3 ms·
> If you don't get a job straight out of college, you're effectively a second-class citizen. There is no second chance, there is no plan B. How is this any dif
by mmirate 10y ago
> If you don't get a job straight out of college, you're effectively a second-class citizen. There is no second chance, there is no plan B.
How is this any different here in the 'States? If I'm still looking for work after I graduate, any interviews will have an unanswerable question: "why haven't you done anything since (graduation date here)?"
- svachalek 10y agoTo some degree, you can do something. Contribute to OSS, or work for a charity, while looking for paid work and you can use this question as an opening. On the other hand, studies have shown that starting a career in a bad economy will damage your salary for life...
- jdietrich 10y agoThere are plenty of answers that will be acceptable to many employers - "I've taken a gap year to go travelling", "I've been taking my time to find the best opportunity", "I've been working towards a Masters", "I've been looking after an elderly relative", "I've been doing charity work" or even "it's a tough economy, I haven't found anything yet". A gap in your employment history isn't ideal, but it isn't a complete showstopper, especially if you have valuable STEM skills. It's possible to retrain and change careers, it's possible to get a job through pure gumption, it's possible to work your way up from sales clerk to area manager. Not easy, but possible. To most Japanese companies, the idea of offering a salaried position to a 22 year old is simply inconceivable. Either you get hired out of college and become a salaryman, or you bear the black mark of the freeter for the rest of your life. If you're a freeter, your chances of prosperity and security are essentially nil. The situation for young Americans is less than ideal, but the situation for young Japanese people is Kafkaesque.