It looks like being young doesn't always have its perks.
ImpactNow,
You raise a very critical issue here.
The boom is over.Its time to get more realistic about expectations for what constitutes a Good Job as well as a relevant starting point in a career.
I am reminded very much of the situation in Japan post the Boom(which went bust in the 1990s).There is a strong possibility we will see a similar situation here too.
This downsizing is gut wrenching and hard to imagine.It will take time and patience from all concerned but it has to happen nonetheless.
On the other hand for those adventurous to experiment there are other countries out there(with much lower cost of Living and much greater chances of Career Progress) if one is willing to think outside the status quo.
Everyone knows all those jobs in Finance and Real Estate are not coming back.But that does not mean there are no oppurtunities elsewhere even in America.America still has a shortage of Nurses,Day care helpers as well as Oil&Gas Workers and strong technology thinkers.
Another instance
http://www.sovereignman.com/expat/where-to-find-a-job
Above everything else you have to be flexible.
Regards
Ashish.
AskAsa,
This is true. You notice that tone more and more nowadays with the current economic times. The one's that are lucky to find jobs feel underpaid & under-appreciated.
Re: Question the investment
Dex
9/9/2011 11:45:55 AM
It's a shame we've abandoned things like shop classes and distributive education in favor of practice for standardized tests. Who needs analogies anyway?
Re: Question the investment
AskAsa
9/8/2011 8:52:34 PM
I sometimes regret as a society we have brainwashed ourselves into thinking a person needs a bachelors degree to drive a truck.
Many fields (not just trades but full professions) could benefit from an apprentice system of learning. In the UK many young aspiring journalists pay for an older expereinced reporter to spend a couple years giving them practical tools to one day step into the profession.
jobs for young people
AskAsa
9/8/2011 8:47:23 PM
I'm lucky enough to work around a number of 20 somethings. I enjoy their energy and openess. Many are quite willing to experiment with new approaches to projects because they have no knowledge of what works and what doesnt. No limitations.
I have found out one thing in my conversations. Many of them feel practically cheated by their college education. A huge expenditure they thought would make them ready to walk into a high paying job - proved to be an expensive waste of time..
While I agree that today’s young people are facing very extreme economic situations, I also agree with some of the comments that they have unrealistic expectations. Maybe because they were raised in the bubble they did not have the understanding of learning then earning. I encounter so many young people with laundry lists of what they want from a job, they are unwilling to pay their dues and acquire the experience needed to succeed. I am not sure if it’s a lack of work ethic, pessimism about the companies in the face layoffs or simply a feeling of entitlement. As a society we need to do a better job of setting the appropriate expectations for our graduates—sorry the corner office is not yours—but I have this nice cubicle next to the mail room and close to the restroom!
There is one small "other" side to all of this too. Unfortunately, today's youth seem to too often think they are above starting entry level. How many of us adults on this site started at the bottom of the food chain and worked our way up? I would venture to say a lot of us did. I know from my management experience and interviewing, they want it all and want it now. To say you have to start as a bank teller before you can run the bank is vulgar to many of them. I understand they have loans and want to make money to pay them and live a good life, but you need to start somewhere. Just because you graduated and have a degree doesn't mean you are entitled to $40K to $60K a year, you have to earn it.
All types of jobs too
erierunner
9/8/2011 10:08:52 AM
The sadder part is that it seems like even the "secure" jobs that were once sought after by college students such as teaching are harder to come by. In my area, the school district just hacked 220 teachers to meet budget demands and all of the small surrounding communities did the same which means they have no where to go. I now hear of teachers taking receptionist type jobs at colleges just to get a paycheck and stay in the education area. Who would have thought 10 years ago that you would see a teacher unemployed (at least a good one that is). There is simply not many majors young people can go into now that they know will land them a job unless they are completely prepared to move anywhere in the world.
Re: Nothing good for any of us
Dex
9/8/2011 8:23:40 AM
@PredictableChaos
Thank you. I'm enjoying the opinions on this site.
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