It's Hard Out Here For a Twentysomething

[Colonel Green]

I graduated in 2006 with a BA in History (which everyone told me would be useless) and landed a $45K within a year thanks to good references (academic, personal and employers) and good interview skills.

I've recently quit said job to pursue my long-time dream of becoming a teacher.

That said, the guy who suggested people move to find work might be on to something. The unemployment rate around here is about 3%, not bad really.

 

[Lindley]

Moving was pretty obvious for me. I got the job after leaving my resume at a job fair my final year; the location wasn't all that important, because I knew I'd be relocating after college no matter what.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Back on the main topic - I actually think 20-somethings are in the BEST position to make the most out of the recession, esp. once the recovery starts. House prices will become more affordable, big companies/competitors will be going bust and niche markets will become accessible to shrewd, younger & more nimble companies. Plus their investment savings, once they start them, will have lots of time to grow and the slight benefit of buying near the bottom of a cycle.

I agree that we may be in a fairly good position when this whole thing starts going back up, but in the meantime it does seem like we are the group having the toughest time finding jobs. The only group that fared worse (according to the article) was teenagers. But they don't have to pay rent and bills and buy their own groceries. We will come out of this okay, but right now it is very difficult.

I feel lucky to have a job, and one that pays more than minimum wage (though it isn't that much more). Many aren't so lucky. The article mentioned one girl that applied to 700 jobs and only got 7 interviews...that is pretty rough.

 

[JoeZhang]

oh cry me a river.

I've been rich, I've been poor (bust even), I've been rich again. Seriously there are *always* ways to make money even in a recession.

After my first degree, I went shoving offal to earn cash while my classmates all sat around waiting for the perfect job to fall in their laps. I then started a business doing computer repairs/setting up equipment/showing people how to use their computers - I printed out 10,000 leaflets and hit the next town over - even a 2% response rate (and it was generally better) meant that I made money over that 4 week period - I then repeated the same process in the next town over and then the next two over. And this was in the evening after I'd work from 6am to 5pm.

Another time, I noticed that flyers handed out for local pubs and clubs weren't very good (spelling mistakes that sort of crap) - so I'd go to the local pub or club with my mock-up of what I thought the flyers should look like and then get into a conversation with the manager - I'd then undercut the guy who was doing the flyers and take his business.

My first graduate job I got by conning my way into the offices of the Managing director of a local firm - they were advertising for a graduate trainee and the advert ran for four weeks. I then persuaded him to give me ten minutes to convince him why he should give me a four week trial while the adverts ran - the clincher was that I was giving up a paying job on the chance I could convince him that the job was mine over four weeks.

Is any of this easy - of course it isn't - You try something, it doesn't work you try something else. If you feel you aren't make enough money or any money - watch out how much time you spend on the xbox, watching the TV, here on the internet - that's all time you could be making money doing something or improving your chances of making money by improving your skills, by networking, by making contacts, looking for an angle. This is a lot harder when you are older and tied down by a mortgage and kids - but in your twenties, you can take a lot of risks.

 

[K'Ehleyr]

Get a college degree because you actually want to learn about something, grow as a person, or if you have a true vocation for a specific profession, or want to be in academia. Otherwise, find some other way to do what you want to do - if it's a trade, get a trade-related qualification/experience.

People with random college degrees they did just to kill a few years for lack of anything better or because they were just expected to go to university... and then looking for entry-level jobs are going to be knocked back a LOT. Why employ someone who will always be looking for something better?

Totally agree. If you're really passionate about a subject then go for it. But not just for the hell of a degree. Unfortunately they don't hold the kudos they used to.

oh cry me a river.

I've been rich, I've been poor (bust even), I've been rich again. Seriously there are *always* ways to make money even in a recession.

After my first degree, I went shoving offal to earn cash while my classmates all sat around waiting for the perfect job to fall in their laps. I then started a business doing computer repairs/setting up equipment/showing people how to use their computers - I printed out 10,000 leaflets and hit the next town over - even a 2% response rate (and it was generally better) meant that I made money over that 4 week period - I then repeated the same process in the next town over and then the next two over. And this was in the evening after I'd work from 6am to 5pm.

Another time, I noticed that flyers handed out for local pubs and clubs weren't very good (spelling mistakes that sort of crap) - so I'd go to the local pub or club with my mock-up of what I thought the flyers should look like and then get into a conversation with the manager - I'd then undercut the guy who was doing the flyers and take his business.

My first graduate job I got by conning my way into the offices of the Managing director of a local firm - they were advertising for a graduate trainee and the advert ran for four weeks. I then persuaded him to give me ten minutes to convince him why he should give me a four week trial while the adverts ran - the clincher was that I was giving up a paying job on the chance I could convince him that the job was mine over four weeks.

Is any of this easy - of course it isn't - You try something, it doesn't work you try something else. If you feel you aren't make enough money or any money - watch out how much time you spend on the xbox, watching the TV, here on the internet - that's all time you could be making money doing something or improving your chances of making money by improving your skills, by networking, by making contacts, looking for an angle. This is a lot harder when you are older and tied down by a mortgage and kids - but in your twenties, you can take a lot of risks.

True, chance does not fall into your lap. And you have to be ruthless. Get that foot in the door otherwise someone else will and elbow you out of the way.

 

[Meat Tenderizer]

Are you a twentysomething? Then your life sucks and you probably already know it. Your dreams have been dashed, your degree is meaningless (or soon will be if you haven't earned it yet!), your generation has fallen on hard times, and worst of all: you're not special.

Oh, and you have probably been searching for a job for several months and living off of ramen noodles in your parents' house.

If you're a twentysomething and this doesn't describe you then you are lucky. If you not only have a job but actually ENJOY it, then you must have a guardian angel looking out for you. Be thankful. Very thankful.

If you are in this unfortunate position, then your only consolation is that you are not alone.

With the unemployment rate skyrocketing, employees under 30 have the most reason for worry. Joblessness is far higher among younger people than for those later in their careers.....

The staggering jobless numbers for twentysomething workers are no surprise to Lindsey Rhein, 24, of Placentia, Calif.
She’s been out of work for nearly four months after getting laid off as a legal assistant for a construction company. She’s applied to over 700 jobs and has gotten only seven interviews, leading nowhere.....

Even with a master’s degree in forensic psychology and a bachelor’s in sociology, she hasn’t been able to land a sales associate job at Target, and she can’t even get a call back from McDonald's, where she applied for the fast food chain’s management training program two months ago.....

“This is the most educated generation, and they were told, "You're special,’ ” notes workplace consultant J.T. O'Donnell. “Well … they’re not special, and they end up going out into the professional world and finding this out.” ....

“Growing up, my parents were telling me, ‘The world is at your fingertips. All you have to do is educate yourself, go to college, and you’d get a prime position right out of school.’ They were wrong.”

Article: Under 30? Looking for a job? You're not alone

You should read the whole article, it's very neat. On the second page, another woman is discussed who has started a blog about her unemployment called Bob Loblaw's Job Blog. It's kind of interesting.

The reality of this issue is definitely apparent to me. Pretty much everyone my age that I know is out of work or working a temporary job. My boyfriend and I are lucky in that we have jobs and actually don't despise them. He is a grad student who is student teaching and I have a job with a state agency through my university. It did, however, take me several months to find this job.

I don't know if I necessarily agree with the whole "they think they're too good to take certain jobs" angle. Most people I know just want ANY job, they don't even care what it is at this point. I, for instance, knew that my forte was not working with the public, but when I was offered a job as a bagger at a grocery store a few months ago I eagerly took it. Unfortunately my suspicions were right, and a month later I was "let go" and told to never work in customer service again (I am MUCH better at my current desk job; in fact I'd say I'm downright good at it).

But I know tons of twentysomethings out there that do have the people skills and would love to get any job, but can't. My sister couldn't even get hired at McDonald's even though she has years of previous McDonald's experience.

So please, twentysomethings, if you are feeling down about your lack of specialness and lack of a job, use this thread to commiserate about your woes.

By the way, I can't stand the word "twentysomething" but I couldn't think of a better descriptor.

I'm within that age range and had nothing four years ago, yet now I am buying my own house and have a steady, well paying job, despite never having a college degree or even an official high school diploma. Go figure.

The opportunities are there. You must be willing to grasp them.

 

[Captain Ice]

Managers already won't hire people our age because they have this false idea that we're all lazy and can't do anything for ourselves. That makes it doubly hard to get a job.

Speaking as someone who has done his share of hiring in the restaurant business, the example in your original post is horrible and your assertion here is off the mark. When hiring for positions such as the ones used in the example, I would not look twice at her resume not because of her age, but because of her education. I'm looking for someone who's planning on working for me a year from now, not someone who's going to find something that pays better in a couple of months and leave me hiring and training a new person again because this one found a job in forensic science. She has zero long term potential as a new hire and processing the paperwork and training a new hire costs both time and money that I'd rather not have to spend.

I've hired both young and old people. Guess what I found? There were young people that were lazy, but there were older people that were just as lazy. There also are older people who bust their butt, but there are also younger people who will do so. Hiring managers see this every day and, quite frankly it's really not a factor. It's are you qualified or not? Are you overqualified or not? Do I think you'll fit in with the people you are working with? Do I think, judged upon what I see in your behavior and answers, that you'll actually do the work?

 

[Tim]

^ You'll live.

They said the same thing about those of us who came of age during the 70s. We survived. You will, too.

If nothing else, it will teach you humility.

Yep, especially since the twenty-something crowd is big on instant gratification and getting everything they want right away.

Wow, I'm so surprised by this snarky comment.

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

I'm fortunate in that I've held the same shit job for the past 2 1/2 years; I'm unfortunate that my industry was decimated while I was still in school and will likely never recover.

The commercial photographers I could have apprenticed or interned with went out of business. Those that remained shuttered their doors to new hires, gave quite possibly illegal excuses why they couldn't hire me, or strung me along with promises of paid work so they could squeeze free labor from me. The ad agencies that once employed them all cut their budgets severely and went to CGI.

I've done fliers, cold calling, knocking on doors, relocating to a big city where my industry is centered. No one will bite, unless I'm willing to work for free. And I've learned the hard way that working for free gets you nowhere, and you can't feed yourself or pay your rent on promises of paid work that never materialize.

3/4 of the way through my undergrad, my school was hit with a nasty lawsuit. Soon after I graduated, the school lost its accreditation due to the lawsuit, and with it went my chance to earn a Master's. If I want to go back to school, I have to start from scratch as an undergrad with the 18 year olds.

With the lawsuit came a big hit in the school's reputation, and my degree became the albatross around my neck. "If you were stupid enough to go to (this school), you're too stupid to work for me" was the second-most popular refrain I heard during my 6 month post-grad job hunt. The first most popular is "you're overqualified". I still hear it. I've begun leaving my education credentials off my resume.

I was also denied employment with several photographers because of my gender. They already had their token woman on set, and adding another one would create drama and cattiness, therefore sucks to be me. Or, they didn't believe I could lift 50lbs of equipment. They never gave me the chance to demonstrate I could.

A few other photographers took me on a comp basis, showering me with praise for my talent and competence and promising the next gig would be paid. Then they'd send me home and refuse to return my phone calls. I'd hear the next week that they'd suckered another photog-school desperate grad into working for free. Or, they'd ask me to do a shoot that entailed more overhead costs than they were willing to compensate for the entire gig, and I'd end up paying for the priviledge to enrich them. Fuck that, I'm never working for free, ever again.

I'm living the dream, yep. I finally got a job where I paste watermarks onto seedy jpgs of naked girls for an abusive employer. My mother would be *so proud* if she knew this is what her daughter's talents amount to. Unfortunately I can't even talk about my job with her because of the content I work with. I'm still stuck there and sometimes wonder if I'll ever escape my morally bankrupt, mind-numbing job.

Well, I'm teaching myself photoshop and graphic design, expanding my skill set that way. I no longer trust the educational institution and the people within who take your money and your hard work in exchange for the promise that a degree can only help you and cannot possibly harm you. They're full of it!

 

[RoJoHen]

My friends and I all graduated college 2 years ago.

What are we doing? Waiting tables and bartending. We can afford to live on our own, but there are no real job prospects for any of us.

Meaningless degrees? Damn right. What a waste of money college has turned out to be.

 

[CaptJack]

Another twentysomething checking in here...

Yeah, the job market isn't so great for our generation at the moment. I'm 25 and graduated last June with a Bachelor's in Screenwriting, which at the point of my graduation was something I no longer wanted to immediately pursue. So I left the library page job that I loved and that at least provided some income and moved up to Northern California to be with my girlfriend about the time the economy took a nosedive, thinking I'd be able to find some kind of job. I've put in a lot of apps, had one interview for a seasonal job with Harry & David that didn't result in employment, and pretty much have given up on finding work up here in this economic climate. I plan on returning to Southern California in less than a month, moving back in with my parents. I will try to find a temporary job that will allow me to save up as much money as possible, with the ultimate near-term goal of starting on a master's degree in urban planning in the fall. Hopefully, at the end of the tunnel, there will be some sort of light.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

John_Picard: The issue I have is I was stuck for years at a restaurant (I had a little bit of managing experience there) running food.

Right now it is an employer's market. They can pick and choose who they want and who they don't want. Also in my line of work (history) a lot of it is, who you know, what you've done and what you know. Getting references and getting connections is difficult now.

Also given that health care costs are rising with no solution in sight, a lot of places are now employing at will employment, it is scary.

I'm a temp right now and very happy where I work but I worked damn hard to get where I got. And I'm still working hard to keep my job.

I'm working already on my retirement funds but man, I'm just afraid some of these companies will collapse in on themselves and there goes anything and everything.

Also what about social security? You think that's going to be around in the next 40 years?

 

[John Picard]

John_Picard: The issue I have is I was stuck for years at a restaurant (I had a little bit of managing experience there) running food.

Right now it is an employer's market. They can pick and choose who they want and who they don't want. Also in my line of work (history) a lot of it is, who you know, what you've done and what you know. Getting references and getting connections is difficult now.

Also given that health care costs are rising with no solution in sight, a lot of places are now employing at will employment, it is scary.

I'm a temp right now and very happy where I work but I worked damn hard to get where I got. And I'm still working hard to keep my job.

I'm working already on my retirement funds but man, I'm just afraid some of these companies will collapse in on themselves and there goes anything and everything.

Also what about social security? You think that's going to be around in the next 40 years?

If your retirement plan is Social Security then you need to stamp EPIC FAIL on your forehead.

 

[Plecostomus]

I started out in plastics after earning my degree, after awhile I more or less said "I worked my ass off for this?" After that I went back and got my machinist papers.

So yeah, sometimes you don't work in the field you study. Not everyone gets to be what they want when they grow up.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

John_Picard: The issue I have is I was stuck for years at a restaurant (I had a little bit of managing experience there) running food.

Right now it is an employer's market. They can pick and choose who they want and who they don't want. Also in my line of work (history) a lot of it is, who you know, what you've done and what you know. Getting references and getting connections is difficult now.

Also given that health care costs are rising with no solution in sight, a lot of places are now employing at will employment, it is scary.

I'm a temp right now and very happy where I work but I worked damn hard to get where I got. And I'm still working hard to keep my job.

I'm working already on my retirement funds but man, I'm just afraid some of these companies will collapse in on themselves and there goes anything and everything.

Also what about social security? You think that's going to be around in the next 40 years?

If your retirement plan is Social Security then you need to stamp EPIC FAIL on your forehead.

Even before the economic crisis, I believed that Social Security was going to fail. I have also told my parents I believe Medicare will fail as well, but they think I'm too pessimistic for that one.

Riiiiiiight.

The government simply cannot sustain such massive programs forever without either a) a crushing tax increase or b) deep spending cuts.

 

[Tiberius Jim]

I started out in plastics after earning my degree, after awhile I more or less said "I worked my ass off for this?" After that I went back and got my machinist papers.

So yeah, sometimes you don't work in the field you study. Not everyone gets to be what they want when they grow up.

Seriously, I don't see why not. If you've gone to school and studied a trade or a skill, why settle for something less than "what you want to be when you grow up"?

 

[Michael Chris]

We are in an economic downswing. It will pick up. No need for hysteria or anecdotes to try to convince people that college degrees are unimportant. The statistics support that there is a causation of higher education and higher income not just a correlation. It may not be as closely linked during recessionary times, but to say that college degrees are worthless is for the most part inaccurate. A lot of it depends on what your degree is in, what the job market is like for your field, where you attended college, your interviewing skills, and so on and so forth.

 

[Plecostomus]

Seriously, I don't see why not. If you've gone to school and studied a trade or a skill, why settle for something less than "what you want to be when you grow up"?

Because the field is already saturated with so-called experts? I am one voice shouting in a crowd. The plastics industry at the time of my graduation was dominated by "price over function" meaning people wanted people to come in and tell them how to make things cheaper, not how to make failure-resistant parts out of the proper materials.

Or in the case of my original plan you find despite the fact the schools offer such a program the field is largely closed to grads, open positions are filled by Navy Nuclear program discharge-ees.

My mother studied to be a hair-dresser with a secondary in business. Had dreams of owning a shop or two. Ended up retiring from the office of a paint-store chain.

Friend of mine spent over 100K on a degree in optics. Optics being "the next big thing" around here. Despite all the openings, despite the labor committees imploring people to study optics because of a lack of skilled workers, despite the DOL sending him to dozens of interview there "are no openings at this time that suit a worker of his skill and talent."

So even if you do everything right sometimes your chosen field rejects you for whatever reason. I went through a phase where employers weren't talking to me because I don't "look like a lathe operator" whatever the fuck that means.


I'm going to come right out and say it. Not everyone succeeds, despite trying. People may have a cushy $50,000 a year job but remember there at least a thousand people with your qualifications waiting for the same chance you got. The view from the top looks mighty fine when you don't look down... or remember how you got there in the first place.

I'm not saying "give up/stop trying" I'm just telling you what I've seen over my years in the working world. Everyone is going to have a different experience. Some people here are going to graduate and land that $50k/year job two weeks after graduating while some of us are going to search years for a decent job.

 

[Scout101]

Guess I went the other way a bit. I'd have been a history major if I thought I could make any real money at it (and didn't really want to be a teacher, lawyer, or politician). Looking at all of that, I just minored in History, and majored in Electrical Engineering, which was an industry with much better job prospects, and higher starting salaries.

Graduated college in 2003, and was hired straight out of school (6 months prior, actually), as my employer took part in one of our job fairs and i passed the initial round and got an interview at the job site. I still work there, and have a nice government (DoD) job with good pay and benefits.

A problem I see a lot in this thread is that people picked something they enjoyed to major in, but didn't really project that out into what kind of job they thought they could do with it. A lot of my friends went the same route, and wait tables, tend bar, or still work in their college summer jobs. I would have enjoyed my History degree, but what would I have done with it?

Our generation was force-fed the whole "MUST go to college" thing, but they didn't really get into the specifics, or think out what happens after that.

 

[Mallory]

I've seen a lot of that as well. Both online and in real life. And it certainly can be disheartening to put all that time and effort into a philsophy or art history degree and then find out that there just isn't much of a demand for those skills in the real world. I got lucky with both my daughters, the oldest majored in journalism and the youngest is majoring in nursing, fields with both short and long term prospects (especially nursing).