Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

[Nandito]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

Starting my second semester of college in January. Too much shit was holding me back in the past, but now I'm free~! ... Even though it seems my first semester was nothing but a waste of time in that regard.

Ah well, least I know what to expect this time.

[Firewind]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

Jarre's post sums up why the UK board members are doing it. It's work for an hourly wage job or unemployment while you wait for something that might take years come up.

[Squiggs]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

I graduated with a degree in Economics and minor in PoliSci, both of which I hate. I worked at a golf course to help pay for college and accepted a full time position there when I graduated. I enjoy most of my job and have (finally, after 6 years) decided to start taking the steps to making it a career.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

I kinda wonder what other posters here majored in sometimes. A lot of you seem to have jobs that don't require a degree; but I'm pretty sure most of you have them. If you don't, it's definitely not because you're lacking the intelligence; even our stupidest members are more intelligent than plenty of folks I've met who are doing just fine in college (not that I'm implying college is more about brains than anything else).

I get that the economy is terrible, but I can't fathom what degree you'd be holding that you'd rather just get an hourly wage job than something relevant to your field.

To make it clear this isn't an indirect personal attack, I'm mooching off family money to dick around learning Chinese, which isn't even a real interest of mine, and will probably enter a completely boring career path in either English teaching, Business, Comp. Sci, Translation, or some mix of the above. I'm not criticizing anyone, just curious.

In the real world, a college education is a blessing and in many cases its a curse as well.

All those classes about resume writing and interviews. Those exist to take your money or your parent's money. They tell you not to lie on your resume, but to get a job its actually in your best interest to omit some history if you can so your employer doesn't feel intimidated by something like a college education.

There's also the fact that those that still do the bulk of the hiring today have likely also held the same job since they left college. They see these variables in your resume, the gaps in employment and become concerned. They don't understand the idea of having a few different jobs in the span of five years because they coasted to where they are in a time where there were fewer people with college educations competing for jobs.

Now people with college educations are as plentiful as air. We have more people with college educations that we have jobs that require them. This isn't counting the educations rendered somewhat irrelevant by technological progress and the like.

I majored in Journalism and here's a funny story. Three months out of college I apply to a newspaper and they tell me the following:

"Its been too long since you've had experience in the field."

Totally serious. What she said word-for-word. I was hoping that was the call for the interview, if it was a rejection, email would have sufficed.

Then came the rise of blogging, the media's total loss of ethics and just as I set my sights on applying to news blogs that's being threatened by SOPA along with a world of other people's livelihoods. So even if I can get a job in that realm, its going to be under constant attack by cowardly publishers who fear things like criticism.

Here's the other thing - work experience. Employers DO NOT CARE about your education so much as experience and if your work history is filled with retail or factory work, they're going to assume that's where your talents lie.

And if you're a single man, that's another issue. Young single men are seen as drifters and unreliable. It sounds ridiculous, but its true, they assume you can just uproot and leave them with ease when something better comes along. The bigger the job, the more they hope you're anchored down and married.

There's a lot of factors. I know business majors that work at McDonalds, theatre majors working at GameStop, photographers scraping by at yearbook companies doing photoshop. They aren't there because they want to be, but because management is old and out-of-touch.

I can't begrudge employers for penny-pinching when faced with the unknown of future taxes and regulations, but their worldview otherwise is in some dire need of modernization when it comes to hiring. They could stand to leave their baby boomer fantasy land at the door.

-----

As for applying my major - I don't know if I want to anymore. I want to get into some manner of profession where i can write for a living, but I'm not interested in being part of the press because journalistic ethics are dead to the press as a whole. Even moreso the gaming press.

I'm still struggling with which direction I want to go in, really. I'd love to get into story writing, art concepts, back into audio/video recording and such. I'm probably going to lean to audio/video editing since that's more a marketable skill set and keep the writing for personal interest until I can make the connectons that help me apply it.

[Aeni]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

I get that the economy is terrible, but I can't fathom what degree you'd be holding that you'd rather just get an hourly wage job than something relevant to your field.

There's lots of reasons why people are forced into a situation where they end up having to take a job that they're not trained for or are outside of their "normal" range of desire. In just the past two days, I've listened to radio podcasts where people are asked to present their own stories, and I've heard a lot that suggests that the economic forces alone aren't a sufficient reason for why a person should or should not be making certain decisions regarding their career path.

A woman in her 40s was recently laid off from her employment as a zoo director and her background was in management of these kinds of things (i.e., biology degree with a slant towards business management of animal handling facilities aka zoos/aquariums) In her case, she ended up taking an hourly wage job as an assistant in architectural design contracting. She went from an $80,000 a year government job to $12/hour.

When I last applied for a Federal job, the system we had here for these kinds of jobs was that you had to go to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) at the federal building and complete a civil service exam (I call it the SAT for Government work) I scored about the 95% range for the class (assuming my then girlfriend/now wife who tested alongside me scored the highest for that class) There were around 60 people taking the exam in our class and there was a mix of either state employees looking to move to the federal or retired or semi-active military soldiers and officers.

In any event, I knew how I scored, because they'd mail you these confidential packets with your test assessment and job placement suggestions. In my case? I was overqualified and with no college degree, they could not place me. I qualified for a GS8 level job which at that time suggested that I'd be place in a position of administration director (i.e., Director of Veteran Affairs or Director of Government Services Agency) Reason why they never bothered offering me any lower level pay grade jobs? Simple. I'd be a threat to existing management and directors with a college degree and with that level of intelligence. Hence, they only take people who are "qualified" for each tier on the GS scale.

Sure, I was miffed, but I understood that politics existed everywhere in life. My experience might not be limited to just a federal job for someone else looking for a position in the private world.

Moving to another city for a job may not be feasible if it means traversing halfway around the world. Some people are more adventurous and can make that transition. For others, like my wife, they set their roots down a long time ago and refuse to leave for love of god, money or spouse. I could be offered a job in another city and I could take it but that would mean alienating my own family. I'm sure others have similar or similarly unique situations which prevents them from either pursuing a career path which they received their degree in or a path which they would either be more satisfied with or more content in the income that they are rewarded with.

[Murphie]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

I know very few people who just moved from college and got some amazing salaried job and who now, years later, are even further along in their career. Almost everyone I know went to college, finished their degree, and then worked a bunch of hourly jobs with varying degrees of awfulness until they moved up in the rankings to a job that was less shitty and less hourly.

Also, most people I know didn't go to college right after High School, get a degree, and then just do that thing for the rest of their lives. I know an engineer who has a BA in Political Science, a Graphic Designer who got a degree in Marketing, a Recruiter who got his degree in Graphic Design, etc.

Interestingly, the only people I know who got degrees in the field of their choice, and then went on to do the things that they went to school for are people in the medical field and those in the sciences (Physics, Chemistry). Oh, and a Fashion Desgin student who know works in NYC for Tracy Reese. But the vast majority of the people I know have done more than their fair share of hourly jobs, sometimes for years.

[Feba]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

There's lots of reasons why people are forced into a situation where they end up having to take a job that they're not trained for or are outside of their "normal" range of desire.

That's not what I meant; I meant using the degree to get any kind of relevant job, even if it's not what you would've wanted under better circumstances. Like, let's say Taskmage's dream job is being a cookie taste testerfood scientist; going to work on managing a frozen food factory might not be ideal, but it's closer than working the counter at a 7-11. I have no doubt that it's hard to find the perfect job; it seems very strange that the only job options for many people here are much more simplistic and general than what they ought be qualified for.

Also, I should make it clear that I'm not putting down odd jobs on hourly wages; I had been literally scheduling interviews for exactly that when I was leaving Japan, and would be doing the same here if not for visa issues. I just find the situation curious is all.

[Raydeus]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

This is one of those topics I could post about long time, so I'll just TL;DR it.

After finishing college either:

A) You look for a job in the field/company of your like even if you have to start as a the guy with the broom. The important thing is to be inside, once there you'll eventually meet people and go up in the company and make a name in your field.

B) Look to start your own business, even if you have to start very, very small.


Either way never stop working on what you want to do. For instance if you want to be a game designer never stop making games in your free time after you are done cleaning the offices. If you want to write never stop writing.

Because in the end it is about what you can actually do rather than the education you have. Education is a tool in the real world, not a passport. And even ther best minds of Harvard will be kicked out in favor of the less certified person if said "less" certified person actually gets things done instead of talking about how good their grades were at school.

Etc. etc. etc.


Disclaminer : This opinion has been severely edited for the sake of brevity.

---------- Post added at 01:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:43 PM ----------

PS > This is of course considering you actually studied a career with the intent of actually working in the field. Otherwise paper weight education and diplomas that look pretty hanged on the wall are also an option.

Albeit an expensive one for most people.

[Murphie]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

So, what do you do for a living, Raydeus? Also, what did you go to school for?

[Raydeus]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

I wash the dishes in a restaurant in San Diego, of course.

And I have elementary education, which is more than enough to wear a poncho the correct way and drink some tequila in my free time.


Edit > This is me working.

Click

[DakAttack]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

I wash the dishes in a restaurant in San Diego, of course.

And I have elementary education, which is more than enough to wear a poncho the correct way and drink some tequila in my free time.

In what grade do they teach poncho etiquette?

[Jarre]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

I'd be a threat to existing management and directors with a college degree and with that level of intelligence. Hence, they only take people who are "qualified" for each tier on the GS scale.

and that is a problem I have. alot of jobs I will be over qualified for and have in the past been turned down jsut because they are afraid I will take their job, its sad but true and common.

[Murphie]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

Well, if you start as a dishwasher, with your philosophy some day you'll be able to be the...head dishwasher.

[Raydeus]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

I've seen that many times with union mafias and most government jobs here. Corruption and nepotism at it's worse, such is the government. It's a real surprise they get anything at all done, although always severely overpriced in order to profit from contracts of course.

The private sector on the other hand is much healthier and performance based. Unless it's a big-ish company that has (you guessed it) unions.

But there's way less money circulating here than in developed countries, and even then anyone can start a business on their own if they manage it well. Problem is many people start spending their profits instead of saving and re-investing them to expand their business.

It's always sad seeing a promising company going belly up because the owner bought a new house(s) and a car(s) with their capital even though the business could not afford it yet.

In what grade do they teach poncho etiquette?

You know how it is, just like with kanjis in Japan, they teach you over the course of a few years until you are able to wear ponchos, sarapes and sombreros correctly.



PS > BTW, Dak. Any inside news about the GECK and the 192khz fix for Skyrim? <_<

---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------

Well, if you start as a dishwasher, with your philosophy some day you'll be able to be the...head dishwasher.

One can only dream.

[Armando]

Re: Official Bored at Work / Off-Topic Chat Thread II

I'm on what's technically my final semester (6th year) of Computer Engineering, if I don't fail any classes. Got 6 credits to go after this, but I was offered a COOP (semester + summer long internship) that's worth the 6 credits I need, and I'd be getting paid. After that I'm leaving Puerto Rico for the continental US and will have to pick a state to settle down in by December next year. That's because my fiancé is studying chiropractics, and each state has its own medical license, so if we change states she has to study and pay all over again.

Right now I'm thinking of either moving in with her in Florida and see what I can find there, or move to Virginia and wait for her to finish. I had an internship last Summer in Virginia with the Army Geospatial Center and both of my supervisors loved me, plus the director of our branch was a really cool guy and Puertorican to boot. My supervisors told me to get in touch with them if I ever wanted to come back, so I guess my chances are good there.

I'd love to get a job at Google but I don't think I have enough projects on my resumé to impress them right now. As soon as I'm through with college I'll have more time for my own projects though. These last 3 semesters have completely raped most of my free time. First it was Databases, then Microprocessors II (aka Microcontrollers) and now Capstone. All three classes required coming up with a project that may as well be your full time job.