“Young Workers: A Lost Decade.”

reply to post by kdial1


You really want to talk about getting angry?

You are ex military.

How many applications have you had to fill out?
What was your job description?

The U.S. companies in bed with the Government hire ex military for a reason... Read Below. Thats an order Soldier.

Back to applications- How many applications ask about military experience? Well ive filled in over 100 applications in the last 2 years and I would have to say i've seen 80% of them with that question.

The Corporate Industry is LOOKING for EX-MILITARY... do you want to know why? Because they follow orders, they have shown that they will kill innocent people in order to serve their country. They dont care that their Government chooses violence over peace, so they wont care when their companies screw millions over out of billions of dollars.

In other Words If you are Ex-Military, the chances of you doing what i tell you to do is very high... the chances of me pulling one over you... very high. You have proved that you are a follower and not a leader you will fit great into my company. You are hired, im not looking at your job history, im looking at the "Have you served in the Military: YES". I can use you, and by use you i mean abUSE you.

What really should make you angry is that your angry for all the wrong reasons.

That survey isn't a joke. Its not bull. I went into the Air Force and i made an 85 on my asvab (which opened EVERY SINGLE JOB to me). I got a guaranteed contract to be a SERE Instructor, I found out I would have to assist overseas as a specialist (desert survival), and i did everything i could do to get out, the base psychologist was my last option. We had a long @$$ discussion about different things he said "Im sorry soldier, I cannot let you go... there is nothing wrong with you except your more aware of whats going on and plan too far ahead". then i told him "i do not care what it takes, i will leave the military... I value life, and I have a problem with killing people that im ordered to kill (hoping to get conscientious objector), and id rather have a choice to kill people who are threats, not people who may be 10 yrs down the road" he said oh. "So you value life?" I said "yes i do" He said give me a few minutes, he left the room... talked to someone. Then he came back and he told me this. Im going to give you an option. You can discharge from the air force but we cannot do it in the ways you want, there will be a price. I said ok. AND WHAT A PRICE. I got an Uncharacterized discharge due to "anxiety" which lost me my secret clearance, lost me my weapons handling and it did in fact ruin my career options. I asked him why anxiety, he said who doesnt have anxiety? He said your anxious about having to kill people are you not? So long story short, when I apply to jobs i put that I was in the Military and i have to put how long, and my discharge type. I have lots of friends who have gone civilian and they said they got the job they wanted almost immediately. However for me it doesn't work immediately, in fact i dont even get call backs. I have built networks for computers since i was 14, i built my 3rd computer and i've built over 50 computers for people. I rebuilt my first car and second car. I've been an assistant manager before. My GPA is a 3.8. All of my ex clients have nothing but good things to say about ( i use them as references). I've done carpentry work since i was little, i've done landscaping, i've really pretty much done it all. Yet I cannot even get simple jobs at Wal-Marts, Lowes, Home Depot, Office Depot, but get this. I had a family member go to Office Depot and ask them if they were hiring, they said yes. So they told them all about me... they were like wow, we could really use him. Have him send his application in from the website, so i did... I called the manager a week later he said that they are still hiring but im not a candidate, i asked why... He said company policy. What was he going to say? I've worked for 3 computer companies before, but im not qualified enough to work in the technology (computer sections) sales position? I said i had family come in and tell you about me and yall were excited, what changed? He told me to have a nice day... and hung up.

The thing is, i never had a problem getting a job before i joined the AF. In fact i never applied more than once, i always got the job on the spot. Since i discharged with something OTHER THAN an Honorable Discharge (altho uncharachterized is honorable) I dont get jobs...

Dont pull the shame card out. You do not understand the game.

You have military experience, they want you, you've proven yourself. Good job.

edit to add:

just for your information... I work 40 hours a week, for a personal friend who is a contractor, (this past week i moved over 2 tons of workout equipment to a new gym i helped build) i also attend classes 15 hours a week. If you want to hear about dedicated and determined, there is just one instance for you. I hope you rethink telling people they are lazy without knowing the story. I also run an average of 22 miles a week in my spare time...

You really make me angry...

ok maybe you dont make me angry, but the arrogance and ignorance put into that post makes me angry... "Fo Sho". I bet since I typed my statement like a minority would, you've set-up a judgement about me already I used to do the same thing, but then when the SHTF and i knew what these ppl were dealing with and I actually experienced it... you can say i quit that. Hopefully you will atleast rethink it.

[edit on 5-9-2009 by rjmelter]

reply to post by kosmicjack


That was hilarious! Thanks for lightening the mood - I actually have a sore stomach and back after laughing at that

I feel that part of the problem is the 'young workers' have become too accustomed to times of afflence and a consumer have-it-all social attitude, then complain that there aren't the jobs that fit in with that sentiment of expectation and entitlement.

there can only be one solution to these constant economic bubbles...

get rid of money


its silly that we allow people to sleep on streets and go hungry because they lack a piece of paper.

we have the resources to clothe, feed, educate, and house every single person on this planet comfortably.

ET doesnt use money and neither should we. and thats the dirty little secret the elite dont want us knowing.

money creates an awful system that benefits very few.

we have the resources to let everyone eat steak and lobster in a 3,000 sq ft home and most wouldnt need to work. it could be a golden age.

but if you mention no money to most, first word they say is communist.

the answer is technology

we have the technology to grow food in a desert. we have the technology to automate most jobs. we have the technology to build things to last forever. but we let money restrict that

money based system is incredibly inefficient and its on purpose. we could build homes from synthetic diamond but that isnt ideal because it would last forever. no, we need to build homes that rot the second we finish them so jobs can exist

the chase for money will always lead us down this path. it will continue to destroy natural resources and wasteful consumption. it will always restrict technological advances.

its time we end money and look to technology to free us from this ridiculous world

Anybody in my age bracket (32) sick of old people saying "Its allright for you young people that were born with technology........"
1. What good is it if you can't afford to buy it?
2. So how much did you pay for your house and were you able to afford the repayments on one wage?
3. How did your kids like daycare and all the sexual predators and bullying that comes with parents only spending the hours of 6pm to 9pm with their kids. Oh, thats right, the world was different back then.
4. "Now I'm old so you are going to have to be patient with me and show me how to use it:" . Sorry, I show you enough patience at traffic lights and lunch lines, what have you done for me lately? I love standing behind you in the lunch line while your brain works out what you want to eat even though you've been standing in front of the menu for 10 minutes. I get 30 minutes as a lunch break.
5. "I fought in 2 world wars so you could be free." I'm not free, I'm a slave to the arrogant pricks that won the war and wrote the history books. Were you aware of the real reason you were CONSCRIPTED and forced to fight? It hurts less if you are constantly told you are a hero and did the right thing.
6. Ever had your jaw wired up because you wore the wrong shirt or were considered different because you don't wear the latest brand name?
7. Super annuation aint super when kryptonite is introduced into the world economy,
8. I'm sorry, you have time to drive at 40 kph, me and all the people behind you do not. Do you realise if you drive too slow, I turn up to work just on time or slightly late? I leave home 1/2 an hour early just in case. P.S If I turn up to work late I lose my job, my house and my wife. I can't just beat her to keep her in line like you could back in your day and have the police back YOU up.
9. You could flog the 9 colours of sh1t out of your kids to keep them in line. Our kids divorce us and take a percentage of our earnings if we even raise our voice.
10. I don't care how things were in your day. It is not your day and the amount of time I have to spare on small talk each day WILL NOT be spent listening to annecdotes that are hillarious to you but completely irrelevant to me and my existance on this planet. Please don't.
11. Old people are resistant to change. Watch star trek. Resistance is futile. Deal with it.
12. "I want a decent mobile phone, but no cameras, mp3 players or video." I'm sorry sir, my time machine is broken. The keys are small because they can be. If a blind man can use it your so called "big fingers" should not be too much of a handicap. Please.....just try it instead of whinging.
13. Stop whinging. Whats with the whinging? That went out with blouses and trousers.
14. Only 2% of old people are funny. You are not funny. Period. Please make the contact I am forced to have with you as short as possible.
15. Do something about that smell. You need to shower more when you get old. Please do this even if you don't agree with the other 14 points. This is key.
16. The 50's finished in 1960. Please observe this rule.
17. TRY SOMETHING NEW THAT WILL RELEIVE THE BURDON YOU ARE PLACING ON SOCIETY.

"ITS ALLRIGHT FOR YOU OLD PEOPLE THAT ARE SO FAR FREE FROM EUTHENASIA LEGISLATION. I DON'T THINK I WILL BE THAT LUCKY!!!"

Well, the two posts above just amply illustrate whats so f*****g wrong with the world

...an entitlement to technology to provide 'lobsters and 3000 sq.ft home for everybody, regardless of cost to produce or financial expense as money should now be free'

...an expectation that everybody should fall into thinking along the same world view, and if not 'get the hell out of my way and don't dare interrupt/impede me'

A selfish sense of entitlement and ignorance if ever I came across it

[edit on 5-9-2009 by Taikonaut]

It rolls down hill...at least the issue is getting some play:


www.nytimes.com...

This August, the teenage unemployment rate — that is, the percentage of teenagers who wanted a job who could not find one — was 25.5 percent, its highest level since the government began keeping track of such statistics in 1948. Likewise, the percentage of teenagers over all who were working was at its lowest level in recorded history.

“There are an amazing number of kids out there looking for work,” said Andrew M. Sum, an economics professor at Northeastern University. “And given that unemployment is a lagging indicator, and young people’s unemployment even lags behind the rest of unemployment, we’re going to see a lot of kids of out work for a long, long, long, long time.”

Recessions disproportionately hurt America’s youngest and most inexperienced workers, who are often the first to be laid off and the last to be rehired. Jobs for youth also never recovered after the last recession, in 2001...

Economists say there are multiple explanations for why young workers have suffered so much in this downturn, but they mostly boil down to being at the bottom of the totem pole.

Recent college graduates, unable to find higher-paying jobs, are working at places like Starbucks and Gap, taking jobs once held by their younger peers. Half of college graduates under age 25 are in jobs that do not require college degrees, the highest portion in at least 18 years, Mr. Sum said.

Originally posted by kosmicjack

..Recent college graduates, unable to find higher-paying jobs, are working at places like Starbucks and Gap, taking jobs once held by their younger peers. Half of college graduates under age 25 are in jobs that do not require college degrees, the highest portion in at least 18 years, Mr. Sum said.

I fall into that category too and there just aren't the jobs available in the small Yorkshire town where I live, so I'm content with biding my time on a next-to-nothing welfare income.

I don't treat it as a straight-forward hand-out to live on whilst searching for a job, more like a 'state-assisted low-level research grant' to continue my studies post-grad and develop a hobby that has the potential to become a self-sustaining business

why expend a barrow-load of effort trying to find, or expect to be given a job and earn money for someone else, when you can use your abilities to create and earn your own?

Young people they never cease to amaze me on how impatient they are. I don't see what the big deal is about this dumb article because EVERYONE has those problems when they are young. I remember working crappy jobs up til I was 24. I remember going hungry up till I was 24. I also enjoyed living with three or 4 room mates just to pay bills. I also enjoyed the occasional surprise like a car breaking down which would leave You without a ride for 6 months....


These people act like Young people should have everything the minute they start working when in reality it takes some of us a while to accumulate the things We have. I also remember being exploited and given all the crappy jobs because I was young... The reality is it takes a lifetime of experiences to build a career and it doesn't happen over night.

I didn't buy my house till I was over 30 and I didn't buy my first car till I was older than that ... It never ceases to amaze Me how people want me to have a bleeding heart for something that I have lived through. So in essence I should dish out more taxes so young people won't have to deal with these problems?

reply to post by jkm1864


I don't think that the problem is finding crap jobs, I think the problem that MANY youngsters are running into today is even FINDING a crappy job.

They're scarce.

Originally posted by undefy.gravity
I don't think that the problem is finding crap jobs, I think the problem that MANY youngsters are running into today is even FINDING a crappy job.

But then again I see that as down to the educational system in both school and college priming the expectation of a job at the end. It aint handed to you on a plate by someone, you have to create the opportunity yourself

Originally posted by Taikonaut

Originally posted by undefy.gravity
I don't think that the problem is finding crap jobs, I think the problem that MANY youngsters are running into today is even FINDING a crappy job.

But then again I see that as down to the educational system in both school and college priming the expectation of a job at the end. It aint handed to you on a plate by someone, you have to create the opportunity yourself

And how do you create opportunity for yourself?? You fill out job applications, yes, but then what? I was unemployed for years and places didn't want to hire me because I had a degree. I kept getting told I was "overqualified." I so hate that word. Why go to college if you're just educating yourself out of the available job market? Had I known this was going to happen, I'd not gone to college. It's too late now. I'm sure there are a lot of people experiencing this also.

When I went to school, the saying I kept hearing was to "Go to school, make good grades, and get a job anywhere." After I went to school, made good grades, I could get a job nowhere. They should be punished for lying to people for so long. The education system is who benefitted from it all.

Can anyone break down the kind of numbers a young person is facing in the UK at the moment? I was trying to work it out, and it seemed like they would earn about £650 a month after tax/ni for minimum wage, one bedroom flats seem to be about £550 here, then there's council tax/gas/electricity/water/tv license/food/clothing/travel to work/etc.

It seems like it just doesn't add up, and most of the jobs in my town are minimum wage. Once they get to age 22, it seems like the higher rate of minimum wage might just cover them living in the most basic conditions going. Seems a lot tougher than when I was there age.

Originally posted by Jessicamsa

And how do you create opportunity for yourself??

..by doing whatever it is that you do best and for the sheer love of it

You fill out job applications, yes, but then what? I was unemployed for years and places didn't want to hire me because I had a degree. I kept getting told I was "overqualified." I so hate that word. Why go to college if you're just educating yourself out of the available job market? Had I known this was going to happen, I'd not gone to college. It's too late now. I'm sure there are a lot of people experiencing this also.

When I went to school, the saying I kept hearing was to "Go to school, make good grades, and get a job anywhere." After I went to school, made good grades, I could get a job nowhere. They should be punished for lying to people for so long. The education system is who benefitted from it all.

If you go through higher education with the expectation of a job at the end then you find there's no job, so what...why is the time spent there wasted?

The education system didn't lie to you, they provided you with what you sought. The only person who lost out was yourself for assuming that it would guarantee you a job.

My sole reason for going to uni was to set myself a personal challenge, to expand skills and knowledge for its own end and for the thrill of doing so. Rather than pick a subject area which I thought would get me a job, was chosen because I have a passion for the subject which I continue to pursue after leaving. The academic/research/practical skills gained whilst there are applied to a hobby that gives me great satisfaction, and am driving toward it becoming a full-time career

Even if it doesn't an I end up just filing paperwork in an office, its a means to support the creation of the desired opportunity.

A degree isn't meant to open a door to a job, it's meant to open your mind!





[edit on 5-9-2009 by Taikonaut]

reply to post by Jessicamsa


You could have easily gotten a job in the military if you were physically fit. The college degree could have opened the door to not only a commission, but medical school, dental school, flight training, air traffic control, all sorts of stuff.

If your worried about the war, join the Coast Guard. The pay is much better than in the past and you can really open up a lot of doors. Much better than earning peanuts at The Gap or similar.

I

Originally posted by fockewulf190
reply to post by Jessicamsa

 

You could have easily gotten a job in the military if you were physically fit. The college degree could have opened the door to not only a commission, but medical school, dental school, flight training, air traffic control, all sorts of stuff.

If your worried about the war, join the Coast Guard. The pay is much better than in the past and you can really open up a lot of doors. Much better than earning peanuts at The Gap or similar.

I'm definitely not physically fit. I've been in and out the hospital since I was a kid. I have multiple autoimmune diseases. Plus, I'm a single parent and would have to give up my child. I definitely do not qualify for the military.

I'd accept a job at the gap or similar. I used to work at Wal-mart. Even Wal-mart is getting rid of people and not hiring. When they get rid of someone, instead of hiring another worker, what they do is rework the departments so that the present employees have to work more area for the same pay. Plus, they cut everyone's hours so that the workers have to do twice or triple the work for same pay rate but they have less time to do it in.

I have to have surgery again within the next month or two. Dunno how well that is going to go.

If that is the case then see if your state has a hiring program for the disabled. Many states reserve jobs for the disabled community. I wish you luck in the future.

reply to post by rjmelter



Blaming the victims makes me really mad too.

FYI - we're ALL victims.

The real reason why younger workers are having so much trouble is that younger workers are paying for the actions of previous generations.

It's quite hard to generalize about vast chunks of population as big as a whole generation...which is why the "young versus old" debate will never be settled.

Personally, as somebody noted elsewhere uptheread, I think the young people who post here are NOT representative of their generation. I think the current rising generation is very entitlement-minded overall, with lots of exceptions of course. The same could have been said for the young boomers, although perhaps when young the things they were striving for were different.

One thing about the rising youth: given the current demographics, they will be saddled with a greater burden in supporting the elderly than recent previous generations, and with the growing "Birth Dearth," this problem will only become worse as time goes on. In this, the youth have my full sympathy.

[edit on 9/8/09 by silent thunder]