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So I've been thinking , and I realize that I have no idea what a good economy is like in terms of post-college job hunting. So, from some of you veterans out there, what is it like? During a good economy, do you practically have your pick of the litter, so to speak? Are there such an abundance of jobs out there, that you could just up and quit your job and be working at a new company within a few weeks? Was it ever that good?
Jobs everywhere. Easy to find. In fact, they often came to you, when your friends and family would try to recruit you to work at their places. They were flexible about qualifications and willing to train. Salaries were higher. There was little accountability at any level regarding anything.
There were stores, restaurants and daycares opening up everywhere. Houses being built in every direction. More kids in private schools and more private schools opening up. It was hard to get into the really good ones and even some of the mediocre ones. There was lots of eating out. Lots of travel, big trips.
I specifically remember the dot.com boom. I had a relative who worked at a dot com place and the company made no money at all, but private investors kept giving it millions and millions. They sat around all day and pontificated about the world, played ping pong, played on the internet, did no actual work of any type. When my relative started having car problems, the company bought him a new one. For no reason. It was crazy. He got other friends and relatives hired there, too, with no effort whatsoever. You didn't even need to interview. I worked somewhere else and didn't even interview to get that job.
Health insurance was cheaper. My COBRA payment in 1994 was $80/month for great coverage. Charities were in good shape.
So I've been thinking , and I realize that I have no idea what a good economy is like in terms of post-college job hunting. So, from some of you veterans out there, what is it like? During a good economy, do you practically have your pick of the litter, so to speak? Are there such an abundance of jobs out there, that you could just up and quit your job and be working at a new company within a few weeks? Was it ever that good?
You could buy a $500,000 home with $1000 down and an income of $45K per year. (Five years ago.)
Interest rates on CDs were 12% (early 1980s; of course mortgage rates were 18%)
Gas was $0.99 per gallon (1998)
Housing in the best neighborhoods in Southern California was $150/sqft (that's extremely cheap for SoCal).
A standard home required one paycheck (1950s; of course, the standard home was 900 sqft)
Ball point pens used to cost $19 (dollars not cents)
Today:
Interest rates on 15 year loans are 4.25%
Gas is $2.50/gal (adjusted for inflation it isn't that much more than ten years ago)
Housing in the best neighborhoods in LA is $300/sqft (and falling like a lead zeppelin)
Unemployment is less than 8% (in Huntsville)
Unemployment for engineers is 0.2% (in Huntsville)
A computer more powerful than everything used for the Apollo Lunar missions costs $300.
Electricity is $0.07/kwhr (in Huntsville; that's almost free)
You can buy almost anything online. That's great for your personal economy (shopping, parking, browsing malls, phone calls, etc is history)
Truth be told, you can learn more by making it in hard times. Easy times are always very temporary. What we have right now is the worst I have ever seen.
I feel so sorry for everyone job hunting in this current "lottery" situation right now, including myself. It's especially hard for current and recent graduates because you have nothing for comparison.
Here is what I experienced in 1978. It sounds like heaven! I graduated in early May with a B. A. in English and a secondary teaching certificate. I did not start looking for a job until after graduation. By early July I had a teaching position in a high school that was only three years old -- basically brand new. On the advice of some veteran teachers, I went to several county offices, asked for applications and mailed them back to the offices. I interviewed with the schools who called and chose the one I liked the best.
A sorority sister was hired in the same area and we shared a brand new apartment. I remember that our building opened out onto the swimming pool. Gas was under $1.00 a gallon. The cable was $3.00.
No muss, no fuss. No networking, begging and pleading or looking outside the box. You could work, enjoy life and plan for the future.
Last edited by antiquesmountainapache; 01-14-2010 at 03:46 PM..
Reason: To change some phrases and more information
I do remember having 2 jobs (by choice) at the same time because I was saving up for grad school.
Getting a part time job was a breeze. You had stores and places BEGGING for people like me (educated, moms looking for a part time job with school hours).
Being older was not a barrier but you hardly ever saw older people working as cashiers or in fast food places. You RARELY saw anyone over 65 working in retail or fast food jobs--they were jobs for teens...plenty of them, too.
In one year both my husband and I had 4 jobs each!!
It's especially hard for current and recent graduates because you have nothing for comparison.
This is so true. I enrolled in college in 2003, right after high school. I'd say things were relatively good at that time. I finished high school with a 3.9 GPA (top 3 in my class), solid ACT scores, went on to graduate from a top tier university. My goal was to get an entry level job with one of the branches of government. By graduation in 2008, I felt like the ground was falling out beneath my feet. Things changed so dramatically in those five years.
Fortunately, I do have a job, but I had to move 1200 miles from home to get it. Others have not been so fortunate. By looking at some of the threads on here, you can see how ruthless and competitive some people have become during this tumultuous economic hardship. I mean, there's healthy competition, but some of the posts I've read are downright scary. You have users telling you how worthless your education is because it isn't in X, Y, or Z fields. Back in 2003, you didn't hear such ruthless comments, at least I never did.
In 2003, I felt like the world was mine for the taking, that my career path could go in so many directions. Now, you have people, including myself, fearful of their futures and feeling somewhat worthless because of what some overly competitve, ruthless people say to them. So, I just wondered if things were a little better in the past.
What you 'younger' folks have to remember is now we have 24/7 information from around the globe. Prior to the internet, finding out about what it was like in another state or country meant a trip to the library to find one of their newspapers. We did not have IN YOUR FACE information about how bad it was all over (or good).
Now you can instantly find out about 'statistics,' hang out on chat boards (for good or bad) and gripe about who has a job and who doesn't (maybe leading to unrealistic thinking that EVERYONE ELSE is employed or 'things are horrific.')
Here is how I got one of my favorite jobs in 1988. I was in a graduate class - just taking classes. The lady in the desk next to me leans over and says, "Do you want a job? We are hiring where I work. You can work whenever you want and there's no dress code." And I said, "Sure." And she gave me the number of the boss. I called her and told her so-and-so said y'all needed people and she said, yeah, come on it. It was that easy. I didn't even know my classmate.
This was for a job at a computer programming company where I learned HTML coding, did data entry and proofreading. I worked there for 6 years. I could work as few or as many hours a week that I wanted whenever I wanted 24/7.
Now, the question is, "I need a job, do you know of any?"
Last edited by FarNorthDallas; 01-14-2010 at 09:45 PM..
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, and I realize that I have no idea what a good economy is like in terms of post-college job hunting. So, from some of you veterans out there, what is it like? During a good economy, do you practically have your pick of the litter, so to speak? Are there such an abundance of jobs out there, that you could just up and quit your job and be working at a new company within a few weeks? Was it ever that good?
