Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire self inflicted unemployment

This morning's paper has an article about how 50% of today's college grads are either unemployed or under-employed. IMHO, all too many of them look like this. Degree or not, how many employers want one of their professionals to have petrified snot hanging out of his nose? This pic was with the article. He's a college grad working in a coffee shop because he can't find a real job.

To look at the problem from another angle, how many of these grads have degrees with NO value in the job market? Most employers need people with a useful knowledge of something other than philosophy or the history of art. How about a 'truth in education' law to force colleges to reveal the potential job market for each degree they offer?

folks usually learn soon enough what is acceptale (read desired) in the job market. remember, the world needs ditch diggers too.

A degree is not a guarantee intelligence.

People will call me names over this, but I would not hire anyone with visible tats or piercings to represent my company whether it's to the public or other companies. If you have either of those, you get relegated to behind the scenes kind of jobs which don't pay as well.

Paper says this guys job is creative-writing.
Too bad he didn't get into computer or engineering.

The larger part of the problem is that students can spend mega thousands of dollars on a degree without the college ever telling them that it's a total waste of time and money. They need some kind of realistic rating system for how marketable degrees are.

X1
I will not hire someone painted or pierced beyond normal sized earrings.

As far as all of these liberal arts degrees, they are worth nothing today. My son switched gears mid stream last year and now is in welding and machining after two years of liberal arts. Already getting interviews with some major companies.

I wonder how many of those 50% of College Grads that are either unemployed or underemployed had degree's in basket weaving? Colleges have been cranking out worthless degrees for decades now. But when the economy was working and not being screwed with to much by the government, college grads found jobs. Its like I tell student pilots that want to fly for a living, make note of ever entry pilot job you come across, because in the 18 month it going to take you to get all the needed certificates and ratings, those jobs will become available when those who are currently flying those jobs move on. My guess its no different in College, party till you drop and then wonder what to do with a week or two before graduation. its the end of April, its kind of late to start looking if you are graduation in the first week of May. As for that guy in the photo, I am surprise he got a job making coffee! You don't need a 4 year degree and 120K in student loan debt to be able to make a cup of joe. If he was a pilot, I would not hire him, he looks unprofessional.

I think he needs to learn to look for a job first. Heck, corporations need people to come up with lies (creative writing) all the time.

My wife and I own a business and we have addressed this as company policy. Men can have no facial hair, piercings or visible tattoos and hair must be above the collar.
For women we allow pierced ears, but only one earing per ear and it must be in the lobe.
Some interviews end rather quickly, but I am pretty sure we have never lost out on a quality hire because of it.

People who want to work, work; those who don't major in creative writing.


I think the real question should be on whether colleges have the purpose of training a person in a specific field only or in producing a person with a rounded knowledge base.

From studies I've read a person with a college degree working in the the area of study is only a head of a person with a major in another area for less than six months. After six months the performance is determined by the individuals initiative.

In the end a degree is just a piece of paper and the real value is the person, or not. A gorilla can set in med school for years but I still wouldn't want it to operate on me.

The article with this pic said that degrees in math, the various sciences, education, and health fields are selling. Liberal Arts degrees are a waste. This guy has a degree in creative writing (now there MUST be a high demand for that one!). He can't find a job so he's thinking about getting a graduate degree in it. Sheesh. He apparently can't learn from his mistakes.

I recently had a meeting with a gentleman who is about to open a small pizza parlor.
He was going through applications, hundreds of them, for about 8 jobs.
As he quickly went through about 2 dozen, roughly half had a college degree in �Liberal Arts�.
A college degree, waiting in line for a job to push a broom, wash dishes and hope for a promotion so he/she could throw pizzas.

Want to know why 50% of grads are unemployable? Let's look at degrees you can earn at UCLA:
(responses get better as I got more annoyed)

UCLA College of Letters and Science
Click on the major name for more information.

Afro-American Studies (B.A.)
(Unemployable)

American Indian Studies (B.A.)
(Unemployable)

American Literature and Culture (B.A.)
(Unemployable without teaching certificate)

Anthropology (B.A.)
(Unemployable)

Anthropology (B.S.)
(Unemployable)

Arabic (B.A.)
(Unemployable outside of US Military)
Art History (B.A.)

Asian American Studies (B.A.)
(Unemployable)

Asian Humanities (B.A.)
(Unemployable)

Asian Religions (B.A.)
(Unemployable)

Astrophysics (B.S.)
(Unemployable without MS or PhD)

Atmospheric, Oceanic and Environmental Sciences (B.S.)
(Unemployable without MS or PhD)

Biochemistry (B.S.)
(jobworthy)

Biology (B.S.) [1]
(Need teaching cert)
Biophysics (B.S.)
(marginally employable without MS or PhD)

Business Economics (B.A.) [1,2,3]
(Marginally employable without MBA)
Central and East European Languages and Cultures (B.A.)
(Unemployable)

Chemistry (B.S.)
(jobworthy)
Chemistry, General (B.S.) [4]
(need teaching cert)
Chemistry/Materials Science (B.S.)
(need MS)

Chicana and Chicano Studies (B.A.)
(be for real, hombre)
Chinese (B.A.)
(right!)
Classical Civilization (B.A.)
(many jobs available once time travel is perfected
Cognitive Science (B.S.) [2]
(would you like fries with that?)

Communication Studies (B.A.) [1,5]
(employable in the media)

Comparative Literature (B.A.)

Computational and Systems Biology (B.S.) [2]
(can't understand where all the 6 figure jobs are?)

Earth and Environmental Science (B.A.)
(without a MS-no dice)
East Asian Studies (B.A.)
(forget it)

Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution (B.S.)
(better teach)

Economics (B.A.) [1,2,3]
(need MS, but jobworthy)

English (B.A.)
(conduit for law school)

Environmental Science (B.S.)

European Studies (B.A.)
(better marry someone with a good paying career)

French (B.A.)
(ditto)
French and Linguistics (B.A.)

Gender Studies (B.A.)
formerly Women's Studies
(qualifies you to write a blog bashing men, western studies, and advance GLBT rights)

Geography (B.A.)
(work for Mapquest?)

Geography/Environmental Studies (B.A.)

Geology (B.S.)

Geology/Engineering Geology (B.S.)
(employable)

Geology/Paleobiology (B.S.)
(employable)

Geophysics/Applied Geophysics (B.S.)
(need MS)

Geophysics/Geophysics and Space Physics (B.S.)
Need MS)

German (B.A.)
(Nichts Arbeiten ohne Das School)

Global Studies (B.A.) [1,2]
(Starbucks counter)
Greek (B.A.)
(Zorba's bakery)

Greek and Latin (B.A.)
(Better teach)

History (B.A.) [2]
(conduit for law school)

Human Biology and Society (B.S.) [2] new
(nada)

International Development Studies (B.A.) [1,2]
(nada)

Iranian Studies (B.A.)
(soon to include nuclear science and radiation management in curriculum)


Italian (B.A.)
(Domino's pizza in your future)

Italian and Special Fields (B.A.)
(forget it)

Japanese (B.A.)
(teach)
Jewish Studies (B.A.)
(aggrevate your Rabbi with your knowledge)

Korean (B.A.)
(nada)
Latin (B.A.)
(useful only after time travel. Can sit in Roman Senate)

Latin American Studies (B.A.)
(Become a Revolutionary like Che)

Linguistics (B.A.)
(really?)

Linguistics and Anthropology (B.A.)
(You Cannot be serious?)

Linguistics and Asian Languages and Cultures (B.A.)
(no, seriously??)

Linguistics and Computer Science (B.A.)
(you are making this up?)

Linguistics and English (B.A.)
(???)
Linguistics and French (B.A.)
(unreal)

Linguistics and Italian (B.A.)
(they make you pay tuition for this?)
Linguistics and Philosophy (B.A.)
(No [bleep] way...)

Linguistics and Psychology (B.A.)
(OMG)

Linguistics and Scandinavian Languages (B.A.)
(talk to smoked eel?)

Linguistics and Spanish (B.A.)
(Carte Verde?)

Marine Biology (B.S.)
(MS needed)
Mathematics (B.S.) [2]
(teach)
Mathematics, Applied (B.S.) [2]
(better)
Mathematics/Applied Science (B.S.) [2]
(better yet)
Mathematics/Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (B.S.)
(unknown)
Mathematics/Economics (B.S.) [2]
(better)
Mathematics for Teaching (B.S.) [2]
(no kidding?
Mathematics of Computation (B.S.) [2]
(computer world. Need MS or better)
Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (B.S.) [2]
(worthly without advanced degree)
Middle Eastern Studies (B.A.) new
(Allah be praised)

Middle Eastern and North African Studies (B.A.)
(Jihad by another name)
Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology (B.S.)
(need advanced degree)
Music History (B.A.)
(better marry well)

Neuroscience (B.S.)
(need advanced degree)

Philosophy (B.A.)
(need I say it?)
Physics (B.A.) [4]
(advanced degree required)
Physics (B.S.)

Physiological Science (B.S.)
(????WTF??)
Political Science (B.A.) [2]
(conduit for las school)
Portuguese (B.A.)
(sigh)
Psychobiology (B.S.) [2]
(psychobable)
Psychology (B.A.) [2]
(MRS. studies)
Religion, Study of (B.A.)
(work at homeless shelter-as a vounteer)
Russian Language and Literature (B.A.)
(Nyet)

Russian Studies (B.A.)
((double Nyet))
Scandinavian Languages and Cultures (B.A.)
(same)
Sociology (B.A.) [1,2]
(law school degree0

Southeast Asian Studies (B.A.)
(some here made history in SE Asia)
Spanish (B.A.)
(que pasa? work on a yard crew for the summer?)

Spanish and Community and Culture (B.A.)
(bevome an agitator on the payroll of the Gov of Mexico)
Spanish and Linguistics (B.A.)
(same)
Spanish and Portuguese (B.A.)
(read Hemingway Death in the Afternoon)
Statistics (B.S.) [2]
( good with MS)
Individual Field of Concentration (B.A./ B.S.) [4]
(needed by some of my 10 year old baseball players)

I'm gonna start the name-calling...

Smart!

The number of useless degrees available is crazy. On the other hand political correctness requires that we make room in Universities for everyone, not just those capable of learning difficult subject matter. Add to that the fact that there is a ton of federal money available to help all those less than capable people pay for school and we end up with a whole lot of people who shouldn't be there getting useless degrees that will get them nowhere. The people running the schools couldn't care less, because they are getting rich (which is really kind of ironic, because they are, for the most part, a bunch of socialists).

I remember a guy I went to school with, who majored in Japanese. Last time I saw him, he was assistant manager at a shoe store in a mall. Made me think of Al Bundy.

I'm 31, I just got hired at National Grid, which is our Power and Gas distributer in Ny and a few other northeast states. Half of the people that showed up to take the Field Assessment testing showed up in jeans and t-shirts, with tatoos and ear rings. I showed up clean cut in a suit for both the test and interview, and got the job. I also enrolled in a local community college this fall for the electrical construction class, which I plan on carrying over to the lineman course that they offer. I figure the way this economy is going anything I can do to keep ahead of the rest will help me in the long run.

My daughter (Native American) graduated with a degee in Anthropology and Archeology. She had visions of being the next Indiana Jones with one of the Indian tribes.

When I asked her, what kind of job she was going to get she gave me the standard long list of "supposed" jobs the school was giving her. One look told me they were BS, but what did I know compared to her liberal professors.

Well she found out to get an entry job in Archeology she needed a Masters, so she worked 4 years as an "archeology tech" with a pick axe, shovel and wheel barrow 10 hrs a day at $10 an hour and no benefits. She lived in tents and hotels and found out "ticks get in wild places".

The lights went on when she said one day, "I spent 6 years going to school to learn to be a Mexican". She went back to school in a paralegal program (1 yr) and is now making more money than her sister who is a lawyer.

We do not have a good system of trade schools and other programs that train kids for real jobs in lieu of telling everyone that they "Must" go to college with huge student loans to support the liberal arts academia.

Adequately stated. My college degree (1974) has done almost nothing for me. It only says I have stuck with something for four years. Then I got an M.Div., which was better, but narrow.

Although the long list of useless degrees above hits the nail pretty squarely, the real truth is in what what I've made boldface above.

But it's worse even than that. A story: I have a close friend who has an Ivy League MBA and teaches business in a state university. She teaches a class on entrepreneurship, and invites self-employed small business creators to speak to the class. I know one guy she has brought to speak. He has a limousine service and owns a fleet of cars and vans. He and his drivers travel between Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and the many smaller local airports. She brings him to speak to the class about how to find a need and create a business to meet it. The first question out of the mouth of a college student -- keep in mind the kid is studying entrepreneurship -- is this: "Are you hiring?"

What's discouraging isn't that these kids aren't interested in creating businesses that create jobs. It's that they can't even be motivated to be self-reliant.

I don't care if a kid majors in psychology or chemical engineering. The high likelihood is that within 10 years he is going to change careers. If he is going to succeed, he will need a can-do attitude and a desire to make his own way, whether as an employee or a self-employed.

Steve.