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I can't speak with authority on the other two field but engineers are still in demand. If you can make it through a mechanical or civil program and pass the FE and PE exams then you're pretty much set. I'm guessing petroleum engineers are also still in high demand; why else would they start them off at $65k/yr with just a bachelors and no experience.
Oh yeah, you never hear about chemical engineers, but it has always been a high paying segment of the engineering profession. An LPE chemical engineer is highly sought after, and recent grads have no trouble finding a job. It's been that way for 50 years, and shows no sign of changing.
Well, you're supposed to network and do internships while in college to get experience and make contacts with people in the industry. Those who do not end up having to "cold apply" which can be a struggle.
I had 3 internships by the time I finished college but graduated in the middle of the recession. No one was hiring and no one would give me a chance. I still "didn't have enough experience" for companies. Applied out of state, but again, no one would hire someone who needed to relocate.
I was lucky enough to be able to crash at someone's place in another state after interviewing for a job I really wanted (I paid my way to fly out to interview, was given a verbal offer, and then was strung along for months before they finally said they wouldn't hire anyone full time after all). I was then living out in that area and hiring manager somehow found out and offered me the job as a freelance position instead. So, I swallowed my pride and took the damn job anyway. I busted my butt for months to prove myself and get hired FT, and then left after a couple years when they couldn't move me into a role with more responsibility (zero upward mobility).
My manager was great, the higher ups were awful and will run the employees into the ground. Then after that job I got to see what special snowflakes HR generally is in not giving anyone the time of day. My impression of companies these days, not so great. My current company is a mess and has been the ENTIRE time I've worked there.
Universities dont teach skills, trade schools do. If you plan on going to college/university think hard on where you want to be in 5, 10 years, then talk to a counselor. Society will always need Doctors/nurses, law enforcement, Food & Beverage and Housing. But along with some of these jobs it will also take common sense and hands on training.
Stop spending money on crap like costly internet and smartphone plans, use basic plans, buy items that last, cook your own meals
And they can live off their jobs, americas overspend on crap they dont need then cry they dont make enough
If they arent middle class, dont live like it. If they arent upper class, dont expect to spend like it.
Yes. Money can go a lot further for people if people do this.
I have a coworker that has a 2016 Jeep Wrangler that he paid $40k for and he eats out for lunch everyday and states he is underpaid. Well driving a $40k vehicle and eating out everyday doesn't help. He has been working there for 5 years and was freaking out when our company announced that they needed to do voluntary seperations and downsize the workforce after they made a couple acquisitions and was freaking out because he had no money saved.
Luckily no lay offs happened but now I live on a tight budget and save 50% of my income. I paid off my car this month with my bonus and taking $4k from my savings account I only eat out once a week, I have a $35 us cellular plan on a cheap android phone. If my company does lay offs in the future I will have a lot of money saved and won't be stressing out about a job like my coworker.
Today's society we have to learn to live on a lot less than we make. Drive your car till the wheels fall off, avoid upgrading to the latest iPhone every year, stop spending $5 a day for coffee at Starbucks and $10 a day for lunch at Work. With automation taking so many jobs every American needs a large nest egg for the what ifs in life.
Last edited by Poor Chemist; 04-01-2017 at 08:05 AM..
This was my experience also. Very few students got internships. Most companies weren't even offering them anymore after the great recession.
MLS says he (she?) is a clinical lab technologist. Most of those programs require a year long internship as part of your clinical training. It's unpaid, but if people see you have a brain and if they like you, it's very easy to possibly get a job offer after graduation. Why? Well, except for in CA, it's not really known as a field that pays very well (pay is pretty crappy in some places) so it's not exactly churning out students like nursing programs. Therefore, there's usually a job to be found, somewhere.
My sister graduated with her BSN but is having trouble finding anything. She is applying all over the state and hasn't heard a peep. She is open to possibly relocating, but needs to find out more about it, because lots of states do not offer reciprocity, so she doesn't want to plunk down money for another state license without the possibility of getting a job. Most jobs do not want anyone without actual nursing experience.
and in all most of the country, I'm paid in the $50+k range, I don't consider that to be low and it is enough for me to get by on. I already said it won't be a get rich job and I'm okay with it. If I want a higher paying job that branches out from the skills I have, I already listed it in a prior post. It isn't like I am locked into being a lab tech.
how many other jobs can you find that lets people travel for 4-6 months around the country that pays for housing/transportation? Lets someone young see the country, and later in life settle down without restarting their career?
I don't know about the "crap" pay, I heard in the south, but I looked in Texas/Florida, and they pay higher than in the mid-west, I'm also on the GS pay scale now, so I can predict my salary since it's always listed and I won't drop in grade either.
Benefit to working federally, I don't need to be certified in individual states, as long as I stay in the system, I'm covered nationwide. You could get your sister to do same, gets around the reciprocity issue. She won't be able to work outside if she isn't licensed for that state, but the nurses all have plenty of OT to pick up anyhow.
Yes. Money can go a lot further for people if people do this.
I have a coworker that has a 2016 Jeep Wrangler that he paid $40k for and he eats out for lunch everyday and states he is underpaid. Well driving a $40k vehicle and eating out everyday doesn't help. He has been working there for 5 years and was freaking out when our company announced that they needed to do voluntary seperations and downsize the workforce after they made a couple acquisitions and was freaking out because he had no money saved.
Luckily no lay offs happened but now I live on a tight budget and save 50% of my income. I paid off my car this month with my bonus and taking $4k from my savings account I only eat out once a week, I have a $35 us cellular plan on a cheap android phone. If my company does lay offs in the future I will have a lot of money saved and won't be stressing out about a job like my coworker.
Today's society we have to learn to live on a lot less than we make. Drive your car till the wheels fall off, avoid upgrading to the latest iPhone every year, stop spending $5 a day for coffee at Starbucks and $10 a day for lunch at Work. With automation taking so many jobs every American needs a large nest egg for the what ifs in life.
Very good post, and good advice for anyone, in any kind of salary range.
Stop spending money on crap like costly internet and smartphone plans, use basic plans, buy items that last, cook your own meals
And they can live off their jobs, americas overspend on crap they dont need then cry they dont make enough
If they arent middle class, dont live like it. If they arent upper class, dont expect to spend like it.
Yup, sorry, smartphones and internet are required these days. You need to be easily available to your employer. You need to be able to connect to the employer. And of course you need to apply for most jobs on the internet. Cutting back on internet and smartphone expenses keep you tagged as an outsider to modern society.
Yup, sorry, smartphones and internet are required these days. You need to be easily available to your employer. You need to be able to connect to the employer. And of course you need to apply for most jobs on the internet. Cutting back on internet and smartphone expenses keep you tagged as an outsider to modern society.
When I was broke I had a basic flip phone, and for internet I went to the library for free access.
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