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You realize you're talking about a percentage of the 30% of kids who get bachelor's degrees, right?
Are you now saying that we have to inflate the requirement now even beyond a bachelor degree--the degree isn't useless because it's the stepping stone to a master's degree...and, yes, kids, that's where you really strike gold.
Just trust us one more time.
''
Bingo. And rack up another $30,000 in student loans while you're at it. Unless your parents are willing to invest their retirement funds into your college education. After all, they've got SS benefits coming, right? Uhhhhh, wait a minute...
Trades, that used to be part of our economy and a normal part of young peoples future employment are paying way more than degree positions. Local unions offer apprenticeships for welding with guaranteed work and income at the end of that period, and no young people today want to do anything like that.
I would do like welding or carpentry but when the recession hit, construction tanked. Now, they work for a few months or so and when their project is done, they're out of work for a while. Maybe for more than 6 months. But yeah, my step father was a plumber and made good money until he got laid off late 2008 when the recession hit.
I would do like welding or carpentry but when the recession hit, construction tanked. Now, they work for a few months or so and when their project is done, they're out of work for a while. Maybe for more than 6 months. But yeah, my step father was a plumber and made good money until he got laid off late 2008 when the recession hit.
I have three words for you.
Oil and gas.
Go for it. CDL and HazMat certification and you're well on your way to a $75,000+ salary within three years - and it's upward from there.
I think after 27 pages of ranting, we've accomplished something. Look, I don't want to throw ANY generation under the bus. I am not saying - and have never said - that Gen Yers are lazy. I HAVE said that their expectations are surprising to me - but I've clearly stated that these expectations are often created BY THEIR PARENTS. Folks, we have been sold a system that is failing. ALL of us have been hoodwinked. Does anyone honestly think that BBer parents have intentionally saddled their kids and grandkids with a system that is doomed to fail? Did the Greatest Generation - all those wonderful grandparents and great uncles and loving old aunts - did they intentionally saddle their beloved children (the BBers) with a Cold War, Vietnam, recession after crushing recession, etc? And will the Gen Xers and Gen Yers somehow be different and better than THEIR parents, who all thought that they were giving their children the tools they needed to succeed? EVERY generation thinks they're bettering the world for their own kids - don't fool yourself and buy into that bitter belief that the generation before you has intentionally sabotaged you out of selfishness. And every generation thinks they have a better plan - they are going to learn from the mistakes of their parents - OH NO, THEY WON'T MAKE THOSE SAME MISTAKES. And sometimes we don't - but sometimes we make different mistakes, with different outcomes.
And eventually most of us reach the conclusion, by the time we're in our forties or fifties, that politicians, leaders, and corporations do not have our best interests at heart. You want to blame someone? Start there.
You realize you're talking about a percentage of the 30% of kids who get bachelor's degrees, right?
Are you now saying that we have to inflate the requirement now even beyond a bachelor degree--the degree isn't useless because it's the stepping stone to a master's degree...and, yes, kids, that's where you really strike gold.
Just trust us one more time.
No, I didn't say nor indicate that getting a master's degree is 'striking gold.' Rather, the media seems to makes this crazy accusation that majority of people with bachelors degrees (particularly arts and liberal arts degrees) are stuck working $10/hour, low-skill jobs. All I was saying is that some liberal arts majors, like history and psychology, have traditionally been foundations for specific or high skill careers like law, counseling, clinical PhD/PsyD. Other BA degrees, like communications often lead to jobs in public relations and marketing, which are certainly not low-skilled and paying way more than $10-15/hour.
Graduate degree or not, getting a good job is all about who you know these days. This is why networking and internships are extremely important. An 'basket-weaving' major taking internships is going to have a much better chance at getting a decent job than another 'basket-weaving' major who didn't.
To me, it's not the degree that makes or breaks it for a job. If you network properly, you're going to find a job. My problem is that too many jobs don't pay a livable lifelong wage from what I've seen. Too many people I know in professional careers who have 10+ years experience hardly getting a raise from $40-$50k. It's frustrating thinking that there are many situations where one worked hard for their college degree and took internships, only to learn that there's a chance you won't make more than $50-60k unless you start getting cutthroat in your company or field of work.
I've travelled too....but I wouldn't make that a major part of your resume. That can come off a lot of different ways and its not something I would brag about.
Just being real with you it will lend itself more to the entitled image if you are not careful.
I've traveled for educational purposes on grants given to me because of financial need. In both cases I was traveling to go to school, to learn, to expand my base of knowledge so that when I came back to the US I'd have an equivalent understanding of the craft as my older counterparts. I did this because it's what you do in some fields.
I did not just travel on spring break to Europe because my mommy gave me 10K to blow on graduation or whatever. This is very clear in my resume.
No, I didn't say nor indicate that getting a master's degree is 'striking gold.' Rather, the media seems to makes this crazy accusation that majority of people with bachelors degrees (particularly arts and liberal arts degrees) are stuck working $10/hour, low-skill jobs. All I was saying is that some liberal arts majors, like history and psychology, have traditionally been foundations for specific or high skill careers like law, counseling, clinical PhD/PsyD. Other BA degrees, like communications often lead to jobs in public relations and marketing, which are certainly not low-skilled and paying way more than $10-15/hour.
Graduate degree or not, getting a good job is all about who you know these days. This is why networking and internships are extremely important. An 'basket-weaving' major taking internships is going to have a much better chance at getting a decent job than another 'basket-weaving' major who didn't.
To me, it's not the degree that makes or breaks it for a job. If you network properly, you're going to find a job. My problem is that too many jobs don't pay a livable lifelong wage from what I've seen. Too many people I know in professional careers who have 10+ years experience hardly getting a raise from $40-$50k. It's frustrating thinking that there are many situations where one worked hard for their college degree and took internships, only to learn that there's a chance you won't make more than $50-60k unless you start getting cutthroat in your company or field of work.
I agree -- and I also had a liberal arts major but found a technical application of that field. PLENTY of older people told me to do something realistic and this was 15 years ago. My professors were good too and STEM was encouraged even then (especially in my field as the field IS limited if you don't take the technical route)
But what I really can't stand is the Computer Science people that try to take shortcuts. What I like about my field is that the technical work will get you the bigger dollars, but the basis for the work is still the subject matter, the foundation ....the actual science (not computer science). There are many people who do well in the field but without a solid foundation but to say its useless to get a good 4 year degree and a foundation in the subject? no way.
you just have to work harder and find more practical routes if you want to make high dollars with a liberal arts degree
but most of us really didn't go to college just to make large amounts of money. If that is the main driver for going to college, then its a poor choice. It wasn't my major motivator. I actually wanted to learn.
I've traveled for educational purposes on grants given to me because of financial need. In both cases I was traveling to go to school, to learn, to expand my base of knowledge so that when I came back to the US I'd have an equivalent understanding of the craft as my older counterparts. I did this because it's what you do in some fields.
I did not just travel on spring break to Europe because my mommy gave me 10K to blow on graduation or whatever. This is very clear in my resume.
I'm sure you did. But you would be suprised how off putting that can be to many people in the position to hire you. It was just a bit of advice, I didn't say remove it, I said be careful with it.
I worked in europe, and volunteered. Some people interviewing me it was a great thing, others weren't as impressed and that will be specific to who they are and the opportunities they had themselves and their viewpoints.
Even if you got grants, they might still think of you as spoiled. I paid for it myself and worked there, doesn't matter.
I think after 27 pages of ranting, we've accomplished something. Look, I don't want to throw ANY generation under the bus. I am not saying - and have never said - that Gen Yers are lazy. I HAVE said that their expectations are surprising to me - but I've clearly stated that these expectations are often created BY THEIR PARENTS. Folks, we have been sold a system that is failing. ALL of us have been hoodwinked. Does anyone honestly think that BBer parents have intentionally saddled their kids and grandkids with a system that is doomed to fail? Did the Greatest Generation - all those wonderful grandparents and great uncles and loving old aunts - did they intentionally saddle their beloved children (the BBers) with a Cold War, Vietnam, recession after crushing recession, etc? And will the Gen Xers and Gen Yers somehow be different and better than THEIR parents, who all thought that they were giving their children the tools they needed to succeed? EVERY generation thinks they're bettering the world for their own kids - don't fool yourself and buy into that bitter belief that the generation before you has intentionally sabotaged you out of selfishness. And every generation thinks they have a better plan - they are going to learn from the mistakes of their parents - OH NO, THEY WON'T MAKE THOSE SAME MISTAKES. And sometimes we don't - but sometimes we make different mistakes, with different outcomes.
And eventually most of us reach the conclusion, by the time we're in our forties or fifties, that politicians, leaders, and corporations do not have our best interests at heart. You want to blame someone? Start there.
Gen Y has high expectations because they were told by the school counselor that college would make everything happen for them. They were never told that their generation would be the most educated burger flippers in history. That has made them bitter and now they are complaining, and because they are complaining many boomers and even Gen Xers ( who have faced the same issues for much longer) are calling them lazy. They are complaining because they are tens of thousands in debt and feel hoodwinked, and they are just plain mad about it. I think their complaining and anger is justified and having older people call them lazy just makes them more angry. College has become a scam, and from reading a few of your previous posts I think you agree with that. My parents generation did not need college and most of them got good jobs that took care of them for life. On the job training prepared people for the career and that system worked well. Now we have this expectation that kids get a degree, spend 100k etc. We are ruining their lives with this debt when we push them into college that they may not need. There are no where near enough professional level jobs to satisfy the desires of all these college graduates. We need to be honest with young people and tell them the truth. Many of you will flip burgers, many of you will dig ditches or work in sweat shops and some of you may have no job at all. A few very ambitious, well connected and intelligent people will gain the professional job that all college grads dream of, at least until the economy melts down. Its time for a reality check for everyone. We live in a nation where we have outsourced our manufacturing jobs, the very jobs that powered the post war boom that built the middle class. Chinese people now do them for a fraction of the cost. We build hardly anything anymore, and our government spends like drunk sailors, and now we are 20 trillion in debt. Truth be known our country may not be around that much longer, as national bankruptcy (which is inevidable) may ruin this country for good. There should be no expectation of anyone starting out today for the middle class life their parents had. That life was shipped off to China 20 years ago. The person that will do best in the new world is one who is frugal, independent and who can take care of him/her self. Knowing how to fix things, grow things and hunt your supper are the skills that will help one succeed in the new world. Your small income is worth a lot more if you can provide your food without a trip to the store, and its worth a lot more if you can repair your own car, house etc. These kind of skills used to be common, but today few have them. They will be very valuable in the future. I know I sound negative, but I don't see any return to the "good ole days". Our leaders sold us out with trade agreements and runaway debt spending, just like ole Ross Perot warned us they were doing back in 1992. I knew he was right then, and so sad its all been proven true.
Gen Y has high expectations because they were told by the school counselor that college would make everything happen for them. They were never told that their generation would be the most educated burger flippers in history. That has made them bitter and now they are complaining, and because they are complaining many boomers and even Gen Xers ( who have faced the same issues for much longer) are calling them lazy. They are complaining because they are tens of thousands in debt and feel hoodwinked, and they are just plain mad about it. I think their complaining and anger is justified and having older people call them lazy just makes them more angry. College has become a scam, and from reading a few of your previous posts I think you agree with that. My parents generation did not need college and most of them got good jobs that took care of them for life. On the job training prepared people for the career and that system worked well. Now we have this expectation that kids get a degree, spend 100k etc. We are ruining their lives with this debt when we push them into college that they may not need. There are no where near enough professional level jobs to satisfy the desires of all these college graduates. We need to be honest with young people and tell them the truth. Many of you will flip burgers, many of you will dig ditches or work in sweat shops and some of you may have no job at all. A few very ambitious, well connected and intelligent people will gain the professional job that all college grads dream of, at least until the economy melts down. Its time for a reality check for everyone. We live in a nation where we have outsourced our manufacturing jobs, the very jobs that powered the post war boom that built the middle class. Chinese people now do them for a fraction of the cost. We build hardly anything anymore, and our government spends like drunk sailors, and now we are 20 trillion in debt. Truth be known our country may not be around that much longer, as national bankruptcy (which is inevidable) may ruin this country for good. There should be no expectation of anyone starting out today for the middle class life their parents had. That life was shipped off to China 20 years ago. The person that will do best in the new world is one who is frugal, independent and who can take care of him/her self. Knowing how to fix things, grow things and hunt your supper are the skills that will help one succeed in the new world. Your small income is worth a lot more if you can provide your food without a trip to the store, and its worth a lot more if you can repair your own car, house etc. These kind of skills used to be common, but today few have them. They will be very valuable in the future. I know I sound negative, but I don't see any return to the "good ole days". Our leaders sold us out with trade agreements and runaway debt spending, just like ole Ross Perot warned us they were doing back in 1992. I knew he was right then, and so sad its all been proven true.
This post sums down to parents and students being idiots and blaming others for it. Luckily, only a few people are this dumb. The average college debt is only $25k.
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