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I actually feel for the OP. America is not what is was and will never will be. I have 3 college degrees (including a Masters) in desirable fields such as Computer Science and Business. I struggle to find work. We now have 3 generations working or seeking work (Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennials). Not only that, we have stupid immigration policies that oversaturate the labor market or outsource labor to other countries. My only advice is that you going to have to work for lower wages while aggressively look for better work. You may have to leave the region or state. You may have to take night college classes or get a new certification. You need to work harder and develop more skills than the next guy to get ahead nowadays.
Do the math. You have the same odds of landing the job regardless of the number of applicants. You just have to make sure you are a top candidate. Technology has made it easier to apply for jobs. There will always be a ton of applicants. That doesn't mean they are all qualified.
No, that's not how math works.
MORE applicants for a single spot = LESS chances for any one of those applicants.
No, that's not how math works.
MORE applicants for a single spot = LESS chances for any one of those applicants.
Read what I wrote. The OP would have the same odds as all of the other applicants. If 100 people applied, the chance would be 1 in 100. It's equal across the population of applicants. If 500 people applied, it's 1 in 500, but again, it's equal among the applicants. The OP would be facing the same odds as the applicant standing next to him.
Seriously, the number of applicants shouldn't worry you if you've done all you can do to be one of the best. Now if you barely meet the requirements in the posting, then that's another issue.
It's a fact of reality that nothing is just given to you. You have to be competitive.
Last edited by charlygal; 04-01-2017 at 07:01 PM..
It always strikes me as odd when after 4-years in college, young people suddenly "discover" they can't find a job paying a livable wage in their degree field. And, even if the 'kids' were too naive to figure this out ahead of time, what were their parents thinking? Isn't a big part of parenting helping your kids plan ahead and make good decisions - instead of simply throwing up one's hands and saying, "It's their life!"
Of course, not everyone goes to college or has involved or knowledgeable parents. But, even then, after 4-5-years (while their peers are in college), those in dead-end, unskilled, low-paying jobs - can't help but, realize things are not going to improve ... if they simply keep doing the same thing. Perhaps they dropped-out of school, lack the resources, skills, motivation and even basic intelligence to think or work their way out of their dead-end situation. These are the ones who quickly find themselves living on welfare - or on the illegal side of the line.
Reality is reality ... there are no guarantees in life -- and everyone makes decisions and choices in life that determine their situation and lot in life. Quite simply, life is not fair and not everyone will earn the same amount of money or have the same amount of stuff. Paying people more to do entry level jobs is an unsustainable solution. It only drives everyone's prices up and profits down.
Many jobs have been moved offshore and perhaps something can do to improve that situation (fewer regulations, better tax breaks and tariffs on offshore-manufactured goods shipped back into this country; AND greater control over illegal immigration and those who employ illegal immigrants). Of course, the latter are all proposals by the current administration -- that are being fought tooth and nail by the left wing politicians and media.
It also has a lot to do with people majoring in relatively unmarketable degrees. Some degrees require you go to grad school to get a masters or even doctorate before you can have earning potential.
But it's also true that not everyone is smart enough to be able to get through an engineering or computer science degree program.
Like the above poster said that life is not fair. You have to work with what you got.
The parents where the ones encouraging their kids to go to college because in their day every single person with a college degree got a great paying job and rocketed right into the middle class. The very reason all these kids went to college was because of the parents. And it doesn't stop because human beings are so hopeful and given this is America, you know the country with the American dream where hard work always pays off, everyone was thinking there just isn't anyway my degree won't pay off etc......
So the paren't where thinking my kid better get a college degree because everyone I know who went to college got a great job and that is what my kid is going to do.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jghorton
It always strikes me as odd when after 4-years in college, young people suddenly "discover" they can't find a job paying a livable wage in their degree field. And, even if the 'kids' were too naive to figure this out ahead of time, what were their parents thinking?
There are and there will be more shortages in skilled workers. They are aging...I've seen a couple of articles recently on the looming shortages.
There are 1 million less workers working in construction today than at the peak before the great recession. Construction would have to hire another million workers just to get back to where they were.
I also think wages in construction are paying the wages of 10 years ago.
I have been very involved in construction in one way or another over most of my life and I will tell you what the shortage is in.
Workers with 3+ years of experience who are willing to work at very mediocre wages because that is all that we want. Entry level, go away, older, go away, you want more money, go away.
It really isn't unlike any other industry. We stopped bringing in the new guys, training them, offering apprenticeships/internships etc... and now we are paying the price. Of course at the time we didn't care because we had just laid off 40%!!!!! of the entire workforce and we could find any worker we wanted at any pay. Well, those days are over and since we stopped bringing up the new guy, we can't find perfectly experienced guys anymore, since all of those guys willing to work at today's wages are already working. Add in the 10 year old wages and well, we are in the situation we caused, and the industry isn't even willing to admit it.
Some large commercial company's are starting to understand that they need to bring apprenticeships back and raise wages, but the young have not forgot how their parents in the industry where treated, so they don't want to work in the trades.
The trades need to offer apprenticeships, raise pay and even more important, offer a path of success of ever increasing position and pay. The trades have to be a professional outfit. Commercial may get there one day again, but residential is still the wild, wild west and probably never will.
I am sure all the construction companies will just continue to whine, blame everything on the lack of government training programs, and ask for more immigrants from a bunch of new faraway lands who are willing to work for next to nothing because even the illegals of today are starting to walk away from residential construction.
It also has a lot to do with people majoring in relatively unmarketable degrees. Some degrees require you go to grad school to get a masters or even doctorate before you can have earning potential.
But it's also true that not everyone is smart enough to be able to get through an engineering or computer science degree program.
Like the above poster said that life is not fair. You have to work with what you got.
That's not true at all, even the "good" degrees seem to have trouble nowadays (due to the over-saturation effect). I've seen it more than a few times, even people with "solid" degrees can end up working low-paying jobs. It's just so cutthroat compared to the past. With the increased number of applicants-per-job and increased population it seems connections are more important than ever.
Every single old-timer that I've ever talked to, including my 70 year old dad, unanimously agrees that things were in-fact easier "back then". Cost of living was certainly MUCH more down-to-earth (my dad was around for 50 cents/gallon gasoline).
That's not true at all, even the "good" degrees seem to have trouble nowadays (due to the over-saturation effect). I've seen it more than a few times, even people with "solid" degrees can end up working low-paying jobs. It's just so cutthroat compared to the past. With the increased number of applicants-per-job and increased population it seems connections are more important than ever.
Every single old-timer that I've ever talked to, including my 70 year old dad, unanimously agrees that things were in-fact easier "back then". Cost of living was certainly MUCH more down-to-earth (my dad was around for 50 cents/gallon gasoline).
No they don't. The problem is the people getting these degrees that have 0 interest in the field of study. You even see it on here, people asking about degrees and then asking about "what else" they can do with the degree. For example, "I am pursuing a degree in IT, but I have no interests in IT at all, so what else can I do with my degree?"
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