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Yeah, there's always some holdovers commenting from the era of easy jobs and easy money. Underemployment should be mentioned in any discussion of job difficult

Yeah, there's always some holdovers commenting from the era of easy jobs and easy money. Underemployment should be mentioned in any discussion of job difficulty; in the US, getting a job as a barista or fast food is possible, but a horrendous waste of a college education. It's really a shame that the US has decided to let its most educated generation ever suffer for its biggest strength.

icelancer 11y ago
>It's really a shame that the US has decided to let its most educated generation ever suffer for its biggest strength. This is by design, of course. The more "educated" the society is, the more "menial" jobs they have to take. Wide-swath prescription of college degrees can't solve that problem (in fact, it creates it).
- happyscrappy 11y ago
  Plumbers and electricians make as much if not more than 'educated' jobs and are impossible to outsource. Education is great and today you can learn virtually anything with an internet connection but family expectations mean you are expected to go the college. 'The government is oppressing me with student loans' is pretty weak sauce and is par for the course lack of personal responsibility. Don't run up debt to major in art history.
Azew 11y ago
> in the US, getting a job as a barista or fast food is possible, but a horrendous waste of a college education. Maybe. Not all college educations are created equal. Got a major in philosophy? You're not useful to the economy, there are no jobs and no one is wasting your education. Of course the example here is facetious, the point is this: If you have a college education/degree in something that is not marketable to the economy, the waste is not the economies fault, but that of whomever pursued that education.
- xrange 11y ago
  >the waste is not the economies fault, but that of whomever pursued that education. I'm willing to place at least 75% of the blame on the recipient, but I try not to discount the previous 12+ years of "education is our greatest asset" propaganda targeted towards children.
  - Phlarp 11y ago
    Even for 18 year olds with an inclination to think it's all bullshit-- nobody will ever present you with an alternate viable path. It's always "You don't want to end up a loser right? Sign here..." and next thing you know the creditors are calling looking for their $X0,000. Classic peer pressure techniques apparently count as sagely advice when coming from high school guidance counselors
- linkregister 11y ago
  I would posit that many businesses don't know the great value of a graduate with a good philosophy education. Critical thinking, clear writing, and persuasively advocating a position are all essential to business management.
  - ececconi 11y ago
    I got my undergrad degrees in mechanical engineering and philosophy. I'd say the philosophy degree was for sure worthwhile for my life and career.
  - cryoshon 11y ago
    I agree entirely. I majored in philosophy, as well as biology. I currently work in biotech. The more useful of the two majors, even taking my career into account? Philosophy. Understanding the principles which govern the properties and flow of ideas/arguments/concepts is far more important than the particulars, which can be memorized and understood as needed. The cliche is that philosophy teaches you how to think, and it's true. Of course, philosophy isn't the only way to learn how to think, but it's a good primer.
- 11y ago
rhino369 11y ago
>Underemployment should be mentioned in any discussion of job difficulty; in the US, getting a job as a barista or fast food is possible, but a horrendous waste of a college education. But there have never been enough "good" white collar to employ the current number of Americans getting a college education. The difference was there were enough good, white collar jobs for the college graduates back then. But the number of college graduates has exploded. You can train another 20k Physicists, but we wouldn't have any use for them. And the quality of the degrees are lower too because colleges are accepting (and then graduating) worse and worse students. Not everyone is cut out to do great things. There is no shame in slinging coffee.
- hoorayimhelping 11y ago
  >There is no shame in slinging coffee. I was raised to think this - there is absolutely no shame in working for a living. This scene from Girls basically sums up millenials and their relationship with work for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgK_tPnGfcI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgK_tPnGfcI
- intopieces 11y ago
  >There is no shame in slinging coffee. The shame isn't in the work, the shame is in having no money to do anything: get a decent apartment, raise a family, go on vacation, provide for a spouse.
  - rhino369 11y ago
    Expecting to provide for a spouse is outdated now that women are in the work place. They increased worker supply, driving down wages.
    - intopieces 11y ago
      >They increased worker supply, driving down wages. True, and the switch in economic focus from manufacturing to services hasn't helped much either. Makes me wonder how single people raise kids when the average wage/salary anticipates 2 earners.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
vacri 11y ago
> Yeah, there's always some holdovers commenting from the era of easy jobs and easy money. Ironically, this complaint always seems to ignore that a ton of jobs in the "easy jobs" era were shitty menial jobs. Factory work in shitty conditions and similar. These are the jobs that have been automated away. And, strangely, this kind of comment also ignores that women weren't anywhere near as significant a part of the old workforce... and the ones that were had signficantly reduced opportunites available and were legally paid less than men.

icelancer 11y ago

>It's really a shame that the US has decided to let its most educated generation ever suffer for its biggest strength. This is by design, of course. The more "educated" the society is, the more "menial" jobs they have to take. Wide-swath prescription of college degrees can't solve that problem (in fact, it creates it).

happyscrappy 11y ago
Plumbers and electricians make as much if not more than 'educated' jobs and are impossible to outsource. Education is great and today you can learn virtually anything with an internet connection but family expectations mean you are expected to go the college. 'The government is oppressing me with student loans' is pretty weak sauce and is par for the course lack of personal responsibility. Don't run up debt to major in art history.

Azew 11y ago

> in the US, getting a job as a barista or fast food is possible, but a horrendous waste of a college education. Maybe. Not all college educations are created equal. Got a major in philosophy? You're not useful to the economy, there are no jobs and no one is wasting your education. Of course the example here is facetious, the point is this: If you have a college education/degree in something that is not marketable to the economy, the waste is not the economies fault, but that of whomever pursued that education.

xrange 11y ago
>the waste is not the economies fault, but that of whomever pursued that education. I'm willing to place at least 75% of the blame on the recipient, but I try not to discount the previous 12+ years of "education is our greatest asset" propaganda targeted towards children.
- Phlarp 11y ago
  Even for 18 year olds with an inclination to think it's all bullshit-- nobody will ever present you with an alternate viable path. It's always "You don't want to end up a loser right? Sign here..." and next thing you know the creditors are calling looking for their $X0,000. Classic peer pressure techniques apparently count as sagely advice when coming from high school guidance counselors
linkregister 11y ago
I would posit that many businesses don't know the great value of a graduate with a good philosophy education. Critical thinking, clear writing, and persuasively advocating a position are all essential to business management.
- ececconi 11y ago
  I got my undergrad degrees in mechanical engineering and philosophy. I'd say the philosophy degree was for sure worthwhile for my life and career.
- cryoshon 11y ago
  I agree entirely. I majored in philosophy, as well as biology. I currently work in biotech. The more useful of the two majors, even taking my career into account? Philosophy. Understanding the principles which govern the properties and flow of ideas/arguments/concepts is far more important than the particulars, which can be memorized and understood as needed. The cliche is that philosophy teaches you how to think, and it's true. Of course, philosophy isn't the only way to learn how to think, but it's a good primer.
11y ago

rhino369 11y ago

>Underemployment should be mentioned in any discussion of job difficulty; in the US, getting a job as a barista or fast food is possible, but a horrendous waste of a college education. But there have never been enough "good" white collar to employ the current number of Americans getting a college education. The difference was there were enough good, white collar jobs for the college graduates back then. But the number of college graduates has exploded. You can train another 20k Physicists, but we wouldn't have any use for them. And the quality of the degrees are lower too because colleges are accepting (and then graduating) worse and worse students. Not everyone is cut out to do great things. There is no shame in slinging coffee.

hoorayimhelping 11y ago
>There is no shame in slinging coffee. I was raised to think this - there is absolutely no shame in working for a living. This scene from Girls basically sums up millenials and their relationship with work for me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgK_tPnGfcI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgK_tPnGfcI
intopieces 11y ago
>There is no shame in slinging coffee. The shame isn't in the work, the shame is in having no money to do anything: get a decent apartment, raise a family, go on vacation, provide for a spouse.
- rhino369 11y ago
  Expecting to provide for a spouse is outdated now that women are in the work place. They increased worker supply, driving down wages.
  - intopieces 11y ago
    >They increased worker supply, driving down wages. True, and the switch in economic focus from manufacturing to services hasn't helped much either. Makes me wonder how single people raise kids when the average wage/salary anticipates 2 earners.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

vacri 11y ago

> Yeah, there's always some holdovers commenting from the era of easy jobs and easy money. Ironically, this complaint always seems to ignore that a ton of jobs in the "easy jobs" era were shitty menial jobs. Factory work in shitty conditions and similar. These are the jobs that have been automated away. And, strangely, this kind of comment also ignores that women weren't anywhere near as significant a part of the old workforce... and the ones that were had signficantly reduced opportunites available and were legally paid less than men.