Is it harder for young people to get established today?

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2004-10-23 11:15am

You know, if teaching doesn't work out, starting over as an electrician's apprentice doesn't sound like the worst job in the world. I've never been that concerned I make as much money as possible, as long as I've got enough that I can fall asleep at night without worrying where the next car payment is coming from. At what electricians make, I'd have to totally mismanage my fianances into the ground, or have six kids, for that to be an issue.

BoredShirtless · Post by **BoredShirtless** » 2004-10-23 11:18am

And once you get the trade down, become self employed for some serious money.

BoredShirtless · Post by **BoredShirtless** » 2004-10-23 11:19am

200 bucks for replacing a power point, how does that sound?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2004-10-23 11:25am

The difference is that an MBA can make $100k for basically sitting around in his office and jerking himself off. A plumber has to actually work for a living

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2004-10-23 11:29am

Darth Wong wrote:The difference is that an MBA can make $100k for basically sitting around in his office and jerking himself off. A plumber has to actually work for a living

Actually, to be fair, some MBAs work their asses off. Not physically, but I know people well above me in the company hierarchy who put in 60, sometimes 80 hours a week for no overtime pay. Good managers are always essential. The problem comes when an MBA is seen as a substitute for people skills, business sense, and experience, which happens too often in American business.

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2004-10-23 11:33am

Shinova wrote:Is it a good idea, if you get a computer science degree or a similar tech-field degree, to try to find work at a government agency, or for the military?

Work for the government and milk it for all it's worth. That's what I'm doing right now and it kicks ass, well, other than the damn strike.

BoredShirtless wrote:And once you get the trade down, become self employed for some serious money.

Possible, but if your business goes down you go down with it and you could possibly end up broke & in debt. With a executive or consultant, if the company goes broke, he merely ends up with the same job at another company after taking a 2 month paid vacation.

HemlockGrey · Post by **HemlockGrey** » 2004-10-23 11:51am

I'm hoping to dodge this bullet, when I graduate from college in the next...oh, 6-8 years. Due do my good fortune in being the son of a university professor, I enjoy the advantage of being able to go to a wide range of respectable universities without facing crippling loans and tuition. Jobwise, I've always liked the prospect of the Foreign Service, at least temporarily,since it will ensure you a home, job security and reasonably good pay.

J · Post by J » 2004-10-23 12:38pm

HemlockGrey wrote:Jobwise, I've always liked the prospect of the Foreign Service, at least temporarily,since it will ensure you a home, job security and reasonably good pay.

It's a good field (done it in co-op, in it again), but be prepared for lots of BS gofer work in the beginning. The people who were hired at the same time I was are mostly stuck doing pointless "busy-work" projects whereas thanks to my Princeton degree and previous work experience in Boston & Nepal I've managed to skip above most of the muck to more meaningful work.

BoredShirtless · Post by **BoredShirtless** » 2004-10-23 12:55pm

aerius wrote:Possible, but if your business goes down you go down with it and you could possibly end up broke & in debt. With a executive or consultant, if the company goes broke, he merely ends up with the same job at another company after taking a 2 month paid vacation.

Paid vacation? Depends on how broke that company gets