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90% of luck is based on your preparation and effort. The remaining 10% is split between when, where, and who you are. Focus on that 90% and you'll have a great life.
If you really want job security, and if you really want to be able to dictate your worth... You have to accomplish this based on your actions and your effort. You have to be the guy that the boss cannot do without, and the guy your boss will loose because he's closing the doors. I can't tell you how to do that, but it does require bringing your A game to work every day. Not many people are going to put that type of effort into a job, because a job to most people is simply a means to an end.
When I talk to the actual business owners about the problems we see today, the crappy economy, the labor market in general, there is one message that echos... They all say they are just asking for a worker who gives a crap.
While I agree with what you say in theory, my engineering degree and 10+ years of related experience more than proves that I "give a crap." As for being the guy the boss cannot do without, that's what they called me where I used to work... everyone knew if you wanted something done right and quickly, you came to me. And right up until the end, they gave me raises, promotions, and bonuses... But then again, that doesn't always matter - sometimes, it's the idiots, the boss's son, and the crooks who keep their jobs, not the hard-workers.
So, I agree with the *theory* of what you're saying, and people should try their best, but sometimes reality - and bad luck - have an overwhelming impact.
While I agree with what you say in theory, my engineering degree and 10+ years of related experience more than proves that I "give a crap." As for being the guy the boss cannot do without, that's what they called me where I used to work... everyone knew if you wanted something done right and quickly, you came to me. And right up until the end, they gave me raises, promotions, and bonuses... But then again, that doesn't always matter - sometimes, it's the idiots, the boss's son, and the crooks who keep their jobs, not the hard-workers.
So, I agree with the *theory* of what you're saying, and people should try their best, but sometimes reality - and bad luck - have an overwhelming impact.
Have you considered moving? Have you considered taking a job slightly below to get a different background and experience level? As a mechanical engineer, you should seriously give some thought regarding working on the floor for a year. This is exactly what engineers in Germany and Japan are required to do before actually working as a full fledged engineer. Companies trip over themselves to find graduate engineers with actual shop experience, because they are a rarity today.
Have you considered moving? Have you considered taking a job slightly below to get a different background and experience level? As a mechanical engineer, you should seriously give some thought regarding working on the floor for a year. This is exactly what engineers in Germany and Japan are required to do before actually working as a full fledged engineer. Companies trip over themselves to find graduate engineers with actual shop experience, because they are a rarity today.
The answer to all those questions is "yes."
From distant companies, the summed up reply is: "we already have plenty of qualified people in the area." That may very well be true - my experience is in a rather narrow branch of mechanical engineering that was in demand among defense contractors, but without future contracts in this field, they don't need us anymore. Long story short, there's no reason for GM or somebody to hire me (lives out of state, has no background in the automotive industry), when they can hire automotive engineers off the streets of Detroit from the last time the auto industry crashed. I mean, realistically, I could easily learn the job - I learned my previous one quickly enough, and it's not as if I'm "untrainable" now that I'm over 30, but companies just don't see it that way.
Now, if they really are as hard-up for qualified applicants as they claim, they should be willing to hire folks like me and give us the cross-industry training we need - if I can design military grade hardware, I can design automotive parts since they both fall into the realm of complex, precision systems. But I doubt they are really that hard up for workers, especially considering the staggering unemployment rate in nearly every state that was once a bastion of engineering and industry (Michigan, upper Midwest, California, and parts of Florida tied to the space program.)
With regard to lower-level jobs, I've tried that, too. I've applied at entry-level stuff all over, including jobs that only barely relate to engineering, and I make it clear that all I ask is whatever the going wage is, not my previous (higher) engineering pay. The response? "You're overqualifed. You'll probably leave someday... go away." And that's from the folks who bother to respond!
I know you're just trying to help, and that's cool, but the reality is that the jobs situation is MUCH worse than is being publicly admitted... not a lot folks can do about that except recognize the problem for what it is - something that is far larger than what particular skills we have on our resume. All I'm asking is that folks recognize the problem and not immediately assume that the unemployed are all "lazy" and "unskilled" people who sit around posting online all day vs. looking for work.
I really cannot stand people in their 70s who have NO IDEA what this recession is like for those of us out of work and without 'aid' of any kind. My aunt and uncle who are both in their early 70s tell me I am just lazy and need to put on my suit and start knocking on doors like THEY DID in 1960 and I will get a job.
They raise a family on one income. Times are tough and I am trying like **** to find a job. Meanwhile they tut-tut and say to me get myself down to McDonalds or do ANYTHING to earn money.
Can anyone else relate?
I feel for you. I was unemployed for almost a year, and NO you're not lazy because you're unemployed. My company has quite a few jobs if you're willing to go to Afghanistan. Not the most desirable place, but the pay is very good and if you're former military and young, you will most likely jump at the opportunity. If anyone is interested in those types of jobs, message me and I'd be glad to point you in the right direction.
Good luck.
From distant companies, the summed up reply is: "we already have plenty of qualified people in the area." That may very well be true - my experience is in a rather narrow branch of mechanical engineering that was in demand among defense contractors, but without future contracts in this field, they don't need us anymore. Long story short, there's no reason for GM or somebody to hire me (lives out of state, has no background in the automotive industry), when they can hire automotive engineers off the streets of Detroit from the last time the auto industry crashed. I mean, realistically, I could easily learn the job - I learned my previous one quickly enough, and it's not as if I'm "untrainable" now that I'm over 30, but companies just don't see it that way.
Now, if they really are as hard-up for qualified applicants as they claim, they should be willing to hire folks like me and give us the cross-industry training we need .
Off beat idea, but I do not think I have ever seen it. Have you or anyone unemployed ever offered to work for an employer for a much lower training wage for 6-12 months or whatever is needed to be fully functional in a new industry, in return for an agreed upon salary in writing after said period and after management has agreed reviewing your work you would now be considered as functional as anyone who had worked in the industry for a reasonable amount of time?
Off beat idea, but I do not think I have ever seen it. Have you or anyone unemployed ever offered to work for an employer for a much lower training wage for 6-12 months or whatever is needed to be fully functional in a new industry, in return for an agreed upon salary in writing after said period and after management has agreed reviewing your work you would now be considered as functional as anyone who had worked in the industry for a reasonable amount of time?
I've suggested the same thing to that Jesse guy. They both are mechanical engineers from what I understand. They would both benefit from understanding how the ideas they are supposed to be working on are actually made. As I've mentioned, mechanical/manufacturing engineers with shop floor experience are rare these days, and companies trip over themselves trying to hire them. Viola... Go get shop floor experience! Unless one expects the entire manufacturing sector to just plop dead or leave entirely, manufacturing workers of all collar colors have to do everything they can to remain competitive. Being that this country has lost a great deal of competitive edge, that IS a $10-$12/hr job. Sorry... When the engineers are clueless and don't know how things are really made, they take the difference away from the worker actually making the work. Easy answer is to learn how the work is actually made. Everything from the way the tool behaves to how much time the average worker spends on the John during the work day.
We have enough people who want to sit at desks. We have enough people who want to point their fingers and tell someone else to do the work. We don't have enough people who have the faintest clue of how things are actually made, and all the little details that come between raw material, to finished goods. That is what this nation is loosing. Without it, manufacturing as a whole WILL go bye bye...
I agree, andywire, but my focus was simple: If one wants say 60k per year, add in Health Care, Employer 401k, Employer SS, Employer Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, Workers comp, etc, and they cost 90-100k. So if one is a trainee 9 months, they are asking employer to spend 67-75k vs at most 10k to allow one industry trained to learn the stuff company specific. A trainee wage allows both employer and employee to share in the added sacrifice of bringing one w/o industry experience "up to snuff".
I agree, andywire, but my focus was simple: If one wants say 60k per year, add in Health Care, Employer 401k, Employer SS, Employer Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, Workers comp, etc, and they cost 90-100k. So if one is a trainee 9 months, they are asking employer to spend 67-75k vs at most 10k to allow one industry trained to learn the stuff company specific. A trainee wage allows both employer and employee to share in the added sacrifice of bringing one w/o industry experience "up to snuff".
That's the easy answer. The most productive answer would be to ask why some of those jobs pay dirt, and why there are not enough high paying jobs on the higher end of the ladder. Well, what better way to find out than to go do the job that pays dirt, identify the inefficiencies and waste, and formulate the solution.
This is the problem with the business model of America. We love to whine about how wages are high. You never hear the business man complaining that he is paying too much and can't find the worker he needs. The trick is actually getting into a position where you can afford to pay too much for labor, and can afford to get the best quality worker money can buy. Hence, American businesses are basically stupid and can't compete on the global playing field. Your kids end up broke and stupid, and you still watch the backbone of your economy dissolve. All because you wanted to whine about how labor costs money. Fine. Some other business in some other country will spend the $$$, and they will reap the reward of their INVESTMENT.
That's the easy answer. The most productive answer would be to ask why some of those jobs pay dirt, and why there are not enough high paying jobs on the higher end of the ladder. Well, what better way to find out than to go do the job that pays dirt, identify the inefficiencies and waste, and formulate the solution.
This is the problem with the business model of America. We love to whine about how wages are high. .
Wrong, andywire, when they hire the industry trained at 60k, they proved it IS not about $. That guy trained is worth , in their mind, the 90-100k he'll cost them. What they are saying is if you need 9 months more to be equal to him, for that period, you are not worth the 90-100k annual cost. So I suggested just as you did, a training wage for 9 months, to bridge your costs during said period to your value added.
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