How great the economy is for this job seeker

[noahmijo]

Last August I recieved my BS in Information Systems from the University of Arizona (UofA is ranked #3 in this department in the country only trailing MIT and Carnegie Mellon) and I hold A+ and Net+ certifications (working on higher level ones at the moment to add) I have about a year of "industry experience"

I am currently working a job that is good and pays okay for what its worth the problem is it is temporary which means I will be laid off in a month or so.

Before that the best job i could find was being a techie at Best Buy.

I had recently applied to IBM and I actually was hired...then laid off on the same day when the company did away with the position (it was a position in which you assist the network and server engineers and learn a thing or two type deal)

So there's your awesome job market, I have recently applied to about 10 positions and have yet to hear from any of them. Most of the jobs around here demand senior level skills while paying you entry level salary.

"On The Job Training" clearly does not exist in this burg even when you can show proof that you are motivated and trainable.

Then again it could be this so called piece of shit city known as Tucson that could be the problem. I do plan on moving to a real (and blue!) city/state as soon as the girl graduates

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. I have friends who have been out of work 11 - 12 months or more

and who have dropped off the statistical face of the earth because their unemployment benefits have run out. The long - term unemployed don't show up anywhere, and it is skewing the numbers.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/665903

[yellerpup]

8. Amen to that! eom

[acmavm]

2. Have you applied to any companies in Bombay or New Delhi? I hear

they have work for IT professionals. With American companies no less. Maybe you should consider relocating.

<sarcasm (which is an understatement)>

[noahmijo]

3. Well I may have to move to India to get a job BUT

at least them gays won't get married that's what my president says

<sarcasm off>

[acmavm]

6. Well, as long as you have your priorities straight, things are fine.

.

[Syncronaut Seven]

4. No work in my field for 55 months now.

I have a B.S.E.E. and I sling pizza's for a living.

Now when folks ask what I do for a living I tell them I deal drugs to schoolchildren.

Fuck 'em, Fuck 'em all, right up the ass with a red hot poker.

Sorry, do I sound bitter?

[acmejack]

5. Man, do I hear you!

So much for getting a degree and always having a good job. I am reluctant to go back to school & I have very little inclination to do so at this point in life.

[noahmijo]

10. Wow even in Oregon Electrical Engineering can't do it??

Jeeeeesus maybe I should consider moving to Canada.....

[Syncronaut Seven]

11. To be honest I haven't even been looking since

the end of last year. Since we lost the house the need for income isn't as great.

We're now giving serious consideration to survival strategies for after the era of cheap oil. Moneys not safe in the bank or the market, property is no longer a realistic or secure investment.

It's going to be a hell of a ride. Make friends you can trust who you can reach within a 3 day walk, that's the best strategy I've heard so far, It's the only one we have left realistically.

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. I Have Been A Jobless Schmuck

for over two and a half years now. I was among 30% of the workforce my last employer laid off in December 2002. Among former colleagues I have kept in touch with I can say that some 30% of that group remains unemployed. I am educated (BA, MBA, JD) with my most recent degree being awarded in 2001. I have been willing to change industries and job functions, to begin a new career in an entry level position and to relocate. To date I have received well over a thousand written rejections. I suppose I could incur the debt and potential liability of starting my own law practice. However, there are already less than 100 residents per actively licensed attorney where I reside. And female attorneys holding moderate to liberal political views are neither respected nor included in the good old boy system here in crazy red f*cking JOklahoma. At this point I would prefer to relocate outside of the US of A. My first responsibility to to provide for myself and my family. Labor has become a global resource. And I represent available labor resources. Sentiment alone no longer justifies the sacrifice required for me to continue to reside in the states. And our economic woes will continue for decades. So long as there is a push for economic globalization richer countries will continue to experience declines in economic growth while poorer countries will prosper.

Just my take on the situation.

Edit for spelling

[cap]

9. You need to be sending out 25 resumes per day

Mon - Fri. Consider it your job. It's rough out there.

Try NYC, there are a number of start ups

[Deja Q]

12. At least YOU could get a job at best buy.

It's all about money too. Never forget that.

[BushFungus]

13. Your Story is My Story Too.

:kick:

These stories are fascinating, and quite disturbing. I have been laid off since 2001. I had a GREAT job which I LOVED as a tech writer at a telecom in Northern Virginia. It was the highlight of my career. Too bad I was only there one year.

The company had 3 rounds of layoffs. After the second, management PROMISED left and right that we wouldn't be laid off. When the announcement came, the Director brought us into his office and explained it all. He said he was sorry, blah blah, and that he swore he didn't know. I think it was bologna, personally.

Anyhow, my wife and I decided to move to Dallas because of the terribly high cost of living in the DC area. Well what do you know, we came here JUST WHEN the telecom industry crashed.

Dallas' telecom corridor, North Dallas/Richardson/Plano, was hot for telecom during the mid to late nineties. They were all here. Fujitsu, Nortel, Cingular, you name it. But now all I see, STILL, is empty buildings and empty parking lots. You can drive around parts of the area and it looks like a ghost town. These jobs either got trashed or outsourced to India.

Anyhow, the job search SUCKS. You can literally send out FIFTY resumes a month, and never hear from a one. You can network, respond to newspapers/Monster, and NOTHING. Why is that? It's because the job situation is SO BAD, that people are just applying to whatever. People from around the country are inundating employers with resumes, and the HR folks don't have time to respond to a thousand resumes per job posting.

About advanced degrees, this is scary. I have considered going back to school and getting an advanced degree in IT. But based on the responses here, it is obvious that it really wouldn't help anyhow, since 1) the job market sucks, and 2) All the "good jobs" are now located in Bangalore. Also, most of it is experience that they look for. On my resume, I highlighted my Telecommunications Analyst Certification. Thus far, it hasn't helped SQUAT. So I figure with this lousy job market, employers probably don't even care about advanced degrees, IF they get your resume to begin with.

If I were talking to a college student, I would tell them NOT to major in IT. It WAS hot, and now it's not. It is a strange thing in America to have an entire industry explode and then suddenly die off within the span of only ten years.

Incidentally, what got me questioning President Bush regarding his integrity was his constant repitition of the Orwellian catchphrase, "The economy is strong and getting stronger." I was so incensed with this lie, I refused to even CONSIDER voting for him in 2004. It's like he's slapping me in the face time and time again.