NYT reports 37% of 18-29 year olds are unemployed Forum

[General Tso]

Wait.. I felt sorry for that kid until I read that he went to Colgate and majored in PoliSci with a minor in History yet turned down a 40k Insurance job and desperately wants to work in Finance. Who on earth does he think he is??

Apparently it was an entry-level claims adjuster position with little room for advancement. He was looking for something that would put him on a management track.

But yeah...polisci major is dumb move. What to study though? Outside of finance and health fields, there isn't much else out there worthwhile. Certain technical fields like biochemistry are booming, others like electrical engineering, not so much.

[094320]

..

[D-ROCCA]

Our generation is whiny, lazy, and feels entitled. It's seriously disappointing.

[rundoxierun]

Wait.. I felt sorry for that kid until I read that he went to Colgate and majored in PoliSci with a minor in History yet turned down a 40k Insurance job and desperately wants to work in Finance. Who on earth does he think he is??

Apparently it was an entry-level claims adjuster position with little room for advancement. He was looking for something that would put him on a management track.

But yeah...polisci major is dumb move. What to study though? Outside of finance and health fields, there isn't much else out there worthwhile. Certain technical fields like biochemistry are booming, others like electrical engineering, not so much.

Umm what he apparently doesnt realize is that he turned down the exact job that a huge amount of polisci/history majors from LACs were getting BEFORE the recession. If he wanted a finance job or something that led to management then he shouldve majored in ECON. Its honestly not that hard to figure these things out. If technical fields are booming then major in a technical field or prepare for the likelihood of taking a crappy job. Yeah you can study what you "love/are interested in" but there is an inherent risk involved.

[Merr]

FWIW, there is some Russian professor that predicts the USA will break apart

(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html)

TL;DR article, but what an amusingly misguided graphic at the bottom. If the far-fetched scenario of the U.S. breaking up actually occurred, I can't see South Carolina and New York being on the same side of the split. Also Texas would definitely just be its own country again.

The Southern part of the United States joins Mexico? I feel like Southerners would protest this idea. Also, Alaska goes to Russia? I guess Palin won't just be able to see Russia from her house--her house will be in Russia!

I also feel like we (Southerners) would protest joining the EU.

[rayiner]

Our generation is whiny, lazy, and feels entitled. It's seriously disappointing.

Our generation wouldn't be so whiney if your parents' generation hadn't fucked things up so much.

Soon they'll be old and we'll be able to vote to cut their social security.

[rundoxierun]

I also feel like we (Southerners) would protest joining the EU.

I feel like we southerners(as a whole) will be protesting every single new thing that occurs while obama is president, regardless of its effect.

[Merr]

I also feel like we (Southerners) would protest joining the EU.

I feel like we southerners(as a whole) will be protesting every single new thing that occurs while obama is president, regardless of its effect.

Um, No.

[rundoxierun]

I also feel like we (Southerners) would protest joining the EU.

I feel like we southerners(as a whole) will be protesting every single new thing that occurs while obama is president, regardless of its effect.

Um, No.

To clarify, I dont mean me or you.. I mean the south in general.

[nycparalegal]

Wait.. I felt sorry for that kid until I read that he went to Colgate and majored in PoliSci with a minor in History yet turned down a 40k Insurance job and desperately wants to work in Finance. Who on earth does he think he is??

Apparently it was an entry-level claims adjuster position with little room for advancement. He was looking for something that would put him on a management track.

But yeah...polisci major is dumb move. What to study though? Outside of finance and health fields, there isn't much else out there worthwhile. Certain technical fields like biochemistry are booming, others like electrical engineering, not so much.

Did any of you actually read the article? Seriously, the kid didn't major in Poli Sci and Minor in History. That was his brother who is making 75,000 a year.

The kid, and it only hints at it, majored in something finance or corporate related. I mean in the fourth paragraph of the first page it states "Rather than waste early years in dead-end work, he reasoned, he would hold out for a corporate position that would draw on his college training....

[Patriot1208]

The alarmism is rampant on this thread. Its like a group of glenn beck's got together over a couple of beers to talk about down trodden American lifestyle and work ethic.

[General Tso]

Our generation is whiny, lazy, and feels entitled. It's seriously disappointing.

That may be true to some extent but there is so much more to it than that. There are so many differences in the economic factors at play today versus those faced by older generations. Foreign competition, mechanization of agriculture, etc. etc. etc.

Do you really think that 37% unemployment can be explained away by laziness? Is the guy applying for jobs over 2+ years lazy and whiny? Sure maybe he should have taken the 40k job, but keep in mind thats the ONLY OFFER he got. It's not like he was offered 8 or 9 40k jobs and turned them all down due to a sense of entitlement. He even says he looks back on it as a mistake.

[rundoxierun]

The kid, and it only hints at it, majored in something finance or corporate related. I mean in the fourth paragraph of the first page it states "Rather than waste early years in dead-end work, he reasoned, he would hold out for a corporate position that would draw on his college training....

umm no... It was Scott that majored in polisci. Scott is the kid without the job.

“I worked hard through high school to get myself into the college I did,” Scott said, “and then I worked hard through college to graduate with the grades and degree that I did to position myself for a solid job.” (He majored in political science and minored in history.)

EDIT: This quote is from the middle of the 3rd page btw.

[Merr]

I also feel like we (Southerners) would protest joining the EU.

I feel like we southerners(as a whole) will be protesting every single new thing that occurs while obama is president, regardless of its effect.

Um, No.

To clarify, I dont mean me or you.. I mean the south in general.

I don't know, my state voted for him.

[nycparalegal]

The kid, and it only hints at it, majored in something finance or corporate related. I mean in the fourth paragraph of the first page it states "Rather than waste early years in dead-end work, he reasoned, he would hold out for a corporate position that would draw on his college training....

umm no... It was Scott that majored in polisci. Scott is the kid without the job.

“I worked hard through high school to get myself into the college I did,” Scott said, “and then I worked hard through college to graduate with the grades and degree that I did to position myself for a solid job.” (He majored in political science and minored in history.)

EDIT: This quote is from the middle of the 3rd page btw.

You're right! Reading Fail on my part.

[rundoxierun]

I don't know, my state voted for him.

ehh you are from the carolinas then.. I live close to the deep south. We are definitely from different Souths

[truffleshuffle]

I also feel like we (Southerners) would protest joining the EU.

I feel like we southerners(as a whole) will be protesting every single new thing that occurs while obama is president, regardless of its effect.

Yeah cause nobody ever protested Bush's ideas simply because they were his.

This is the problem with America, everyone is polarized and the result is that no one is willing to compromise. Republicans hate Obama, Democrats hated Bush. Everyone just bitches and attacks the other side with this "us vs. them" mentality.

[DaveBear07]

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

-Tolstoy

If you want to make the world a better place, look at yourself and make a change.

-King of Pop

[General Tso]

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

-Tolstoy

If you want to make the world a better place, look at yourself and make a change.

-King of Pop

what kinds of changes? I definitely think Americans should stop overleveraging themselves, but beyond that what can we do?

[paratactical]

.

[truffleshuffle]

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

-Tolstoy

If you want to make the world a better place, look at yourself and make a change.

-King of Pop

what kinds of changes? I definitely think Americans should stop overleveraging themselves, but beyond that what can we do?

Stop the infighting among ourselves and give up our role as the world's police force.

[pjo]

wow hears the sad part, I originally read this post and thought it said 37% of 18-29s are EMPLOYED and it didn't even phase me. So when I actually read the your post it came out as quasi good news lol.

[DaveBear07]

Being future lawyers, leadership should be something we are prepared to do.

Areas of change needed: Policy, Cultural, Social

Policy: renewable/sustainable energy, fiscal responsibility, job creation

Cultural: consumerism, greed, apathy, prejudice

Social: compassion, service, trust, love, community, responsibility, wisdom, virture, etc etc etc

[mallard]

Being future lawyers, leadership should be something we are prepared to do.

Areas of change needed: Policy, Cultural, Social

Policy: renewable/sustainable energy, fiscal responsibility, job creation

Cultural: consumerism, greed, apathy, prejudice

Social: compassion, service, trust, love, community, responsibility, wisdom, virture, etc etc etc

lol. Yes, lawyers are known for inspiring trust and love.

[njgal]

Our generation is whiny, lazy, and feels entitled. It's seriously disappointing.

That may be true to some extent but there is so much more to it than that. There are so many differences in the economic factors at play today versus those faced by older generations. Foreign competition, mechanization of agriculture, etc. etc. etc.

Do you really think that 37% unemployment can be explained away by laziness? Is the guy applying for jobs over 2+ years lazy and whiny? Sure maybe he should have taken the 40k job, but keep in mind thats the ONLY OFFER he got. It's not like he was offered 8 or 9 40k jobs and turned them all down due to a sense of entitlement. He even says he looks back on it as a mistake.

I agree with you that the 37% cannot be explained all by laziness, but using scott to get the point across in the article was a bad move. By the end I did not feel sorry for him. He probably could have had more job offers but he was limiting himself to apply to only the ones he liked. I do not know what he was thinking applying to finance jobs when he did not major in some sort of business like major. Those jobs are hard to get for people who did major in finance accounting and econ let alone his major. It is hard to feel sorry for someone who turned down a job and lives off of his parents (he did not even have a part time job from what I gathered....just a rich white boy living off of his parents). With nothing on his resume for the last two years no wonder he has no offers. I just feel that the article could have interviewed someone else in that 37% and then this thread would have been very different.