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Like millions of people in this country, I have a bachelor's degree; and like millions of people in this country with a bachelor's degree, I am unemployed.
Obviously I am frustrated with the lack of employment opportunity. In the rare occasion when my pitiful resume lands me an interview (it's been years since my last interview), it's even rarer when I make it past the interview. I'm not even sure if I should be too concerned about that last part, because even if I get lucky and pass the interview I would probably end up with a stressful office job unrelated to my college major that I can't wait to get fired from.
And that's why I am currently unemployed and giving serious thought to the possibility of learning a trade such as carpenter, plumber or electrician. I probably would not enjoy those jobs, but at least I would not have to worry about resumes, interviews, stressful office jobs, and most importantly, unemployment. I probably would not have to worry about salary, either, since those trades usually pay more money than the highest amount of money I have ever made, which was low for a college graduate but more than enough to get by.
Do you know college graduates who wrote off their education and learned a trade or am I alone with this crazy idea?
I have a degree in management. Unfortunately, all I've had the "pleasure" of managing have been unmotivated, lazy people that I've had to babysit and tell what to do. I'm not interested in doing that. I would only want to "manage" self-motivated people. And so, I'm staying out of management completely.
Like millions of people in this country, I have a bachelor's degree; and like millions of people in this country with a bachelor's degree, I am unemployed.
Obviously I am frustrated with the lack of employment opportunity. In the rare occasion when my pitiful resume lands me an interview (it's been years since my last interview), it's even rarer when I make it past the interview. I'm not even sure if I should be too concerned about that last part, because even if I get lucky and pass the interview I would probably end up with a stressful office job unrelated to my college major that I can't wait to get fired from.
And that's why I am currently unemployed and giving serious thought to the possibility of learning a trade such as carpenter, plumber or electrician. I probably would not enjoy those jobs, but at least I would not have to worry about resumes, interviews, stressful office jobs, and most importantly, unemployment. I probably would not have to worry about salary, either, since those trades usually pay more money than the highest amount of money I have ever made, which was low for a college graduate but more than enough to get by.
Do you know college graduates who wrote off their education and learned a trade or am I alone with this crazy idea?
Good luck. I know several people in different trades, some making upwards of $90K/year (union pipe fitter). I don't think that requires schooling, but it does require some years working as an apprentice (lower pay). At least you'd be earning money while you learn though.
Like millions of people in this country, I have a bachelor's degree; and like millions of people in this country with a bachelor's degree, I am unemployed.
Obviously I am frustrated with the lack of employment opportunity. In the rare occasion when my pitiful resume lands me an interview (it's been years since my last interview), it's even rarer when I make it past the interview. I'm not even sure if I should be too concerned about that last part, because even if I get lucky and pass the interview I would probably end up with a stressful office job unrelated to my college major that I can't wait to get fired from.
And that's why I am currently unemployed and giving serious thought to the possibility of learning a trade such as carpenter, plumber or electrician. I probably would not enjoy those jobs, but at least I would not have to worry about resumes, interviews, stressful office jobs, and most importantly, unemployment. I probably would not have to worry about salary, either, since those trades usually pay more money than the highest amount of money I have ever made, which was low for a college graduate but more than enough to get by.
Do you know college graduates who wrote off their education and learned a trade or am I alone with this crazy idea?
A couple issues with your post.
First, it sounds like you don't have a very good attitude. This could be a major reason that you're not getting hired. Any resume could be made to look good, given a bit of effort and a thesaurus.
So you're asking if you should learn a trade that you probably won't enjoy. How is that different from the office job that's unrelated to your major that you can't wait to get fired from?
Why would you think you don't need a resume or have to go through an interview for one of these jobs? I realize it's not as "formal" as an office type job, but still, I'm sure you have to at least go through an interview (formal or informal) to get a job. The unemployment risk is also just as great. I went to tech school and ended up starting my own business. When that failed, I looked for a job working for someone else and even with experience, I only got one interview for a job I didn't end up getting. That's when I went back to finish my bachelor's. I had several call backs after graduation and I landed an interview with the state agency I had been pining after for a year. The day I got the call, that's when we were told we'd be relocating so I canceled the interview so I can't say how it would have turned out.
Now I will be working with my husband. This job (management and marketing) is not directly related to my field (psychology) but I can use my background to help me make decisions on how to work with people, how to manage effectively, how to appeal to potential customers with advertisements, etc. I bet you could find some position that you can apply your degree in, if you just apply yourself first to find the job and get through the interview.
During my last semester, I had a family member get very ill and in seeing how she was treated in the hospital, it motivated me to be a nurse so I could have a positive effect on people who are sick instead of being like the nurses at the hospital who couldn't care less if she sat in her own poop. I seriously looked at nursing school but after we moved, I decided to not pursue it. While I was in trade school, I also considered going to real estate sales school b/c I love real estate and negotiating. I have a lot of interests. My point here is that I have done lots of types of schooling (AA in business admin, massage therapy certificate, BS in psychology and considered nursing [RN] and real estate sales). There's nothing wrong with wanting to learn a trade or a new skill if you feel drawn to it. But I wouldn't do it if you're just wanting to go through the motions to make ends meet. You should do something you have at least some interest in. I will also point out that learning trades is not easy. It takes YEARS to get good and go through apprenticeships, etc. It's also not something you necessarily even have to go to school for, you may be able to just apprentice with someone and learn that way, but it is still time consuming. Check with your state to see, many trades require a license and have strict regulations set forth by the state.
I'm not saying any of this to sound rude, but I think you're probably better off adjusting your attitude and really searching for a job you can use your current skills at in some capacity.
Lack of relevant experience and lack of anything that would impress a person reading it.
Bachelor of Arts.
Anything can be made to look impressive, trust me. You have to word things in a way that is appealing. Really search the duties you had to find skills you have developed, like time-management, organization, customer service, money handling, managing other employees or being a peer leader or trainer, problem solving, working as a team, working independently, working in a fast-paced environment, multi-tasking with accuracy...the list goes on. If your work experience is lackluster, put your education first and expand on that (clubs, honors, internships/research projects/TAships) more than you expand on your work duties. Also list other qualifications you may have, like if you're bilingual, a fast typist, etc. If you PM me, I'd be happy to take a look and give you some tips.
Like millions of people in this country, I have a bachelor's degree; and like millions of people in this country with a bachelor's degree, I am unemployed.
Obviously I am frustrated with the lack of employment opportunity. In the rare occasion when my pitiful resume lands me an interview (it's been years since my last interview), it's even rarer when I make it past the interview. I'm not even sure if I should be too concerned about that last part, because even if I get lucky and pass the interview I would probably end up with a stressful office job unrelated to my college major that I can't wait to get fired from.
And that's why I am currently unemployed and giving serious thought to the possibility of learning a trade such as carpenter, plumber or electrician. I probably would not enjoy those jobs, but at least I would not have to worry about resumes, interviews, stressful office jobs, and most importantly, unemployment. I probably would not have to worry about salary, either, since those trades usually pay more money than the highest amount of money I have ever made, which was low for a college graduate but more than enough to get by.
Do you know college graduates who wrote off their education and learned a trade or am I alone with this crazy idea?
My college education has almost nothing to do with my job. I have a degree in Electrical engineering, with specialties in digital logic controllers and I'm a certified electronics technician.
I work for a cellular company as a field tech. While my degree got me through the door, I work with guys with no college education, one guy I trained was a professional truck driver.
Really all I've seen an education doing for anyone, is teaching them how to learn. The trouble with telling people not to go to school is that its harder, unless you know someone, to get into a profession without education that is supposed to pertain to the job.
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