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97 Comments
- philsaysstfu, on 10/22/2009, -0/+45Finding a post-college job in a nearby city, and commuting from one's parents house is a pretty convenient way to start an adult life. I plan to do so for at least 1-2 years out of college, before moving into a soho studio apartment, overdosing on meth, and jumping out of a moving car.
- NoamChimpsky, on 10/22/2009, -2/+35Yeah, my sorry ass graduated this April--such incredible timing. My student loans kick in this month and it looks like I'll have to take an ***** job in retail/telemarketing/toilet scrubbing or else.
Laughably, the best option I have is to enroll in grad school, go even more into debt, and hope to ride this thing out and/or become even more overqualified for burger flipping. - NoamChimpsky, on 10/22/2009, -0/+25Actually, I think we're seeing a certain amount of over education. Because we no longer have any real industry, dumb saps (like me) see their only prospects for a good salary as a college education. Little do they realize that the university system is quickly becoming more about collecting tuitions and pumping out diplomas rather than actual career training.
What's worse is that there are more degrees out there than jobs that actually require a degree, in part, because many people who earn degrees don't really deserve one (some of the seniors in my last few classes were hopeless, leaving me wonder how they had progressed that far).
We're not training people for technical or skilled positions. We're telling them that getting a degree will make them employable, when it isn't often the case.
If I had to do it over again, I would go for a two year program to become a skilled laborer: an electrician, a carpenter, hell, even a plumber. Of course, with the downturn in the housing market, and cheap, illegal labor, some of those guys are ***** too. - Bloodwine, on 10/22/2009, -2/+25Baby Boomers are probably the last generation to continue the trend of doing better than their parent's generation. Gen X is probably on par with Boomers (but worse off in some ways), and Gen Y and younger are going to see a downward trend of education and wealth.
- SchnellFowVay, on 10/22/2009, -1/+20I graduated from a great (top-25) university with high honors in 2005.
I graduated with my J.D. from a prestigious (top-25) law school #2 in my class in 2009 with a laundry list of honors. I still couldn't find a job because the legal job market is the worst it's been in 100 years (literally -- read the WSJ law blog or AboveTheLaw.com).
I am now doing what is probably the most prestigious post-J.D. program in the world, and I am scheduled to graduate next year.
Still no job in sight. I am 27, going on 28. I want to start my life. I am ready and willing to work, and work hard. I have studied 7-days per week, every week, for the last 8 years since high school because this path used to provide a comfortable life with a decent income and relative level of social respect. I have accomplished every single benchmark and requirement for employment at even the most prestigious law firms - at least traditionally in strong markets.
But at this point, I don't even care about any of that. I just want a job. I want something . . . anything to avoid the impending doom of being a 28-year-old who moves back home with no job, no money, and a half-million dollars of elite degrees to hang on my wall next to my childhood Superman posters. - mrjit, on 10/22/2009, -2/+20All while college tuition is still soaring well above the rate of inflation. Gotta love it.
- tnerb067, on 10/22/2009, -1/+17Doesn't it suck to be willing to work, but not able to? I graduated in May with a job that ended quickly. I've been applying to everything in sight and I haven't even gotten a call back. I really believed in the "American Dream" (work hard and you can achieve anything), but after a few months out of work, out of the academic world, I've realized that the "American Dream" is dead. Call me a cynic, but that's how I'm feeling right now.
- yocouchdigga, on 10/22/2009, -1/+14I see bright things in your future, possibly oncoming headlights. Good luck to you.
- ugacrew, on 10/22/2009, -0/+12Talk to your student loan lender and ask for an economic forbearance. That way you'll get another grace period until you get some kinda job. I've done this while between contracting gigs just so my credit wouldn't take a hit. Just giving you a heads up.
- JRW5061, on 10/22/2009, -0/+12They give awards for that? What an ass hole school.
- anakast, on 10/22/2009, -0/+10I remember getting an award at my highschool graduation for being the one most likely to stay home the longest, as a third year university student (I'm still at home) it seems this self-fulfilling prophecy may not be as unusual or embarrassing as I thought.
- morphinapg, on 10/22/2009, -2/+12I know I'm back at home.. oh wait, I never left.
- TheWriteGuy, on 10/22/2009, -0/+9I fear that the next economic bubble in America won't be in the medical, health-care, or green energy industries, but in higher education. It really feels like the entire business (and that's what it is, a business) of college and university education is about to implode.
- peterjmag, on 10/22/2009, -2/+11I consider myself very fortunate to have ANY job right now, not to mention a job with decent pay at a good company.
- qthews, on 10/22/2009, -0/+8Could be because that is how a college education is sold.
- kenism, on 10/22/2009, -2/+10Its only bad for certain degrees that are in low demand. I dont want to say sociology degree, but most of us could of seen that.
I have friends in engineering that graduated with high GPAs. I remember even before they graduated that they were recruited and are now already doing full time paid internships so that they can find something to specialize in. The company will then pay them to come back to school to get their masters. Not to mention the 5k or so in bonus for keeping their GPA high.
There are also plenty of job postings on our chemistry bulletin looking for postgraduate positions at various universities, and also private companies. Also two graduate students that graduated from my lab a mere one month ago already had job offers before they even graduated and are now working.
Undergraduates also have some options including a recent summer internship at SCI for 6000-8000 bucks + 1000 bonus for chemistry majors. Then there's various other companies such as TXU (major utilities company in texas) that offers summer internships (or jobs) for chemistry majors. That or even do a paid fellowship somewhere just to keep yourself busy for a semester and get a ton of hands on experience. - DannySpace, on 10/22/2009, -1/+9Momeeeeeeeeeee!
- kendawg, on 10/22/2009, -0/+8I was with you until the 2nd line.
- FaithclubDotNet, on 10/22/2009, -0/+7Its ok to live with your parents and work on personal coding projects, but having no income hurts your dating status if you're a guy.
- cogitocogito, on 10/22/2009, -1/+8Aside from a few very specialized degrees, hiring rates don't vary much from major to major. So you might as well major in something you enjoy. However, having a few internships or some skilled part-time work makes a huge huge difference on the job market.
Go in with your eyes open. - elliotys, on 10/22/2009, -1/+8Somebody get this guy a compass, he's all over the map.
- bdbr, on 10/22/2009, -2/+8Sociology major, English major, Econ & Political science major...what made these people think there would be jobs in the first place? About all it qualifies them to do is teach what they just learned, and there is no way those fields are going to have as many teachers leaving as they will be creating.
- master69better, on 10/22/2009, -2/+8Pick the right major and you might land an assistantship + tuition waiver in grad school. Good Luck!
- elliotys, on 10/22/2009, -2/+8The problem is the vast majority of graduates are business/comm majors, because that ***** is easy and everyone makes it. With that said, if you go into college without researching what job opportunities there are when you get out, you have no one to blame but yourself. I got my BS in biochemistry, and I knew, before class started my freshman year, that if I didn't continue on to grad school or professional school, I would be stuck cleaning lab equipment with the PhD and graduate students runnign the show.
- avidlinuxuser, on 10/22/2009, -0/+5It's not just them though. Even in tech fields, there's been a substantial hit in terms of hiring entry-level positions. Now, most are just hiring senior and junior level positions.
- TheEggAndI, on 10/22/2009, -0/+5i graduated around june '08, a few months later the economy crashes and i cant find *****. so im back living at home with my dad making a little money here and there with some odd jobs but nothing steady or stable enough to support me living on my own. and it seems my dad and i are part of the demographics that are most effected by this crisis. me, a recent college graduate who cant find a steady job for the life of me. and my father, the senior still stuck working 60hours a week cause he keeps having to put off retirement
- endgame, on 10/22/2009, -0/+5WOW half a million really? If that is true our education system is seriously messed up!
- 49CentTacos, on 10/22/2009, -0/+4I look to help you achieve this dream of yours.
- JRW5061, on 10/22/2009, -0/+4I can relate. I'm currently paying off 3 different student loans while on unemployment plus health insurance. Real worlds a bitch
- X9001, on 10/22/2009, -2/+6What the hell makes you so special that corporations would want to hire you in the first place? Every one applying for a job at least has the basic requirements. What makes you special is work experience, community service, military, any awards received in the topics mentioned(eagle scout.) If you don't have any of those things then your just going to have to start at the bottom and work your way up just like everyone else
- deff, on 10/22/2009, -0/+4You, sir, are living the dream
- elliotys, on 10/22/2009, -3/+7What did you expect with an english major?
- ryanonfire, on 10/22/2009, -0/+3Can you use your law degree in another country? If prospects aren't good in America I would just move if I were you.
- inactive, on 10/22/2009, -1/+4No but you'll probably be poorer then your parents.
- X9001, on 10/22/2009, -0/+3People seem too have some idea in their heads that they are entitled to good jobs straight out of college.
- 17999, on 10/22/2009, -0/+3No, I rent. Got mah profits from the bubble tucked away. :)
- Alkerton, on 10/22/2009, -0/+3It blows. I was offered a job in Toronto in April '08, starting the Monday after I wrote my last exam on a Friday. For a year and change, everything was great -- then I got laid off in June of this year. There was a massive contraction in demand for our industry and I was low guy on the totem pole for seniority.
I had saved up enough to give myself the summer to job hunt, but didn't find any work in Toronto. After labour day I moved back in with my parents in Ottawa and here, after about 6 weeks of job hunting (4 months total) -- I just got a full-time offer. It's about a 20% pay cut from my previous job, but it's more than enough to get me back in my own place and paying off the debt I've incurred.
My advice? Perserverance, no matter how ***** it gets, and find a way to distinguish yourself from other job-hunters. I'm not that much more skilled/experienced than the average, but from what I've seen, I got way more interviews than the average. - Shiftgood, on 10/22/2009, -1/+4^ nope.
- porplem, on 10/22/2009, -1/+4Damn son you have a lawn? Niceee
- smj887, on 10/22/2009, -0/+3Just to clarify, you want to ask for an economic hardship deferment before you ask for any sort of forbearance. You get 36 months for the econ. hardship deferment, 12 months at a time, all you have to do is document that you're making below a certain threshold. Or if you're unemployed, just use an unemployment deferment. Some people won't qualify because the standards they use are a load of crap, but if you can get a deferment instead of a forbearance, it saves you a hell of a lot of money.
All of that just applies to federal loans though. If you have a private loan, I'm pretty sure they'll only give you forbearances and they're a lot more stingy. - joculator, on 10/22/2009, -1/+4Hold on to that free room for as long as you can. Jesus renting sucks.
- elliotys, on 10/22/2009, -2/+5What was your major?
- kingofthisnight, on 10/22/2009, -0/+2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_foil_hat
- Rioracer916, on 10/22/2009, -0/+2I sure hope so. Higher education feels like a scam. You spend all this money and forego 4 years of full-time income in most cases to come out with a piece of paper that doesn't always translate into the working world. I majored in Economics with an emphasis in accounting and even accounting has a real world element that has to be learned.
I hope the education bubble pops one way or another. Most accounting jobs don't need degrees. Hell back before world war 2 most accountants didn't have B.A. or higher degrees, it wasn't needed. You don't need a degree for monkey work. Now employers are getting crafty and are looking for people with 5-10 years experience in the same monkey work with little or no education required. Excuse me if I feel a little cut off at the knees here. For the past 40 years you needed a college degree to vet your ability to do work and learn on the job. Now all that is thrown out of the window in favor of hiring someone who is a good lier or happens to have gotten a job that the previous market would have deemed them unqualified for and worked their way up from there.
I'm not completely inexperienced in my profession, I have 2 years experience, some in public accounting some doing temp work for various entities. Unfortunately, entry level in this economy is a minimum of 5 years experience and it better be narrowly focused on a specific subset of the field or they won't bother crumpling your resume up first before they throw it in the trash can.
So yeah, a lot of smart individuals with associates degrees all the way up to advanced degrees can't find work. And because they did go to school they are now ostracized from low wage jobs because they are magically over qualified to do work that a brain dead monkey would excel at. It's a matter of when, not if, the education bubble pops... - kingofthisnight, on 10/22/2009, -0/+2Neat... And even if all this crazy talk was true there is nothing I can do to stop it. I am just one little guy... I don't have the connections or money to take over the world myself.
So consider the warning ignored. - Edgar222, on 10/23/2009, -0/+2It's called the American Dream. . .because you have to asleep to believe it!
~George Carlin - macbookpromat, on 10/22/2009, -1/+3I'm doing exactly that my friend. Training to be a technical artist is probably one of my smarter decisions in recent times. I went to university and didn't enjoy it one bit. It didn't cater at all to my version of learning. My teachers were incessantly pouring their views upon us with stuff that would have nothing to do with real life situations. There's only so many abstract weird concepts that apply to working in the real world. I gave up on higher education and went to trade school. The level is lower but it's hands on and you do exactly that later on.
- elliotys, on 10/22/2009, -1/+3Um, how is research delineated?
- paulvq, on 10/22/2009, -2/+4Stop expecting the government to help you out?
- blofeld9999, on 10/22/2009, -0/+2Mom?
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