It feels like people around my age are falling through the cracks of society

[Heronblade]

It is a challenge to be sure, and one that nearly everyone has to/has had to face, not just those in your generation.

Most people who are hiring these days look for individuals who stand out. Most college students who make it to graduation start waving that paper around like it is a free pass, and not just the absolute minimum requirement. An employer will only be able to give jobs to a limited number of people, and if your resume is identical to 500 others he/she just got handed, it is almost certainly going in the discard pile.

If you want to at least nearly guarantee yourself a job in the career you want, you are going to have to do noticeably more than the rest of the crowd. Be interesting, be experienced, be involved, and most of all, be dedicated.

Many companies offer internships. If one is available during college that has anything to do with your chosen career, TAKE IT.

Many careers have professional organizations associated with them. If feasible, join one, and be active within its ranks. Even if you are not active, the name alone slapped onto the resume helps.

Volunteer for community service, take a part time job (preferably one that provides related experience, but any job will help some), do something and anything that will make you stand out from the rest to the person perusing your application.

As for motivation, I cannot answer that for you, everyone is different in this regard. In my case however it was simple. The only thing I care about in terms of long term fulfillment is being able to make a difference, however minute, for humanity. Combine that with strong technical skills and a love for both problem solving and making things, and a career in Engineering was obvious. The fact that this career path pays quite well is just a bonus for me, but others might consider it a primary motivation.

 

[Karoshi]

At least in Germany, a degree is most likely gonna get you a job. If you got no degree, then there is 20% chance that you might be unemployed. If you finished university or the likes, then the chance of unemployment is only 2%.

I looked up and the rates in USA are slightly higher at 3.7 with a Bachelors degree. Of course, it depends whether you finished Arts or or did something like Engineering.

So yeah, I don't think that you should outright dismiss college education. It isn't a magic card into a brighter future, but it can help you get a job. Of course, each person should decide on their own whether a student loan is or isn't worth the risk.

 

[bananafishtoday]

College can be a worthwhile learning experience, but make it as cheap as possible if you do want to go. I'm talking a $3k/yr community college, transfer to $6k/yr state school. If there's a particular place you want to live, move there for a year before you start school so you can qualify for resident tuition. I have friends paying $60k/yr for Columbia and NYU, and they are fucking insane. Debt like that essentially makes you an indentured servant. The scariest part is that student loan debt is now being packaged and sold just like subprime mortgages were, so it's not unlikely we'll suffer another collapse like 2008 in the next few years.

You could go to a trade school instead, or major in something that makes money but that you may not like. Learning a skill like programming, graphic design, writing, etc can be good because your portfolio matters more than your credentials, and you can learn them for free on your own. I dunno. It's up to you. Ymmv.

Me, I've just gotten used to being broke, honestly. I don't mind it. I can live on $20k/yr in New York because I don't give a shit about buying things. Participating as little as humanly possible in consumer culture and encouraging others to do the same has become one of the most important and vital acts of civil disobedience in our day and age. Meanwhile, I'm learning C++ and JS. They're interesting and potentially useful, both for "job prospects" and real-world work.

I know where you're coming from, though. Our generation basically grew up being told that a degree was the pathway to "the good life," and that without one, we'd be fucked. Post-2008, it's becoming increasingly clear we're probably fucked either way. What's saddest is that with so many degree-holders and comparatively few jobs that actually require the skills taught in most majors, tons of jobs that shouldn't require degrees now do because, hey, why not? There's no shortage of applicants. I've seen coffee shops that "require" a bachelors.

Only other advice I can give you is don't get sad, get angry. The system is rotten, but there's still hope we can change it. Maybe not much hope, but I think it's there.

 

[Abomination]

The unfortunate things about degrees and tertiary education is that the selection of a field can often be a mistake in hindsight. The jobs that are 'needed' today were not very glamorous, required the individual to slog through long hours with comparably worse conditions and did not pay as much as other positions. Now those very jobs are glamorous, individuals do not have to work longer hours and they can charge other people an arm and a leg due to how much in demand their field is. Predicting that trend was possible but such information was not expressed to children and they were encouraged and sold the dream 10 years prior to pursue a different career.

Wanting to be a pilot or accountant due to parental/societal pressure then finding out just how difficult and expensive education for that role is and then how generally boring, unrewarding and stressful such occupations can be is a terrible combination.

The cost to get the education supposedly needed to be successful is crippling, it also prevents the best and brightest from being able to take out another loan to start their own business and potentially employ others. So the status quo remains, so the economy stagnates and so unemployment continues to rise. Maybe when the baby boomers "die off" their jobs will be up for grabs and the present 20s generation can finally be given the chance to contribute.

 

[Ryotknife]

Honestly take a trade there is a ton of work for trades people and everyone seems to be oblivious to it despite complaining about needing work. I also find it funny that everyone says we need more jobs but nobody is will to start a business to create jobs. On top of it all we need to start supporting small businesses instead of conglomerates to help create more jobs and a more competitive and healthy business atmosphere. Everyone shopping at Wall-Mart costs thousands of jobs a year alone.

well, starting a business is bloody difficult here in NY as the state will bleed you dry. It is no surprise that most of the major companies who survive here are mostly ones with government contracts or ones in NYC because they get benefits there. Well, besides major retail outfits like target and walmart, those survive anywhere but yay min wage jobs!

My family (on my father's side) owns a construction business, so I constantly hear about them railing against the democrats in my state and they are always threatening to move to Pennslyvania where the business climate is much better.

 

[Vegosiux]

Same old story.

If you have problems then you're just "complaining" and boy you should be lucky you weren't in your great-grandparents generation, because they had it bad!

Besides, stop trying to get a 1% job, you should be getting a trade.. that's your problem you're just a snob!

(Despite the fact blue-collar/labor jobs are in very short supply too.)

In short, it's not society's problem, it is *your* problem.. so just go to a therapist and get dosed with high-potency psychotropic medication. In other words, be quiet so no one ever acknowledges the problem. Haven't you heard, the stock market is doing awesome!! So shut your face and know your place!

Poe alert.

Interestingly enough that's exactly what people who never worked for their money would say and actually mean it seriously *snicker*

 

[aba1]

You could go to a trade school instead, or major in something that makes money but that you may not like. Learning a skill like programming, graphic design, writing, etc can be good because your portfolio matters more than your credentials, and you can learn them for free on your own. I dunno. It's up to you. Ymmv.

While this is true I really really wouldn't recommend it I am in those fields and I can tell ya it is extremely apparent who went through school and who didn't because the people who didn't have the worst portfolios that look extremely amateur and they tend to have really bad habits and are just over all extremely underqualified. Not to mention the devalue the people who do know what they are doing cause clients sometimes don't understand the difference for various reasons and just start hiring the cheapest guy who will then make a awful product and spoil the rep of the entire workforce.

 

[Fatboy_41]

Taking a trade is pretty much the single biggest piece of advice I give to anyone I know coming out of highschool. While there are time I can hate my job, like when I'm tits deeps in mud trying to bail out a trench so we can run cables through it, overall it is a really good job and incredibly stable. I always have to laugh at these people who finish school and then go to uni for another 5 or 6 years afterward. Suddenly they're 25 with no job experience other than waiting tables and they're trying to land a job towards the top of a business cause they think their degree entitles them to it. Meanwhile, I've finished my trade at 22 and have been pulling in 60,000 a year ever since. Then, with the mining boom going on here, a tradesman working out there on a 4 weeks on/1 week off roster can easily be on 150,000. Sure, it's hot, dusty, lonely and shitty work, but that's what you gotta do if you want the coin.

Essentially what I'm saying is that yes, people do still look at the tradesman and labourers as the working class. However, that working class is earning a hell of a lot more than most office workers. In Australia, trades people are the biggest spenders in the country.

 

[Crazycat690]

The US really needs a good revolution going, seriously, it's screwed enough to need it yet STILL free enough to do it. Lucky bastards, I live in a country where the bad stuff is just really annoying, not enough to really complain, but enough for it not to be good.

 

[Gabanuka]

I just pray things clear up a bit in the next 4 years.

That way I can start and finish a degree and hopefully come out with some form of employment.

 

[generals3]

Taking a trade is pretty much the single biggest piece of advice I give to anyone I know coming out of highschool. While there are time I can hate my job, like when I'm tits deeps in mud trying to bail out a trench so we can run cables through it, overall it is a really good job and incredibly stable. I always have to laugh at these people who finish school and then go to uni for another 5 or 6 years afterward. Suddenly they're 25 with no job experience other than waiting tables and they're trying to land a job towards the top of a business cause they think their degree entitles them to it. Meanwhile, I've finished my trade at 22 and have been pulling in 60,000 a year ever since. Then, with the mining boom going on here, a tradesman working out there on a 4 weeks on/1 week off roster can easily be on 150,000. Sure, it's hot, dusty, lonely and shitty work, but that's what you gotta do if you want the coin.

Essentially what I'm saying is that yes, people do still look at the tradesman and labourers as the working class. However, that working class is earning a hell of a lot more than most office workers. In Australia, trades people are the biggest spenders in the country.

It depends. Going uni => desk job is actually a long term investment. It is true that there are some labour jobs which earn more at the beginning but eventually they'll trail behind. It's even a phenomenon which can be noticed inside the office job sector. Consultants and auditors have it extremely bad at the beginning but later on they'll probably earn a buttload.

 

[Happiness Assassin]

Most degrees today are worthless. Degrees with a relatively small field applied to them, such as English, end up having tons of people vying for the same positions, leaving so many people screwed. But degrees in the STEM fields are actually in high demand, due to the low amount of people in those fields. The problem with colleges in the US is the fact that we still like to pretend we have a manufacturing base, despite the fact that it moved overseas in the 80s and 90s. We have yet to get acclimatised to the fact that we are moving toward a tertiary economy, but a massive population and mindsets stuck in the 60s and 70s on how education works ensures that that is unlikely.

 

[Mycroft Holmes]

It really feels like the only choices right now are between "career that will make you miserable for your entire working life" or "not being able to support yourself."

And you think this is somehow unique to our generation? Rofl. Welcome to the past 10,000+ years of history, most people hate their work. But they soldiered up and did that shitty work because they preferred it to death. We aren't special or unique and reality isn't just going to take a break because you're disappointed with your job prospects.

Find something you do enjoy, that people will pay for and figure out how to do it. Or get a shitty job that makes money and then make yourself as happy as possible in your downtime. Or just give up on life. Choice is up to you.

I think you're supposed to totally ignore the reality of the situation...that's why they call it "the dream".

Oh hey, whats up George Carlin? Didn't realize you had an account here, and aren't dead.

When a president is up for re-election and half the people polled while leaving the voting booth say they still believe the problems with the economy are the fault of the president that left office 4 years ago, you know there's something wrong with society in general. If they refuse to hold the people currently in charge responsible for the current mess we're in, then nothing will ever change and things are likely to get worse.

I don't know about you, but my copy of the constitution says that Congress controls economic policy, and not the President.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Essentially what I'm saying is that yes, people do still look at the tradesman and labourers as the working class. However, that working class is earning a hell of a lot more than most office workers. In Australia, trades people are the biggest spenders in the country.

The unskilled labour market has pretty much dried up for the moment (be a few years before the current crop start getting physically knackered by their jobs and have to quit) but yeah, except for motor mechanics there is always a lot of work for tradies because there's a national shortfall of qualified tradesmen in almost every area (the main exception being land vehicle mechanics).

The hardest thing with the trades is getting an apprenticeship, although with the amount of cash and work coming in, that's been getting better over the past 5 or so years. The 90s were terrible for people wanting to get into a trade - the main hirers of apprentices (state and fed govts were the #1 source of apprenticeships back then) had shut down most of their apprenticeship programs which is what ended up causing the trades shortfall. Now with private businesses having enough cash in-flow and work to make taking on apprentices feasible as well as the federal government actually pulling their finger out their arse and making it easier for businesses to actually take them on it's addressing part of the shortfall.

There is one group of degrees that service professions that are always in demand - Engineering degrees. Never enough Engineers to go around, especially in the more traditional areas of Engineering, such as Mechanical, Electrical and Civil Engineering. Of course, those are professions where you will encounter dirt, grime and tradies on a regular basis.

 

[crimson sickle2]

Don't give up and keep trying to find something you enjoy. You can only master something you enjoy, and if you become a master someone will be willing to pay for your services. Don't be afraid to take what you're given though, if the opportunity arises.

I don't know about you, but my copy of the constitution says that Congress controls economic policy, and not the President.

You'd be surprised the shits he's pulling. We're not saying it's completely his fault, just a good chunk of it is.

 

[Gizmo1990]

As someone who is currently 20 and looking to finish up his college degree in the next couple of years, it feels like people around my agre are really ending up on the short end of society's stick. I mean based on what I'm hearing, it really feels like college degrees are barely worth the paper they're printed on nowadays, an that unless you are looking to go into certain very-specific fields, you're just going to end up back at Walmart indefinitely anyway. It really feels like the only choices right now are between "career that will make you miserable for your entire working life" or "not being able to support yourself." I mean when it feels like those are your only two choices, how am I supposed to stay motivated? How am I supposed to remain optimistic? What is a person like me even supposed to do?

England here and I am in the same boat. I am 22 and our government seems quite happy to screw me and everyone else my age as much as possable. While unemployment is going down over here, youth unemployment is going up. My training is in IT, but for evry job I apply for, 15-20 other people are also applying and due to the resession there are people with 10/15/20 years worth of experience and I just cannot compete with that. One of the main problems is that the party that currently has the majority in our parliment (conservative party) knows that it has no votes with people my age, so they seem to be quite happy to concentrate on people over 35.

They are planning on slashing unemployment benefits for people my age while offering no help with finding work. I get £53 a week that is about $80 and while I share my place with a roommate and one of my sisters many peoplel are not as lucky as me. I have to goto the jobcenter every week and they are ment to help but all they ever do is look at what i have been doing, pat me on the head, call me a good boy and send me on my way.