The Job Competition Out There

I just applied for a job on CB and received immediate notice back that the number of applications received for this one job was...wait for it...880. Yes, 880. Demoralizing much?

Sometimes, I just don't think online is a good way to get a job even though everything is online nowadays.

This job market is insane. And I'm not even talking about the whole rigamarole surrounding actual interviews.

It's bleak.

At least 25% of your applications should be "offline". The competition for those online job positions is INTENSE!

Try going directly to company's website Employment Link. We can put a position up on Friday and on Monday morning, we will pull it. We will have over 100 apps by then and this is just on our website alone.

Depends on what type of job you are applying for. If it's a menial low hourly wage job then I would agree 25% of applications should be put in in person; however, if you are seeking career employment MANY employers will only accept your resume online, so I guess it depends what you are looking for. It's been my experience not to mess with CB, seems like a monumental waste of time sending your resume and cover letter to a 3rd party as opposed to sites like this one and another one initials S.H. which allow you to directly apply to the company.

If you're in an oversaturated field, you will have to be an ideal candidate if you expect to find a job within a reasonable amount of time. If you're in an undersaturated field, you STILL have to be an ideal candidate, because employers really want that perfect fit.

Problem is that many places 'advertise' a job opening that has already been filled. Even for a $14 an hour secretary position we got 325 people applying.

For an $18.50 an hour tech position we got over 600 applications.

I think part of the problem besides the economy or that particular job/field is the computerization of the job application process. This leads to several problems. First is that if you don't word things correctly or have exactly what the employer is looking for(but not necessarily needed) you are done. This leads to a second problem, you or the application won't get a second look by an actual person.

But combine these issues with the platitude that 'oh try applying anyway' floods the applicant pool with un-necessary and distracting applicants/applications/resumes. With 800 applicants, just from a numbers game a large chunk of those applications will simply be ignored or thrown out. This problem is excerbated by the computerization of the application process including services/agencies and software that flood these offices with alot of un-necessary applications.

Job hunting in the computer age is a numbers game in more ways than one.

applyorsubmit in Chicago, Illinois said: I think part of the problem besides the economy or that particular job/field is the computerization of the job application process. This leads to several problems. First is that if you don't word things correctly or have exactly what the employer is looking for(but not necessarily needed) you are done. This leads to a second problem, you or the application won't get a second look by an actual person.

But combine these issues with the platitude that 'oh try applying anyway' floods the applicant pool with un-necessary and distracting applicants/applications/resumes. With 800 applicants, just from a numbers game a large chunk of those applications will simply be ignored or thrown out. This problem is excerbated by the computerization of the application process including services/agencies and software that flood these offices with alot of un-necessary applications.

Job hunting in the computer age is a numbers game in more ways than one.

One thing I forgot to add. A computerized application process makes it easier for unqualified or less qualified people to apply for anything and everything. There are still HRs out there that don't like applicants who abritraily apply for jobs. But same for the HRs, there are unqualified HRs inregards to a particular job opening that fall back to the computer to make a decision for them. As complex & confusing it can get computers actually dumb down the job hunting/hiring process.

Pretty much everyone out there nowadays has the application and resume process online. I've not gone to apply directly anywhere, but my young nephew told me that he couldn't apply at hotels and restaurants in person because the whole process is online.

I agree that it's a numbers game and employers get flooded with resumes from unqualified candidates. Yes, it's a pain for them. But I can't have much sympathy based on what I've been through in this period of unemployment. I've put in for too many jobs for which I was highly qualified just to never hear anything while getting contacted for jobs for which I thought I'd never have a chance. And then there's been the whole interviewing process milieu.

CB is pretty bad, but sometimes you do link through to an employer's site or the application process. I would rate this site, SH and Monster higher, but let's face the fact that they are all pretty dismal thanks to false hits, fake ads, recruiters, etc.

It's rough out there.

applyorsubmit in Chicago, Illinois said: I think part of the problem besides the economy or that particular job/field is the computerization of the job application process. This leads to several problems. First is that if you don't word things correctly or have exactly what the employer is looking for(but not necessarily needed) you are done. This leads to a second problem, you or the application won't get a second look by an actual person.

But combine these issues with the platitude that 'oh try applying anyway' floods the applicant pool with un-necessary and distracting applicants/applications/resumes. With 800 applicants, just from a numbers game a large chunk of those applications will simply be ignored or thrown out. This problem is excerbated by the computerization of the application process including services/agencies and software that flood these offices with alot of un-necessary applications.

Job hunting in the computer age is a numbers game in more ways than one.

The same technology that allows you to find the exact pair of running shoes that you want, in just the right color and at just the right price is the same technology that allows employers to Google for that "perfect candidate". "Er, and at just the right price".

We can get 100 applications for a single position now but the computer only spits out the "Top 10".
"
Every new technology has a darkside.

Pretty much everyone out there nowadays has the application and resume process online.

If you are trying to get into the Fortune 500s, you're right and the competition is tremendous. Hence, the dreaded online application which can cut through 100 apps and spit out the Top 10 in seconds.

Try the smaller, less tech savvy companies. They're still around. You have to look for them old school because they don't have the budgets to post "online".

My biggest challenge is knowing how to waste the least amount of time looking at jobs online that I'm either not interested in or I'm not qualified for. I would be able to apply to a lot more jobs and perhaps get hired a lot sooner if I didn't spend what seems like hours reading page after page of announcements of so many jobs that I'm not seeking. Does anyone have a job-seeking strategy that's more productive?

Once you get used to navigating the job sites, it becomes easy to determine what's relevant to you and what's not. You tend to get used to seeing the same job ad posters and same jobs and know to filter them out.

I can scan all the sites twice a week, for five minutes at a time, and find what's relevant to me.

When I see openings online, I do go and look at their website, and if they have a careers tab most of the time this job is never listed. You would think that they would post on the website first and only, that would be a smaller response and people who know a little about the company would be the only ones who would then apply. Some of the companies posted at job sites I have never heard of till I see the opening. Also on some sites you can mass apply to many jobs, so people don't even look and just hit the reply and wind of going for jobs that they do not qualify for.

The online systems are very for employers to screen out candidates because they are not all reviewed by people. They have systems that scan the applications for key words and phrases. Rarely will you be able to avoid having to online to apply for a job. It's you are using a CareerBuilder, it would be more productive to go to the actual website for the company and find the job that way. CB is home to many scams and email phish jobs.

Ida in Chicago, Illinois said: When I see openings online, I do go and look at their website, and if they have a careers tab most of the time this job is never listed. You would think that they would post on the website first and only, that would be a smaller response and people who know a little about the company would be the only ones who would then apply. Some of the companies posted at job sites I have never heard of till I see the opening. Also on some sites you can mass apply to many jobs, so people don't even look and just hit the reply and wind of going for jobs that they do not qualify for.

That is pretty much how it is done here. A "common" skill set job is first posted on our website and no where else. We can get 100 apps and it doesn't cost them a dime.

Now, if the job wants someone who speaks Mandarin and Polish and must be able to work nights, weekends and Christmas Day, that job is going to the recruiters and we won't post it ourselves.

We will let the recruiters beat the bushes for those really bizarre skillsets.

Parafreegal in Chicago, Illinois said: Once you get used to navigating the job sites, it becomes easy to determine what's relevant to you and what's not. You tend to get used to seeing the same job ad posters and same jobs and know to filter them out.

I can scan all the sites twice a week, for five minutes at a time, and find what's relevant to me.

That's very helpful! Thanks!

On a different note, in order to be offered a position in a very competitive employers-job market, you have to be really good at interviewing and selling yourself. I'm finding that selling myself and persuading others is not one of strengths. In fact, I absolutely cannot stand being interviewed. It is my LEAST favorite part of the interviewing process. So I arrive to interview, become extrememly nervous thinking about what interviewer or interviewers could be thinking of me and how I'm talking, then I start fumbling over my words, wanting to answer questions very abruptly or not at all, then I don't get the job even when I'm qualified or over qualified for the position. Written communication is my strength, but oral communication only becomes a problem when I'm being interviewed, because bascially it's all about being sized up and judged. Even though I'm degreed and qualified for positions, employers tend to either underestimate my potential or deny me a position all based on how I answered their scripted questions. I just want to tell employers this:

Simply because someone isn't good at interviewing or talking in a "certain way" that does not mean that they're not qualified for the position. An interview is not the only indicator of job readiness.

ExperienceIsTheBestTeacher in Washington, District of Columbia said: An interview is not the only indicator of job readiness.

An interview may be an indication of the soft skills that they think are needed to thrive at the area of employment. If you cannot communicate with one person well for any reason, then they think you will be ineffective at communicating with them on daily basis. Sure, some of the employers are underhanded. Sure, some are screening for new drinking buddies or sexual partners, but, for the most part, they want someone seems to want to become "one of them". They want someone who they feel will be able to assimilate into the company culture. It's hard to be "one of them" if you don't know anything about the employer, so do your own research before and during the interview. They're judging you no more than any new person you meet in a new social setting.

"Even though I'm degreed and qualified "
Anyone can become "degreed". There are smaller number of people who are consider qualified because qualifications are subjective to a large degree. Qualifications have to be proven, sometimes in the form of references from people who have worked with you, sometimes by seeking continued education related to your field in order to stay sharp, and sometimes by renewing licenses, over and over and over again.

ExperienceIsTheBestTeacher in Washington, District of Columbia said: On a different note, in order to be offered a position in a very competitive employers-job market, you have to be really good at interviewing and selling yourself. I'm finding that selling myself and persuading others is not one of strengths. In fact, I absolutely cannot stand being interviewed. It is my LEAST favorite part of the interviewing process. So I arrive to interview, become extrememly nervous thinking about what interviewer or interviewers could be thinking of me and how I'm talking, then I start fumbling over my words, wanting to answer questions very abruptly or not at all, then I don't get the job even when I'm qualified or over qualified for the position. Written communication is my strength, but oral communication only becomes a problem when I'm being interviewed, because bascially it's all about being sized up and judged. Even though I'm degreed and qualified for positions, employers tend to either underestimate my potential or deny me a position all based on how I answered their scripted questions. I just want to tell employers this:

Simply because someone isn't good at interviewing or talking in a "certain way" that does not mean that they're not qualified for the position. An interview is not the only indicator of job readiness.

Interviewing is a vocational skill and one that requires practice, practice and more practice. You need to get the books and get those skills up-to-date.

Going into an interview today and "just being" yourself is the quickest way to living life out of a shopping cart. The competition will eat you alive.

Average in Medford, Massachusetts said: An interview may be an indication of the soft skills that they think are needed to thrive at the area of employment. Anyone can become "degreed".

I've been out of work long enough to know that in the 21st century a bachelors degree is next to worthless, but if just anyone could become degreed, then (1) Many employers would not now require job applicants to have bachelors degrees and some employers are now preferring applicants with Master's degrees I'm noticing, and (2) Student applicants would not have to take entrance exams in order to get admitted into college. So no, not everyone can enter and complete college and become degreed job applicants.

I don't have a problem with verbally communicating, after I get to know someone. It's just the nervousness and the anxiety that naturally occurs when one is put on the spot and all of the focus and pressure is placed upon the person being interviewed to PERFORM and DO SOMETHING to impress that I find unbearable, but hey I've accepted the fact that being interviewed for a job is required. If I were the interviewer, then I'd have to do the same: Ask prospective employees questions to find out if they are best candidates for the job. That's life. I just have to get over the nerves and do the best that I can on the interviews.

I totally agree that college is the biggest waste of money! Well if high unemployment stays high and people cannot get jobs even the the degree, less people will be going. People just can't have that lifetime of high debt that they will never be able to pay with low paying jobs, and will never be able to afford a home of their own, a car to get to work, and heath care that also is going through the roof. When you go to the doctor they always want to do more blood tests, and they don't find things wrong most of the time, just a way to get money into the doctors pockets.

Bluetea in Texas said: Interviewing is a vocational skill and one that requires practice, practice and more practice. You need to get the books and get those skills up-to-date.Going into an interview today and "just being" yourself is the quickest way to living life out of a shopping cart. The competition will eat you alive.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm at the point at which I feel like searching for employment is a waste of time. You do everything perfectly for these employers. With extreme care, for hours you spend writing cover letters and resumes that could easily win a pulitzier prize. Then, after of that, you find out that don't even get a chance to be interviewed. And so, preparing for the interview becomes unnecessary. I mean - I am just so FED UP with chasing a job and trying to do everything perfectly for these employers. They're not gods, you know. Sometimes I feel like they're all behind these computer screens laughing their on behinds at all of us desparate job seekers who are writing cover letters and resumes begging them for a job. It's so stupid and unfair. Yeah, I know that I have a bad attitude about it now, but I'm venting. I'm just mad and disgusted about all of this. I have a bachelors degree, I'm nearly done with a Master's degree, I'm thousands of dollars in debt, and I have no job. All of this talk that I believed about, "A college graduate has the potential to earn millions more in his or her lifetime than a high school graduate". What a bunch of bs. This sucks big time and I don't care who's reading this. If any minors in high school are reading this, then you had better have a seriously-constructed plan of action before going to college and investing thousands of dollars in a college education. I mean that thang had better be air tight and complete with timelines, contacts, phone nubers - a WHOLE NETWORK of people who can help you succeed BEYOND college.

TJ in Chicago, Illinois said: I totally agree that college is the biggest waste of money! Well if high unemployment stays high and people cannot get jobs even the the degree, less people will be going.

If I told you how much debt I was in as a result of attending college, then you'd want to cry. In fact, don't even worry about. I've already done it. This sucks I'm telling you. SUCKS! After graduating, I couldn't find a job then. So, I thought, well, maybe these employers want applicants with Master's degrees. So I went back to school to get a Master's. Guess what? Still no job. The institutions of higher learning that I chose have all my money, but guess what I have? I have a piece of fancy paper and a pocket full of lint. Oh but, now someone has just informed ME that "anyone can become degreed". Oh NO WONDER I'm jobless. Seems like a fair deal to me. SUCKS! Do you hear me? SUCKS again.

Next question: Why can't Indeed.com afford an edit button for these discussion forums? I'm seeing typos all over place in my responses. Oh well, there goes my Pulitzer. SUCKS!

SUCKS!

it's ironic, because Indeed metrics currently considers Washington DC the best place in the country to land a job, in terms of jobs available to applicant ratio.

So how much student debt do you have in terms of $$$$ ?

My older sister had $50,000 in student loans..... and that was 15 years ago

ExperienceIsTheBestTeacher in Washington, District of Columbia said: "A college graduate has the potential to earn millions more in his or her lifetime than a high school graduate". What a bunch of bs. This sucks big time and I don't care who's reading this. If any minors in high school are reading this, then you had better have a seriously-constructed plan of action before going to college and investing thousands of dollars in a college education. I mean that thang had better be air tight and complete with timelines, contacts, phone nubers - a WHOLE NETWORK of people who can help you succeed BEYOND college.

Now if you had just gone to plumbing school like your mother said!

I agree. College is an industry like any other. Both my sister and I have Master's degrees but we talked my niece out of college. So glad we did. She went to beauty school instead.

She has never been downsized, never been off-shored and has never had a student loan. She makes more than what her mother makes and her mother is STILL paying on student loans. Heh!

nick in Somerville, Massachusetts said: it's ironic, because Indeed metrics currently considers Washington DC the best place in the country to land a job, in terms of jobs available to applicant ratio.

My situation is sort of unique, I suppose, in that I've spent entirely too much time avoiding the job market, working retail and substitute-teaching jobs over the years while pursuing another degree. Now that I'm finishing up with a Master's, I don't have enough work experience for the "corporate" job market - a job market that I detest anyway. Washington, DC, as you can imagine, is highly political. Most of the highest-paying jobs here are in the federal government where most workers spend most of their time in a stuffy office or cubicle. I like work that is socially active and socially interactive, meaningful, HANDS ON creative, and artistic. There is nothing more boring to me than doing paper work all day, conducting meetings, taking minutes, and dodging office politics and a hierarchy that is status based. I had a taste of it, working for the Department of Treasury for two weeks. It was a snooze fest. I literally feel asleep on the job daily. Where is the direct impact on the community, or the world even? I'm now strongly pursuing nonprofit careers, helping minority and disadvantaged women and children nationally and internationally, but I'm finding that most nonprofit organizations want its entry-level applicants to work for free or they'll offer their unpaid, entry-level positions up to college interns. But what about the people who want to enter the nonprofit industry and have bills to pay? We can work for free. It's so frustrating - this seemingly neverending search, but I'll continue to strive for the career that's best for me until I find it. I know that it's there, within my reach. I just have to have more patience with the entire job-search process, including the interviewing - the patience that I probably should have exercised long ago.

Ivette in Longwood, FL said: So how much student debt do you have in terms of $$$$ ?

My older sister had $50,000 in student loans..... and that was 15 years ago

Oh it's way past that. That's cheap by today's standards. Consider your sister lucky. I WISH that's all I owed. I was listening to the news the other day, and they told the story of a recent graduate of Georgetown University, here in Washington, DC, the recent graduate owed like $200,000. That's typical, especially if you attended a name-brand school. But if you said that your sis owed $50,00 15 years ago, then the interest on that thing has probably capitalized by leaps and bounds, if she hasn't been paying toward the principal regulary. By now, she probably owes what I owe. Just pray. And do you know what's sad. Americans today, and even future generations can just expect to life a life burdened by debt, whether it's a college loan, mortgage, car note, child expenses. IT JUST NEVER ENDS. When was the last time you talk to ANYONE who told you that they were completely debt free? This is madness. Slavery still exist. It's called financial slavery, and America is the creditor.

ExperienceIsTheBestTeacher in Washington, District of Columbia said: Oh it's way past that. That's cheap by today's standards. Consider your sister lucky. I WISH that's all I owed. I was listening to the news the other day, and they told the story of a recent graduate of Georgetown University, here in Washington, DC, the recent graduate owed like $200,000. That's typical, especially if you attended a name-brand school. But if you said that your sis owed $50,00 15 years ago, then the interest on that thing has probably capitalized by leaps and bounds, if she hasn't been paying toward the principal regulary. By now, she probably owes what I owe. Just pray. And do you know what's sad. Americans today, and even future generations can just expect to life a life burdened by debt, whether it's a college loan, mortgage, car note, child expenses. IT JUST NEVER ENDS. When was the last time you talk to ANYONE who told you that they were completely debt free? This is madness. Slavery still exist. It's called financial slavery, and America is the creditor.

And to think that George Washington, the first President of the United States was a high school dropout! Go figure.

Maybe just work at a non profit for free and find an affluent husband that can support you while pursue what you really want to do. My sister did lots of pro-bono work for a battered womans group offering them free legal advise to help them change course in their life.

Bluetea in Texas said: Now if you had just gone to plumbing school like your mother said!Both my sister and I have Master's degrees but we talked my niece out of college. So glad we did. She went to beauty school instead. She has never been downsized, never been off-shored and has never had a student loan. She makes more than what her mother makes and her mother is STILL paying on student loans. Heh!

I have heard past generations think this new Generation X feels entitled to a job. They think that we don't want to work as hard as past generations to get ahead, we don't want to "pay our dues" or "work our way up" the economic ladder toward social mobility. If that was true, then there wouldn't be so many degreed job seekers. There are more people with college degrees, looking for work than there has ever been in America's history. Young people want to succeed. We want to be marketable. We want to be an educated work force. We just don't want to spend the next 30, 40, or 50 years working our way up in the ways that our parents and grandparents had to, because they weren't educated. Work smarter - not harder is the 21st century mantra. I mean - isn't that partly the reason why we encourage the youth to pursue a college education? So that they don't have to spend decades trying to get ahead and advance to better stations in life? What's all of this for? Really?

I'm glad your niece is doing what she loves to do. And honestly, that's the focus that every parent or guardian should have on their hearts when guiding children's futures. The focus shouldn't be on earning "millions more than high school graduates", or getting your carrot stick (degree) at the end of the educational journey, or having a mega house or car or whatever. The focus should be squarely on doing what you love and were made to do, maximizing your potential, and carving out your unique path to success.

Ivette in Longwood, FL said: Maybe just work at a non profit for free and find an affluent husband that can support you while pursue what you really want to do. My sister did lots of pro-bono work for a battered womans group offering them free legal advise to help them change course in their life.

Hmmm what a splendid idea! We'll see...:)

Ivette in Longwood, FL said: Maybe just work at a non profit for free and find an affluent husband that can support you while pursue what you really want to do. My sister did lots of pro-bono work for a battered womans group offering them free legal advise to help them change course in their life.

Seriously, right now, I can't afford to work for free. I simply can't work for free with so much college debt. I'm thinking about doing some part-time volunteering, however, so that I can learn about nonprofit fundraising and all of the intricate business development aspects of a nonprofit, since I'd like to establish my own nonprofit one day. I'd like help urban youth and disadvantaged kids who need places to go and stay out of trouble. We need more arts activities, community-outreach centers and early-child hood education programs, and after-school activities for the most vulnerable kids in the most underserved communities. I want to help those children who haven't realized their potential and might not even know they have potential as a result of not having anything, especially decent role models, self esteem development, and proper life guidance. They need our help. They don't need us trapped up in some funky office, vying for executive positions and strategizing how we're going upstage 'Bob' next quarter for his position. I'm just not with that. It's just not in me to do work in those types of work environments.

Just think that their are many movie stars that didn't finish school, like John Travolta, dropped out of High School, and look where he is today, better off than us! With everyone getting a degree because employers demand it, no longer will it help you get the edge over the competition, you are just a number like everyone else. It is sad, and what do kids really learn in school? Just like to mingle with friends and PARTY!

TJ in Chicago, Illinois said: Just think that their are many movie stars that didn't finish school, like John Travolta, dropped out of High School, and look where he is today, better off than us! With everyone getting a degree because employers demand it, no longer will it help you get the edge over the competition, you are just a number like everyone else. It is sad, and what do kids really learn in school? Just like to mingle with friends and PARTY!

We blew the "Do college graduates earn more?" argument out of the water in one of my statistic classes.

Notice how these people are conveintly removed from the sample population:

www.collegedropoutshalloffame.com/

ExperienceIsTheBestTeacher in Washington, District of Columbia said: I have heard past generations think this new Generation X feels entitled to a job. They think that we don't want to work as hard as past generations to get ahead, we don't want to "pay our dues" or "work our way up" the economic ladder toward social mobility. If that was true, then there wouldn't be so many degreed job seekers. There are more people with college degrees, looking for work than there has ever been in America's history. Young people want to succeed. We want to be marketable. We want to be an educated work force. We just don't want to spend the next 30, 40, or 50 years working our way up in the ways that our parents and grandparents had to, because they weren't educated. Work smarter - not harder is the 21st century mantra. I mean - isn't that partly the reason why we encourage the youth to pursue a college education? So that they don't have to spend decades trying to get ahead and advance to better stations in life? What's all of this for? Really?

I'm glad your niece is doing what she loves to do. And honestly, that's the focus that every parent or guardian should have on their hearts when guiding children's futures. The focus shouldn't be on earning "millions more than high school graduates", or getting your carrot stick (degree) at the end of the educational journey, or having a mega house or car or whatever. The focus should be squarely on doing what you love and were made to do, maximizing your potential, and carving out your unique path to success.

I opened up a 529 plan for my grand niece. I don't want her to go to college. I want her to take the money and buy a Subway franchise next to a college. She can read Anna Karenina on her own.

This is some pretty good venting. I like it.

Having all that debt sucks, but things will probably work out in the end for you. You have energy and spunk, and someone will like that somewhere along the line.

Side note: what is up with the captcha on this site? Sometimes it takes me 8-10 attempts before it goes through. How silly.

ExperienceIsTheBestTeacher in Washington, District of Columbia said: I want to help those children who haven't realized their potential and might not even know they have potential as a result of not having anything, especially decent role models, self esteem development, and proper life guidance. They need our help. They don't need us trapped up in some funky office, vying for executive positions and strategizing how we're going upstage 'Bob' next quarter for his position. I'm just not with that. It's just not in me to do work in those types of work environments.

Good for you! I hope you can reach your goals. I agree that there are more important things in life than moving up in corporate America.

ExperienceIsTheBestTeacher in Washington, District of Columbia said said: . Work smarter - not harder is the 21st century mantra. I mean - isn't that partly the reason why we encourage the youth to pursue a college education?

One of the reasons why everyone is encouraged to go to college is because someone stands to make a lot of money in the processs or after college, and I'm not talking about students. Education is not promoted for the well-being of the individual but for the sake of economic growth.* In countries like the United States , economic growth is becoming increasingly defined as growth in debt. There's nothing more profitable then lending money, judging by all the bailouts to protect banks "assets", so student loans must be considered to be good for the economy and by extension, education (not the outcome of education) is considered good for the economy. The banking sector, has become hostile to non-white collar, small businesses. It's much easier to get a loan to obtain an education or training of dubious economic value than to get financing as an enterpreneur. Student loans, indiscrimminately, are currently considered risk free, while business loans are considered very risky because of the high rate of failure. A indebtted student,regardless of whether he/she can pay back the money borrowed, has a higher rate of return on investment to captialists than than a small business owner, with vocational training and little to no debt.

Anyone who's not in your immediate family who's pressuring you to enroll into graduate school (and you didn't major in Biology ) has a stake in the Educational Industrial Complex or has stock tied up with student loans. The number of people who are not in your immediate family, who may have a stake in the Educational Industrial Complex may be up to 50% of the general population in some areas.

ExperienceIsTheBestTeacher,

How old are you ?
Just wondering...

ExperienceIsTheBestTeacher in Washington, District of Columbia said: My biggest challenge is knowing how to waste the least amount of time looking at jobs online that I'm either not interested in or I'm not qualified for. I would be able to apply to a lot more jobs and perhaps get hired a lot sooner if I didn't spend what seems like hours reading page after page of announcements of so many jobs that I'm not seeking. Does anyone have a job-seeking strategy that's more productive?

LOL. Totally agree!!! It gets into my nerves sitting for at three hours everyday lookinf for a freaking job,

isatere in Cape Coral, Florida said: LOL. Totally agree!!! It gets into my nerves sitting for at three hours everyday lookinf for a freaking job,

As soon as you find your next job, you begin to look for the one after that. Yes, there will be a next one and a next one.

You should always know of at least 3 other places that "might" have a need for your skills. You don't have to jump and take it but you better know where they are.

I read that the biggest mistake a job seeker makes today, is waiting until they are unemployeed to begin looking.

^ or waiting until their unemployment runs out to really start *looking*. I mean, I've always been looking, but now that I'm at 0 income, I am *looking* several hours every day.

nick in Somerville, Massachusetts said: ^ or waiting until their unemployment runs out to really start *looking*. I mean, I've always been looking, but now that I'm at 0 income, I am *looking* several hours every day.

At one job seminar I attended, the speaker said, "You know all the problems that you are having finding work? Well, this was all happening even when you had that good job! This is your wake-up call. No job is forever anymore."

Bluetea in Texas said: I opened up a 529 plan for my grand niece. I don't want her to go to college. I want her to take the money and buy a Subway franchise next to a college. She can read Anna Karenina on her own.

That's great! But more importantly, find out what your grand niece wants to do with her life. She might have to continue her education beyond high school in order to do what she wants to do. I worked for the public school system for 10 years, and I can tell you that what most children need are parents or guardians with much higher expectations and they need parents who are much more involved in their academic and social lives. There are too many parents preoccupied with their own careers and self actualization than the future success of their children. Even parents who are educated and have high-paying jobs are unconsciously dismissing their children's academic and personal lives. It's not until their children move back home with their degrees, because they can't find a job or figure out what to do with lives, do parents begin to question where they went wrong. Where you went wrong is not making the time to invest enough interest in your child's education when they were younger.

Good Parents Have:

(1) Positive & Attainable Expectations
(2) Strong interest in their children's academic and personal success,
(3) An relentless determination to make sure that their child or children will be successful, self-sufficient adults

So you're doing great, showing so much interest in your grand niece's future. Great for you!

TJ in Chicago, Illinois said: Just think that their are many movie stars that didn't finish school, like John Travolta, dropped out of High School, and look where he is today, better off than us! With everyone getting a degree because employers demand it, no longer will it help you get the edge over the competition, you are just a number like everyone else. It is sad, and what do kids really learn in school? Just like to mingle with friends and PARTY!

Well that's a reality that I consider problematic also. In America, why are entertainers, atheletes, and move stars revered more than people who invested time and money in continuing their education? There's something wrong with that. Then, the teachers go to class to try to impart some information to these children, and the children are all bored to tears, visibly uninterested, because they don't see the value in an education when all of the most successful people in America are throwing a ball around on a field or court, singing, rapping, blowing someone's brains out on a billion-dolllar movie, or getting inherited fame and publicity because their parents were wealthy. What's the point? America really needs to evaluate its priorities in terms of the loud and clear message that it's sending to everyone, including the youth. And the message reads:

AN EDUCATION IS NOW IRRELEVANT IN AMERICA. GET A CLUE AND AUDITION ON AMERICAN IDOL. GET FAMOUS OR BE A LOSER

Is this message that we want to digest on a regular basis? What's happening in this country?

The dunces get paid millions while the educated get screwed out of billions of dollars by Sallie Mae and the federal government. Yeah, that sounds like the "American Dream" to me (being sarcastic), but hey.

Parafreegal in Chicago, Illinois said: This is some pretty good venting. I like it.

Having all that debt sucks, but things will probably work out in the end for you. You have energy and spunk, and someone will like that somewhere along the line.

Side note: what is up with the captcha on this site? Sometimes it takes me 8-10 attempts before it goes through. How silly.

Thanks!

avg in Medford, Massachusetts said: One of the reasons why everyone is encouraged to go to college is because someone stands to make a lot of money in the processs or after college, and I'm not talking about students.

So in summary, institutions of higher learning are money-making businesses. I think we've all figured that out. Thanks for the very informative explanation.

Bluetea in Texas said: As soon as you find your next job, you begin to look for the one after that. Yes, there will be a next one and a next one.

You should always know of at least 3 other places that "might" have a need for your skills. You don't have to jump and take it but you better know where they are.

I read that the biggest mistake a job seeker makes today, is waiting until they are unemployeed to begin looking.

That was some very good information! I need to remember that one.