Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Thanks for the encouragement. I can't find any logical reason to go back to school when I just finished my degree a year and a half ago. I certainly don't want to dig myself further into debt with another degree when it seems rather obvious that experience means more to employers. I might look into some more computer certifications soon, though. Thanks again!
Unfortunately, when companies hire, they often hire new grads. As the economy improves, it's on campus recruiting that will pick up first. Like it or not, you and I hold "old" degrees that are less than two years old. Your advantage is you are young and young people find jobs quicker than older people. Mine is that I"m in a career that recognizes experience as a good thing so things could pick up for me.
If you don't want to go back to school, volunteer. Learn a new skill. Make some contacts. You'd be surprised where you can get. It's very often not what you know but who you know.
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.
You can have the attitude you want, pessimistic or optimistic.
I am sure many folks still alive that went through a depression would have no sympathy for you. Many without much of an education made it through much tougher times and even succeeded.
Also, many times we may not get what we want in life and how we want it. You can refocus and and look for alternative ways to make it in life. There have been athletes that got career ending injuries and they kept an enthusiastic attitude and live very happy lives by going other routes. I have seen many of my fellow Soldiers get life long injuries in battle and they have kept a positive attitude and become a success in other ways they did not planned before.
I am sure someone will know his name, how about that Pittsburgh Steeler running back in the '70s that got badly wounded in Vietnam and with determination made it back to the NFL and was a success, Oh! I remember, Rocky Blier?
It is up to you. However, if you want to keep that attitude, go ahead and let it become a self fullfilling prophecy, then you are right you have ruined your life. I read somewhere don't tell me how many times you have been down, tell me how many times you got up.
My suggestion? The same I tell my Soldier at times I feel is the one to give: Stop whinning! Move out and go to work! Get it done!
You've only ruined your life, if you truly believe in your heart that you have. You have only failed, if you have quit.
Failure at one thing, only leads to success in another.
You can have the attitude you want, pessimistic or optimistic.
I am sure many folks still alive that went through a depression would have no sympathy for you. Many without much of an education made it through much tougher times and even succeeded.
Also, many times we may not get what we want in life and how we want it. You can refocus and and look for alternative ways to make it in life. There have been athletes that got career ending injuries and they kept an enthusiastic attitude and live very happy lives by going other routes. I have seen many of my fellow Soldiers get life long injuries in battle and they have kept a positive attitude and become a success in other ways they did not planned before.
I am sure someone will know his name, how about that Pittsburgh Steeler running back in the '70s that got badly wounded in Vietnam and with determination made it back to the NFL and was a success, Oh! I remember, Rocky Blier?
It is up to you. However, if you want to keep that attitude, go ahead and let it become a self fullfilling prophecy, then you are right you have ruined your life. I read somewhere don't tell me how many times you have been down, tell me how many times you got up.
My suggestion? The same I tell my Soldier at times I feel is the one to give: Stop whinning! Move out and go to work! Get it done!
You have a great day.
El Amigo
Thanks for your inspiring words. I think at one time I believed that if you work hard and do your work well, success will naturally follow. I believed at one time that companies would work with you on setting up a career path that works for both them and you.
Maybe it's my fault, but I've listened to many cynical people out there who have the mindset that companies will exploit you and use you up; and that they don't care about your career goals, only about their bottom line.
Perhaps I'm way off base. But given the recent events that took place in this country, with all this greed and deception exposed, it's going to be hard for employers to earn my trust.
There's no stigma to not finding the perfect, or even great, job right out of college, especially during these times. Be happy to have a job with benefits that lets you to at least start paying off your loans. Don't go back to school, but do continue to network and not let yourself get stuck in a rut. Your degree will not be "old" in a couple of years, and at that point will stop to matter as much anyway (other than the fact that you hold it; that in itself is worth quite a bit.)
As for the question about why things today don't look that much better than it did for a new high school graduate four years ago, think in context of the larger economic picture: four years ago the economy was good. Jobs were easier to find. Today people with robust resumes and years of experience are taking the jobs that would have gone to new grads four years ago, and new grads are taking whatever they can get. It's tough for everyone right now. That doesn't mean it will be that way forever.
There's no stigma to not finding the perfect, or even great, job right out of college, especially during these times. Be happy to have a job with benefits that lets you to at least start paying off your loans. Don't go back to school, but do continue to network and not let yourself get stuck in a rut. Your degree will not be "old" in a couple of years, and at that point will stop to matter as much anyway (other than the fact that you hold it; that in itself is worth quite a bit.)
As for the question about why things today don't look that much better than it did for a new high school graduate four years ago, think in context of the larger economic picture: four years ago the economy was good. Jobs were easier to find. Today people with robust resumes and years of experience are taking the jobs that would have gone to new grads four years ago, and new grads are taking whatever they can get. It's tough for everyone right now. That doesn't mean it will be that way forever.
I really hope so. Thanks for the encouragement.
I'm trying to keep my head up. I know I'm in the same boat as a lot of other people. I think a lot of the pressure I put on myself comes from the expectations that have been set for my generation. In a few years, according to other people my age, I should have a solid stock portfolio and be looking at buying a house. Bad ideas start to creep in like what kind of girl would want a guy who can't afford a house. It's downright dreadful to think that I may not be able to attract a mate, afford a home, or start a family for that matter.
I'm trying to keep my head up. I know I'm in the same boat as a lot of other people. I think a lot of the pressure I put on myself comes from the expectations that have been set for my generation. In a few years, according to other people my age, I should have a solid stock portfolio and be looking at buying a house. Bad ideas start to creep in like what kind of girl would want a guy who can't afford a house. It's downright dreadful to think that I may not be able to attract a mate, afford a home, or start a family for that matter.
Believe me, I know what you're saying. A lot of other people, both older and younger, are in your same position. You'll most likely be able to afford a house at some point in life, but no rush to do it right away. Someone who is only looking for money isn't worth the relationship, anyway. No need to rush the house, and while kids are indeed expensive, sounds like there's no rush for that, either. You're hitting this all at a particularly bad year, job-wise, but I think it's fairly typical to have those same sorts of worries and stresses. I'm in my early 30s and certainly had periods of similar panic, as did most of my friends. I still have moments when I think "all that school [a BA and a master's degree] for this?!?", but overall it's easier to take a long view now. (and, for what it's worth, my friends who didn't have the mid-20s panic are the ones who seem to be floundering the most now that they're in their 30s, as their initial perfect life has now become more rocky.) I think that as a society we need to reset our expectations, as having a house, a family, a fabulous job, the strong foundation of a retirement portfolio, and all by age 30 (or whatever) isn't happening for many of us.
You have to deal with what is. The economy right now sucks so that makes getting a job difficult. The number of college graduates has skyrocketed as they've been told-- as you were-- that going to college was your ticket to a good job.
It's a supply and demand situation. There are tons of applicants for jobs now and companies can not only be very selective in who they hire but they can clip the salaries as well because if you turn up your nose at it, someone else will come along and take it and be happy that they have an income.
I work in IT. Any time we've listed a low level help desk job we get literally hundreds of resumes from people with advanced degrees, multiple certifications and years of experience who apply. We also get resumes from recent grads with little or no experience.
We prefer to hire the younger grads because they will more likely stay on as the advanced degree holders will bolt as soon as something better comes along but I'd say there are a lot of businesses that will jump at the chance to lease the skill set of someone with many degrees and certifications and pay them entry level wages just because they can.
There's also the matter-- which I mentioned in the other thread-- that older workers are not retiring out of necessity and therefore jobs are not being freed up for the younger people to get.
I don't have any answers for you but I'd say that to say that you think you've ruined your life by going to college is a bit extreme. What was the alternative? Not going? Where would you be if you took that route?
You sound very bitter and I understand your bitterness. You should know, however, that there is bitterness aplenty out there. People who worked for the same company for years, moved up the ladder in responsibility and pay, bought a house, started a family and carved out a modest existence and were summarily kicked to the curb only to find another job at half their former salary.
I would stay away from proclaiming yourself more knowledgeable than the upper level managers where you work. It sounds very immature as does the "working with computers since I was 10" bit. Yes, it sucks for you that the timing of your graduation coincided with a bad economy but try to keep things in perspective.
Unfortunately, these days people need to lower their expectations and appreciate what they have.
Once upon a time....a social level called the 'establishment' worked and worked to buy a suburban house, a station wagon and a country club membership. Papa made lots of money, at a plastics mfg. plant, Momma lollied in her college sorority alumni membership....and Junior 'dropped out' to--of all things--teach English literature for a paltry sum of money. They worried that he had ruined his life.
Where, oh where, did the Good Old Days go?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
