9 ms·

What I Did When I Couldn't Find a Job [in the US]

99 points by kranner 16y ago

For anyone curious about what Sikkim looks like... http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sikkim

kranner 16y ago
For anyone curious about what Sikkim looks like... http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sikkim http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sikkim
sushi 16y ago
I think finding a job is never difficult considering one is ready to sacrifice the luxuries one has gotten accustomed to. Almost every American graduate can find a job in India. I know the outsourcing companies won't even ask you a question and hire you readily. It's just about making adjustments for the time being which I'm afraid many American graduates might have to make in the down economy. I have been to Sikkim and it's one of the most beautiful places I have seen. I'd gladly move to Sikkim if only there was better and stable internet connection there. Correct me if I am wrong. By the way, people can not buy land in Sikkim (only the people from the state can, not even the rest of Indians) so one will have to get do with a rented place which should be quite cheap even for an Indian like me.
- spudlyo 16y ago
  There are lots of places in India that are difficult for Westerners to live in. The lack of running water, toilet paper, and unreliable electricity was very challenging for my friend who spent 6 months in Hyderabad. He also picked up a very bad stomach flu that knocked him on his ass for a month.
deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
kogir 16y ago
The thing I don't understand is how few people in the US are willing to move to a different state, nevermind another country. There's plenty of work for those willing to seek it and be flexible.
- zephyrfalcon 16y ago
  Moving often has a hefty cost, and not just financially.
  - loganfrederick 16y ago
    So does being unemployed. Sometimes you have to make the tough decisions.
rflrob 16y ago
It seems to me that the calculations of how he's saving money relative to staying at home is offset a fair bit by the cost of airfare. All the same, I don't think that means one shouldn't do things like this---the experience (both professional and personal) is difficult to measure, but pretty valuable.
all 16y ago
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this certainly is extreme. Unfortunately, his path is not easily replicated, and he recognises this. I have heard of others who move to India to take the job that they would have in the US because that is where their company moved it. But finding a job in a downturn is often a matter of being resourceful and thinking outside the box, not of wholesale relocation. I would be surprised if 1% of those who read this article are able to put in practice what this guy did.
patio11 16y ago
grumble grumble I would never have expected legions of twentysomethings who want to work for noncommercial causes using expensive degrees which impart no skills more advanced than a GED to have so much difficulty finding great jobs right after college.
- tkahn6 16y ago
  For years—all my life, really—parents, teachers, and guidance counselors had told me that if I went to a good college and did well, I would be able to find a job after graduation that would, with a little ladder-climbing, keep me comfortable and financially secure. The amount of Schadenfreude I'm experiencing right now is awesome.
  - exit 16y ago
    what about this makes you happy?
    - noonespecial 16y ago
      I think part of the glee may come from the fact that an awful lot of us (perusing technical fields) were looked down on as somehow inferior by many of these students on our way through. It feels karmic.
      - tkahn6 16y ago
        I think karmic is a better word to describe my feeling. schadenfreude carries a connotation that I didn't intend to convey.
    - tkahn6 16y ago
      From what I can tell, her approach to education (and life, really) is diametrically opposed to mine. For her to think that having a high GPA within a political science major would translate into any real-world success is insane. I'm happy that the market is rewarding her decisions in a way that IMO is logical and consistent with my world view.
jab 16y ago
I don't really get the "couldn't find a job" part. I moved to a new city 4 months ago on a whim, and I had several companies bidding on me. I'm good, but I doubt I'm that good.
- exit 16y ago
  what kind of work do you do?
- jemfinch 16y ago
  I doubt you're a polisci major.
- Unseelie 16y ago
  and do you have experience in your field?
acgourley 16y ago
I guess he doesn't have student loans.
roschdal 16y ago
This is a very inspirational story!
ebun 16y ago
So the author moved to India after being unable to find a job, but at some point, I assume they plan to return. What do you think about his job prospects when he returns (regardless of the work; just taking into account that he opted to spend a year or 2 abroad like this)?
- Dilpil 16y ago
  It's a pretty interesting story to put on a resume or cover letter- I'd imagine he will at least be able to get some interviews.
  - ebun 16y ago
    I don't doubt it, I'm just curious as to why you, or any other HNers, would find it interesting. What skills do you think would be applicable or transferable? full disclosure: I'm in a somewhat similar situation right now
    - kolektiv 16y ago
      Well, I know that if I were interviewing this chap (and I am interviewing people quite a bit) I would be at least impressed by his having shown some initiative. I would also say that someone who is willing and able to go and live fairly happily in a quite different cultural and lingual context than they may be used to, has shown themselves to be adaptable, inquisitive, and keen to learn. Even in a poor economy, demonstrating those qualities still stands out. Almost certainly the most common reason for failing when interviewing with me is the "I haven't had a chance to..." story. Often this is in the context of software. "I haven't had a chance to try this language or that language" What they mean is that previous jobs haven't used it. They could easily have learnt about it in their own time - it just wasn't a priority for them. Which is fair enough - but you will lose out against those who turn "would like to do" in to "done".
    - rmc 16y ago
      Some jobs require travelling for work. I know someone who's job was to go around conferences in Europe and set up and maintain wifi networks. Some people interviewed for the job just didn't like travelling, and so weren't hired. This person has shown that they clearly are OK with travelling. Another advantage is that it shows a level of maturity and self-sufficience. If they can pack their bags and go off to India as a younge person they are clearly not a stay-at-home-very-shy person.
known 16y ago
A comprehensive guide to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_living http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_living
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]
- billswift 16y ago
  For real simple living http://www.amazon.com/Possum-living-without-almost-money/product-reviews/0553136259/ref=sr_1_4_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&qid=1280103672&sr=8-4 http://www.amazon.com/Possum-living-without-almost-money/pro...
tomjen3 16y ago
What was really funny was that he moved back home, then when he couldn't find a job there, he moved to India. If you have a political science degree, why not move to Washington?
maximumwage 16y ago
Comments on every story like this follow the same predictable pattern. On Digg and Reddit, it's basically: "Haha, dumb liberal arts major! Of course you can't find work in the USA! You deserve what you get because we live in a just and fair world and everyone is responsible for everything that happens to them in life and the consequences of all their decisions!" Some of the comments here are similar, but other comments point out the fallacies in that line of thought. As someone who was a high school valedictorian who wanted to get a CS or business degree, but ended up with a Bachelor of General Studies in English, I've given lots of thought to why students get liberal arts degrees. Most students are unprepared for college-level classes, especially in mathematics. Despite having a perfect GPA in high school, I failed calculus - not because of partying (I didn't drink) but because I was totally unprepared for college-level math after bad high-school math classes. Mental illness is also a major reason why lots of people can't handle the rigors of an engineering or even business degree. According to NIMH, 26% of Americans age 18 or older suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder [1]. Also, 40 percent of students have felt too depressed to function at sometime during their college career [2]. Throughout college, I had: never had a girlfriend or even kissed a girl, worried all the time about the end of the world and other potential threats, had never learned how to masturbate, and was concerned over whether God loved or hated me. Now THAT's mental illness! When they have a heavy cognitive load from mental illness, students are less able to deal with challenging classes. Finally, after going through the stress of being being unprepared for college classes and suffering from mental illness, many students end up with humanities degrees because they figure "at least it's a degree in something" and that any degree is better than no degree, because that's the message being broadcast from tons of outlets - guidance counselors, college advertising, college advisors, etc. [1] http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-coun... [2] http://www.jedfoundation.com/press-room/news-archive/Students-with-mental-troubles-on-rise http://www.jedfoundation.com/press-room/news-archive/Student...
- oconnore 16y ago
  That's not a mental illness. That's some sort of an existential crisis. I recommend you stop worrying about problems you can't solve, and start living. It's the only way you will find out what God thinks of you, or whether girls like you, or whether the earth will end. And everyone is unprepared for college (as they were for high-school, or elementary, or kindergarten, and especially for their first job). The difference is in how they approach it. Personally, I locked myself in the library until I could do Calculus problems blindfolded, and then went to the bar to celebrate with my friends. Your results may vary. Note that feeling persecuted and defeated after you flunk a Calculus test is not a viable solution. Sorry for being harsh.
amohr 16y ago
There's been a lot of hating on us poor liberal arts graduates that didn't have the foresight to know that our education was going to invariably lead to crushing, static unemployment, so I figure I'd throw in my $.02 I've been building and tinkering with computers since I was 11 and it has always been sort of a foregone conclusion that I would go into CS or compe. But when I started college, for a number of reasons, I decided I wanted to study physics. But a few years in, I realized I wasn't really getting the full-bodied education that I was hoping for. I noticed this in myself as well as my peers in comparable science/engineering programs. It turns out, many of the programs that leave you with marketable skills necessarily sacrifice breadth of understanding. This isn't to say all cs grads know nothing of the world, but it was a noticeable problem. There is, of course, virtue in training people to think only about a single field and think about it deeply and constantly. But I didn't want to be one of those people, so I switched to Political Science. Political Science, at my school, was an interdisciplinary program - it allowed students to design their own concentrations within the framework of the program. Because of this, I was able to take advanced level courses in philosophy, music theory, english, astrophysics, economics, and computer science. No I'm not an expert on any of these, but I have the groundwork to understand any of them that I wish to personally pursue further. And many of them, I have. Of course, after five years of college, I finally realized that I'm most passionate about writing, advertising, and technology, but I'm stuck competing against people with more specifically tailored credentials. This is obviously a problem, and I'm not going to claim I haven't spent nights wishing I had just stuck with something that would land me a job and a life of comfort. But comfort is as dangerous as it is pleasant and a lack of it often spurs the greatest innovation. That last part, however, I'm still working on. But what about my CS friends? Some of them are legitimately well-rounded and interesting people... and some sold their souls at 100 hr/wk at nyc firms making 100k but they'll never see the world with the appreciative eyes of the destitute - they'll always want more because that's all they've ever been taught to value. Many will live lives hopelessly seeking satisfaction through abundance. Save your pity for those guys, thank you. PS: I don't really think all these guys are doomed because they took high-stress, high-paying jobs, I just wanted to represent the other side of the coin. Don't assume all LAS grads are forever useless... also, if you have the means, hire one. (specifically, me)
elblanco 16y ago
I wonder how many weeks he had to save up that $10/wk in order to afford the upcoming round trip back home?

99 points by kranner 16y ago

For anyone curious about what Sikkim looks like... http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sikkim

For anyone curious about what Sikkim looks like... http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sikkim http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=sikkim

sushi 16y ago

I think finding a job is never difficult considering one is ready to sacrifice the luxuries one has gotten accustomed to. Almost every American graduate can find a job in India. I know the outsourcing companies won't even ask you a question and hire you readily. It's just about making adjustments for the time being which I'm afraid many American graduates might have to make in the down economy. I have been to Sikkim and it's one of the most beautiful places I have seen. I'd gladly move to Sikkim if only there was better and stable internet connection there. Correct me if I am wrong. By the way, people can not buy land in Sikkim (only the people from the state can, not even the rest of Indians) so one will have to get do with a rented place which should be quite cheap even for an Indian like me.

spudlyo 16y ago
There are lots of places in India that are difficult for Westerners to live in. The lack of running water, toilet paper, and unreliable electricity was very challenging for my friend who spent 6 months in Hyderabad. He also picked up a very bad stomach flu that knocked him on his ass for a month.

deleted 16y ago

[deleted]

kogir 16y ago

The thing I don't understand is how few people in the US are willing to move to a different state, nevermind another country. There's plenty of work for those willing to seek it and be flexible.

zephyrfalcon 16y ago
Moving often has a hefty cost, and not just financially.
- loganfrederick 16y ago
  So does being unemployed. Sometimes you have to make the tough decisions.

rflrob 16y ago

It seems to me that the calculations of how he's saving money relative to staying at home is offset a fair bit by the cost of airfare. All the same, I don't think that means one shouldn't do things like this---the experience (both professional and personal) is difficult to measure, but pretty valuable.

all 16y ago

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this certainly is extreme. Unfortunately, his path is not easily replicated, and he recognises this. I have heard of others who move to India to take the job that they would have in the US because that is where their company moved it. But finding a job in a downturn is often a matter of being resourceful and thinking outside the box, not of wholesale relocation. I would be surprised if 1% of those who read this article are able to put in practice what this guy did.

patio11 16y ago

grumble grumble I would never have expected legions of twentysomethings who want to work for noncommercial causes using expensive degrees which impart no skills more advanced than a GED to have so much difficulty finding great jobs right after college.

tkahn6 16y ago
For years—all my life, really—parents, teachers, and guidance counselors had told me that if I went to a good college and did well, I would be able to find a job after graduation that would, with a little ladder-climbing, keep me comfortable and financially secure. The amount of Schadenfreude I'm experiencing right now is awesome.
- exit 16y ago
  what about this makes you happy?
  - noonespecial 16y ago
    I think part of the glee may come from the fact that an awful lot of us (perusing technical fields) were looked down on as somehow inferior by many of these students on our way through. It feels karmic.
    - tkahn6 16y ago
      I think karmic is a better word to describe my feeling. schadenfreude carries a connotation that I didn't intend to convey.
  - tkahn6 16y ago
    From what I can tell, her approach to education (and life, really) is diametrically opposed to mine. For her to think that having a high GPA within a political science major would translate into any real-world success is insane. I'm happy that the market is rewarding her decisions in a way that IMO is logical and consistent with my world view.

jab 16y ago

I don't really get the "couldn't find a job" part. I moved to a new city 4 months ago on a whim, and I had several companies bidding on me. I'm good, but I doubt I'm that good.

exit 16y ago
what kind of work do you do?
jemfinch 16y ago
I doubt you're a polisci major.
Unseelie 16y ago
and do you have experience in your field?

acgourley 16y ago

I guess he doesn't have student loans.

roschdal 16y ago

This is a very inspirational story!

ebun 16y ago

So the author moved to India after being unable to find a job, but at some point, I assume they plan to return. What do you think about his job prospects when he returns (regardless of the work; just taking into account that he opted to spend a year or 2 abroad like this)?

Dilpil 16y ago
It's a pretty interesting story to put on a resume or cover letter- I'd imagine he will at least be able to get some interviews.
- ebun 16y ago
  I don't doubt it, I'm just curious as to why you, or any other HNers, would find it interesting. What skills do you think would be applicable or transferable? full disclosure: I'm in a somewhat similar situation right now
  - kolektiv 16y ago
    Well, I know that if I were interviewing this chap (and I am interviewing people quite a bit) I would be at least impressed by his having shown some initiative. I would also say that someone who is willing and able to go and live fairly happily in a quite different cultural and lingual context than they may be used to, has shown themselves to be adaptable, inquisitive, and keen to learn. Even in a poor economy, demonstrating those qualities still stands out. Almost certainly the most common reason for failing when interviewing with me is the "I haven't had a chance to..." story. Often this is in the context of software. "I haven't had a chance to try this language or that language" What they mean is that previous jobs haven't used it. They could easily have learnt about it in their own time - it just wasn't a priority for them. Which is fair enough - but you will lose out against those who turn "would like to do" in to "done".
  - rmc 16y ago
    Some jobs require travelling for work. I know someone who's job was to go around conferences in Europe and set up and maintain wifi networks. Some people interviewed for the job just didn't like travelling, and so weren't hired. This person has shown that they clearly are OK with travelling. Another advantage is that it shows a level of maturity and self-sufficience. If they can pack their bags and go off to India as a younge person they are clearly not a stay-at-home-very-shy person.

known 16y ago

A comprehensive guide to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_living http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_living

deleted 16y ago
[deleted]
billswift 16y ago
For real simple living http://www.amazon.com/Possum-living-without-almost-money/product-reviews/0553136259/ref=sr_1_4_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&qid=1280103672&sr=8-4 http://www.amazon.com/Possum-living-without-almost-money/pro...

tomjen3 16y ago

What was really funny was that he moved back home, then when he couldn't find a job there, he moved to India. If you have a political science degree, why not move to Washington?

maximumwage 16y ago

Comments on every story like this follow the same predictable pattern. On Digg and Reddit, it's basically: "Haha, dumb liberal arts major! Of course you can't find work in the USA! You deserve what you get because we live in a just and fair world and everyone is responsible for everything that happens to them in life and the consequences of all their decisions!" Some of the comments here are similar, but other comments point out the fallacies in that line of thought. As someone who was a high school valedictorian who wanted to get a CS or business degree, but ended up with a Bachelor of General Studies in English, I've given lots of thought to why students get liberal arts degrees. Most students are unprepared for college-level classes, especially in mathematics. Despite having a perfect GPA in high school, I failed calculus - not because of partying (I didn't drink) but because I was totally unprepared for college-level math after bad high-school math classes. Mental illness is also a major reason why lots of people can't handle the rigors of an engineering or even business degree. According to NIMH, 26% of Americans age 18 or older suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder [1]. Also, 40 percent of students have felt too depressed to function at sometime during their college career [2]. Throughout college, I had: never had a girlfriend or even kissed a girl, worried all the time about the end of the world and other potential threats, had never learned how to masturbate, and was concerned over whether God loved or hated me. Now THAT's mental illness! When they have a heavy cognitive load from mental illness, students are less able to deal with challenging classes. Finally, after going through the stress of being being unprepared for college classes and suffering from mental illness, many students end up with humanities degrees because they figure "at least it's a degree in something" and that any degree is better than no degree, because that's the message being broadcast from tons of outlets - guidance counselors, college advertising, college advisors, etc. [1] http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-coun... [2] http://www.jedfoundation.com/press-room/news-archive/Students-with-mental-troubles-on-rise http://www.jedfoundation.com/press-room/news-archive/Student...

oconnore 16y ago
That's not a mental illness. That's some sort of an existential crisis. I recommend you stop worrying about problems you can't solve, and start living. It's the only way you will find out what God thinks of you, or whether girls like you, or whether the earth will end. And everyone is unprepared for college (as they were for high-school, or elementary, or kindergarten, and especially for their first job). The difference is in how they approach it. Personally, I locked myself in the library until I could do Calculus problems blindfolded, and then went to the bar to celebrate with my friends. Your results may vary. Note that feeling persecuted and defeated after you flunk a Calculus test is not a viable solution. Sorry for being harsh.

amohr 16y ago

There's been a lot of hating on us poor liberal arts graduates that didn't have the foresight to know that our education was going to invariably lead to crushing, static unemployment, so I figure I'd throw in my $.02 I've been building and tinkering with computers since I was 11 and it has always been sort of a foregone conclusion that I would go into CS or compe. But when I started college, for a number of reasons, I decided I wanted to study physics. But a few years in, I realized I wasn't really getting the full-bodied education that I was hoping for. I noticed this in myself as well as my peers in comparable science/engineering programs. It turns out, many of the programs that leave you with marketable skills necessarily sacrifice breadth of understanding. This isn't to say all cs grads know nothing of the world, but it was a noticeable problem. There is, of course, virtue in training people to think only about a single field and think about it deeply and constantly. But I didn't want to be one of those people, so I switched to Political Science. Political Science, at my school, was an interdisciplinary program - it allowed students to design their own concentrations within the framework of the program. Because of this, I was able to take advanced level courses in philosophy, music theory, english, astrophysics, economics, and computer science. No I'm not an expert on any of these, but I have the groundwork to understand any of them that I wish to personally pursue further. And many of them, I have. Of course, after five years of college, I finally realized that I'm most passionate about writing, advertising, and technology, but I'm stuck competing against people with more specifically tailored credentials. This is obviously a problem, and I'm not going to claim I haven't spent nights wishing I had just stuck with something that would land me a job and a life of comfort. But comfort is as dangerous as it is pleasant and a lack of it often spurs the greatest innovation. That last part, however, I'm still working on. But what about my CS friends? Some of them are legitimately well-rounded and interesting people... and some sold their souls at 100 hr/wk at nyc firms making 100k but they'll never see the world with the appreciative eyes of the destitute - they'll always want more because that's all they've ever been taught to value. Many will live lives hopelessly seeking satisfaction through abundance. Save your pity for those guys, thank you. PS: I don't really think all these guys are doomed because they took high-stress, high-paying jobs, I just wanted to represent the other side of the coin. Don't assume all LAS grads are forever useless... also, if you have the means, hire one. (specifically, me)

elblanco 16y ago

I wonder how many weeks he had to save up that $10/wk in order to afford the upcoming round trip back home?