Posted on 10/26/2007 2:09:03 PM PDT by Zakeet
Think you've got problems? Let Ken Ilgunas offer you some perspective. Ken's got problems, and the Buffalo News has generously offered him space to tell the world about them:
I am 24, live with my parents, can't find work and am floundering in a sea of debt five figures high. I think of myself as ambitious, independent and hardworking. Now I'm dependent, unemployed and sleeping under the same Super Mario ceiling fan that I did when I was 7.How did this happen? I did what every upstanding citizen is supposed to do. I went to college. . . .Upon graduating, I was helplessly launched headfirst into the "real world," equipped with a degree in history and $32,000 in student loans. Before ricocheting back home, I would learn two important lessons: 1) There are no well-paying--let alone paying--jobs for history majors. 2) The real world is really tough.
At one point, Ken was so "desperate" that he even considered working for a bank or an insurance company!
"I had hit an all-time low. Could I surrender my soul for health coverage and a steady income? Could I sacrifice my ideals by falling into line?"
Our hero stood firm.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
See your armed forces recruiter; four years of service will make you “real-world-qualified,” by making a man out of you.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Only if you furnish sufficient parts of usable quality!
Why do I suddenly see a vision of George Costanza!
Mommy and daddy probably instilled his "principles" into his mush filled brain.
What a dork!!
LOL!! Perfect
LOL ... possibly. My wife is more responsible for my financial hemorrhages than my education was. :)
Luckily, my education was lucrative enough that my debt isn’t as much of a concern as you’d think ...
H
” including his belief that he is better off unemployed than “compromising his integrity.””
You can’t eat integrity!
“My name is George. I’m unemployed and I live with my parents.”
H
There is nothing wrong with a job like that. I was the best Chili Maker at Wendy's.
Of course I got higher paying jobs as time went on but there was nothing shameful in that one.
It is sad that Ken is too blind to see that.
Funny that you mention music education, because my "day" job now is teaching music at a private studio. Again, no formal education on my part.
Our oldest son returned home after graduation, and despite pretending to apply to law school or graduate school, he gave no sign of leaving. At our insistence, he did get a very good job selling cars. Last December, he entered Marine boot camp and is now stationed at Camp Lejeune; his unit leaves for Afghanistan after the first of the year. Talk about growing up!
Here are some links for Kenny:
http//www.craigslist.org
And there are thousands more.
two worded advice: Grow up!
He should realize that no job is beneath anyone’s dignity but his whining and living off of others is.
He should pay rent to whoever he is living with, even if it is to his parents and a small amount. If he chooses to move out he doesn’t need his own swanky place but needs to understand it’s OK to share a house/apt with roommates and economize.
He should lose the expectation that his degree will be directly applicable to his next job or any future job. His education may serve him well, but not in the direct and tangible ways that he expects.
He should pay his bills. Whatever he can afford.
He should realize he doesn’t need any ‘toys’ right now. His expenses should be essentials.
He must be willing to accept relocation. He should relish the adventure.
He needs to be proactive.
My brother is a percussion instructor for a marching band (and he does quite well for a 25 year-old), and my wife is a homemaker/ private french horn teacher who dabbles in marching band drill writing and music arrangement.
H
And I would add there are good paying jobs that a person with a fine arts degree can get. I would gather from a fine arts degree a certain amount of cultural literacy and intelligence in a person, perhaps a very good grasp of design and color.
People just need to figure out how to apply their gifts and find a way to fit them into the marketplace. I am sure there are good jobs for a hardworking motivated person with a college art degree. People just don't know how to find opportunities and lack the confidence and "huck and chuck" skills to get themselves the good paying job.
Apparently, there is no class covering “The History of History Majors”.
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