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If it's catastrophic, you're probably not taking advantage of the resources available. I know many people who feel pigeon-holed or trapped simply because they a

If it's catastrophic, you're probably not taking advantage of the resources available. I know many people who feel pigeon-holed or trapped simply because they are unaware of how insanely easy it is to drop what you're doing, go to school, and get hired elsewhere. There are so many resources and options out there if you're willing to weather the change. Most people are just too scared to consider it and they misinterpret that as a problem with the market itself.

CPLX 10y ago
> I know many people who feel pigeon-holed or trapped simply because they are unaware of how insanely easy it is to drop what you're doing, go to school, and get hired elsewhere. There's quite a few people that you don't know then. The median personal income in the US is $30,240 for all workers over age 15 with income. That means half of all working people in the US have less than $30k a year in income. What percentage of your "know many people" sample make less than that?
- camelNotation 10y ago
  I made about 22,000 a year when I quit my full time job in retail, went back to school, and now I make far more. It's hard being poor, but much of the struggle is brought on by a lack of awareness. I know this because a huge portion of my sample were people that worked alongside me. There is a lot out there to help people get from the bottom up, they just have to look for it in the right places. With an income as low as mine, I paid essentially nothing for college and qualified for all sorts of assistance and tax breaks. It can be done, you just have to be willing to work hard at it and get the help that's already there.
  - azemetre 10y ago
    How were you able to pay for your education, housing, utilities, food, health insurance, and other necessities when you quit your job to go to school? The way welfare works in most states is that you need to work a set amount of hours before getting any assistance. There is very few "no-strings attached free government money" for people living below poverty.
bubblesocks 10y ago
Exactly! I switched careers by doing nothing more than studying in my local library, and then applying for jobs once I felt I was ready to interview.
- gm-conspiracy 10y ago
  Excellent that you and the parent are representative of all of humanity.
- burkaman 10y ago
  Now imagine you work two jobs to pay for food and shelter, you don't have a car or a library within walking distance, you couldn't afford any education beyond high school, and employers are statistically much more likely to ignore your resume because your name sounds black.
  - camelNotation 10y ago
    I admit that this sort of individual is particularly hard hit. There are programs that can help with different aspects of that situation, but no guarantee all will work with enough synchronicity to facilitate a full college education. That said, people who have it that rough also have nothing to lose. That's exactly the sort of person who could tolerate temporary homelessness if it means a better future. If the baseline goal is to improve their financial station, they should be going after trade skills, not full college. Trade skills could get them a stable career, a car, and solid resume. After that, they can consider going further, but there is definitely a path.
    - burkaman 10y ago
      Of course there's a path, but it's a very difficult, not at all guaranteed path. Compare this path to a guy with money in the bank, a college degree, a decent resume, and 60 hours of spare time a week saying "just study a little and start applying to jobs, anyone can do it", and you can see why this thread seems so condescending. And imagine saying "you've got nothing to lose" to someone like this with a kid. This isn't a contrived scenario, there's millions of people like this in America. You might say it's irresponsible to have kids in this situation, but it's not quite that simple. There's no doubt that we live in a better world than the past, but I don't think it's helpful to spread this idea that anyone can succeed if they just try hard enough. That's the goal, not the reality, and it will never be the case that everyone has an equal chance to succeed.

CPLX 10y ago

> I know many people who feel pigeon-holed or trapped simply because they are unaware of how insanely easy it is to drop what you're doing, go to school, and get hired elsewhere. There's quite a few people that you don't know then. The median personal income in the US is $30,240 for all workers over age 15 with income. That means half of all working people in the US have less than $30k a year in income. What percentage of your "know many people" sample make less than that?

camelNotation 10y ago
I made about 22,000 a year when I quit my full time job in retail, went back to school, and now I make far more. It's hard being poor, but much of the struggle is brought on by a lack of awareness. I know this because a huge portion of my sample were people that worked alongside me. There is a lot out there to help people get from the bottom up, they just have to look for it in the right places. With an income as low as mine, I paid essentially nothing for college and qualified for all sorts of assistance and tax breaks. It can be done, you just have to be willing to work hard at it and get the help that's already there.
- azemetre 10y ago
  How were you able to pay for your education, housing, utilities, food, health insurance, and other necessities when you quit your job to go to school? The way welfare works in most states is that you need to work a set amount of hours before getting any assistance. There is very few "no-strings attached free government money" for people living below poverty.

bubblesocks 10y ago

Exactly! I switched careers by doing nothing more than studying in my local library, and then applying for jobs once I felt I was ready to interview.

gm-conspiracy 10y ago
Excellent that you and the parent are representative of all of humanity.
burkaman 10y ago
Now imagine you work two jobs to pay for food and shelter, you don't have a car or a library within walking distance, you couldn't afford any education beyond high school, and employers are statistically much more likely to ignore your resume because your name sounds black.
- camelNotation 10y ago
  I admit that this sort of individual is particularly hard hit. There are programs that can help with different aspects of that situation, but no guarantee all will work with enough synchronicity to facilitate a full college education. That said, people who have it that rough also have nothing to lose. That's exactly the sort of person who could tolerate temporary homelessness if it means a better future. If the baseline goal is to improve their financial station, they should be going after trade skills, not full college. Trade skills could get them a stable career, a car, and solid resume. After that, they can consider going further, but there is definitely a path.
  - burkaman 10y ago
    Of course there's a path, but it's a very difficult, not at all guaranteed path. Compare this path to a guy with money in the bank, a college degree, a decent resume, and 60 hours of spare time a week saying "just study a little and start applying to jobs, anyone can do it", and you can see why this thread seems so condescending. And imagine saying "you've got nothing to lose" to someone like this with a kid. This isn't a contrived scenario, there's millions of people like this in America. You might say it's irresponsible to have kids in this situation, but it's not quite that simple. There's no doubt that we live in a better world than the past, but I don't think it's helpful to spread this idea that anyone can succeed if they just try hard enough. That's the goal, not the reality, and it will never be the case that everyone has an equal chance to succeed.