Joblessness hits the poorly educated hardest by far

AP via Seattle Post Intelligencer ^ | February 23, 2002 | JUSTIN POPE

[JZoback]

Joblessness hits the poorly educated hardest by far

Who's the genius who thought that header up

Same as "Sky is blue on cloudless day?"

[SBeck]

Which brings us to the "poorly educated" problem. According to the article, she graduated from high school. That doesn't give her the qualifications to be a project manager but it should at least give her a foundation and ability to be a junior administrative assistant. Before I departed the corporate world for other pursuits, my AA had a Bachelor's degree and this trend has become increasingly common in the corporate world.

Clearly, a high school degree is not the ticket to success that it was a generation ago and a degree is now becoming a requirement for even basic entry positions.

[randog]

She wants to go to college - maybe the government should have a scholarship program for unwed mothers.

Here in Nevada the state set up the "Millenium Scholarship" a few years back which provided a free ride to either state university (UNR, UNLV) for anyone that graduated from a Nevada high school in the year 2000. Four years of tuition free just for graduating high school in the year 2000.

At first I thought the idea was crazy, thinking it would bankrupt the state and overcrowd the colleges, but a report came out a few months ago that said that only 25% of eligible recipients have taken advantage of the scholarship. If you subtract the percentage of Nevada high school graduates that would have gone on to a Nevada university regardless of the scholarship (the national average of college-educated people is 25%), then, as the saying goes, "You can lead a horse to water..."

[sarcasm]

I guess that they are tired of being ridiculed for headlines such as: Joblessness hits minorities and women hardest by far

[FrogMom]

You make a good point.

These kids are told all through school that they are great, wonderful, no one is better than they, and whatever they do (no matter how crappy), it is the best. It's no wonder they have unrealistic job expectations. They think that if they just SHOW UP, because they are so great, they should be paid top dollar.

[JZoback]

As a potential EMPLOYER, before I would hire any young, single mother, I would want an assurance that after I spend MY time and money to train her, she would not have another child and leave.

Frankly speaking, she is a BAD risk!!

Agreed

I just terminated a guy from a 35K to 40K job because he was a single father that could not make to work 5 days a week because of his kid.

When I interveiwed him, we covered that subject. He said his mother was the babysitter, in real life the kid was in daycare.

I told him this is a 5 or 6 day a week job, being absent was a serious issue, three times absent and you are gone without a doctors excuse.

He made it 4 weeks.

[randog]

Who's the genius who thought that header up?

The same on that came up with this header (it's posted 6 posts down on the main page): Anti-Semitism rife among terrorists

[FITZ]

For one thing, at least she HAD her baby and did not abort it.

True but she didn't need to start having sex without being married. She also has to realize that she has no more skills than illegal immigrants who she must compete with for jobs. They're happy to work for less than minimum wage without benefits.

[FITZ]

Because this woman is in a special minority, she could have obtained a free ride scholarship to almost any college or university and her grades would not have mattered. She apparently made other choices.

[Junior]

The military! You'll get training, be doing something positive, and you'll be paid. And, from personal experience, it's a great way to get your head straight.

[Congressman Billybob]

This article has the wrong title.

"Ignorance Causes Joblessness" There, that's better.

Conressman Billybob

[SBeck]

No, the military is not an option. The single parent in the military is one of the biggest wastes of money in the service and takes funding away from critical training needs. (Note: I am completely illiberal to a degree that I would scare the most conservative member of FR when it comes to anything that detracts from the purpose and mission of the Armed Forces).

[visagoth]

Clearly, a high school degree is not the ticket to success that it was a generation ago and a degree is now becoming a requirement for even basic entry positions.

You got that right. As I saw all the underpinnings of our economy looking like they were ready to tank during the dot-com bubble, I finished bachelor degree after putting it off for a number of years.

Even with my BS, it is hard to even get an interview anywhere now, let alone a confirmation letter that a given company even received your cover letter and resume for positions they posted.

I started my masters degree about 6 months ago, am working pretty hard at it, am about 12 credits shy of finishing it, and STILL cant get an interview, even for jobs that I am overqualified for.

BTW - I am currently employed, with a very secure job, but am looking for more challenging and engaging work.

[Ward Smythe]

"My age right now, if you want to find a decent job, unless it's like Walgreens, it's really hard to get a foot in the door,"

Kay Coles James, Director of the Office of Personnel Management in the Bush Administration was Secretary of Health and Human Resources for Virginia Governor George Allen when Welfare Reform was passed in Virginia. She shepherded through the legislation and implementation.

She was the child of a single mother on welfare who grew up in some of the poorest areas in Richmond. I've heard her say on many occasions, "as long as there are toilets to clean, my children will have food on the table."

In other words, all work is good work, there is no such thing as a "bad" job. With only a high school education, this young woman should be glad that Walgreen's wants to hire her.

[RGSpincich]

She is 19, and simply wants work as a receptionist or office assistant to support herself and her year-old daughter.

This job seeker has not learned the first thing about finding employment. There is nothing "simple" about the work she seeks. Perhaps her attitude is her biggest liability.

[JENINMO]

Exactly.......... no questions about children. She seems to be "wanting" free child care. Not many companies in her skill range offer those perks.........

[JENINMO]

She is 19, and simply wants work as a receptionist or office assistant to support herself and her year-old daughter

Yoo hoo, "I want to work as a receptionist" you have to have computer skills. Office Assistants do more than file, and can we be certain that her "high school" education included alphabetization. We hire a lot of entry-level positions, and the skill level (up to and including the ability to read and write) is very low. Don't have kids if you aren't married, and get some skills........

[gaspar]

No entry jobs in Taxachussetts. Gosh, I wonder why.

[Kaslin]

she's young enough to learn marketable skills imho. she should take any job right now she can get and work from there.

[FenianOfEire]

A half-dozen interviews have produced no offers that pay enough or meet her child-care needs.

In other words, she's getting job offers, but is refusing to take them for the stated reasons. You have to start at the bottom and work your way...