Jobs in Colorado Springs (2013, find a job, high school)

[otowi]

A lot of posters seem to be looking for work in the Colorado Springs area and wanting to know where to look. I just thought maybe a thread where people share job postings they see in the news, etc. could be useful?

I follow Colorado Springs Utilities on Twitter and they just posted seasonal work for utility workers - but it looks the job closing date for this posting ends Monday (President's Day).

Seasonal Hourly Utility Worker I Job

I know CSSD11 has ongoing hiring for positions like bus drivers and food service employees, also. They've also been looking for a teacher for deaf students at Palmer for a long time - it would be a temporary position at this point because of the late hiring date.

[LeisureMan]

I would love to find a job that was "regular" and paid well, without needing armloads of education, or took experience over it....

[otowi]

You and LOTS of other people - what would those jobs be, I wonder? Can anyone make a short list of jobs that would meet those criteria?

[Vision67]

A job that is regular and well paid and doesn't require "armloads of education"...Hmmmm

The problem is that everybody would like that...and the wages would fall to a level where supply and demand cross.

Seems to me you need to review Econ 101.

[lurtsman]

That is the fundamental problem with high unemployment. For many, it is no longer worth searching. If the wages have not fallen to the point where they are too low to support a family, the conditions of the job will have deteriorated to the point where most people don't want to work there.

I was an economics tutor. I'm currently working on a double master's with another professional certification. Sadly, everyone wanted to graduate, and colleges started turning out low quality graduates. The businesses stopped caring about bachelor's degrees and only wanted masters. Some day the master's programs will become a joke and normal jobs will require a phd. That's a real shame, given that a bachelor's is not required to run a cash register. Yet, I've found several stores that really want to ensure the people they hire to clean a toilet or run a register have a 4 year degree.

The one advantage to unemployment here is that the nature of this city (military, touristy) does not lend itself to the intense levels of nepotism found within the midwest. It still clearly exists, but there are several places where you are NOT making 12/hour without knowing someone.

[Vision67]

Originally Posted by lurtsman

That is the fundamental problem with high unemployment. For many, it is no longer worth searching. If the wages have not fallen to the point where they are too low to support a family, the conditions of the job will have deteriorated to the point where most people don't want to work there.

I was an economics tutor. I'm currently working on a double master's with another professional certification. Sadly, everyone wanted to graduate, and colleges started turning out low quality graduates. The businesses stopped caring about bachelor's degrees and only wanted masters. Some day the master's programs will become a joke and normal jobs will require a phd. That's a real shame, given that a bachelor's is not required to run a cash register. Yet, I've found several stores that really want to ensure the people they hire to clean a toilet or run a register have a 4 year degree.

The one advantage to unemployment here is that the nature of this city (military, touristy) does not lend itself to the intense levels of nepotism found within the midwest. It still clearly exists, but there are several places where you are NOT making 12/hour without knowing someone.

I think you are correct. Look here: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/bu...panies.html?hp

Companies are just letting colleges do the filtering. Many good job candidates will be eliminated.

We are living in crazy competitive times.

[huffdiver]

A 4-year degree is the new High School diploma, and if it came from a For-Profit school it is not even as good as a HS diploma.

[Sonic_Spork]

Ah, but one can't overlook the fact that job experience plays into it, too. In fact I think that in some fields, having a certain number of years of experience and being able to interview and "sell yourself" well is more important than a degree. My last 2 jobs have been like that.

It's amazing what happens when you pick up some fancy words like "Analyst" to put on your resume.

I tell my employers that I was "an Accounting and Finance major" which is true, however none of them ask what degree I hold or anything else, really. It does say on my resume that I stopped one class short of my Associate's...but I don't think they actually do more than quickly scan the bold bullets and ignore the details. When I demonstrate that I do have a pretty good grasp on energy management concepts and the industry, they seem impressed. Oddly, they should really have a Certified Energy Manager for the position I hold...I have nowhere near the education or experience to qualify for that credential...but I'm not complaining.

I think that the important thing is to choose a field that is going to continue to be in demand, and then stick with it, and build on what you know. I know too many people who tried on 50 different (VERY different) job descriptions in a few decades, and then wonder why at age 50-something they can't get a job. It doesn't look good to hop around like that.

[Terytee]

I agree. I also think that today, certifications are more important than a specific degree.

I think the degree part is just to check an HR box, but managers are more interested in what type of certifications/expertise one has, over the what and where with formal education.

[lurtsman]

It's unfortunate that HR is regularly fooled by fancy words listed under work experience, but it can be common. This is largely a factor of many people working in HR without having an adequate background in the field. The majority of them do not have degrees, or have taken 0 to 1 courses in the field. While experience working there is an excellent thing, it should be combined with classroom learning.