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.”
My dad’s family loved books and had excellent vocabularies, a carryover from the antebellum era when going off to school was not just attainable but expected, of the eldest son at least. I guess they were “ genteel po,” lol, a faded old homeplace tha was once grand, a lot of land and little else. That may have given me a better start, I don’t really know. I know there was a family scholarship that nobody in the immediate family knew about, that helped.
On average, business and psychology majors have among the lowest SAT scores of all college grads. Of course, there are many exceptions, but in general, it is a marker of less than the brightest and hardest working.
Then again, for some industries and roles—e.g., sales, which is of course critical to business—it can suggest someone who would therefore be willing to stay in a less-than-top job.
To provide a 4 year degree that is the modern equivalent of the high school diploma.
He was set to graduate with a Biotech degree and was looking for any job in that field. Many hundreds of resumés later he was getting discouraged. I had a long talk with him and advised him to concentrate on his studies and his part time job...he worked in food service in a retirement home/facility...and put his faith in God to show him his path.
He graduated and continued working hard at his job and did continue looking for a biotech job.
Last week he called and said his boss had recommended him to his boss for a manager's job in a much larger facility owned by the same company.
He interviewed once last Friday and was offered the job on the spot. Full time employment with a $14,000 increase in salary with benefits. He is still walking on air. He knows it is not in the field he studied for but has a lot of time to explore this opportunity. He may wind up loving it.
Hard work, dedication and faith will carry a person a long way in this world. My son has learned this lesson at the tender age of 23. God is great.
I find it ironic that the classic blue collar jobs (plumbing, electrician, carpenter, pest control, excavation, etc) and “red neck” jobs such as gun smithing are infinitely more secure than the information economy jobs and service work promoted for the past 20 years.
As an engineer, one of the best investments I ever made was computer aided drafting coursework. Others worked in “internships” while I worked as a drafter. Helped pay for school AND living expenses.
My late b-i-l was a C.P.A., he was also owner operator of a semi when he first started, before he died he owned 3 semis and that C.P.A. was essential and saved him a lot of money.
My wife did his accounting work for him for a few years. I'd add also that I was amazed at the difference he had between gross and net income. Just complying with all the laws and taxes of the 48 contiguous states was a nightmare.
“I came of age during Jimmy Carter’s miserable administration. I made under $100 a week for the first year and maybe $125 the second year. It built up my work skills and toughened me up (well, somewhat). So, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for kids with an English degree who want $60,000 straight out of the box.”
Ahh a boomer who is so out of touch as to believe that is what kids want these days.
Let’s do some ‘math with boomers’.
100 a week in 1976 = 403.89 in 2012.
Over the course of a month - you made 1600 a month. That’s 19200 dollars a year.
I’m 30. I teach History at a Catholic school.
I make 750/month when school is in, less than half what you made in 1976. When school is out (4 months of the year), I work other jobs to pay the bills.
750 a month is the most I’ve ever made in my career.
Want to trade? I like your 150 a week a heck of a lot better than my 750 a month.
I agree with you about the heart needing to be in it if you choose the ROTC route to the military. Congratulations to your daughter for her choice. It appears to be working for her while she is yet in college so I’m sure that portends even better things yet to come for her.
An alternative view: sometimes the heart needs to follow the mind when certain practicalities become evident, such as difficulty in finding a job in a field. ROTC was just one example of applying practical thinking. Another alternative would have been a double major/minor that could lead to employment in the Human Resource department where a psychology degree may apply. Another business application is marketing/market research. Psychology is not just helping people talk through their individual problems.
Gee, I can't imagine why students raised on "being green" would not choose degrees in petroleum engineering.
I’d go to work in a really good McDonalds or Chick fil A store”
Chick fil A is not a bad route at all....learn the ropes, save the money, open up your own.
girlfriend does NOT need to apply for any hand modeling
jobs either!!
$750/mo? That would be about $4.50 an hour if you were working 40-hour weeks—or about 60% of the minimum wage!?!
Pretty girl.
Nice smile.
Aggies have a large network in several industries. She will land a job.
History degree? Well, depending on the school that might have a value for some companies.
Yes. They do.
Go to work for McDonalds and consider it as going to school. Rather than come up with a bunch of bucks for tuition, Get a job at MD and pay extreme attention to what is taking place. Get paid for your efforts in the process. Set a limit. Go one year or maybe a year and a half. Be dedicated to the task the same as if you were paying thousands of dollars at a college.
The concept involves looking at McDonalds as an industrial microcosm . Mc Donalds is very much like a factory with hundreds of employees except smaller. MD also has a retail arm in addition to the manufacturing arm. To grasp how things are done in the manufacturing and business world, MD is small enough to observe all the operations that can be studied in detail and the study extrapolated to the world. MD is chosen because it is truly a global company and one if not the very best successful business to be studied.
The big question, the goal of the going to MD as school, is to discover in detail what is MD? Why does it exist?
As a study aid, a laptop computer would be beneficial. The computer can be used to keep notes and to make and record lists. Homework is making notes and expanding the lists, making entries into the big list of things learned and things to be explored further
Most McDonalds employees don’t flip burgers, they are in sales. At McDonalds if you apply your self and study what is happening you can develop a good understanding of sales and customer service. The front line, the people on the counter, have an opportunity to meet and greet a wide cross section of customers, of people. The very act of asking” how can I help you” engages the customer in a business transaction. The customers can be observed and then studied in the abstract. Make a list. What kinds of customers, what do they want, what do they need, how does MD meet their wants and needs, what wants and needs are not met, should every want and need be met?
If you clean up, study the various chemicals and cleaners. Read the MSDS documents and learn a lot about OSHA, chemicals and government regulation. Learn what they do and why they do it. Learn why someone made and effort to obtain each of the specific cleaning products. Understand the process and how it relates to government regulations. Learn why MD wants the task not only performed but the reason for doing it. Learn if there is and external requirement such as a local or federal regulation. Learn about the regulation and why it exists. Learn if MD made the rule and how the rule makes the product better.
Somewhere there are posters. The posters are mandated by the government and outline the various employment laws. The posters are the basis for the interaction of business and government. They might seem overly complex and quite boring but they are a major part of the lesson. Study the posters and develop a total understanding of what they mean. Learn how the government and business interact and why.
Hang out with the manager and study and learn the flow of goods. Learn the basics of purchasing. study the inventory flow and learn how inventory management keeps the company rolling.
A typical Mc Donalds store is a mega industry on a micro scale They obtain raw materials hire labor and manufacture a product to very tight specifications. The process is typical of all manufacturing, only the product, the manufacturing equipment and size are different.
The principles of how raw materials are obtained, moved around, stored, and used apply to all business and manufacturing. A thorough understanding of the various tasks and processes involved will be useful elsewhere. The lessons can be expanded to a basic understanding of product quality and quality control The business and all the jobs there are absolutely dependent on the quality of the product.
Tight specifications, what are the specifications, where did they come from, why have the specifications, how are they met, who enforces the specifications and assures consistent quality? These are all valuable lessons to be learned in the micro factory. The answers can be learned by paying attention and carefully watching what is actually happening throughout the place..
The subject of raw materials is very important area of study. One of the lists or perhaps several of the lists would be of various raw materials or raw material categories. . Just what and how many raw materials is required to keep the place running? A list describing the material, where it comes from and exactly how the material is used can provide extremely valuable insights.
Then there is the matter of human resources. A one year study of the flow of people in and out and retained could result in a master’s degree paper on proper use and abuse of labor resources.
Then there is cash. A study of cash management could provide a detailed insight into cash, banking and the importance of plastic payments to a small business.
The MD school you choose might be near home or across town but it is merely one of many. A whole nother different course of study is what happens at and to MD outside the local operation? How does your store relate to a regional and national and global network of stores.
Back to the big question. Why does your school exist? Why do we have Md’s. The answer to that question applies to each and every business and manufacturing operation in the country. The answer is to make the owners a profit. Each and every item on all the various lists that will be developed in the school process is there to assure a profit. Proving that statement is the goal of the school and learning the reasons is the way the proof is obtained
It is all there for free. as a matter of fact one can get paid while at this school. All it takes is a proper frame of mind and a desire. Everything there is something to be learned
An interviewer will be blown out of her shoes when the lessons set out and learned are recounted in extreme detail.
Oh, bull. I live in New York City and believe me with rent and food, $100 bucks a week (that’s pretax in a highly taxed city) was starvation wages.
So you have to work a second job in summer! You chose to teach school so why complain?
Huh? That is $4.36 an hour for full time. You could make more babysitting or picking up pop bottles.
I’ll second that comment.
Actually one could see the pendulum moving down long before 2008. I used to interview individuals for positions in my organization up to the mid 90’s. Beginning in the mid late 80’s, I began to notice the movement into soft studies because the positions I interviewed for required at least a bachelor’s degree. Beyond that, the enthusiasm for the work began to wain while the desire to determine job benefits and working conditions took over. I recall a conversation with an applicant who was not selected. After hearing the successful candidate agreed to move to another location plus he possessed a degree which required critical thinking skills over his rudamentary education he became irate almost to the point of expressing he was entitled to that job because he had a degree (no matter what or from where ((he had the equal of a degree from a close match book cover before striking institution)).
Overall, the state of the economy is the great equalizer. In the years of my experience, the economy especially in silicon valley was running full bore so the marginal found jobs. Today, it is only the best need apply. In this atmosphere, knowing ones limitations and developing ones strengths wins out over those with super inflated egos and senses of entitlement IMO.
Ping! Interesting college/career info.
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