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PhD flipping burgers is a hyperbolic example; but it is very naive and shortsighted to say "underemployment isn't real" or it's just people who "wanna make more money".
Under-employment is a very real and very serious issue. Less than half of the 2011 college graduates are working full time in a job in their field. Many working retail or other part-time low-wage service jobs.
Yes, many of these kids have"toiletpaper degrees" and majored in philosophy or history or English but that is not all of them; and the fact still remains that there is a huge mismatch in the labor for CAREERS and people who are looking for them. And this holds true across all ages/life stages. The jobs that went away during the recession aren't coming back and the jobs that people of all stages of life/career who lost their jobs then are having to take jobs far bellow their skill and pay level to survive. This issue is not reflected in the official unemployment rate as "gothereasquickasicould" and others have pointed out so their argument that the unemployment rate doesn't tell the whole story is a very valid point and shouldn't be dismissed so handily; especially in the unflattering condescending way it has been on this thread.
"Underemployed" and "I wanna make more money" are two crippling pseudo-ideologies that should stay out of mainstream discussion of the unemployment stats.
You are either working, or you are not working and looking for work. The latter is what unemployment is, and what unemployment discussion should be centered on.
Underemployment is a real term that is used by economists to describe people who are either overqualified for the job they are doing or who are working part-time but looking for full-time work. As we move toward a service based economy -- and the wealth gap grows bigger every year -- this will continue to be a real problem. And btw unemployment figures are skewed since so many have fallen off the rolls and aren't counted anymore.
I am often struck reading these posts how everyone just brings their own experience -- 'everyone I know is working' 'it only took me a week to find a job' -- and gives no thought to others' experiences. Any quick look at the news will tell you that unemployment and underemployment are real issues. Have some empathy for those who are struggling.
Although I do agree it gets tiresome asking people who post on this forum do you have a job?
Underemployment is a real term that is used by economists to describe people who are either overqualified for the job they are doing or who are working part-time but looking for full-time work. As we move toward a service based economy -- and the wealth gap grows bigger every year -- this will continue to be a real problem. And btw unemployment figures are skewed since so many have fallen off the rolls and aren't counted anymore.
I am often struck reading these posts how everyone just brings their own experience -- 'everyone I know is working' 'it only took me a week to find a job' -- and gives no thought to others' experiences. Any quick look at the news will tell you that unemployment and underemployment are real issues. Have some empathy for those who are struggling.
Although I do agree it gets tiresome asking people who post on this forum do you have a job?
Who here claims to be an economist? I would be willing to hear from practitioners of the dismal science regarding underemployment. (Which is funny, when you think of it. Most Econ majors are in other pursuits due to lack of demandfor their vocational training...) We should stay in the ivory tower, and not worry job seekers, though.
Commonly here, we see bleakness amplified to inquiring posters to the extent that one might believe that no one has work, no one can get work, and no one can even get an interview.
Are you saying I have no empathy? You would be in error.
I just don't couch my thoughts in terms that bring comfort to purveyors of excessive doom.
Well, none of can really make it any better for you but I will tell you that we have pretty much turned in to a seller's market so it is a good time to get your house ready to sell. That is the silver lining!
Best of luck to you!
Vicki
VickiR, I think you misunderstood. Not trying to leave Raleigh, trying to leave NoVA.
@C_Lan: Very true. I supposed I was just *hopeful* that somehow I'd be one of the lucky ones to land one of those high-tech jobs--but ya know what they say about "hoping": You can hope in one hand and.......... okay, enough on that.
@Jkgourmet: I couldn't agree more! You are not only correct, I was warned. Hence the reason why I'm echoing the statement for this thread.
@GotHereQuickAsICould: I would never consider subletting to a stranger. Only to someone I knew and trusted. Since I know no one in this area, than I'd rather not risk being sued by the property management company and/or have my deposits lost and a huge mess on my hands.
@westcoastbabe: You are correct. And again, see my original post (above) that contains the statistics. Statistics don't lie. Hence the reason why I posted them.
@whitney: Actually, we did. We used multiple resources on the web. But you know, the web can be, and often times is, misleading. Teacher or not. In my partner's case, it is a very sad state of affairs (no pun intended). Can't wait to get back to a state that has more blue in its color. Where people pay for services and support their community, things actually work. i.e. jobs, social services, public transportation, proper infrastructure (most of the time).
@TomDewey123: I'm sorry to hear that you had (or are having) the same experience. I can only imagine that for every success story, there are dozens more of us without a success story. It wasn't a huge regret, as we wanted to be out on the east coast anyhow. So in reality, we are 80% moved (by cost and effort/energy).
@MikeJaquish: I don't know, Mike, although a good question, am I sensing that you think it's quite the opposite? If so, I'm guessing that you were one of the more fortunate ones. Perhaps what he meant is: "The majority of people *seeking employment here are struggling to even get an interview". I buy that. You know why? Because I have applied for over a hundred jobs that *I do qualify for* and have never landed a single interview. Zero. So why _shouldn't_ I believe it?
@North_Raleigh_Guy: If you think that this is a pointless thread, perhaps you shouldn't be posting to it, thereby congesting it w/ more "pointless" suggestions. Irony. Don't you think that this is a valid warning I'm voicing? I never asked for sympathy, nor did I ask for a gold star for my courageous post here. But perhaps it is a *good thing* that I am warning people. And therefore less inbound migration might occur as a result. Why is overstating this not acceptable.
And to everyone else, I know many of you native NCs and transplants are very proud of your state / region. By no means did I ever insult or put down your home, your state, or you. I am only doing one thing here: stating that anyone who is considering a move to NC, be warned that the job market here is even tougher than most other places in the states.
Last edited by pdx-transplant; 09-05-2013 at 07:00 AM..
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@MikeJaquish: I don't know, Mike, although a good question, am I sensing that you think it's quite the opposite? If so, I'm guessing that you were one of the more fortunate ones. Perhaps what he meant is: "The majority of people *seeking employment here are struggling to even get an interview". I buy that. You know why? Because I have applied for over a hundred jobs that *I do qualify for* and have never landed a single interview. Zero. So why _shouldn't_ I believe it?
As I said, I made no contention at all on the point.
I saw an unsupported statement that most people cannot get an interview, and I only asked for support for the statement. None was offered in response, other than to turn the question back onto me to be responsible to disprove the unsupported statement. I am not interested in doing so.
I am sorry for your experience, and truly hope you prosper and enjoy life wherever you land!
I realize the OP said he was done with the thread, but just in case he comes back...
I posted a thread years ago explaining why I don't recommend the area to people who have no job (and need to find work) and got attacked by more than one poster.
The basic premise of the OPs post is correct. Moving here hoping to find work AFTER you arrive is a risky proposition. For some (people in niche fields, fields with either too few jobs or too many applicants, people without much savings, people with kids) it can be riskier than for others (younger people who have friends or family they can live with and/or people who can afford to take risks due to higher savings, higher number of jobs in the area in their field, etc).
That's why research is so important before just up and moving here. Particularly if you are in a "higher risk" category.
This is true of all major moves.
__________________
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Moving here as an adult without a job is pretty gutsy, in my opinion. If you are a recent grad who has parents who can help you get started here or your spouse already has a job, then if would be a lot easier, but coming in cold? Wow.
I do think it is unfortunate that whenever some starts a thread that they are leaving because they ultimately didn't like it here, they are labeled as having not done their research. Being fully informed doesn't guarantee you will like it. By that logic, those of us who came here and stayed, did all the appropriate research.
I don't think the like/dislike issue is an either/or. It's a continuum, and not completely predicated upon how much you knew about the area before you moved here.
The unemployment figure reflects the percentage of workers who are actively seeking work. It doesn't count those who have given up, are underemployed and want to be working at a better paying job in their field, etc.
The majority of people may be working, but the majority of those seeking work may be struggling to get an interview.
Thank you, GotHere, I'm glad you were able to expand on this. Those stats he/she posted certainly don't reflect the entire story. It's funny how that point is either ignored or overlooked so often.
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Most Econ majors are in other pursuits due to 
@VickiR
