1 out of 2 college graduates are unemployed or underemployed

[Paul98]

Not really surprising, but does this count people who graduated who are now going back to school? Does it count

and a quote from the article

"I don't even know what I'm looking for," says Michael Bledsoe, who described months of fruitless job searches as he served customers at a Seattle coffeehouse. The 23-year-old graduated in 2010 with a creative writing degree.

LOL I am sure this person isn't surprised and if they are they are an idiot.

Most of the people I know who graduated and got a decent job right away were in fields like engineering, computer science, business,... High demand fields, also had internships.

Nearly everyone has now gone back for another degree both ones that started off with a good job or not. Those that had a degree in a low demand field or one that you already know you won't be able to do good work till you get a masters or higher just went back to school.

But now nearly everyone I know is doing very well or finishing up and should be doing very well shortly.

Really I have found that most people are still just figuring things out when getting their first degree, first real job, and living on their own. It takes a while for most to figure out what they really want to do.

But once you do and have or are finishing with that first degree things really start to open up then you can plan a path to what you really want to do.

 

[Moonbeam]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt1970
Your whole existence is based on blaming others, Blame Bush/Wallstreet for the economy, blame the rich, blame conservatives, blame the tax code. You really are something.

In all honestly there is plenty of blame to go around for both liberals and conservatives.

No, it's all my fault. I blame myself when I flush the toilet and the water goes down, and I'm at fault when I step on the gas and the car goes faster, I blame myself for every effect I cause just because I'm crazy. I have this horrible horrible guilt complex. I just blame blame blame.

 

[DucatiMonster696]

What you should go to school for is to learn how to learn.

That idea died on the vine with certain majors as some have become so politicized over the year that all they produce is failed and unemployed "Revolutionaries".

 

[DucatiMonster696]

Since when does a roughneck make 75k?

That is not unheard of up in the oil fields of North Dakota and Eastern Montana. Starting pay up there is usually $17 dollars and hour for untested and green apprentices after about a year or so they move in pay scale to $22 - $25 dollars an hour. However the work is down right dangerous, dirty and extremely labor intensive. Yet if a prospective roughneck can pass a drug test and they don't mind getting dirty and working so hard that they earn every cent of their wages then its a job that can be had by essentially anyone who can psychically last in the field. Roughneck work is also the entry way for other jobs on a oil rig such as driller, etc so there are opportunities to move up.

 

[woolfe9999]

College graduates will always have higher rates of "under-employment" because "under-employment" is defined as working a job that requires less education than you have. When you have no higher education, it's pretty hard to be "under-employed."

Also, no comparison is made between recent college grads and other demographics: minorities, rural v. urban, age brackets, etc. I can't tell if this record 10 year high is simply in line with the poor job market right now. In other words, have recent college graduates fared any worse than any other group? No way to tell. Accordingly, the information presented here is pretty useless.

- wolf

 

[Fingolfin269]

What does under-employed mean now anyway? Buzz word? Just because a person has a degree doesn't mean they're qualified to do more than flip burgers.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I am hearing stories just about every morning on NPR about the burdens and stresses of student loans. The MSM is simply starting a new drumbeat, a new virus...and of course Obama 2012 will be the cure: student loan debt relief for all...once the Buffet Rule passes.

 

[Scrodes]

Breaking News! Those with useless degrees can't find college level work. Story at 10!

 

[GTaudiophile]

Instead of student loan debt relief, the US government, at the very maximum, could consider a "HOPE-like" scholarship system whereby Uncle Sam pays off a student loan of a US CITIZEN AFTER graduating with a 3.0 GPA or higher in an engineering/science/math related major from a TOP 50 or TOP 100 university. At the same time, all foreigners doing the same will be granted an automatic work VISA in the USA.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Instead of student loan debt relief, the US government, at the very maximum, could consider a "HOPE-like" scholarship system whereby Uncle Sam pays off a student loan of a US CITIZEN AFTER graduating with a 3.0 GPA or higher in an engineering/science/math related major from a TOP 50 or TOP 100 university. At the same time, all foreigners doing the same will be granted an automatic work VISA in the USA.

But those majoring in art history are people too!!

 

[nehalem256]

Instead of student loan debt relief, the US government, at the very maximum, could consider a "HOPE-like" scholarship system whereby Uncle Sam pays off a student loan of a US CITIZEN AFTER graduating with a 3.0 GPA or higher in an engineering/science/math related major from a TOP 50 or TOP 100 university. At the same time, all foreigners doing the same will be granted an automatic work VISA in the USA.

So should I be able to apply for a rebate of all the tuition I paid by working so I graduated with no debt?

 

[Svnla]

Instead of student loan debt relief, the US government, at the very maximum, could consider a "HOPE-like" scholarship system whereby Uncle Sam pays off a student loan of a US CITIZEN AFTER graduating with a 3.0 GPA or higher in an engineering/science/math related major from a TOP 50 or TOP 100 university. At the same time, all foreigners doing the same will be granted an automatic work VISA in the USA.

But..but..but..but college graduates with basket weaving degrees from Billy Bob Online College want the same break too. Why not much love for them? You sir are a hater and not a lover. What we all need is a student loan forgiveness program for all students. They did not know any better. The fault are all on the heads of those fatcat bankers at the lending institutions.

<sarcasm>

 

[halik]

Fast food career after completing a BA in medieval poetry isn't a new development. It is a matter of fact that vast majority of humanities concentrations simply provide no tangible skills what so ever.

Everyone I know from undergrad engineering has had no issues finding a job.

 

[Imp]

Funny. I technically qualify as one of those underemployed 2012 grads because I'm doing a tech's job and am getting my master's in engineering in June. I blame me for not really bothering to look for a job - I like my company, but am in denial about the lack of opporunity and upward mobility.

And studies in stuff like anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy are AMAZING. I learned way more about "thinking", culture, and the world in general in the few huamnities electives I had than my 5 years of engineering courses (+1 masters). I'm considering going back to do a 3 year bachelors in anthropology myself down the line. The main difference though is that I know it's very hard to get a job in without experience/grad school. Hence, I won't pay more than $20k, won't do it full-time, and sure as hell won't blow money on residence to do it.

I can kind of forgive stupid 18 year olds (I was one) that have shit for a clue on what they want to do career-wise. It's the people peddling the idea that studies in those areas will yield jobs reliably, let alone good paying jobs, and actually allowing them to borrow well over $50k (I've seen $100k+ for social work?) for shit like that. Partial thank you goes to the "gotta go to college" culture, you know, "for the experience"..... WTF?

 

[halik]

What you should go to school for is to learn how to learn.

Education should equip you with the proper skill set to be a functioning member of society. The "learn how to learn" new age bullshit is how you end up with unemployed humanities majors in 6figures of college debt.

 

[IGBT]

What does under-employed mean now anyway? Buzz word? Just because a person has a degree doesn't mean they're qualified to do more than flip burgers.

it's a suckers grift. They paid thru the nose to keep some clown called a professor employed so professor told you how gifted and great you are and will find a job with a degree in Superfluous Superiority. So now you's is out there in obama LaLa land and you's figured out you were taken for a grift. Now what you do boo boo??

 

[Zebo]

remember Ross Perot was 'crazy'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkgx1C_S6ls

 

[rchiu]

Funny. I technically qualify as one of those underemployed 2012 grads because I'm doing a tech's job and am getting my master's in engineering in June. I blame me for not really bothering to look for a job - I like my company, but am in denial about the lack of opporunity and upward mobility.

And studies in stuff like anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy are AMAZING. I learned way more about "thinking", culture, and the world in general in the few huamnities electives I had than my 5 years of engineering courses (+1 masters). I'm considering going back to do a 3 year bachelors in anthropology myself down the line. The main difference though is that I know it's very hard to get a job in without experience/grad school. Hence, I won't pay more than $20k, won't do it full-time, and sure as hell won't blow money on residence to do it.

I can kind of forgive stupid 18 year olds (I was one) that have shit for a clue on what they want to do career-wise. It's the people peddling the idea that studies in those areas will yield jobs reliably, let alone good paying jobs, and actually allowing them to borrow well over $50k (I've seen $100k+ for social work?) for shit like that. Partial thank you goes to the "gotta go to college" culture, you know, "for the experience"..... WTF?

Well that's what we get for running college loan as a government/social program and not a real bank loan where someone would actually look at the real worth of the degree we are getting.

But then we have a bunch of socialists complaining that government should help anyone with interests in any degree to fullfill their dream, but later complain that there is no job and no good salary for those degree, and that government con them into borrowing all the money for those degrees.

 

[IGBT]

Well that's what we get for running college loan as a government/social program and not a real bank loan where someone would actually look at the real worth of the degree we are getting.

But then we have a bunch of socialists complaining that government should help anyone with interests in any degree to fullfill their dream, but later complain that there is no job and no good salary for those degree, and that government con them into borrowing all the money for those degrees.

it's actually in line with the obama's socialist philosophy..make everybody equally miserable. From obama's view point everything is working out just fine.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

What does under-employed mean now anyway? Buzz word? Just because a person has a degree doesn't mean they're qualified to do more than flip burgers.

Qualified means more than just having a piece of paper. At my old job, we hired plenty of people who had degrees and weren't qualified to be anywhere near our field. The problem is, people everywhere think a piece of paper means you can do a job - it doesn't. Not even close.

 

[corwin]

Qualified means more than just having a piece of paper. At my old job, we hired plenty of people who had degrees and weren't qualified to be anywhere near our field. The problem is, people everywhere think a piece of paper means you can do a job - it doesn't. Not even close.

But anymore you have to have that silly piece of paper to even get in the door...I'm "over-employed" right now with no degree in a job that requires a bachelor (been with the company 12 years and worked my way up) but I'm now screwed since they decided on a no exception policy last year and I can never get a promotion again until I have a piece of paper..in anything mind you, they could care less what it says (I'm in IT and one of our admin managers has an accounting degree)...needless to say I'm finally going to get some worthless piece of paper from an online degree mill just so I can keep moving...

 

[Exterous]

I would think an architecture major could easily learn a lot of CAD. Kind of like how geography majors can learn a lot of GIS and get jobs with it.

It depends. When I got my architecture degree I wasn't really exposed to CAD programs other than AutoCAD or Rhino3D and most of those just had a very narrow focus (what I needed to know to get my project done)

A CAD designer will have experience with a much wider array of programs and get much more exposure to to the abilities of those programs. They would also have exposure to engineering CAD designing as well which is where the jobs will be

Sure it may be a leg up on someone with no experience but there is still quite a gap to be covered

My son #2 was majoring in architecture. After his first year, he saw that the graduates weren't getting hired.

Yeah - that was a fun realization. There is almost no one left in the field out of my graduating class

I am hearing stories just about every morning on NPR about the burdens and stresses of student loans. The MSM is simply starting a new drumbeat, a new virus...and of course Obama 2012 will be the cure: student loan debt relief for all...once the Buffet Rule passes.

I think it does actually have a very large potential impact on a large number of issues facing us. I shudder to think about how many of those all important early investing years people are missing out on due to student loans - making our retirement issues that much bigger

 

[Moonbeam]

Education should equip you with the proper skill set to be a functioning member of society. The "learn how to learn" new age bullshit is how you end up with unemployed humanities majors in 6figures of college debt.

I would feel the same way if I didn't know how to learn.

 

[ShawnD1]

College graduates who majored in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities were among the least likely to find jobs appropriate to their education level; those with nursing, teaching, accounting or computer science degrees were among the most likely.

You mean you're more likely to get a job when you have skills employers want? *shocked*

Qualified means more than just having a piece of paper. At my old job, we hired plenty of people who had degrees and weren't qualified to be anywhere near our field. The problem is, people everywhere think a piece of paper means you can do a job - it doesn't. Not even close.

It's weird how that works out. We had a company presentation thing today and the safety guy said he had some degree in environmental sciences after he was injured in the army. His current job has nothing to do with that degree, but it probably did provide some useful transferable skills like how to write bullshit reports that say nothing but are still 20 pages long.

I'm not a chemist anymore, but I did learn a lot of useful stuff in the chem lab. We did all that textbook health and safety stuff as well as hands on learning for how to deal with chemical spills. I've dropped acid on the floor and had to clean it up. I've had strong base on my hands before. I've worn a Scott pack before. I've had to look up chemical information in the Merck index and write down things like whether or not a chemical is soluble in water, does it float on water, is it flammable, is it toxic, etc.

Most degrees have useful skills like that if you look hard enough, and it might take years before you need to use those skills.

 

[Howard]

WTF? It's Obama and the liberals fault? You think creative writing and anthropology didn't exist as majors prior to 2008?

IGBT isn't really all there.