Alamo City could land an aerospace project bringing in. 5,000 jobs w/ 100k average salary (San Antonio: student loan, hotels)

[britishbird]

Originally Posted by Paka

I have to tell you how badly it hurts me to see these kids majoring in something they "think" is going to get them a job these days....

Unfortunately it just means these people (they're not 'kids' once they hit college) need to do better research before spending time/money getting their degree[s].

I know that myself, and my husband, have both explored many careers options we could potentially fall into once we've finished our education (him with a Bachelors, me with a Masters.) and we have made sure that the growth/demand for these various roles is only going to increase within the next 10 years.

It certainly does not take an arm and a leg to spend time researching; going to bls.gov is one of the quickest and easiest ways really. It's just a fact these days that STEM jobs are always going to be there to be filled..

[perticusrex]

My brother moved to here from IL for a 100k aerospace job. These kind of jobs attract talent, both native and non.

[ashbeeigh]

Saying that non-STEM careers are not good job opportunities is laughable. Teachers? (45k a year?) Nurses (with the right degree, not CNA)? Social Workers (military social workers can make up to 80k a year)? If you push everyone into a STEM career there will be a huge drain on the liberal arts side of things. It'll be like China with a bunch of men running around the country with no girls for them to marry and start lives with because everyone focused on having boys and gave up their girls for adoption due to the one child rule. Liberal arts degrees, while right now might not be the best option are still an option and without them, at some point, things will stop operating correctly.

As far as this opportunity goes, if this project is anything like Toyota it could bring in contractors which then lead to more reasonable job opportunities for native San Antonians. Who is going to work at that coffee shop all those 100k salried employees go to? How about the restaurants around it? This will help us no matter who ends up with the jobs.

[dpantle]

Originally Posted by britishbird

Unfortunately it just means these people (they're not 'kids' once they hit college) need to do better research before spending time/money getting their degree[s].

And this is not a new concept. My wife and I both did that in the '70's. I pains me to see kids taking out student loans without any concept of the payoff.

And I'll reiterate my earlier local economic point on this project. The article mentions a total $28 billion impact over a 10 year period. That's a lot more jobs than the 1000 direct employees. Of course, it sounds like the eventual location (as well as its funding and nature) are in no more than a speculative stage at this point. Wouldn't it be a feather in someone's hat though?

[L210]

Originally Posted by ashbeeigh

Saying that non-STEM careers are not good job opportunities is laughable. Teachers? (45k a year?) Nurses (with the right degree, not CNA)? Social Workers (military social workers can make up to 80k a year)? If you push everyone into a STEM career there will be a huge drain on the liberal arts side of things. It'll be like China with a bunch of men running around the country with no girls for them to marry and start lives with because everyone focused on having boys and gave up their girls for adoption due to the one child rule. Liberal arts degrees, while right now might not be the best option are still an option and without them, at some point, things will stop operating correctly.

As far as this opportunity goes, if this project is anything like Toyota it could bring in contractors which then lead to more reasonable job opportunities for native San Antonians. Who is going to work at that coffee shop all those 100k salried employees go to? How about the restaurants around it? This will help us no matter who ends up with the jobs.

I agree. There is actually a lot of growth in social services and mental healthcare. Nursing is already starting to see issues with too many new graduates. 43% of them can't find a job within 18 months of graduating. I did the research for my non-STEM field of study for graduate school. The job opportunities might not be here, but they are in other parts of the country. I knew that I would most likely have to move.

[doss1]

Isn't part of the problem all the college students thinking they deserve 100k jobs right out of college? Experience is worth more than a degree these days because everyone that does not have a job ends up going back to school thinking that will help them.

Formal education earns you a living. Self education earns you a fortune.

[bresilhac]

This project if awarded to San Antonio would be beyond a boon. The economic multiplier effect alone would be enough to put the city into another category. The secondary and tertiary jobs created would be so numerous that it would be like placing another city within a city when you consider how much productivity and salary would be generated by the plant. And as far as not having enough highly skilled workers in the area to be able to support such a plant, that gap would obviously be filled by workers from around the country and indeed the world moving to the area. So I don't believe that would be issue in preventing the project from coming to San Antonio. Anyway you slice it this is a great opportunity for the city to expand its manufacturing footprint and improve the lives of many here.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by doss1

Isn't part of the problem all the college students thinking they deserve 100k jobs right out of college? Experience is worth more than a degree these days because everyone that does not have a job ends up going back to school thinking that will help them.

Formal education earns you a living. Self education earns you a fortune.

With the exception of a handful of Michael Dells and sport athletes this is not true:



Source: 2006 Census

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by verybadgnome

With the exception of a handful of Michael Dells and sport athletes this is not true:

But this part is true, IMO: "Isn't part of the problem all the college students thinking they deserve 100k jobs right out of college? "

Even in STEM fields, 100K entry level positions are far from the norm. The potential is there, but not for recent college grads with no experience.

I'm a believer in studying what you love. Be practical about it and work on skills that are useful. College isn't about job training, it's about education.

[dpantle]

Originally Posted by Chaka

I'm a believer in studying what you love. Be practical about it and work on skills that are useful. College isn't about job training, it's about education.

Absolutely. You should absolutely study what you love, and it's not just about job training, it's about enhancing your life experience.

Just understand that if you have to borrow for it, you better be preparing for a field which will allow you to pay that loan off. Or at least, marry into money.

I've heard so many horror stories of kids who are in financial straits these days due to student loan obligations. They're in the hole well over their ability to earn. Where were the financial counselors? Neither I, my wife, nor my children had to borrow for school, so I don't really know how student loan processes work. Is there currently a process in place to avoid this type of mismanaged lending? Is student loan lending unregulated the way home lending was 10 years ago?