Unemployment benefits might be extended AGAIN :(

[child of wonder]

To be fair, there are lots of IT jobs in my market. I have little doubt that I could move to a different company in a matter of weeks if need be.

This.

I'm working on a project right now and we're one of two consulting companies engaged on the project. We have gone through 4 contract guys from the other company in the last 5 weeks because they keep finding permanent, full time jobs and leaving.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

This.

I'm working on a project right now and we're one of two consulting companies engaged on the project. We have gone through 4 contract guys from the other company in the last 5 weeks because they keep finding permanent, full time jobs and leaving.

I've been thinking about leaving my company for a consulting gig. I submitted my resume for it the other day and this lady is harassing the heck out of me. Once she provided the details, I don't think I'm quite ready for that particular position, but I am keeping my eyes open for sure.

I'm seeing all sorts of jobs posted every day, ranging from help desk and application support, to development, network engineering/manager, and infrastructure engineering/manager. I had a friend who was a finalist for a position at 3 or 4 companies in August, so it isn't as bad as everyone says.

 

[sportage]

Why do people think collecting unemployment is fun?
Most people want to have a job and be productive.
Face it... many good paying jobs are gone.. forever.
Auto industry, manufacturing, jobs that paid.
They are gone. Never to return.
And that is thanks to both republican and democratic leadership.
Sometimes I wonder if the current state of things was their goal all along.
We assume our leaders/politicians let us down, or made poor decisions.
But just maybe this is exactly where they wanted things to end up.
Maybe they knew exactly what they were doing all along?
Everyone now expects leaders to pull jobs out of a hat.
"Where are the jobs?" we ask. "Where?"
You can't just pull jobs out of thin air. Not real jobs that pay and last.
Not like the stable manufacturing jobs we knew back in the 50's, 60's and 70's.
The so called backbone of America jobs. There are gone!
I see the government welfare and programs like food stamps/unemployment becoming
an everyday part of society. A kind of SS. Not enough to really live on, but
enough to scrape by in poverty on.
And I still wonder.. is this exactly what our leaders wanted for America all along?
Then I have to wonder.. why?
Was this the new world order pappy Bush often spoke of?

 

[Darwin333]

Why do people think collecting unemployment is fun?
Most people want to have a job and be productive.
Face it... many good paying jobs are gone.. forever.
Auto industry, manufacturing, jobs that paid.
They are gone. Never to return.
And that is thanks to both republican and democratic leadership.
Sometimes I wonder if the current state of things was their goal all along.
We assume our leaders/politicians let us down, or made poor decisions.
But just maybe this is exactly where they wanted things to end up.
Maybe they knew exactly what they were doing all along?
Everyone now expects leaders to pull jobs out of a hat.
"Where are the jobs?" we ask. "Where?"
You can't just pull jobs out of thin air. Not real jobs that pay and last.
Not like the stable manufacturing jobs we knew back in the 50's, 60's and 70's.
The so called backbone of America jobs. There are gone!
I see the government welfare and programs like food stamps/unemployment becoming
an everyday part of society. A kind of SS. Not enough to really live on, but
enough to scrape by in poverty on.
And I still wonder.. is this exactly what our leaders wanted for America all along?
Then I have to wonder.. why?
Was this the new world order pappy Bush often spoke of?

As much as I would like to completely blame our politicians, if you get into office and try to make us endure the pain of our actions in order to fix the problem we will vote your ass right the fuck out. So they play kick the can, unfortunately the can keeps filling up with sand and getting heavier each time it is kicked. Right now the can is getting really really hard to kick and eventually they are going to try to kick the hell out of it and get nothing but a broken toe.

We are not blameless in this situation. We want our cheap shit, our $20 DVD players, our megamarts filled with chinese junk, our PCs as cheap as possible and yet we bitch about the consequences of our purchases.

Two racks of the EXACT SAME shirts, one of them has a big ass "Made in America by Americans" sign over it and they are ONE DOLLAR more expensive than the other Chinese made shirts, which do you think will sell quicker? This experiment has been ran many times and the results are already in, we are our own worst enemy. Don't get me wrong, individually we have good reasons but at the end of the day we not only allow it to happen we encourage it with our wallets.

If YOU owned a business and your option was to outsource jobs or go out of business, what do you do? Lets pretend that you aren't a rich bastard and feeding your family depends on your business being successful, what do you do?

Don't get me wrong, we are the "frogs in the pot" so slow change is possible but if you jack up the prices at walmart by 15% this year you might actually get recalled and you damn sure aren't getting reelected.

 

[Darwin333]

To be fair, there are lots of IT jobs in my market. I have little doubt that I could move to a different company in a matter of weeks if need be.

How long do you suppose it would take you personally to train a 45 year old carpenter who has never owned a computer to be competent at your job? Considering the current job market, I assume it is not a very easy transition to make or the demand wouldn't be there.

 

[child of wonder]

I've been thinking about leaving my company for a consulting gig. I submitted my resume for it the other day and this lady is harassing the heck out of me. Once she provided the details, I don't think I'm quite ready for that particular position, but I am keeping my eyes open for sure.

I'm seeing all sorts of jobs posted every day, ranging from help desk and application support, to development, network engineering/manager, and infrastructure engineering/manager. I had a friend who was a finalist for a position at 3 or 4 companies in August, so it isn't as bad as everyone says.

I've been a consultant now for 8 months and have really enjoyed it. My first two projects have been staff augmentations and not particularly fun but they're much better than the dead end gig I was in before.

However, I would never have become a consultant if not for this job being full time, salaried, and with benefits. The company I work for is doing very well and everyone who works there is easy to get along with. No stupid politics either -- we're all on the same team.

 

[theeedude]

Let the GOP decide if they want the unemployment to expire next year.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Unemployment is taxed.

Only after a certain point. It used to be fully taxed - but OBama changed it to a certain base is not. Not drawing unemployment, I have no idea how that is being setup.

 

[Jhhnn]

I'm seeing all sorts of jobs posted every day, ranging from help desk and application support, to development, network engineering/manager, and infrastructure engineering/manager. I had a friend who was a finalist for a position at 3 or 4 companies in August, so it isn't as bad as everyone says.

Sorry, but personal anecdotes are not a data set. How many people are qualified for the job postings you see? How many apply but aren't hired? If it's hundreds of people per job, and there's some rather strong data to suggest that it is, then you're full of pollyanna hot air...

 

[Capt Caveman]

Why would you take a minimum wage job when unemployment pays so much more? That's the problem if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work. When you pay people to not work what do you think they do? Not work.

And who can live off of minimum wage? My guess is close to 100% of unemployment dollars goes directly back into the economy.

I've been thinking about leaving my company for a consulting gig. I submitted my resume for it the other day and this lady is harassing the heck out of me. Once she provided the details, I don't think I'm quite ready for that particular position, but I am keeping my eyes open for sure.

I'm seeing all sorts of jobs posted every day, ranging from help desk and application support, to development, network engineering/manager, and infrastructure engineering/manager. I had a friend who was a finalist for a position at 3 or 4 companies in August, so it isn't as bad as everyone says.

I think it really depends on region and industry. I've been looking for a new opportunity in Boston, SF and LA. In the past, I would see dozens of possible opportunities in my niche every week in each location. Now, I'm lucky to find even one/week in each location.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Sorry, but personal anecdotes are not a data set. How many people are qualified for the job postings you see? How many apply but aren't hired? If it's hundreds of people per job, and there's some rather strong data to suggest that it is, then you're full of pollyanna hot air...

And since you're the expert on hot air, having belched so much of it into this forum, I suppose you would know. At any rate, I didn't say my anecdotal evidence was the law of the land, nor did I claim that Jimbo the laid off janitor would have a shot as an enterprise architect. I can tell you, though, that the IT job postings in my market are very healthy. Others have echoed this comment. This is amazing considering that IT is always among the first cuts to be made.

I'm terribly sorry that a 45 year-old carpenter (I think that was the example used earlier) can't find work as a carpenter. However, it isn't my responsibility as a tax payer to keep paying for indefinite extensions to unemployment. At some point, the guy is going to have to settle for a lower-paying job. The same can be said for any of us it if were to happen to us tomorrow or in 10 years. I would certainly not expect Uncle Sam to support me -- literally for YEARS -- while I looked for a job in my field. And unemployment extension is, after all, the subject of this thread.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

How long do you suppose it would take you personally to train a 45 year old carpenter who has never owned a computer to be competent at your job? Considering the current job market, I assume it is not a very easy transition to make or the demand wouldn't be there.

I understand that. And I understand that certain jobs/fields are hit far worse than my own, apparently.

You may not be able to train a 45 year-old carpenter to do my job, because it takes quite a bit of experience; however, you CAN train a 45 year-old carpenter basic help desk caliber skills in a few weeks. Will he make the same as he did as a carpenter? No. But what else can you do? Uncle Sam can't keep paying people to sit at home waiting for a high-paying job to come to them. At some point, these people will have to settle for a lower-paying job. It sucks, but that's life and it can and might happen to all of us eventually.

Our politicians have sold us up the river and that's the real problem we have. Outsourcing, "free trade," etc -- the list goes on and on. These structural issues are what need to be dealt with, but I have NO confidence that our "friends" in Washington will tackle those. With friends like those guys, who needs enemies?

 

[HomerJS]

Why would you take a minimum wage job when unemployment pays so much more? That's the problem if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work. When you pay people to not work what do you think they do? Not work.

So our resident expert spidey07 says "if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work"
"if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work"
"if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work"

Now here's a real world example...

More than 2,500 job seekers lined up around a full city block yesterday for a shot at working at the new InterContinental hotel in Times Square.

The luxe chain will hire only 300 of the applicants, for positions ranging from front desk to maintenance.

So who do we believe 2500 people and The Intercontinental Hotel or spiedy07??

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/...openings_PUhzkMoqekn0dvBOg6UzvO#ixzz15hLusdrv

 

[HomerJS]

Why would you take a minimum wage job when unemployment pays so much more? That's the problem if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work. When you pay people to not work what do you think they do? Not work.

So our resident expert spidey07 says "if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work"
"if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work"
"if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work"

Now here's a real world example...

More than 2,500 job seekers lined up around a full city block yesterday for a shot at working at the new InterContinental hotel in Times Square.

The luxe chain will hire only 300 of the applicants, for positions ranging from front desk to maintenance.

So who do we believe 2500 people and The Intercontinental Hotel or spidey07??

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/...openings_PUhzkMoqekn0dvBOg6UzvO#ixzz15hLusdrv

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

How long do you suppose it would take you personally to train a 45 year old carpenter who has never owned a computer to be competent at your job? Considering the current job market, I assume it is not a very easy transition to make or the demand wouldn't be there.

what a dumb question.
who's expecting a carpenter to make a career change into an IT specialist?
that's like asking me to become a primary care physician because they are in high demand.

 

[manimal]

I've been thinking about leaving my company for a consulting gig. I submitted my resume for it the other day and this lady is harassing the heck out of me. Once she provided the details, I don't think I'm quite ready for that particular position, but I am keeping my eyes open for sure.

I'm seeing all sorts of jobs posted every day, ranging from help desk and application support, to development, network engineering/manager, and infrastructure engineering/manager. I had a friend who was a finalist for a position at 3 or 4 companies in August, so it isn't as bad as everyone says.

I have seen an upswing in the tech market here in Indianapolis as well. I do not think its the same all over...

wish people would look at mitch for president instead of the vapid cretin lady...

 

[umbrella39]

Dems & Reps do not considered it to be YOUR tax $$$.

It is theirs to spend on how they feel is best. Your ideas/opinions/needs do not count. You are just to hand it over based on their demands.

Truthed that up a tad for you there boss.

 

[Mursilis]

As much as I would like to completely blame our politicians, if you get into office and try to make us endure the pain of our actions in order to fix the problem we will vote your ass right the fuck out. So they play kick the can, unfortunately the can keeps filling up with sand and getting heavier each time it is kicked. Right now the can is getting really really hard to kick and eventually they are going to try to kick the hell out of it and get nothing but a broken toe.

We are not blameless in this situation. We want our cheap shit, our $20 DVD players, our megamarts filled with chinese junk, our PCs as cheap as possible and yet we bitch about the consequences of our purchases.

Two racks of the EXACT SAME shirts, one of them has a big ass "Made in America by Americans" sign over it and they are ONE DOLLAR more expensive than the other Chinese made shirts, which do you think will sell quicker? This experiment has been ran many times and the results are already in, we are our own worst enemy. Don't get me wrong, individually we have good reasons but at the end of the day we not only allow it to happen we encourage it with our wallets.

If YOU owned a business and your option was to outsource jobs or go out of business, what do you do? Lets pretend that you aren't a rich bastard and feeding your family depends on your business being successful, what do you do?

Don't get me wrong, we are the "frogs in the pot" so slow change is possible but if you jack up the prices at walmart by 15% this year you might actually get recalled and you damn sure aren't getting reelected.

The hard and painful truth.

 

[spidey07]

Two years of unemployment? In that time frame ANYBODY could go to school for two years and learn a trade and get a nice paying job. If your job or skill dries up, then go learn another one.

 

[spidey07]

So our resident expert spidey07 says "if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work"
"if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work"
"if you keep extending it, nobody looks for work"

Now here's a real world example...


So who do we believe 2500 people and The Intercontinental Hotel or spidey07??

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/...openings_PUhzkMoqekn0dvBOg6UzvO#ixzz15hLusdrv

Anecdotal evidence. You can't get around the simple fact that if you pay people to not work, then they won't work. There are tons of other stories about people not being able to hire people because the applicants tell them "why would I take a job making the same as unemployment".

Think about it. Why would anybody work 8 hours a day for the same money as not working 8 hours a day? I sure as hell wouldn't and no sane person would.

 

[jhbball]

Anecdotal evidence. You can't get around the simple fact that if you pay people to not work, then they won't work. There are tons of other stories about people not being able to hire people because the applicants tell them "why would I take a job making the same as unemployment".

Think about it. Why would anybody work 8 hours a day for the same money as not working 8 hours a day? I sure as hell wouldn't and no sane person would.

Aren't the "tons of other stories" also filed under anecdotal evidence?

 

[brencat]

We are not blameless in this situation. We want our cheap shit, our $20 DVD players, our megamarts filled with chinese junk, our PCs as cheap as possible and yet we bitch about the consequences of our purchases.

Two racks of the EXACT SAME shirts, one of them has a big ass "Made in America by Americans" sign over it and they are ONE DOLLAR more expensive than the other Chinese made shirts, which do you think will sell quicker? This experiment has been ran many times and the results are already in, we are our own worst enemy. Don't get me wrong, individually we have good reasons but at the end of the day we not only allow it to happen we encourage it with our wallets.

+1, well said. I hate to go on a ra-ra rant to buy American (as I type on my fully made in China parts PC) but my wife and I really do look at labels now and have been doing so for 10+ years. We will not buy furniture made in China either. And one of our cars is a Honda (70% made/assembed in U.S. with our workers). It's not that hard. We all need to stop looking to save the last $2 if we can help our economy by not sending that extra savings to the red Chinese.