nice.

...and I picked the worst year to graduate from college. It's already 4 months and my 2 bachelor degrees from an accredited university does nothing for me?

It's even scarier how you have to tailor the resume and applications accordance to employers. I get more interviews in retail jobs if I DON'T mention a degree. Yet, being just recently graduated, a lot of "entry" level jobs just seems to require 5 years of experience minimum?!?!

Wow. That's incredible.

I hope I don't sound like a total asshole, but I am actually feeling positive about potentially being laid off (90% likely at this point, our company is being bought out). I'm tired of being jerked around, I'm tired of my spazzy CEO, I'm tired of my 2 hr/day commute.

At this point, I am riding this ship into the ground. Hopefully I will get a severance. It will be the push I need to move forward in my career.

Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who feels this way; I think it's just being burned out from waiting to hear what's going to happen.

And, of course, I will be singing a different tune 4 months down the line when I can't get hired at Taco Bell.

@Eric Le Yu: Yeah, 2 years here since I graduated with a BS and BA from Colorado State, and the longest I was employed after graduating was delivering pizzas. I have been told repeatedly to leave my degrees off of my apps so that I don't appear overqualified. SO much for playing the game, right?

@Eric Le Yu:

If you find a company that wants people who can get good grades when doing tests, can write a good thesis, and attend lectures well--your bachelor degree will be in high demand.

Otherwise, all it really proves is that you have the above skills, along with a (possibly--for some fields, cheating is rampant, I'm thinking CS here) foundation of knowledge for the subject. Some companies may also believe it proves you enjoy learning, although, from my personal experience, a degree doesn't prove that at all.

When companies are interested in a strong work ethic, you're going to need to work on the experience quotient. Which is tough if entry level jobs are expecting experience. But perhaps you aren't going low enough or trying hard enough? I started my programming career by opening a store on a shoestring budget and later working as a lackey in a computer lab and in call centres. Not to mention pulling cables and being an electrician's assistant as well.

@Eric Le Yu: Think of it this way, at least this isn't your year to retire.

In reality, you need to suck it up and just work. Anywhere. I actually just wrote a piece about recent college grads and job hunting. Yes, you DO have to tailor your resume for each type of job, and yes, you will have better luck getting a retail job without mentioning your degree. It's just the reality.

About the entry level piece....they don't all require that, they're just trying to weed out potential employees. Never let what's listed on a job description deter you from applying.

If all else fails, try to find temp work. It's soul-crushingly boring, but you'll be able to beef up your resume. I worked for 9 months out of college (while waitressing) as a receptionist/admin. While there I talked them into letting me take classes in Excel and Access (why is that so few college grads know Windows? It's amazing....). I rarely used/use those programs, but at least I can say I can. Everything you learn counts for something.

Good luck.

@Eric Le Yu: Im in the same spot you are. All I can really say is "sucks, dont it?"

Our generation came too late to the party and now we're stuck cleaning up vomit-soaked carpet. The only consolation is that we're not at retirement age wondering where our money is and if we'll be able to find someone who'll hire a 60-plus year old retiree.

@Eric Le Yu: Also, I know a lot of people recommend looking for something "below" entry level, but I'd actually recommend the opposite. At least in addition to applying for those lower-skilled jobs.

Every now and then you'll find a hiring manager who is actually looking for someone with less experience, as they want someone who will have some learning curves, remain engaged, and not spend all their time bored/looking for something else. And, they can pay you less.

So, if you find something that interests you, go for it. Make your case. You never know!

I would venture to say the figure is more closer to 20% in the nation. And where I live, eastern, rural Arkansas, I'd venture to say it's closer to 30% or more, believe it or not.

But even at 15.6%, that is absolutely incredible. To think you're living in the greatest country in the world and AT LEAST 15% are unemployed...that just blows my mind. Sad, very sad...

i know the pain.

i graduated in 1987. smack dab in the middle of the 80's me-me-spend-spend-party-party-coke-coke fueled recession. the fun was over by the time i could have my hack at NYC

@Penny Plastic:

At least you'll have the satisfaction that you'll be making some of the best Nachos and Cheese that can be had for 99 cents. In the end, isn't job satisfaction what we all really want? I mean that and a fat paycheck.

@Citizen Kang: All the bean burritos I can eat....I can think of worse perks.

Oh, and this number has risen 65% in the last 13 months (In March 2008, that number was 9.3%). It's frightening, very frightening to be without a job these days...

I've spent the last six months looking for practically anything, then out of the blue I manage to get myself hired full time at HP. How the hell did that work?

@Xero_Azmea: Your answer is the first part of your question :-)

FINALLY! Someone starts talking about the U-6 instead of the bullshit U-3.

I've been crowing about the U-3 as long as I can remember.

So I'm guessing this is the reason that on a Wednesday afternoon the roadways are clogged in the relatively small towns I drive through (I have a job that requires driving to customers)?

@Penny Plastic: Lulz

I'm just finishing getting my AA and getting a plan together to get my BA. All this talk about degrees hurting you job search is depressing. Why go to school if it is a penalty at some point?

@Eric Le Yu: I orginally graduated in 2001 with an associates degree in Computer Animation (motion graphics mostly some 3D), I found a job at BJ's warehouse unloading 50 footers.

I had a few other jobs then went back to school, I'm still there......and still at this hellish job...

@shepd: Did you not read what he said? " the longest I was employed after graduating was delivering pizzas" Sounds like he is applying for about as low as you can go.

@Benjamin M Martin:

Why is 15.6% incredible? You can't compare apples to oranges. Based on this set of variables, unemployment was probably 8-10% even back in the booming 90's.

hey way to steal my thunder from another thread......

[consumerist.com]

but yea this should be something people really talk about. The Great Depression used the U6 way of calculating unemployment.

@turkeyspam:

Because at other points it's not? If you really think it's useless then quit school.

@Eric Le Yu: Same boat. Graduated in November with a psychology degree... no, you can't do anything in psychology with a 4 year degree, but I thought it would be a start. My only work experience has been 4 years in an office. I thought THAT would help, too. Nope. Too inexperienced for everything requiring a degree, too overqualified for everything else. Being broke and in Chicago (big mistake to move here), there's been a lot of McDonald's eating... more than once we have found ourselves just driving away from a drive through because the person taking our order did not understand enough English to actually know what we were saying and TAKE OUR ORDER. And yet, I am not hirable because I am TOO qualified.

My husband is in the same position, and he has two interviews this week. After months and months of nothing. One is an usher position at a theater, and another is a dishwashing job. We are just praying that he gets SOMETHING. We don't care what it is (he actually did dishes for a month, less than minimum wage, until someone's friend wanted a job). He'll take ANY job and work the hell out of it because we don't care what it pays; it's a job, and we need it.

I feel like I wasted 4 years of my life in college. It's insulting and embarrassing. I finished high school with flying colors, I never failed a single class in college and graduated in 4 years + one quarter, and I have absolutely nothing in terms of a criminal record. And yet, 5 months along, I have no job, and we're living on food stamps and unable to pay rent. Neither of us will turn down ANY job--hence the less than minimum wage gig that my husband had going on. I'm not stuck up enough to turn something down that is "below me."

I've given up and decided to go back to school. It means tons and tons of debt, because it will ALL have to be paid for by financial aid, but it's getting to be a life or death decision. Mentally, I can't handle being completely useless like I am right now. I have to do something.

@Penny Plastic: I felt the same way when I injured and forced to quit my job. It wasn't easy, but it gave me a much-needed push to pursue a different direction in life.

@turkeyspam: It's not a penalty, don't think that way!

The tricky thing about advanced education is that people view it as a simple equation. "If I have a BA/S, I am entitled to ZYZ" OR "It will make it easier to attain XYZ."

My dad, who has his PhD in chemistry, does this. Drives me insane.

In my opinion college is a rounding out mechanism, for most people at least. I long for the day when there is far less stigma about not going to a 4-year university and vocational programs are more common. Which, I think is sloooooowly happening.

In the end, look at school as an opportunity to learn. That's really all it is. And, if I can give you any advice, intern and work as much as you can.

@mcjake: The OP didn't say that.

@Penny Plastic: My dad, who has his PhD in chemistry, does this.

You should listen to him. That being said there are some 4 year degrees that are not really very useful, but if you get a degree in Engineering, Accounting, Nursing etc you can be pretty certain that you will be able to get a professional position where you are paid far more and do much more interesting work than you would otherwise.

@turkeyspam:

@turkeyspam: Because it won't be like this forever.

Unemployed + part-timers + underemployed = at least 20%.

I'm getting my Phd, and still got some time here. However, I've got some friends that are undergrads saying "I think I better go to grad school, it's the only place that will pay me."

The real unemployment rate is easily double what is reported in the media. They also don't account for self-employed people, who are not eligible for unemployment benefits and thus, get lost in the shuffle.

I agree with what others are saying here, at least 20% is the real number.

@1234tu: Listen to him in what regard, exactly?

I am thrilled he has his PhD in something he loves, but no, I won't listen to him complain about how he isn't paid enough blah blah blah....he works for the CA EPA and I've told him that if it's money he's after, he should go into private industry.

I adore my dad, don't get me wrong, but it's a HUGE pet peeve of mine, people over-educating themselves and then waxing poetic about all the shit they deserve. Especially in my dad's case, as my mom put him through college while working at Safeway.

Education is fantastic, I'd love to go back for a graduate degree someday. But I don't come out of it thinking I deserve some kind of acclaim simply because I have a masters/PhD.

As for 4-year degrees, I personally think they all have the potential to be valuable depending on how they're approached. Yes, not every program is created equal. A computer science degree will afford far different opportunities than a social sciences degree.

Unemployment is unemployment. I don't exactly count a part-time job as unemployment.

@Omar Elizondo: I have friends that did that. Now they are in far more debt. It's not a decision to be taken lightly, for sure.

@Penny Plastic: holy god, a two hour commute? That's painful.

@GTB: You're telling me. Even longer on Fridays - Tahoe traffic. I HATE SKIERS ;-)

@The Marionette: If you want full-time employment and can only get part-time, especially if it's not in your normal field of employment, it should count in the unemployment statistics.

This is also why, when people diss Euro-style economies for their "high" unemployment, they conveniently fail to mention that most Euro countries include the part-time + non-seeking-work numbers to report national unemployment rates. Suddenly those persistent ~10+% rates don't look so bad.

What about people who don't qualify for unemployment benefits (not just those who've "given up" looking for a job) and recent college/high school graduates who have yet to find work of any kind? I think we can probably bump that figure up a few more notches.

@iblamehistory: Are you me? Cause I was in a similar boat. When layoffs at my previous employer were announced, someone tried to soften the blow with "maybe you could take this opportunity to go back to school" and the only thing I could think of was, "with whose money?" I'm contemplating a master's now, but I'm in your boat - I'm tired of being useless. I'm working for minimum wage, and I'm still going insane. But I don't know if I could dig myself into debt right now, not knowing how much money I'll have in a year to start paying it off.

The job market in my area isn't as bad as it is in some others, but a lot of people are struggling - I was lucky when I graduated two years ago, but it's scary times now. And the college students have it bad as well because they don't necessarily have any professional experience to speak of, they're young enough to not have seen a previous recession, and it's difficult to get a job in your field when people are skittish about hiring and you are entering into a tough economy.

@minsky: Errr... the unemployment percentages are based on surveys of random households; they are NOT based on those receiving unemployment benefits. (Those stats are published, but they are used mainly as an indicator of hiring trends, not total employment.)

This is a shockingly common misconception.

SirWired

Yep, I was a textbook buyer handling about 7 million dollars worth of merchandise a year. Now, I do housekeeping for the same people I used to order books for and am back in college full time. I'm looking for other work, but just can't find anything in part because of being overqualified for a lot of entry level positions. Target and CVS both ask if you have supervisor experience, and if you lie, you can get fired for that (if you're caught), and if you tell the truth, then you won't get hired.

@Clobberella: Unemployment numbers are based on surveys of households; the numbers of those receiving unemployment benefits are separate, and used for different purposes. (Mainly the monitoring of hiring trends in the overall economy.)

@1234tu: I always say this, but it's supremely important that you actually want a degree in nursing or engineering or accounting. These are skills that can mean life and death, because you would be putting in someone's IV, you may be designing structures that house people, and you may be handling someone's taxes. It's extremely important that you a) want to do this and b) have proficiency. Just because I want to be an engineer doesn't mean I can wrap my brain around equations. I can't, hence why I'm not an engineer.

I just see a lot of people (not you specifically) say, "well you wouldn't be in this mess if you had X degree," but I turn right around and say, "well even if I had X degree, it still wouldn't make me good at my job, would it?" Degrees can be meaningless if you're bad at your job - look at all the bailout banks and their MBA-holding CEOs.

@turkeyspam: School is your most valuable resource. You not only obtain education, you meet people who can help your career. By the time you become a seasoned professor, you know a lot of people in your field. Scientists in particular know people in their field because there's more pressure to compete for research funding. Do not leave school. I know someone who left college, and she can't find a job anywhere - she's not qualified to do anything she wants to do because she doesn't have a degree - she didn't actually complete the training that she needed to get into her field. Who would hire someone who abandoned their education? What does that say about their work ethic? I'm not trying to be harsh, just truthful. I am a big believer in education.

@PeteRR: Yes, because even though I have a job, it won't feed me or pay my rent, or allow me to save money.