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This is not representitive of the population on a whole, not even remotely. 87.58% of the population has a high school degree.
And they aren't teh ones applying for unskilled labor jobs.
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So, they should go in debt, and add to the trillion dollar student loan overhang, in the "hopes" that they might land a job, dispite the US workforce already being significantly underemployed.
There's a difference between going into debt for a $200K Ivy League degree and going into debt for $3500 for a vo-tech certificate that also gave you an apprenticeship in an in demand field.
Thats what Wheelsups point was, and what I was saying.
People like you or annerk sit there and say "Get more training, get a higher degree, blah blah blah", but it doesnt matter how much training someone gets, the same exact crap jobs exist. The only difference is we will have PHD's flipping burgers for $8 an hour and 200k in debt.
Why would they go 200k in debt you ask? Because without the minimum requirement of a PHD, they would be completely unemployable.
Its the same reason why people are getting bachelors degrees to make $10-$15 an hour now, because most of the $10-$15 an hour jobs now REQUIRE a degree.
The people who used to work those jobs, are now either working unskilled labor jobs, are unemployed, or completely dropped out of the workforce.
Maybe getting a FREE GED would give many of these people opportunities that don't currently exist for them.
30% of the US has a bachelors degree, as of March 2012, only about 64% of the adult population was employed, and only like 5% of bachelor degree holders are unemployed.
And how many of those are over 65, stay-at-home parents by choice, full-time students, or don't have to work for whatever reason?
Take out the people not seeking work for whatever reason and your numbers will change drastically.
Huh? First, no way that's true. Almost everyone would rather be an actuary, problem is the profession requires a certain level of intelligence and most people don't possess that level of intelligence. Second, no, the jobs are not plenty in the actuarial job market. The pay's high, I will grant you that.
There isn't enough money in the world to pay me to do a job like that.
That said, actuarial science is one of the few fields where openings outnumber job seekers.
75% of minimum wage workers are 20 years old or more
56% of all MINIMUM WAGE workers had at least a high school diploma, and 25% of them have attended at least some college.
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Originally Posted by annerk
There's a difference between going into debt for a $200K Ivy League degree and going into debt for $3500 for a vo-tech certificate that also gave you an apprenticeship in an in demand field.
The Ivy league degree will likely get you a 100k a year job, the vo-tech degree will qualify you to make next to minimum wage.
That is spot on! The competitive wage of $8.50 is laughable, maybe in Texas you can live on that but in Wisconsin I highly doubt that.
I guess it just depends on your standard of living and how much you spend. Two people making the equivalent of $8.50 or $17 per hour is $35,360 per year before taxes. With a few stellar exceptions (big cities like New York, Baltimore, Boston) that is a living wage and can be more than sufficient if you live a modest lifestyle.
Let's keep in mind too, that these wages are "starting" wages and do not reflect what the person will be making a year or two down the line once they have proven their value to the company. Any business owner would be a fool to start an unproven employee out at top wage, even in a factory setting.
That said, actuarial science is one of the few fields where openings outnumber job seekers.
Not true at all, at least at the entry level. I do interviews and we get 100 applications just for internships and 200 for entry level. We turn away so many great candidates. What Randomdude is trying to say and that people like you and NJBest don't understand is that it is much tougher than it used to be.
When I was just out of college and it was only a decade earlier, you could have one exam and get hired easily. Now, it's more like you better have two exams or you won't be considered. The bar keeps getting higher and it's not just in this field, it's like this everywhere. That's what happens when supply far exceeds demand. It's simple economics.
I'm grateful I was born in the late 70's vs the late 80's.
75% of minimum wage workers are 20 years old or more
56% of all MINIMUM WAGE workers had at least a high school diploma, and 25% of them have attended at least some college.
And my guess is that most of them were forced to take these jobs when they were laid off from more skilled positions.
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The Ivy league degree will likely get you a 100k a year job, the vo-tech degree will qualify you to make next to minimum wage.
Not if they choose the right profession. Once our apprentices graduate they are hired on at $15 an hour. Once they obtain their certifications, that number can as much as double.
I'd rather make $32K a year with a $3500 student loan and an in demand job than a starting wage of $45K (very few leave school into $100K jobs--even Ivy League schools) with $200K in debt and a no guarantee of getting a job.
The point is that there will always be a bottom x0%. Currently it's 20% due to the economy... but ideally it should be around 12% (with unemployment being at 6%). With everyone getting educated these days, you have to make sure you go to a school or program that puts you above the bottom. You have to make sure you study something that puts you above the bottom. Getting any degree from any college is not going to cut it. Debt is easy to wipe out if you're adequately employable.
That's just it - the American economy is broken.
Increasing education won't fix the fact that the economy is broken, in fact long term it will make it worse, as more folks have more debt, and the quality of jobs further degrades.
My industry is one of the last unionized industries around, and even though it only employs a FRACTION of the US population, it is the #3 contributor to US GDP. Pay and benefits are good, and most of the money stays here in the US.
We've gone from keeping the money circulating here in the US, helping everyone out, to outsourcing significant parts of our infrastructure taking not only those jobs but all the jobs they supported with them.
Look at the booming towns/cities now - they have seen investment in manufacturing from companies like Boeing and VW. No one needs a 4 year degree with 50k in debt to put parts together on an assembly line, and while those jobs aren't great, they are a lot better than making $7.25/hr at Wal-Mart.
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Maybe getting a FREE GED would give many of these people opportunities that don't currently exist for them.
