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You could get a job offer for 60k and then attempt to resign your job. You might wind up getting a counter from your company... but that is shrewd. Ultimately, all that shows you is that your company would always have paid you more. All you had to do is play the game.
Yeah, I've been down this road already. I got an offer from the government last year and just about took it. I told my current employer about it and they matched it, for the most part.
I never earned a college degre and would LOVE to make $29,000 a year. There are very few jobs for those of us with just a High School education that pay anywhere near that. You did the right thing, it will pay off in the long run.
I never earned a college degre and would LOVE to make $29,000 a year. There are very few jobs for those of us with just a High School education that pay anywhere near that. You did the right thing, it will pay off in the long run.
I do have a solid IT background, IMO. I went to a vocational school where I studied programming and web design. I have Microsoft Office User Specialist certs in Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, which probably doesn't sound like that big of a deal. Most of the stuff I know is stuff I picked up over years of studying and work experience. For example, I know Microsoft Windows/computer hardware pretty much in and out. I've also designed and maintained a web site for a company I worked for. On the other hand, I'm not officially certified in any of those areas (though I'm looking into some). Some people tell me it doesn't matter if you're certified, while others tell me it definitely COULD matter in regards to employment.
My main concern is this: I've already invested in a college education. Yeah, I have a job, but IMO it's low paying and not at all challenging. I don't want to invest in anything else unless it will have some kind of immediate payoff.
I'm only 24, and I feel that I ruined my life. But not because I killed anybody, took too many drugs, or performed any other criminal act. No, I feel I've ruined my life because I tried to better myself by going to college.
In college, I went from computer science major (dropped that because of what I heard about these jobs being offshored), to economics major (dropped that because it would have taken an extra semester at a cost of about $10,000), and finally, to political science major. Because of working a full time job, transferring schools, not having money to attend summer semesters, it took me 5 years to complete my bachelor's degree. While doing so, I amassed a debt in the $40k range.
While I was in school, I did some research as to how I could work my degree. Many legitimate job/salary websites (Payscale.com, Salary.com, CNN, MSNBC, etc.) showed the types of jobs and salaries one could expect to see after graduation with my degree and work experience. The salaries ranged from $38k/yr to $43k/yr; not bad to start out on. Well, I can say that those certainly weren't the job offers I received. The job I have now initially offered me $29k per year. I took it, because I had bills to pay.
The sentiments on Internet forums such as this one have led me to my greatest fear. I fear that I will be stuck with low paying jobs that offer no career growth or advancement opportunities for the rest of my life. In addition, I fear that I will never be able to start a family, purchase a house, or simply live a financially stable life. There seems to be a widespread belief that white collar jobs are diminishing and that my degree is nothing more than the "new high school diploma". Well, I don't recall a high school diploma ever costing an individual $60k, but I digress.
Trust me, I don't have an issue with confidence. I do a very good job at what I do. I have a lot of essential skills that I see lacking in even some of the upper level management people. Having taken business and advanced math classes in college and working with computers since I was 10, I have a strong background in all of these areas. I've been working office jobs since I was 17 years old. Yet, it seems that a lot of people now days frown upon college graduates. The mentoring I received in the past seems worthless. I used to hear that many people worked in fields other than what they studied in college and were successful. Are these happy days over? Have I dug myself into a hole that I'll never get out of? Is it worth going on?
Bottom line...I don't want to spend the rest of my life working only to pay off my student loans. That's not a life worth living.
The overselling of college for everybody in the USA the last fifty years is nothing short of criminal.
At best, most end up with the same jobs they could have got in the 50's with a high school diploma but with 10's of thousands of debt.
The overselling of college for everybody in the USA the last fifty years is nothing short of criminal.
At best, most end up with the same jobs they could have got in the 50's with a high school diploma but with 10's of thousands of debt.
Trust me, I don't have an issue with confidence. I do a very good job at what I do. I have a lot of essential skills that I see lacking in even some of the upper level management people. Having taken business and advanced math classes in college and working with computers since I was 10, I have a strong background in all of these areas. I've been working office jobs since I was 17 years old. Yet, it seems that a lot of people now days frown upon college graduates. The mentoring I received in the past seems worthless. I used to hear that many people worked in fields other than what they studied in college and were successful. Are these happy days over? Have I dug myself into a hole that I'll never get out of? Is it worth going on?
Bottom line...I don't want to spend the rest of my life working only to pay off my student loans. That's not a life worth living.
Have you ever thought about eventually being self-employed/owning your own business? I remember my first corporate job out of college - I was probably over confident (cocky) but I also felt, like you, that I had more skills than upper management (and, in hindsight, I believe I did). I remember being paid peanuts, working with slackers, and doing all this high-quality work so that upper management could take credit for it. Then I realized I should be working for myself. It was the best decision I ever made.
I stayed at that company long enough (under 2 years) to understand the "corporate experience" and get tuition reimbursement for a few Masters/certification courses I felt I needed. I then became an independent contractor and worked awhile with a placement agency.
I networked, joined trade associations, presented at conferences, and made a name for myself in my industry. Clients started seeking me out as the "expert" in the area. All the while, I was living frugally and investing the majority of my income. Then, about 5 years ago, I decided to take my investments and buy another successful company which I am now expanding.
If you are as confident and competent as you say, are very hardworking, have a very high risk tolerance (and can operate without the safety net of the weekly paycheck), have some sales/networking skills, have strong drive and knowledge in a marketable area, you may want to consider this path. Perhaps it is a good fit for you...
Have you ever thought about eventually being self-employed/owning your own business? I remember my first corporate job out of college - I was probably over confident (cocky) but I also felt, like you, that I had more skills than upper management (and, in hindsight, I believe I did). I remember being paid peanuts, working with slackers, and doing all this high-quality work so that upper management could take credit for it. Then I realized I should be working for myself. It was the best decision I ever made.
I stayed at that company long enough (under 2 years) to understand the "corporate experience" and get tuition reimbursement for a few Masters/certification courses I felt I needed. I then became an independent contractor and worked awhile with a placement agency.
I networked, joined trade associations, presented at conferences, and made a name for myself in my industry. Clients started seeking me out as the "expert" in the area. All the while, I was living frugally and investing the majority of my income. Then, about 5 years ago, I decided to take my investments and buy another successful company which I am now expanding.
If you are as confident and competent as you say, are very hardworking, have a very high risk tolerance (and can operate without the safety net of the weekly paycheck), have some sales/networking skills, have strong drive and knowledge in a marketable area, you may want to consider this path. Perhaps it is a good fit for you...
I certainly like this idea. I need to first figure out what area I would like to pursue. I'm thinking of starting some kind of IT business, but haven't quite pinpointed which area I would like to focus on. I'll look into some trade associations though, so that hopefully I can network out a bit.
29K isn't bad at all for 24.
I am hoping for that once I receive my bachelor's.
You can work at the job you have now and move around a bit. You certainly aren't stuck. You certainly have to be creative with a Political Science degree but it isn't impossible.
Have you searched the terms, "What can I do with a degree in Political Science"? You'd be surprised at what all comes up.
There are books out there like [#] best jobs for Liberal Arts Majors or 200 Best Jobs for College Graduates.
Have you looked at a job with the federal government?
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