The Real Reason New College Grads Can't Get Hired

The reason I refuse to blame the youngin's is because they don't just feel entitled because they were born later... They feel entitled because they weren't given choices.  Baby boomers pretty much told them: follow these rules, stay in school, memorize this and that (because it works with our profitable agenda), and get a good job, and you will be successful. 

So what did we do... we followed all their instructions, memorized what they told us, got to the end of the education road.... Now where's the success? 
 

The success isn't there because our gifted students aren't pushed, our weak students are pushed through instead of allowed to fail and directed to things better suited for them. They don't teach what they are looking for. Our spending habits and leisurely activities are irresponsible because they market to us what we're supposed to buy, but don't hire us to make it (they outsource the jobs). They want experience that they have but refuse to take a little extra time to mentor (either they don't have the time because everything moves so damn fast nowadays or they don't want to).

If someone is lost in the wilderness and has to find their way... they will look at their surroundings and environment and either use all of their resourcefulness to get to where they want to go, find someone who can help them get there, or die of hunger.

But society said "hey! we have too many people dying in the wilderness. Lets help them.  Quickly scrawl a map on this crumpled up paper and let them use that."

 So instead, we have them wandering around with a map we gave them (that doesn't get them all the way home) , told them they don't need to pack anything, and bid them farewell. They get to the end and then we say, "why are you still lost, didn't you see all the resources and helpful people along the way? No, I was just trying to follow this map!


Nikola Tesla's, Einstein's, Newton's... You'll never get those out of a formal education system. People have to be left to discover, and think, and evolve. Yesterday at work I was annoyed and said hey why dont we invent a machine that works like this... What did they tell me? Because then you wouldn't have a job.  Communities need to be tight knit and support each other, not massive global white noise.
 
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am1x90xnike said:
Stop blaming the baby boomer generation. Sounds like an excuse because people are getting jobs, people do still live that Anerican dream. Point fingers at yourself, there are jobs out there, just gotta be ambitious enough to go get them.

When that generation came of age they moved mountains, we can barely move off the couch.
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Baby Boomers did accomplish a great deal as did the greatest generation, the World War II cohort.

They did not do it alone.

All of the key numbers, associated with either becoming middle Class or staying middle class, were favorable for returning GI's and their own children and those same numbers have not been good for people who were born in the 1980's and the 1990's.

The cost of education is up, the cost of buying a home is up, barriers to entry into the workforce are up, infrastructure investment is down, returns on investment for middle class savers are down and the level of economic growth is down.

Student loan debt is over one trillion dollars right now and despite our half dozen years of economic malaise, tuition just keeps going up across the board. Some will say that you can avoid this problem by going to trade school but they make students pay through the nose as well.

Another driver of inter-generational inequality is Federal and local housing policy. Nationally, we have low interest rates which drive up the price of homes, which price out younger workers and further increase the net worth of those who bough decades ago, when the price of homes were low. The problem is exacerbated in coastal and urban parts of the country because older homeowners tend to lobby to stop new home construction. Their own million dollar house is a fixture within the community all new houses constitute "sprawl."

Employers demand more credentials, experience and skills than ever before and a moribund labor market makes it possible for them to do so. For older generations, government paid for part of their education, K-12 and maybe College, and employers implicitly subsidized occupation specific training costs. They did it by hiring graduates and paying them at a rate than was hirer than their initial productivity could justify. Eventually, the new hire would catch on and would produce more than their wage but in that first year or so, firms paid you a real wage while you were still learning.

The government also used to build freeways that allowed folks to own a home in the suburbs and easily commute into the city to work; middle class people could put their modest savings into safe and reliable savings account, that would yield a great deal; the tax code once favored labor earnings over capital earning and the whole environment for the average person was so much more conducive to the ends of professional work, savings and home ownership.

The fact is that almost all of the guys will not be the next Jay-Z or Mark Zuckerberg. Most of you will not own a million dollar business, let alone invent a billion dollar app. The sooner we collectively drop the "aspirational" delusions and stop taking seriously the Tony Robbins inspired platitudes, the better of we will be. I suppose folks cling to the Horatio Alger narrative because it is scary to come to grips with the fact that individuals have so little control over a multitude of things that can profoundly affect our lives.

Macroeconomics matter and simply telling people to "work hard" is simplistic. In the US, we have about $30k GDP per capita, in Mexico they have a $3,000. Do you think that the average American works 10 times as hard as the average Mexican? Do we work 100 times harder than the people in parts of Africa where the GDP is $300 per year, per person? Unless you live in society that can leverage you labor into wealth, working hard and being ambitious will not get you out of poverty and into the Middle Class, let alone, allow you to become rich.
 
Rexanglorum said:
Baby Boomers did accomplish a great deal as did the greatest generation, the World War II cohort.

They did not do it alone.

All of the key numbers, associated with either becoming middle Class or staying middle class, were favorable for returning GI's and their own children and those same numbers have not been good for people who were born in the 1980's and the 1990's.

The cost of education is up, the cost of buying a home is up, barriers to entry into the workforce are up, infrastructure investment is down, returns on investment for middle class savers are down and the level of economic growth is down.

Student loan debt is over one trillion dollars right now and despite our half dozen years of economic malaise, tuition just keeps going up across the board. Some will say that you can avoid this problem by going to trade school but they make students pay through the nose as well.

Another driver of inter-generational inequality is Federal and local housing policy. Nationally, we have low interest rates which drive up the price of homes, which price out younger workers and further increase the net worth of those who bough decades ago, when the price of homes were low. The problem is exacerbated in coastal and urban parts of the country because older homeowners tend to lobby to stop new home construction. Their own million dollar house is a fixture within the community all new houses constitute "sprawl."

I honestly think as things are things are gonna crash hard and when my generations finally takes over there will be a MASSIVE overhaul destroying all the crap the older baby boomer generation put in place
Employers demand more credentials, experience and skills than ever before and a moribund labor market makes it possible for them to do so. For older generations, government paid for part of their education, K-12 and maybe College, and employers implicitly subsidized occupation specific training costs. They did it by hiring graduates and paying them at a rate than was hirer than their initial productivity could justify. Eventually, the new hire would catch on and would produce more than their wage but in that first year or so, firms paid you a real wage while you were still learning.

The government also used to build freeways that allowed folks to own a home in the suburbs and easily commute into the city to work; middle class people could put their modest savings into safe and reliable savings account, that would yield a great deal; the tax code once favored labor earnings over capital earning and the whole environment for the average person was so much more conducive to the ends of professional work, savings and home ownership.

The fact is that almost all of the guys will not be the next Jay-Z or Mark Zuckerberg. Most of you will not own a million dollar business, let alone invent a billion dollar app. The sooner we collectively drop the "aspirational" delusions and stop taking seriously the Tony Robbins inspired platitudes, the better of we will be. I suppose folks cling to the Horatio Alger narrative because it is scary to come to grips with the fact that individuals have so little control over a multitude of things that can profoundly affect our lives.

Macroeconomics matter and simply telling people to "work hard" is simplistic. In the US, we have about $30k GDP per capita, in Mexico they have a $3,000. Do you think that the average American works 10 times as hard as the average Mexican? Do we work 100 times harder than the people in parts of Africa where the GDP is $300 per year, per person? Unless you live in society that can leverage you labor into wealth, working hard and being ambitious will not get you out of poverty and into the Middle Class, let alone, allow you to become rich.
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I think when my generation takes over there will be MASSIVE overhaul destroying everything the baby boomers put in place and it will be magical
 
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Milestailsprowe said:
 
Rexanglorum said:
Baby Boomers did accomplish a great deal as did the greatest generation, the World War II cohort.

They did not do it alone.

All of the key numbers, associated with either becoming middle Class or staying middle class, were favorable for returning GI's and their own children and those same numbers have not been good for people who were born in the 1980's and the 1990's.

The cost of education is up, the cost of buying a home is up, barriers to entry into the workforce are up, infrastructure investment is down, returns on investment for middle class savers are down and the level of economic growth is down.

Student loan debt is over one trillion dollars right now and despite our half dozen years of economic malaise, tuition just keeps going up across the board. Some will say that you can avoid this problem by going to trade school but they make students pay through the nose as well.

Another driver of inter-generational inequality is Federal and local housing policy. Nationally, we have low interest rates which drive up the price of homes, which price out younger workers and further increase the net worth of those who bough decades ago, when the price of homes were low. The problem is exacerbated in coastal and urban parts of the country because older homeowners tend to lobby to stop new home construction. Their own million dollar house is a fixture within the community all new houses constitute "sprawl."

I honestly think as things are things are gonna crash hard and when my generations finally takes over there will be a MASSIVE overhaul destroying all the crap the older baby boomer generation put in place
Employers demand more credentials, experience and skills than ever before and a moribund labor market makes it possible for them to do so. For older generations, government paid for part of their education, K-12 and maybe College, and employers implicitly subsidized occupation specific training costs. They did it by hiring graduates and paying them at a rate than was hirer than their initial productivity could justify. Eventually, the new hire would catch on and would produce more than their wage but in that first year or so, firms paid you a real wage while you were still learning.

The government also used to build freeways that allowed folks to own a home in the suburbs and easily commute into the city to work; middle class people could put their modest savings into safe and reliable savings account, that would yield a great deal; the tax code once favored labor earnings over capital earning and the whole environment for the average person was so much more conducive to the ends of professional work, savings and home ownership.

The fact is that almost all of the guys will not be the next Jay-Z or Mark Zuckerberg. Most of you will not own a million dollar business, let alone invent a billion dollar app. The sooner we collectively drop the "aspirational" delusions and stop taking seriously the Tony Robbins inspired platitudes, the better of we will be. I suppose folks cling to the Horatio Alger narrative because it is scary to come to grips with the fact that individuals have so little control over a multitude of things that can profoundly affect our lives.

Macroeconomics matter and simply telling people to "work hard" is simplistic. In the US, we have about $30k GDP per capita, in Mexico they have a $3,000. Do you think that the average American works 10 times as hard as the average Mexican? Do we work 100 times harder than the people in parts of Africa where the GDP is $300 per year, per person? Unless you live in society that can leverage you labor into wealth, working hard and being ambitious will not get you out of poverty and into the Middle Class, let alone, allow you to become rich.
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I think when my generation takes over there will be MASSIVE overhaul destroying everything the baby boomers put in place and it will be magical
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or it would destroy the futures of the next generation 
frown.gif
 
As a working college graduate this thread makes me so ******g mad, it's full of lies and fingerpointing.


When the last generation worked they could pick up an entry level job and learn on the job.

Now every new job listing for a"junior" position has 3-5 years experience. Are you kidding me?

So basically they want someone experienced but they want to pay them like a child.


Internships in this country no longer serve the same purpose. Companies are using them as free labor with NO INTENTION of hiring. Rinse and repeat every year. But you guys think it's fair a student has to pay a college, and support themselves for the privilege of working for free? :x

My unpaid internship at my school, doubled as a real course so it was different but I know way too many who were just used as cheap labor and kicked to the curb regardless of their performance.


And nothing drives me more insane than "You just have to try harder and you'll succeed, you guys are lazy"

The internet allows everyone from New York to California to apply for the same position while thousands of resumes are just tossed in the trash. It's a little more than just "trying harder and applying yourself"

It's the equivalent of me telling NT'ers if they try really hard and practice every day, and REALLY put forth the effort and believe; they can beat Kobe Bryant in a game of 1 on .

Sometimes trying doesn't mean **** when you just don't have the cards, don't have the connects, don't have the luck.

Is the alternative to give up? No. But graduates have every right to be frustrated.

This whole thread makes 0 sense. "Graduates can't put together a creative project and that's why they aren't getting hired. " And they know this by not hiring the person? :smh:
 
The rich have the money to lobby, lobby, lobby and most policies benefit them while putting everyone else at a disadvantage. We are a country built on the middle class, yet we have shipped millions of jobs to other countries (the ones that haven't been automated). Think of the largest American companies 50 years ago and the largest American companies today and think about how many middle class Americans they employed...

You could find a better job 20 years ago the day after high school graduation than you can today after getting a bachelor's and doing two internships. Then add on they have a $600 per month student loan payment. People used to get married at age 20 and raise an entire family with 1 working adult.

People can say try harder try harder! But the numbers don't lie. The system as a whole is broken. The young kids are at a serious disadvantage.
 
Seriously **** the baby boomers **** my generation get out there n make somethin shake..I know if accounting fails that's IF I'm going into construction of that fails ill join the peace corps
 
Rexanglorum said:
Baby Boomers did accomplish a great deal as did the greatest generation, the World War II cohort.

They did not do it alone.

All of the key numbers, associated with either becoming middle Class or staying middle class, were favorable for returning GI's and their own children and those same numbers have not been good for people who were born in the 1980's and the 1990's.

The cost of education is up, the cost of buying a home is up, barriers to entry into the workforce are up, infrastructure investment is down, returns on investment for middle class savers are down and the level of economic growth is down.

Student loan debt is over one trillion dollars right now and despite our half dozen years of economic malaise, tuition just keeps going up across the board. Some will say that you can avoid this problem by going to trade school but they make students pay through the nose as well.

Another driver of inter-generational inequality is Federal and local housing policy. Nationally, we have low interest rates which drive up the price of homes, which price out younger workers and further increase the net worth of those who bough decades ago, when the price of homes were low. The problem is exacerbated in coastal and urban parts of the country because older homeowners tend to lobby to stop new home construction. Their own million dollar house is a fixture within the community all new houses constitute "sprawl."

Employers demand more credentials, experience and skills than ever before and a moribund labor market makes it possible for them to do so. For older generations, government paid for part of their education, K-12 and maybe College, and employers implicitly subsidized occupation specific training costs. They did it by hiring graduates and paying them at a rate than was hirer than their initial productivity could justify. Eventually, the new hire would catch on and would produce more than their wage but in that first year or so, firms paid you a real wage while you were still learning.

The government also used to build freeways that allowed folks to own a home in the suburbs and easily commute into the city to work; middle class people could put their modest savings into safe and reliable savings account, that would yield a great deal; the tax code once favored labor earnings over capital earning and the whole environment for the average person was so much more conducive to the ends of professional work, savings and home ownership.

The fact is that almost all of the guys will not be the next Jay-Z or Mark Zuckerberg. Most of you will not own a million dollar business, let alone invent a billion dollar app. The sooner we collectively drop the "aspirational" delusions and stop taking seriously the Tony Robbins inspired platitudes, the better of we will be. I suppose folks cling to the Horatio Alger narrative because it is scary to come to grips with the fact that individuals have so little control over a multitude of things that can profoundly affect our lives.

Macroeconomics matter and simply telling people to "work hard" is simplistic. In the US, we have about $30k GDP per capita, in Mexico they have a $3,000. Do you think that the average American works 10 times as hard as the average Mexican? Do we work 100 times harder than the people in parts of Africa where the GDP is $300 per year, per person? Unless you live in society that can leverage you labor into wealth, working hard and being ambitious will not get you out of poverty and into the Middle Class, let alone, allow you to become rich.
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I see where you are going but I disagree. The economy was different than it is now; for better and worse.
We act as if there aren't any jobs, when in fact there are jobs we just don't want to take them for whatever reason.

We do have control if our lives, i refuse to believe that as a smart, able bodied man that sees people around him finding work, the only reason I can't find work is because of someone else. If that's the case, no one I know should find work.

Working hard is simplistic, because we decide to make everything complicated with a million reasons for this or that, instead of the 'old school' way of rolling up your sleeves and getting to work. I believe in thAt, you can't find a job? Create one. There's a million ways to make a buck.

I believe in hard work, perseverance, patience. The fact that it works for one person means it can work for anyone; no one is better than me, if they can do it ain't no reason in this world I can't.
 
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People need to take responsibility for themselves.

2008 - Emailed my resume to my sister's friend at AT&T. He sent my resume in. Had a great paying job at AT&T business in downtown ATL for 48k + mad commssion (business sales segment). Quit after 8 months. Cliffnotes: not for me

2009: Applied for 400+ jobs from Jan to June. Nothing. Not even an interview. I have excellent resume writing skills, follow up skills, etc etc. In June took the CBEST test to become a substitute teacher (soooo easy, anyone can do it). Substitute taught from September to December. Applied for a teach abroad position in Korea (lot's of these available).

2010-2012: Taught abroad in South Korea, paid off undergrad loans, and stacked a few thousand on top of that. Realized the only way to get a decent job in America is through connections/university recruiting.

2012 - Present: Am in progress for a graduate degree in accountancy at a SF university. Took out mad student loans. Going to be paying off about 67k over 25 years (much more after interest is factored in). Reasonable, ~600 a month after I graduate. Studied like crazy, and did everything I didn't do (such as attend class/do hwk) and have a 3.97 GPA. Just did campus recruiting and got offers for an internship from all 10 prestigious companies I interviewed with.

2013 - Internship June to August, and will most likely get a full-time offer for 75k+ upon graduation. Not amazing...but a good start to a CAREER job for me.

Just saying....the opportunities are out there. Moving abroad to a foreign country was tough. Changing my habits was tough. Getting a high GPA was tough. It all came down to removing the extra from the life and focusing on the details. So sick of people that complain about life. People in other countries have it tough. The US isn't perfect, but the fact that if you work hard you will succeed still exists.
 
:lol: 75K not being amazing. I'm done. The **** I read on here. I'm going to start dumbing myself down here.
 
People assume getting a diploma means you're getting a job. All a diploma does is open a few extra doors for you. Sense of entitlement ftl
 
Wait so ninja, you're saying a BS in Engineering is a degree that is becoming useless?
 
ninjahood said:
:lol: who said that? look at da bottom of da list...i didn't think i had to walk a picture graphic to explain da point.
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Haha I'm not tryna flame you I just got confused.

You quoted a dude who said a bachelors is becoming more useless. Then proceeded to say especially the cookie cutter majors. And posted a picture of said cookie cutter majors.

Believe me, I'm a double engineering major (mechanical and nuclear) so I know that engineers have the best job prospects out of any major
 
Good luck on the FE man, I'm currently a senior but I'll be graduating in 2015 due to the double major. Hopefully I pass on the first go as well.

I love being an engineer. All the **** I go through, the countless hours studying and doing homework instills a strong sense of pride. :pimp:
 
are u kidding me? colleges drill you on soft skills....college students practice all the things they listed every day....they act like we're braindead zombies (well yeah)

just sounds like the employers simply don't want to hire
 
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engineering school sucks but it is a valuable degree to have. this guy I know is graduating this semester in chem E already has a $70k job lined up.

i still have 5 semesters left though. :smh:

any way, if you are an Arts & Sciences major (non-engineering), learn some technical/programming skills like web-site design (HTML), Java, CSS, C/C++ with a project that exemplifies those skills to prove that you can learn something challenging and apply your skills. Or be super-involved at your school, you will get lots of people who want to hire you because they know you or the people from your organization.

Employers get to cherry-pick the most outstanding grads nowadays because it's tilted in their favor. Recent grads have no money, little-to-none experience, and lots of loans.
 
WhatCanISay said:
Thanks, bro. Much appreciated. Good luck to you as well, you'll be just fine.

Isn't that the truth. I think I'm starting to bald though. :tongue:
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I'm convinced the stress from engineering has taken years off my life :lol:

And yes, programming languages are extremely useful for any major. Even if it's not something engineering based like MATLAB
, learn something related to your major. Like if you're in business, learn VBA
 
Is there any upside to a "communication technology" major? Had one of my boys try to sell me on this. :lol:

Told him that a major in business is a safer bet.
 
This thread hits me right in the feels. I'm in college now and I can assure you guys the fantasy if graduating and getting a decent job is not what it used to be. Even the engineering students are struggling to find employment that pays proportionally for their skills. Companies know we are desperate, and just low ball you
 
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