Help End The Obama Era In 2012
Your Monthly and Quarterly Donations
Help Keep FR In the Battle!
Sponsoring FReepers are contributing
$10 Each time a New Monthly Donor signs up!
Get more bang for your FR buck!
Click Here To Sign Up Now!
Posted on 07/01/2012 3:24:51 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Andi Meuth earned a history degree from Texas A&M in May and has applied for 150 jobs, so far with no luck.
Jon Ancira graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology last year, but can't find work that uses his degree. After six months of searching, the 26-year-old did finally land a job — at a bank.
Alex Ricard, 21, is grateful to be using his electronic media degree from Texas State at a social media startup company, but it's an unpaid internship.
He says he's sent out three to five resumes a week for the past two months, with almost no response from prospective employers. When he does hear back, he says, it's most often that he doesn't have enough experience.
While the particulars for each graduate are different, the overarching narrative has become familiar.
Up to half of all recent college grads are jobless or underemployed, doing low-wage work outside their chosen fields, according to a widely reported analysis this spring by the Associated Press.
These young women and men still have high expectations — as do their parents — that a college degree will pay off, despite rising tuition and the resulting debt.
But increasingly, say economists and workforce experts, there is a mismatch in today's job market between graduates' skills and those needed in the fastest-growing career fields.
The recession changed the economy permanently, economists say. In this largely jobless recovery, millions of mid- and entry-level positions are gone, the work now automated.
Many of those with college degrees who do find jobs can expect lower salaries and reduced earning potential over their working lives. Rising debt — the average graduate carries about $25,000 in loans — can push the often-necessary advanced degree out of reach.
Locally, the unemployment rate among 20- to 24-year-olds has been about twice as high as the overall rate.
Psych degree overload
Ricard still holds out hope that his degree will eventually lead to a job, given the increased importance of social media and digital technology, but he has his limits: August.
“If I haven't found something by then,” he said, “even though I'd like to think my days of fast-food jobs are behind me, it becomes less about the job I want and more about the job I need at that point.”
Not all graduates face such dire straits. Those with in-demand degrees in areas such as engineering, information technology and nursing enjoy much brighter job prospects.
Kevin Davis, who earned an electrical engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin, had three job offers before he graduated in May. He took a job with Toshiba in Houston.
John Hollman will graduate from Austin Community College in December with a two-year associate degree in nursing. The San Antonio native already has two job offers, one from his current employer of nine years, Texas Oncology.
But employers and workforce agencies say the labor market is suffering from a jobs-skills mismatch.
Psychology, for example, is the third-most-popular four-year degree in Texas and one of the fastest growing, according to Workforce Solutions Alamo, a public agency that works to bring people and jobs together.
Problem is, there's almost no demand at that level, said Eva Esquivel, communications manager with the agency.
More than 5,000 people graduated from Texas colleges and universities with bachelor's degrees in psychology in 2010, she said, to compete for four job openings in the field, with an annual salary of $22,000.
“That's not even enough to pay student loans back,” Esquivel said. Most psychology jobs require a higher-level degree — and there still aren't many positions available.
Ancira, who saw some of his psychology research published while studying at Northwest Vista, one of the Alamo Colleges, said he found fewer research opportunities after transferring to UT.
Disenchanted, he looked into changing majors or getting an advanced degree, but the burden of $36,000 in student loans put him off.
Meuth, who lives in San Antonio, said she knew the job market for history majors without a master's degree or teaching certification was limited but decided to go for a major she was passionate about, even in a slumping economy. She wants to work in a museum eventually, which requires a master's, but is putting it off for now to avoid taking out any loans.
Conversely, Texas colleges graduated far fewer engineers than psychology majors in 2010 — just 271 petroleum engineers, according to Workforce Solutions Alamo, and demand far outstrips supply, especially as the Eagle Ford Shale continues to boom.
Starting pay for petroleum engineers averages $85,000, Esquivel said. For the 405 chemical engineers who graduated in 2010, it's about $60,000.
Skills in short supply
Chris Nielsen, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Manufacturing in San Antonio, said the company has struggled to fill engineering positions and points to the healthy starting salary as proof of the competitive nature of the field.
But perhaps more crucially, Nielsen said that in the six years the company has been building trucks in San Antonio, it's never been able to fill all its trade positions, or what it calls “skilled job” positions.
Those include maintaining assembly-line robots, which Nielson said requires training in programming, hydraulics and pneumatics.
These are good, career-track positions, he said, many that pay in the $60,000 range.
Toyota is hardly alone.
Manufacturers surveyed in the latest “Skills Gap” report from the Manufacturing Institute, an affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, reported that roughly 5 percent of current jobs go unfilled because of a lack of qualified candidates. That's as many as 600,000 unfilled jobs — machinists, operators, craft workers, distributors, technicians and more — that manufacturers say hamper their ability to expand operations, drive innovation and improve productivity.
Those surveyed said the national education curriculum is not producing workers with the basic skills they need, and the trend is not likely to improve in the near term.
Tom Pauken, appointed to the Texas Workforce Commission by Gov. Rick Perry in 2008, has become a passionate advocate for greater vocational and technical training.
He laments what he calls a “one size fits all” approach to higher education, which assumes that everyone needs a four-year degree.
Those who do are often saddled with enormous debt and still can't find good jobs, he said. “Meanwhile, there is a shortfall of qualified applicants for those with skills training as welders, electricians, pipe fitters and machinists.”
Entry-level salaries for those jobs in the San Antonio area begin in the low- to-mid-$20,000 range, according to Workforce Solutions Alamo, and rise to the upper $40,000s at the expert level.
In San Antonio, Alamo Colleges runs Alamo Academies, which aims to train high school juniors and seniors for skilled employment in fast-growing local industries, including aerospace, information technology and security, manufacturing and the health professions.
The academies, which are a partnership among the community college district, local industry and workforce agencies, also provide college credits, and expose students to occupations that require a college education. Students stay in their high schools, take about half their classes at the academy and participate in a paid internship in their chosen field.
After high school, graduates earn an average starting pay of more than $30,000 and will have earned a couple dozen college credits.
“I tell students they need to do career planning even before education planning,” said Esquivel, who travels a 12-county region talking to high school students about where job growth will occur in the coming years. “I wish more students would take advantage” of the information her agency has to offer.
Luisa Ramirez, the on-campus recruiting coordinator at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said she's seen an increase in freshmen who come to the career center seeking advice, rather than waiting until they're seniors.
“They've seen their parents go through the recession,” she said, “So they're more aware.”
Ancira said many recent graduates might be in for a rude awakening.
“You go to school thinking you're going to graduate and there's going to be a job in an office waiting for you,” he said, “but a few years into it, you realize that's not really going to happen.”
That’s a great idea. Do you have the vapor hoods for dealing with the solvents? How about industrial grade steel sinks? On-site waste treatment. (You aren’t going to flush the gunk down the toilet?!) Registered all of your chemicals and solvents with the fire department?
The guy up the block does a great job with small engine repair. He wanted to expand it and turn his garage into a full time shop. It was unbelievable the number of hoops they were going to make him jump through. So he just keeps it small. Although I imagine now that he is on their radar they will be watching him.
But a great skill for you to have, and come a certain time, the last thing they (or you) will be concerned about is some new EPA rule.
I had to log in just to tell you THANK YOU. I have never herd of such a site, and I am immensely grateful for you posting that. I have had a friend who has been asking me to help him understand economics for some time, but I’m not able to explain everything I know. Now he can watch the videos on that site and learn at his own pace! Thanks again.
(Ironically, he stopped going to College because he didn’t want to pay tens of thousands of dollars for that “increasingly worthless piece of paper.” I feel the same way, now, although years ago, I did get two of them, lol).
Contrary to what my username home page says I am not in Oz, I am in Alaska.
We have quite a bit more freedom up here as far as EPA laws.
My most important tool will be an industrial sized ultrasonic cleaner. I have a shop almost a long stone throw away that does powdercoating and cerakote, a process very popular lately. Actually last year I did a 1911 for a customer in a two tone silver graphite cerakote, its a baked on epoxy that is very durable.
I also did a Winchester model 70 that way, its now resistant to cold weather, and my lubricants are mostly synthetic or dry lubes.
Blueing can be an option but its actually not very popular, most new gun owners prefer a more rugged durable finish and or a specific color. And I can airbrush that cerakote into a camo design.
And since its Alaska word of mouth is the best form of advertisement.
bump
We do not (and have not ever) received one dime from subsidies, grants or any other form of free money from anyone.
So there are big opportunities at Chick fil A beyond your local store? I’m just not familiar with the corporate organization.
Keep a good GPA. Take the time to intern with a Big 4 if you have the opportunity. They pay interns pretty well and, if you do a good job, usually offer you a job before you start the masters program. Use the CPA study guide your employer offers for free or at a discount, if they do. If they don't, seriously consider purchasing one for yourself. I recommend Becker. And do every practice test and answer every question they have. Get the exam out of the way as early as you can, preferably while still in school (which, unfortuantely, means you can't wait for help from your employer for the study program). Work loads and responsibilities increase quickly, so not having to take the extra time needed for exam prep while working busy season hours is a good idea.
You chose a good major and, if you do the right thing in school, you will have companies looking for you instead of the other way around.
You're 100% correct. Without a Masters at the least a BA or BS degree in History is useless, except for hanging it on your wall to cover a hole.
Ditto for a BA in Psychology. A friend of our oldest daughter (whom we've known most of her life) has that and she works as a babysitter in a daycare center - until she gets fired for her 'lib know-it-all' attitude. She met her hubby in the same Psychology classes and he also has a BA in Psychology. He works in a Shoe Store. I call him: 'Al Bundy' ;-)
Personally I love History and now that I'm 'sorta retired' my kids say I should go to college and get a degree in History - but just for the fun of it.
Corrected for current times.
So does virtually any degree in the hard sciences (at least above the BS level). Major in a tech subject.....minor in history/sociology/("insert your favorite "soft subject" here).
A good friend of mine majored in chemistry and minored in English. He worked with me at a major chemical company for many years. He was a lousy chemist..no tech skills to speak of...he knew the subject, but couldn't handle/build experimental setups.
However, late in his career he got a "temporary" slot in the company's Patent Department. It turned out that that combination of needed skills (technology plus very skilled writing ability) was his absolute forte, he was superb at it. Retired (was still working in the Pat. Dept. at that time), became an independent Patent Agent and is still going strong. His success rate at getting patents allowed is far higher than most patent lawyers.
Universities market many useless degrees such as psych, history, and art, but they also market PC BS in the form of gay and lesbian and gender studies to gullible and unmotivated students. The easy degrees have few job prospects, while the academically challenging degrees that require you work very hard, often pay very well and have many good jobs available.
Young people, look for a vocational position in the Marcellus shale industry, in the gas fields of PA. Our governor just signed a bill to give tax credits to a big new project coming to our region.
Many of those who voted for Obama, including the university crowd, thought they were voting for others to be put in their place. I have zero doubt that was a major motivation for many on the left. It always is.
That said, I have no sympathy for those who voted for Obama thinking he was going to make things better for them while screwing someone else, only to find out that they wound up being hurt as well. There are tons of people out there who have worked hard their whole lives, scrapping together what they thought was going to see them into retirement, only to have their life savings and their plans decimated by the social engineering crowd.
In the American economy, when the tide is high all, or most boats float higher. When you try to selectively target the kinds of success you don’t like, in a hate-driven attempt at social engineering, you make the tide lower for everyone (except the political class - who are always impervious to reality). For all of those who wound up being ‘collateral damage’ because of their vote for this administration, blame yourselves.
This is why I’m glad I never bothered with a college degree. No idea what I’d want, wasn’t ready for it, and couldn’t handle it anyway. These dumb kids could laugh all they want at me, I’m laughing at them because I’m not tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
I’m one of those unlucky people that just can’t wrap their head around math. All throughout my schooling that was my worst subject and just got worse as the years went on.
I’m one of those unlucky people that just can’t wrap their head around math. All throughout my schooling that was my worst subject and just got worse as the years went on.
Give Kahn Academy.org a try. The problem with classrooms is that there is no pause/replay for a live lecture. With this, you can repeat material till you get it. Math is just language, very precise language that describes what happens in the world. It's worth the effort.
I, for one, welcome our new Cybernetic Overlords /.
What?? You mean those degrees in Eastern Philosophy just don’t cut it anymore?
Or for late bloomers like me who finished up a military career, got a job, and paying my own way through college. It means a lot of very late nights, no weekends with the grandkids, and one very testy wife. (She says the light in the dinning room keeps her awake at night). Math isn't my forte, but I've got six more upper level math classes to go for that EE degree. I keep listening to that Miley Cyrus song "The Climb" and think to myself; Yep, that's me.
They do that in the insurance/securities business, too. The insurance (life, property, casualty) business is NASTY and they are very cutthroat to the newcomers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.