4 ms·

"Even with good credentials, it is difficult for young people to find work and keep themselves afloat." I would like to see this statement better qualified. Of

"Even with good credentials, it is difficult for young people to find work and keep themselves afloat." I would like to see this statement better qualified. Of the dozens of people I've worked with over the years, I can think of exactly three who had good credentials out of college. Of those three, I know for a fact that at least one had good credentials going in. Conversely, some industries are still healthy and hiring. But it seems that training and qualification often lag demand. I remember trying to peddle my (albeit infant) UNIX skills in 1993 (also an economic recession). It took me a while to get myself into the a geographic location with sufficient demand for my skills. After which, I had zero trouble paying the monthly on my loans. Fast forward to 2003, and the systems administrations market is glutted with a bunch of fresh, young faces who've installed Ubuntu a few times and are willing to work 80+ hours a week for 30K a year. That was my clue that it was time to move on. One of them, anyway. Kinda comes across as "F--- you, Jack, I got mine," I guess. But I don't like this sort of doom and gloom pity party.

knieveltech 16y ago
You might come across as indifferent to others but I choose to interpret your post as an straightforward reminder that for most of us resume pips don't mean shit. A degree's nice, internships are cute, but with or without them you've got to hustle to make it. Ten years ago I was intermittently working in the trades between bouts of pizza delivery and crashing unemployed on a friend's couch. I get paid mostly to write open source plugins for web CMS's these days. Occasionally I consult if the project's interesting. I've got a decent house and an incredible wife. My change of fortune is utterly unremarkable. No luck involved, just 10 years of hustling, looking for the next angle, working on my skills and networking.
arghnoname 16y ago
I agree with the sentiment that doing well today requires a level of vigilance and a careful eye on the employment market. The specific job function you mention is an example where the bulk of the employment market was created, promising, and then turned into a low-paying glut in a 10-20 year time frame. But hey, if you pay attention you can see these things coming, so it's okay right? Maybe, but it is worth remembering that the old unionized economy provided people with greater career stability. I wouldn't personally want to do the same thing for my whole career, but having been in the workforce I've seen lots of relatively capable web dev's and the like who are going to be up shit creek the next time a shift comes. It is sad to say, but constant effort toward re-invention and education is a rarity in our society. I think as a society we need to figure out how much of this is reasonable to expect from the average person and accordingly make sure that kids learn of this expectation from a young age. I think it is fairly obvious that having to learn a whole new field every year is too much, but where is the line?

knieveltech 16y ago

You might come across as indifferent to others but I choose to interpret your post as an straightforward reminder that for most of us resume pips don't mean shit. A degree's nice, internships are cute, but with or without them you've got to hustle to make it. Ten years ago I was intermittently working in the trades between bouts of pizza delivery and crashing unemployed on a friend's couch. I get paid mostly to write open source plugins for web CMS's these days. Occasionally I consult if the project's interesting. I've got a decent house and an incredible wife. My change of fortune is utterly unremarkable. No luck involved, just 10 years of hustling, looking for the next angle, working on my skills and networking.

arghnoname 16y ago

I agree with the sentiment that doing well today requires a level of vigilance and a careful eye on the employment market. The specific job function you mention is an example where the bulk of the employment market was created, promising, and then turned into a low-paying glut in a 10-20 year time frame. But hey, if you pay attention you can see these things coming, so it's okay right? Maybe, but it is worth remembering that the old unionized economy provided people with greater career stability. I wouldn't personally want to do the same thing for my whole career, but having been in the workforce I've seen lots of relatively capable web dev's and the like who are going to be up shit creek the next time a shift comes. It is sad to say, but constant effort toward re-invention and education is a rarity in our society. I think as a society we need to figure out how much of this is reasonable to expect from the average person and accordingly make sure that kids learn of this expectation from a young age. I think it is fairly obvious that having to learn a whole new field every year is too much, but where is the line?