!). And that 7.5 Years, all that studying, all that efforts seem to be absolute worthless. Becouse of things that happened and what I have done, I achived long time ago (more than one third of my life) during my A-levels. Things that have nothing to do with my motivation or talents or skills. But when only that counts what can I do? So I'll never find a job?
How do you react on such serve blows? The problem is, that this one e-mail I've got from the chair has shocked me more than I first thougt. So much that I have not slept all night. It's something that offended me very personal. And I don`t know whether I should fight or not and when...how. How could I motivate me again if everything I've done the last years is obviously worthless? Or should I just stop "engineering"?
Don't know.

well mate errm the difference between some1 great and some1 average is refusing to give up....give lady gaga got turned down many times and now she can laugh at all these people in the music industry who had rejected her years back.
the problem is not engineering the problem is the people, fact is people who are in high positions with their fat paid check don't give a --- about making the right decision, because they simply have not motivation to do so.
look at all the people working in the auto industry for example, flywheel kers is able to recover 70% or more of the energy so shouldn't they put 70% of the money for vehicle powering system to flywheel kers???
the answer is when people get paid in a non-performance-based salary, you have no motivation to do the right thing, which is why they rejected you, simple stupidity.
and in this wonder economic state achieve by a bunch of supposedly "experts" in their field.....its really not your fault

Jan_83 wrote:Or should I just stop "engineering"?

Ask yourself if you are prepared to throw away all those years of working hard, developing, maturing and never letting your aims out of sight. It's like getting a pole position, then stalling at the start... and going home. Why not try and win the race still?

Forget exactly where the quote came from, but it's always served me well:

If I walk over to you and punch you in the face then that's a pretty crappy thing to do. If you're still lying there a week later, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

It may sound callous and harsh, but it's up to you to pick yourself up and show the determination to succeed. Work out what opportunities are out there, see what truly interests you, then work at it until you make it happen for yourself.

And if you feel that your A-level results are holding you back then you need to turn them into a positive. Maybe admit that the results shocked you but that you have worked hard ever since to turn yourself around fulfill your potential. A good interviewer will be more interested in you as a person, using your results as a backdrop, than the actual scores you achieved over seven years ago.

Strange to hear something like this.
I think people in Germany are very focused on the degree you achieved. On the other hand you will not get your dream job immediately just because you have a Dr. degree (I guess you have a similar degree after 7,5 years at uni münchen). You will have to work your way up in business just as everybody else had to do.

You got judged on your A-levels (Abitur)?
To be honest I can't believe this and never heard of something before.
I think they just didn't want you because of some other reasons.
Anyway you can't change it.
Maybe next time you just don't put your a-level reports on your application when they are so bad.
Most people will not miss them because they really mean nothing.

maybe one should remember that applying for job a chair in a university is something
you almost for sure need to have a -father- protecting or proteging you .To think you could go there say Hi I´m the one you need you will have to lobby and try to get one of the profs getting to want or actually having the need for you.Easy as that .the fruits may hang high but you should make yourself an attractive perspective as well.the a-levels and degree are only the prerequisites to make it
feasible but sure they are not the entry ticket.

To be honest, this thing doesn't shocked me but I'm agree to say that's totaly stupid.
The fact is some recruiters filter (don't know if it is the right word ) applicants with their diploma (or A-level in your case) even if they're old. Let me say one thing: it's not "too bad to you" but "too bad to them". What says mike with Lady Gaga make me smile at the beginning, but in fact analogy is well-choosed.

You begin on the business world and a "no" even rough is just a no. If you enjoy engineering you will succeed. I was in your case last year, due to financial crisis in my case. I looked for a job during six month, and did some concessions to get one in my domain. Not a dream job but a job, which permit me to live and acquiered some experience. Then last december, I changed for another which is a good one as a career groundwork. Sometime things are not what we expected, but it's not a reason to give up.

In my school, I had some lesson on how to apply to a job. If you don't have one like that, you should take one. There is a lot of mistake which can be easily avoid. Like mep said, don't put your A-level reports on your application if is not good and if you don't have to. When you apply, you must only show the better of yourself, and show them why they can be interested by you (and of course never lie!)

I'd think it raises some serious questions about how good an employer would be if they are judging candidates in such a fashion. And then to send you an email saying you had 'very bad' grades? It could be that you just dodged a major bullet by not getting that job.

I'd go with what lurk said; if the a level results don't look so great, you don't have to put them on. As long as you're not actively lying about your grades you can say whatever you like. And if asked, then you have a chance to put across how you improved once you got something that could properly challenge you.

Ouch, that is a rude kick in the jewels, and hard to accept. I can sympathize with your angst at this moment.

All I can offer is what many are saying, to keep pushing on. Sometimes things don't go as planned, or on schedule. Back in 1990 I embarked on a career change, to improve my income and do something that really interested me. It was a very long and hard road, and it took me until 1996 to get where I wanted to be, and another three years to find a job that matched. The end result is I am doing something that is fun and interesting for me, and my income tripled.

Please, don't allow this setback to damage you. By your accounts, this field is something you are both interested in, and competent.