Lots of friend's kids aren't getting jobs post college. Is this common?

[Anonymous]

In my experience the real issue is that they're not willing to take jobs "beneath" them. They come out of college expecting to earn at least $50K without any prior work experience and then want to be rewarded/promoted for doing the basics of their job. Their outrageous expectations and entitlement have led them to believe that no job at all is better than a lower paying job.

[Anonymous]

All depends on a college degree. If you have any kind of tech, science or anything dealing with numbers degree you are in good shape. Sociology or Art History, well not so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience the real issue is that they're not willing to take jobs "beneath" them. They come out of college expecting to earn at least $50K without any prior work experience and then want to be rewarded/promoted for doing the basics of their job. Their outrageous expectations and entitlement have led them to believe that no job at all is better than a lower paying job.

This. My brother who’s in his late 20swas like this. So frustrating

[Anonymous]

I know lots of post-college young people and they are almost all employed in fields relating to their majors. Some did grad school also and are now working in their fields, some worked for a few years and are now in grad school with the employer paying. A few are in medical school/law school/phd programs.

Most are living on their own, some are living at home to save money but are paying their own way otherwise. Some are living at home because that is the cultural expectation in their families.

The kids I know are a mix of TJ grads and mid level FCPS high schools. I can't think of one that is un- or under-employed. The ones not in grad programs all have good, well paying jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Failure to launch is a thing. Part of it is the nature of the economy -- more service-oriented. Part of it is delayed fatigue and burnout from intense college and high school. Part of it is ridiculous expectations and a reluctance to pay dues.

These are my theories, too.
1) High school/college = syllabi, clear rules, tests, regular kudos, and (relatively) easy to achieve praise if you're smart and follow directions
2) Working world = no guarantees, the rules can change, your boss is not required to follow a syllabus, no matter how great your resume you may not get the job, everyone starts at the bottom, people are more interested in telling you what you did wrong than right -- not the experience most of these high-achievers have ever had or know how to excel at

[Anonymous]

The unemployment rate is the lowest it has been in 40 years, according to the WP.

I think that people don't want to live in shitty places and work entry-level jobs if they can kick back with the 'rents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All depends on a college degree. If you have any kind of tech, science or anything dealing with numbers degree you are in good shape. Sociology or Art History, well not so much.

That has always been true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience the real issue is that they're not willing to take jobs "beneath" them. They come out of college expecting to earn at least $50K without any prior work experience and then want to be rewarded/promoted for doing the basics of their job. Their outrageous expectations and entitlement have led them to believe that no job at all is better than a lower paying job.

This. My brother who’s in his late 20swas like this. So frustrating

They also feel entitled to their own office, work-from-home, etc. I had someone who was just out of college and three months into the job explain how he had paid his dues and earned trust and expected to be able to travel and work remotely for our company in a few months.

[Anonymous]

My DC is a recent college grad and has a good job. Literally all of her friends have good jobs too. They don't all get paid a ton so some live at home, but they are in professional jobs. And DC majored in a liberal arts subject scoffed at on this board. DC2 graduates next year and is getting lots of call backs on campus recruiting. The last 2 years seem like pretty good times for recent grads to get jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Economy sucks. I'm 29 and my friend with a dual MA in Architecture and Urban Planning just got laid off from the job she's worked since grad school. She was a hard worker but the pay was so shitty that she couldn't afford to keep apt and had to move back in two years ago.

As someone with a master’s in Urban Planning, I know that there are lots of jobs available - but they are often in less desirable places and starting pay is low. People coming out of school need to work their way up. They can’t expect to be Planning Director of a large city upon graduation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience the real issue is that they're not willing to take jobs "beneath" them. They come out of college expecting to earn at least $50K without any prior work experience and then want to be rewarded/promoted for doing the basics of their job. Their outrageous expectations and entitlement have led them to believe that no job at all is better than a lower paying job.

Yup. These kids have been told from the time they were knee high how smart they are, and have been pushed very hard academically only to find they have to...start somewhere. Reality bites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my experience the real issue is that they're not willing to take jobs "beneath" them. They come out of college expecting to earn at least $50K without any prior work experience and then want to be rewarded/promoted for doing the basics of their job. Their outrageous expectations and entitlement have led them to believe that no job at all is better than a lower paying job.

Agree with this to an extent. My SIL has a very specialized masters degree and felt like it was beneath her to do anything that wasn't directly related to that degree, as if she was entitled to a high-paying petroleum engineering job as soon as she had her diploma in hand. (Not her field, but just for illustrative purposes.) She sat in front of her computer at her parents' house nearly every day under the guise of "job hunting", sporadically substitute taught, slept until 11 a.m. all other days, and contributed nothing except constant complaints about how hard her life was. The whole situation infuriated my DH. I do think anxiety and depression played into it, but it was hard to tell if it was there from the beginning or exacerbated by sitting around doing literally nothing for years. She finally got a job in her field (making 40k) and is still living at home. I blame my ILs in this as well, they are well-meaning people but should have forced SIL's hand a lot sooner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my experience the real issue is that they're not willing to take jobs "beneath" them. They come out of college expecting to earn at least $50K without any prior work experience and then want to be rewarded/promoted for doing the basics of their job. Their outrageous expectations and entitlement have led them to believe that no job at all is better than a lower paying job.

This. My brother who’s in his late 20swas like this. So frustrating

They also feel entitled to their own office, work-from-home, etc. I had someone who was just out of college and three months into the job explain how he had paid his dues and earned trust and expected to be able to travel and work remotely for our company in a few months.

LOL. what world is he in?..

[Anonymous]

I don't know that it's failure to launch so much as kids are just taking longer to mature these days.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/22/health/teens-grow-up-slower-partner/index.html

[Anonymous]

Mine got jobs. Lived at home a bit to save up for a move-out. Not stem majors. I'm a human being not a checkbook. All on our cell phone plan due to the nature of the plans and like his carrier.

No barristas or clerks or nanny/babysitters. Work long hours and deal with it. Employers have let others go.