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Underemployed here, just graduated from college in May, future is looking bleaker than ever. I just got a job as a part-time cashier at Cracker Barrel, but I haven't even finished orientation yet because they didn't have time to get through it all on the first day of it. I also may not even get hours for another week or two at least, depending on if they bother scheduling me. That's a fantastic, comforting thought to have as I quickly approach the day I have to start paying my student loans back. In fact, it's so comforting I stay up all night most nights because I can't relax enough to sleep anymore and my appetite has started to drop off. As much as I try to stay positive while I look for something much better, it's really hard to do right now.
What hurts the most, though, is seeing the teenagers who aren't even out of high school yet getting hired on at the supermarket for the same position I was told I wasn't qualified for.
Of course the supermarkets, etc., are assuming you won't stay at all. Whether or not that's true (after all, you could move up the food chain and become a manager and so on) that's what they think if the job is usually taken by younger, less-educated people.
A friend of mine's son started as a stock boy, and is now making six figures as a technical liaison between different parts of a chain. High school only.
Gotta start somewhere. Please try not to feel hurt for being "overqualified." They really do see it that way.
My son-in-law worked for six months as a Dunkin Donuts manager. Yes, they seem to want a degree for that now. The pay (salaried) was better than other offers he had, but with the long hours, being on call, and weekends it didn't average out that great. He had huge student loans to pay on top of it. On a tip from a friend, he applied to work in a factory (yes, there are still factories in Ohio), and got the job. He made $18.00 an hour to start, $20.00 an hour after 3 months. 40 hour work week. Occasional overtime, too, at time and a half. Full benefits for himself and his wife (my daughter). Before any ivy leaguers out there criticize this, bare in mind that even without the overtime, he is making almost twice what he did at Dunkin Donuts. It is definitely not what he wants to do for the rest of his life - he's starting up his own business (computer related), and the regular schedule gives him more time to devote to that. It has released financial stress from my daughter, who is running the family business and works long hours herself, and they'll have their student debts paid off sooner than they planned. I know factory jobs are now scarcer than hen's teeth, and my son-in-law had a connection to get his job, but when the pay for factory work is greater than a college educated field, it's sad.
That is the thing most people do not get. Working in a factory gave you options. Almost all of my family started in factory work. Some moved up the ranks made good cash. Others went to college weekends or nights. Then went to other fields or the trades. But they could support themselves had benefits. Now the starting point is so low 8 bucks an hour no benefits doing years of retail temp work you can not even support yourself. I mean it is a joke how are you ever going to pay back student loans or even rent? Manufacturing gave the average worker a way to make a living. Now everybody says go IT engineering nursing. They are sending both IT and engineering work to India China Russia. They can do it for 75% less so a 100k a year software job here becomes a 25k job in India. Work became specialized it is a major issue . Go to college to be a teacher or x ray tech if you can not find a job. Or it has become flooded out your out of luck. Kmart here we come. We ere pumping out a million college grads with no place to go. And debt they can not payoff.
but when the pay for factory work is greater than a college educated field, it's sad.
I read an article in Bloomberg Business week about a CEO's background. They graduated in the 70's and went to work the line at a factory because it paid better than employment using their chemical engineering degree.
There is nothing sad about honest labor actually building/making something paying more than someone pushing paper. It just goes to show how useless most college degrees are these days. My degree is pointless, it really was a waste of $40,000.
That is the thing most people do not get. Working in a factory gave you options. Almost all of my family started in factory work. Some moved up the ranks made good cash. Others went to college weekends or nights. Then went to other fields or the trades. But they could support themselves had benefits. Now the starting point is so low 8 bucks an hour no benefits doing years of retail temp work you can not even support yourself. I mean it is a joke how are you ever going to pay back student loans or even rent? Manufacturing gave the average worker a way to make a living. Now everybody says go IT engineering nursing. They are sending both IT and engineering work to India China Russia. They can do it for 75% less so a 100k a year software job here becomes a 25k job in India. Work became specialized it is a major issue . Go to college to be a teacher or x ray tech if you can not find a job. Or it has become flooded out your out of luck. Kmart here we come. We ere pumping out a million college grads with no place to go. And debt they can not payoff.
Nobody has any words of wisdom to my post?
What are you as an individual going to do about it? Boycott Chinese products? Yell at the sky? Not go to college?
Those manufacturing jobs aren't coming back. Even if we put a 100% tariff on Chinese products, you'll just have countries like India and Vietnam filling the slack. Remember, less than 10% of the revenue of a product from Apple actually goes to manufacturing costs, the remaining 90% of revenue all go into design, distribution, marketing and retail, majority of which are all American jobs. I know it's a crappy situation, but neither you nor me have any power in changing this. The only hope is that wages rise fast enough in China and other developing countries.
The only thing you can do is maximize your options (by going to college) and do the best you can. People in the top of their class at top universities still do fine. The only thing within your control is to make sure you're one of them. Everything else is idle armchair punting, and that doesn't pay your bills.
The only hope is that wages rise fast enough in China and other developing countries.
Wages will not rise in emerging/third-world/severely over populated countries where human labor is practically infinite. If one person there thinks that working for $6/day isn't enough, that's fine because there are 100 people behind this guy willing to do the work for $5/day. No one will care and these mega corporations will just continue to treat human beings like cattle.
Quote:
Originally Posted by james011
The only thing you can do is maximize your options (by going to college) and do the best you can. People in the top of their class at top universities still do fine. The only thing within your control is to make sure you're one of them. Everything else is idle armchair punting, and that doesn't pay your bills.
Behold, the power of wishful thinking! It sure is one helluva drug.
If only what you say were still true. Unfortunately, the reality is that it isn't. Too many people, no matter how educated they are in what ever field they studied, aren't able to attain that goal they went to school for. Many people on this forum can attest to that. Many people have even returned to school to study something new and still, no dice.
People really do not get it. If you have no manufacturing base you have real issues. Workers in India China and Russia ect want to move up the value chain. Engineering IT design you name it and they can do it for 75%. If even 10% of workers in just India and China total go for engineering degrees that is 100 MILLION engineers. Is their enough STEM jobs for all theses people. Start adding kids from the US and UK Japan the numbers do not add up. There was a kid posting on here with a chemical engineering could not find a job. Said there 100's of engineers going for the same job. A electrical engineer sold me paint in 2005 at Lowes he was maybe 50. And out of work engineer waited on my Aunt at Red Lobster who had been looking for a job for 2 years. My uncle who now works at a nonprofit. Who is both an engineer and worked in IT as well. His son a biomedical engineering grad who now works two part time lab jobs 8 bucks an hour. You get the idea when you no longer make the good here tv software whatever that R&D heads overseas as well. If you make the good in China you can do the R&D in China as well. Your cost about 15k a year for a good engineer in China. Most college grads in the future will face Underemployment part time and temp work their will be little need for full time workers. The third world is so over populated you may even see wages go down. Making an oversupply of college grads with student loan debts is pointless at best. Thanks for the kind words Wheelsup. Sometimes I think no one reads my post.
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