For those too despondent and depressed to click their way to the article:
One in 10 young people feel they cannot cope with day-to-day life - with those not in work, education or training more than twice as likely to feel this way - according to a Prince's Trust survey.
The annual Youth Index report questioned 2,136 16 to 25-year-olds.
A total of 27% of respondents in work feel down or depressed always or often, compared with 48% who were not in education, employment or training.
It also found 22% did not have someone to talk to about their problems.
The 2012 report discovered 52% of so-called NEETs said they often or always felt depressed.
The index, now in its fifth year, gauges young people's happiness across a range of areas, from family life to physical and mental health.
Despite the pressures many are facing, it shows relatively slight changes in overall confidence and happiness amongst young people, says BBC social affairs correspondent Alison Holt.
Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince's Trust, said: "A frightening number of unemployed young people feel unable to cope - and it is particularly tough for those who don't have a support network in place.
"We know at The Prince's Trust that it is often those from the most vulnerable backgrounds who end up furthest from the job market.
"Life can become a demoralising downward spiral - from a challenging childhood into life as a jobless adult. But, with the right support, we can help get these lives on track."
A Department of Work and Pensions spokesperson said youth unemployment had recently fallen.
"Excluding full-time students there are now 626,000 unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds - the lowest figure since early 2009. But we are not complacent about the scale of the challenge we still face.
"Through our Youth Contract we're offering nearly 500,000 work experience placements, wage incentives and apprenticeships over the next three years to help young people gain the skills and experience needed to get a job."
Good Grief. As a sufferer of depression I resent being lumped in with the job shy and lazy.
Escitalopram all round then off to the cabbage fields with the lot of them!
I was unemployed for 3 months after finishing uni and it was utterly depressing. I couldn't claim any jobseekers because my wife was working, even though she was minimum wage, which made things financially very hard (if I was single I could have applied for all sorts), and I just felt like a massive burden upon everyone. You fill in long applications for things every day and never hear back. Oddly enough I had to walk down to sign on every week anyway, but because I wasn't being paid any JSA they didn't seem bothered with helping me. I can't imagine being out of work for longer, or even years, I'd go mad.
We should really call up Tom Brokaw and get him to rethink who he picked as the Greatest Generation. I mean, having to deal with the Great Depression and World War II is one thing, but c'mon.
I learned Along time ago that things get better only if you let them. If you actively try to feel depressed you will not go anywhere. While things are hard, They do get better if you try.
I know, that's what I mean. They had the Great Depression followed by years of combat. We've had a recession followed by sluggish growth. I mean, really. How dare Brokaw?
hotsauceman1 wrote: I learned Along time ago that things get better only if you let them. If you actively try to feel depressed you will not go anywhere. While things are hard, They do get better if you try.
hotsauceman1 wrote: I learned Along time ago that things get better only if you let them. If you actively try to feel depressed you will not go anywhere. While things are hard, They do get better if you try.
Who actively tries to feel depressed?
I think that he means if you don't actively change your depressing outlook things will never get better. I realize that depression is far from this a lot times, but motivation is huge with mood. If you don't have the motivation to have a positive outlook, gak doesn't get better. Like personally I'm fine during the day, right up until I lay down to go to sleep, when all the thoughts and worries hit me as I try to sleep. I wake up the next morning groggy and feeling like gak, but know that I can't worry about the small stuff...
Mattman154 wrote: I realized a long time ago that I will die with no money in the bank.
And I'm as happy as a clam!
I plan on having something to leave my kids, but yeah I know what you mean. I long ago accepted that I will never be monetarily rich. But that's fine, my life is great as it is.
hotsauceman1 wrote: I learned Along time ago that things get better only if you let them. If you actively try to feel depressed you will not go anywhere. While things are hard, They do get better if you try.
Who actively tries to feel depressed?
I think that he means if you don't actively change your depressing outlook things will never get better. I realize that depression is far from this a lot times, but motivation is huge with mood. If you don't have the motivation to have a positive outlook, gak doesn't get better. Like personally I'm fine during the day, right up until I lay down to go to sleep, when all the thoughts and worries hit me as I try to sleep. I wake up the next morning groggy and feeling like gak, but know that I can't worry about the small stuff...
Yeah, That is what i meant. Although i have met people who do try to be depressed with the whole "Poor me and my troubles" attitude.
hotsauceman1 wrote: I learned Along time ago that things get better only if you let them. If you actively try to feel depressed you will not go anywhere. While things are hard, They do get better if you try.
Who actively tries to feel depressed?
I think that he means if you don't actively change your depressing outlook things will never get better. I realize that depression is far from this a lot times, but motivation is huge with mood. If you don't have the motivation to have a positive outlook, gak doesn't get better. Like personally I'm fine during the day, right up until I lay down to go to sleep, when all the thoughts and worries hit me as I try to sleep. I wake up the next morning groggy and feeling like gak, but know that I can't worry about the small stuff...
Yeah, That is what i meant. Although i have met people who do try to be depressed with the whole "Poor me and my troubles" attitude.
Truth. You've gotta be willing to work for what you want. Just as important, you have to know what you want. I've generally found that once you figured out what it is you wanted, getting it isn't really all that hard.
Howard A Treesong wrote: I was unemployed for 3 months after finishing uni and it was utterly depressing. I couldn't claim any jobseekers because my wife was working, even though she was minimum wage, which made things financially very hard (if I was single I could have applied for all sorts), and I just felt like a massive burden upon everyone. You fill in long applications for things every day and never hear back. Oddly enough I had to walk down to sign on every week anyway, but because I wasn't being paid any JSA they didn't seem bothered with helping me. I can't imagine being out of work for longer, or even years, I'd go mad.
Don't feel too bad, you wouldn't have gotten any better help even if you had been getting any job seekers.
I don't know about greatest generation, They certainly lack the will to be generation X'ers as well.
hotsauceman1 wrote: I learned Along time ago that things get better only if you let them. If you actively try to feel depressed you will not go anywhere. While things are hard, They do get better if you try.
Who actively tries to feel depressed?
I think that he means if you don't actively change your depressing outlook things will never get better. I realize that depression is far from this a lot times, but motivation is huge with mood. If you don't have the motivation to have a positive outlook, gak doesn't get better. Like personally I'm fine during the day, right up until I lay down to go to sleep, when all the thoughts and worries hit me as I try to sleep. I wake up the next morning groggy and feeling like gak, but know that I can't worry about the small stuff...
Yeah, That is what i meant. Although i have met people who do try to be depressed with the whole "Poor me and my troubles" attitude.
Truth. You've gotta be willing to work for what you want. Just as important, you have to know what you want. I've generally found that once you figured out what it is you wanted, getting it isn't really all that hard.
Easy E wrote: In the grand Dakka tradition, let's "Blame the Victim!"
I disagree, Many of the depressed people i have met have ok lives and not enough to worry about, but they refuse to be happy to get better.
Clinical depression is different so i wont go into that.
The problem is many people refuse to try to get better, instead opting to try. Because, although it is miserable, it is also safe and if they try to make it better, they are not sure how worse it can be.
Easy E wrote: In the grand Dakka tradition, let's "Blame the Victim!"
I disagree, Many of the depressed people i have met have ok lives and not enough to worry about, but they refuse to be happy to get better.
Clinical depression is different so i wont go into that.
The problem is many people refuse to try to get better, instead opting to try. Because, although it is miserable, it is also safe and if they try to make it better, they are not sure how worse it can be.
You must live in a weird place, to know so many people that actively avoid happiness.
For those too despondent and depressed to click their way to the article:
One in 10 young people feel they cannot cope with day-to-day life - with those not in work, education or training more than twice as likely to feel this way - according to a Prince's Trust survey.
The annual Youth Index report questioned 2,136 16 to 25-year-olds.
A total of 27% of respondents in work feel down or depressed always or often, compared with 48% who were not in education, employment or training.
It also found 22% did not have someone to talk to about their problems.
The 2012 report discovered 52% of so-called NEETs said they often or always felt depressed.
The index, now in its fifth year, gauges young people's happiness across a range of areas, from family life to physical and mental health.
Despite the pressures many are facing, it shows relatively slight changes in overall confidence and happiness amongst young people, says BBC social affairs correspondent Alison Holt.
Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince's Trust, said: "A frightening number of unemployed young people feel unable to cope - and it is particularly tough for those who don't have a support network in place.
"We know at The Prince's Trust that it is often those from the most vulnerable backgrounds who end up furthest from the job market.
"Life can become a demoralising downward spiral - from a challenging childhood into life as a jobless adult. But, with the right support, we can help get these lives on track."
A Department of Work and Pensions spokesperson said youth unemployment had recently fallen.
"Excluding full-time students there are now 626,000 unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds - the lowest figure since early 2009. But we are not complacent about the scale of the challenge we still face.
"Through our Youth Contract we're offering nearly 500,000 work experience placements, wage incentives and apprenticeships over the next three years to help young people gain the skills and experience needed to get a job."
Good Grief. As a sufferer of depression I resent being lumped in with the job shy and lazy.
Escitalopram all round then off to the cabbage fields with the lot of them!
streamdragon wrote: Yeah! Just go on down to the job store and pick one up! I mean really, how hard is it? Every job is fulfilling and happy making and RIGHT THERE!
Spoiler:
thats sarcasm, in case it is not clear.
If you have time to type crap on the internet you have time to go compete with hard working illegal immigrants at MacDonalds. You won't get hired, but at least you'll see what hard working Americans look like.
Man your all crazy. I try to be unemployed for at least 6-12 months every 5 or so years just to get out of work depression... It hasn't failed me yet, just went back to work after about 6 months of not being employed and I hate it. And no I don't have rich parents, or anything to pay my way but myself and my wife...
Chancetragedy wrote: Man your all crazy. I try to be unemployed for at least 6-12 months every 5 or so years just to get out of work depression... It hasn't failed me yet, just went back to work after about 6 months of not being employed and I hate it. And no I don't have rich parents, or anything to pay my way but myself and my wife...
I guess I'm lucky enough to find a job I love going to every day
Chancetragedy wrote: Man your all crazy. I try to be unemployed for at least 6-12 months every 5 or so years just to get out of work depression... It hasn't failed me yet, just went back to work after about 6 months of not being employed and I hate it. And no I don't have rich parents, or anything to pay my way but myself and my wife...
I guess I'm lucky enough to find a job I love going to every day
Yah I haven't quite been that lucky. The only job I've ever loved I got laid off 12 months in ;(
Chancetragedy wrote: Man your all crazy. I try to be unemployed for at least 6-12 months every 5 or so years just to get out of work depression... It hasn't failed me yet, just went back to work after about 6 months of not being employed and I hate it. And no I don't have rich parents, or anything to pay my way but myself and my wife...
I guess I'm lucky enough to find a job I love going to every day
Yah I haven't quite been that lucky. The only job I've ever loved I got laid off 12 months in ;(
That sucks. What was it if you don't mind me asking? I do warehouse work and general labor. The job is fine but it's the crew I work with that make it great.
What age group are you aiming to teach? I ask because there's a dearth of male teachers at primary and nursery schools (at least that is the case here in Britain, I'm not sure how the States compares). This can contribute to a lack of male role models in children's lives, and worsened by the fact that rulings for custody of children generally favour the mother. It's an imbalance that goes unchecked and will remain so until men establish a significant presence in the education of young children.
Mostly High School. But teaching elementary has crossed my mind quite a bit. And yes, Very often males are not part of "Primary Schools" Mostly because many parents think that if you are a guy there, you must be after their kid. But Both require a different degree(High school requires a Single Subject teaching credential)
hotsauceman1 wrote: Mostly High School. But teaching elementary has crossed my mind quite a bit. And yes, Very often males are not part of "Primary Schools" Mostly because many parents think that if you are a guy there, you must be after their kid. But Both require a different degree(High school requires a Single Subject teaching credential)
Again, why do you hate money?
It should be noted: I went to college for education and have my degree in education with my license in Ohio for grades 7 to 12 in "Integrated Language Arts"
Because, Money Killed my family, A 100$ bill went into my parents room and strangled my father.
But in all seriousness, im going to find a rockstar and marry her
I don't think rockstar and her go together If you said pop star I might agree...
Lzzy Storm of Halestorm would like a word with you
These bad ass ladies from Kamelot, who did the most metal and hardcore thing I have ever seen, stepping in for Nightwish's lead vocalist five minutes before Nightwish's set, after finishing their own set and literally having to carry a lyrics sheet with them would also like to disagree.
Um... I can't see either of those videos, but I do know that for the most part the ladies in Kamelot aren't actually in the band. Usually it was the female singer from Epica (a band that pulled their name from an earlier Kamelot album), AND Roy Khan's wife... not sure if they have female vocals on their latest album...
They do, Floor Jansen and Elize Ryd were Kamelot's touring vocals but both are lead singers for bands in their own right. (ReVamp, Star One, After Forever for Floor and Elize fronts Amaranthe and has been doing live vocals for Kamelot since 2010)
Edit: Whoops I stand corrected, Floor Jansen took over the rest of the Imaginarium tour for Nightwish after the concert video linked. Alissa White-Gluz is the other singer for Kamelot for that concert series and she's the lead vocals for the band The Agonist.
When I retire I want to teach at the local Jr. College (just a walk away). Time for Frazzled to give back, and by God that classroom will be safe from BGs.
"Is that a chainsaw on your desk Mr. Frazzled."
"No its just a paperweight."
"What with the hockey mask?"
"Motivational tool."
Just because you're paranoid Doesn't Mean They Aren't Out To Get You!
thinking more along the lines of math, business, even the glory of Shakespeare.
I can already imagine the Shakespear assingments you would hand out
"Ok Class, today we will be Acting the 3rd Act of Hamlet, With all the Main Characters played by wiener dogs."
Just because you're paranoid Doesn't Mean They Aren't Out To Get You!
thinking more along the lines of math, business, even the glory of Shakespeare.
I can already imagine the Shakespear assingments you would hand out
"Ok Class, today we will be Acting the 3rd Act of Hamlet, With all the Main Characters played by wiener dogs."
If I ever have a pair of weiner dogs of my own, they are definitely going to be named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Just because you're paranoid Doesn't Mean They Aren't Out To Get You!
thinking more along the lines of math, business, even the glory of Shakespeare.
I can already imagine the Shakespear assingments you would hand out
"Ok Class, today we will be Acting the 3rd Act of Hamlet, With all the Main Characters played by wiener dogs."
If I ever have a pair of weiner dogs of my own, they are definitely going to be named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
....after frequenting this forum you need to name at least one Frazzled
Just because you're paranoid Doesn't Mean They Aren't Out To Get You!
thinking more along the lines of math, business, even the glory of Shakespeare.
I can already imagine the Shakespear assingments you would hand out
"Ok Class, today we will be Acting the 3rd Act of Hamlet, With all the Main Characters played by wiener dogs."
If I ever have a pair of weiner dogs of my own, they are definitely going to be named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
....after frequenting this forum you need to name at least one Frazzled
Only after his first grandchild is named Rubiksnoob.
hotsauceman1 wrote: I learned Along time ago that things get better only if you let them. If you actively try to feel depressed you will not go anywhere. While things are hard, They do get better if you try.
Who actively tries to feel depressed?
I have done, in the past. It is not fun, the things clinical depression will make you do. Active sabotage of one's own life, friendships, family relationships... I couldn't explain it to you as I sit here right now, but at other times, I remember that those decisions, conscious decisions, seemed like the only sensible option. It takes an act of conscious willpower to realise you are suffering from depression and logically understand that you will regret certain choices, and then even more willpower to listen to your logic instead of the emotions that just want to make you destroy everything.
I too am somewhat irked (offended is too strong a word) at being lumped in with the workshy youth of today. Suffering from depression =/= being depressed.
And to all those who say "you just have to decide to be happy," you are half right. You alone have to make that decision to be happy again, but it is not as simple as "just" and even once you make the decision, it takes time to come all the way back. And you have to hope that you held yourself back well enough during the depression that you did not permanently damage any of the good things in your life, because once in a while, you do go too far, and you lose something/someone forever.
I've had depression, felt depressed and simply been self destructive at various times, and I can say that looking for a job is really effing miserable when there's not much hope and time is passing. Things aren't how they used to be i terms of getting a career, and one would have to be an idiot not to recognize that this is an employer's market. Even the easy answers aren't easy when your brain is foggy though. I just wish they had taught me more useful things in school and less crap that I'll never EVER use.
When was the last time you used the Pythagorean theorem? Anybody?
But there's this one hot goth chick... happy is you can be... and wickedly devious. My pants is always too small when I was around her
Had me a couple of them. Way too many daddy issues.
If it's just a hook up I could've normally cared less about issues, but many of them just sucked at what they did. Emo girls without the flash and makeup had proven equally disappointing.
streamdragon wrote: Yeah! Just go on down to the job store and pick one up! I mean really, how hard is it? Every job is fulfilling and happy making and RIGHT THERE!
Spoiler:
thats sarcasm, in case it is not clear.
If you have time to type crap on the internet you have time to go compete with hard working illegal immigrants at MacDonalds. You won't get hired, but at least you'll see what hard working Americans look like.
The whole immigrant thing is way overplayed. Nobody ever seems to blame the greedy white folks paying them either.
Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote: I've had depression, felt depressed and simply been self destructive at various times, and I can say that looking for a job is really effing miserable when there's not much hope and time is passing. Things aren't how they used to be i terms of getting a career, and one would have to be an idiot not to recognize that this is an employer's market. Even the easy answers aren't easy when your brain is foggy though. I just wish they had taught me more useful things in school and less crap that I'll never EVER use.
When was the last time you used the Pythagorean theorem? Anybody?
Took the words out of my mouth.
When I go looking at entry level positions its ridiculous. Half of them are asking for experience no college student has, others even ask for masters degrees for positions that pay little and take no where near that level of education. heck a lot of them should be labeled entry level at all. Since when is four years experience in the field entry level? Colleges imo do not prepare students for the modern jobs market, even though they pretend they do. They're still working like it's the 1980's or the 90's. I should have done more internships and would have had I seen some of these requirements before hand (I suppose that's on me too, but a little bit of a notice from someone would have been nice).
That's why Mistress is stuck being a lab technican with an engineering degree. There just aren't any internships out there right now, and every entry level job asks for 2 years experience.
When was the last time you used the Pythagorean theorem? Anybody?
I use it all the time at my job, I'm an exploration geologist and I drill holes into the earth. Given an azimuth and a dip, I need to be able to figure a likley amount of deviation of the drill will do as it does its job. Trig is actually a very useful math because I need to estimate what kind of rock I'll be drilling into at say, 2000ft beneath the surface. I have used trig a fair bit in conjunction with algebra in my career, its good stuff and something that should be emphasized in school.
I was a shiot student in HS and had to take college classes to learn this stuff, and while it wasn't easy, it has been rewarding, and I couldn't have the jobs I've been able to get without Trigonometry knowledge.
Beyond Trig, the usefulness sharply decreases unless you are into scientific or space engineering. Calculus is not very useful, and IMO amounts to torture. I effing hate calculus. The engineers I've worked with professionaly all mock calculus because they never use it. I work at a mine, so go figure.
EDIT: Internships are what separate students who get jobs straight out of college vs. those who don't. It's tough, it's brutal, it's reality. I wasn't able to do an internship during my education, and it was really hard to get a professional job after I graduated. I cleaned up poop and puke at a hospital for a while until I was able to get a real job in my chosen field. The interns I trained after I got a job in my field were so much more advanced than their peers, it wasn't even funny, and their peers weren't even competition after the interns I trained graduated and entered the job market.
TL;DR: Get an internship no matter how much you have to suffer. Sacrifice whatever you have to to get an internship before you graduate. I wish I could have.
TL;DR: Get an internship no matter how much you have to suffer. Sacrifice whatever you have to to get an internship before you graduate. I wish I could have.
Just a question from the experienced, how much internship time is good? I have three summers in full-time internships under my belt, and I'm not sure if that's enough. I know it's a bit of a headstart, but I've been struggling with the choice of doing another internship, or working on expanding my (fairly empty) portfolio. I'm almost finished my education, and I'm starting to get kind of scared, once I begin to consider just how little I feel I've learned, and how unprepared I feel I am.
Monster Rain wrote: Millennials hate it when they start to realize the rest of the world doesn't find them as enchanting and wonderful as their mothers did.
Well this is partly to blame (I hate the "special snowflake" coddling as much as anyone else), but I also think that the fact that previous generations kind of screwed us over (largely unintentionally, of course) has something to do with it. I know that I'll probably never get a pension, or own any property, for example. Granted, I know a lot of the baby boomers and gen-Xer's worked hard to get what they got and get where they got, but I also know that no matter how hard I work (and what I want to do and what I want to be demand that I work hard for it, and I'm happy with this) I probably will never be able to get as far for it.
When I go looking at entry level positions its ridiculous. Half of them are asking for experience no college student has, others even ask for masters degrees for positions that pay little and take no where near that level of education. heck a lot of them should be labeled entry level at all. Since when is four years experience in the field entry level?
Since it became an employer's market. Though, honestly, I think the decision to increase the standards for entry-level positions is stupid. It provides little benefit, and essentially guarantees a high turnover rate.
Colleges imo do not prepare students for the modern jobs market, even though they pretend they do. They're still working like it's the 1980's or the 90's.
In the defense of colleges, the present employment market for recent graduates is a relatively new phenomenon. I started looking at entry-level requirements during my sophomore year of undergrad ('05/'06), and generally prior experience fell into the "preferred" category. Then, suddenly, during my last semester (Spring 2008), it jumped to "3-5 years experience required". That's a very difficult thing to anticipate and prepare for, particularly given that employers often raise requirements based on market conditions as opposed to actual need; or even sense.
I should have done more internships and would have had I seen some of these requirements before hand (I suppose that's on me too, but a little bit of a notice from someone would have been nice).
Possibly, but I feel really sorry for the people that had no physical access to them. They got screwed hardest of all.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote: There just aren't any internships out there right now, and every entry level job asks for 2 years experience.
And most of them require you to be an undergraduate student.
Fafnir wrote: Just a question from the experienced, how much internship time is good? I have three summers in full-time internships under my belt, and I'm not sure if that's enough. I know it's a bit of a headstart, but I've been struggling with the choice of doing another internship, or working on expanding my (fairly empty) portfolio. I'm almost finished my education, and I'm starting to get kind of scared, once I begin to consider just how little I feel I've learned, and how unprepared I feel I am.
I felt the same thing and I was far less prepared than you seem to be (I think all graduates feel this anxiety). I only had one summer of internship myself (granted I essentially jammed in two internships worth of time into it). I'd say if you can do another do it. Internships are jobs, just not always paying (or well paying). How hard it is to get a full time job is going to vary by field. Someone in IT or Comp Sci will have a much easier time than someone in Mathematics (without a corresponding teaching certificate).
Current studies say that it takes most graduates 6 months to 2 years to find permanent employment. As much as I hate having to wait, that I still don't have a full time job 8 months out isn't abnormal. Get a job if you can. Any job. Your chances of getting hired go up when your working. if you don't work, potential employers are going to wonder why.
Well this is partly to blame (I hate the "special snowflake" coddling as much as anyone else), but I also think that the fact that previous generations kind of screwed us over (largely unintentionally, of course) has something to do with it. I know that I'll probably never get a pension, or own any property, for example. Granted, I know a lot of the baby boomers and gen-Xer's worked hard to get what they got and get where they got, but I also know that no matter how hard I work (and what I want to do and what I want to be demand that I work hard for it, and I'm happy with this) I probably will never be able to get as far for it.
LordofHats wrote: Current studies say that it takes most graduates 6 months to 2 years to find permanent employment. As much as I hate having to wait, that I still don't have a full time job 8 months out isn't abnormal. Get a job if you can. Any job. Your chances of getting hired go up when your working. if you don't work, potential employers are going to wonder why.
This bit has always had me worried. Thankfully, my internships paid me quite well, so I have enough money saved up to last me a year after I graduate, if I can't manage to find employment immediately.
dogma wrote: In the defense of colleges, the present employment market for recent graduates is a relatively new phenomenon. I started looking at entry-level requirements during my sophomore year of undergrad ('05/'06), and generally prior experience fell into the "preferred" category. Then, suddenly, during my last semester (Spring 2008), it jumped to "3-5 years experience required". That's a very difficult thing to anticipate and prepare for, particularly given that employers often raise requirements based on market conditions as opposed to actual need; or even sense.
I suppose I don't necessarily blame them. It's just frustration. I work hard. Too damn hard for my current job, and it annoys me that I know people far lazier than me who already have full time work while I'm barely making $40 a night.
Possibly, but I feel really sorry for the people that had no physical access to them. They got screwed hardest of all.
Coming out of a history program I can tell you that it is hard to find a history internship. Especially a good one. I got mine by pure luck when the guy in charge of picking interns turned out to be a friend of my grandfather and went out of his way to provide an extra slot for that summer for me. I applied for maybe, a dozen internships, and I only got recognition from two sites.
EDIT: And I went to school in the middle of Pennsylvania!
Just a question from the experienced, how much internship time is good? I have three summers in full-time internships under my belt, and I'm not sure if that's enough. I know it's a bit of a headstart, but I've been struggling with the choice of doing another internship, or working on expanding my (fairly empty) portfolio. I'm almost finished my education, and I'm starting to get kind of scared, once I begin to consider just how little I feel I've learned, and how unprepared I feel I am.
I assume your intended career path is artistic, but what kind of art? Could you use anything produced in an internship in order to fill out your portfolio? Could you fill out your portfolio and intern?
If your an artist there actually is a growing field that is under looked in schools and does have a steady demand as I find it at the moment: Graphic designers. Maybe not the most exciting job. I know some artistic people who when I proposed it to them hated the idea, but it is work and it is something where an art background and education is valued. Tends to pay well from what I can see as well.
I suppose I don't necessarily blame them. It's just frustration. I work hard. Too damn hard for my current job, and it annoys me that I know people far lazier than me who already have full time work while I'm barely making $40 a night.
I understand that. As I said in another thread, my first job out of college was as a personal trainer. Hardly what I expected when I took the plunge into student debt.
Coming out of a history program I can tell you that it is hard to find a history internship. Especially a good one. I got mine by pure luck when the guy in charge of picking interns turned out to be a friend of my grandfather and went out of his way to provide an extra slot for that summer for me. I applied for maybe, a dozen internships, and I only got recognition from two sites.
EDIT: And I went to school in the middle of Pennsylvania!
Did you limit yourself to internships specifically related to history?
Well, my degree is in New Media, which is pretty damn versatile (shame you don't actually learn anything in it :p), but I do graphic design and web design, although I'm working on building up my abilities primarily for concept artwork/illustration (this is the hard part, really, and the part that requires the most work).
With my most recent internship, I ended up doing some artwork for two companies (it's kind of weird, but I was on the payroll of one company, but actually worked for another), but most of the substantial stuff was a matter of circumstance.
On a good note, the company I worked for, and designed some websites and artwork for, is contracting me to do some more design work (if we can ever get that damn contract finalized), but the downside to that is that I don't really see them needing my services in a meaningful way for another few years (certainly not enough to justify 4 months of portfolio work).
One thing I plan on doing is, regardless of my employment situation, keeping myself busy with personal projects, and keeping the progress viewable on a production blog, to show that I'm constantly working on something, even if I'm not getting paid for it. It'll also allow me to focus on getting the practice I need where I desperately need it most.
LordofHats wrote: Graphic designers. Maybe not the most exciting job.
You're talking to a guy who gets off to different kinds of Helvetica.
Yeah. Probably a mistake Part of it was that my degree required a history internship so when I went hunting for one that's what I focused on but I was looking for two summers, and after the first failed I could have looked for others.
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Fafnir wrote: Well, my degree is in New Media, which is pretty damn versatile (shame you don't actually learn anything in it :p), but I do graphic design and web design, although I'm working on building up my abilities primarily for concept artwork/illustration (this is the hard part, really, and the part that requires the most work).
With my most recent internship, I ended up doing some artwork for two companies (it's kind of weird, but I was on the payroll of one company, but actually worked for another), but most of the substantial stuff was a matter of circumstance.
On a good note, the company I worked for, and designed some websites and artwork for, is contracting me to do some more design work (if we can ever get that damn contract finalized), but the downside to that is that I don't really see them needing my services in a meaningful way for another few years (certainly not enough to justify 4 months of portfolio work).
One thing I plan on doing is, regardless of my employment situation, keeping myself busy with personal projects, and keeping the progress viewable on a production blog, to show that I'm constantly working on something, even if I'm not getting paid for it. It'll also allow me to focus on getting the practice I need where I desperately need it most.
That sounds impressive to me I check job sites four times a week and fill out applications and I can tell you I find a lot of work listed for graphic designs and web designers (as well as social media coordinators which sometimes list graphic design as a preferred skill).
Just a question from the experienced, how much internship time is good? I have three summers in full-time internships under my belt, and I'm not sure if that's enough. I know it's a bit of a headstart, but I've been struggling with the choice of doing another internship, or working on expanding my (fairly empty) portfolio. I'm almost finished my education, and I'm starting to get kind of scared, once I begin to consider just how little I feel I've learned, and how unprepared I feel I am.
That's actually quite impressive, with that experience under your belt I'd focus on the portofolio. Although, as a science major things were different for me. There are established industries hungry for science grads. In your case you probably need a webpage showcasing your talents, showing someone what you can do, and what solutions and services you can provide.
Art is different, and although I love and live for art as a hobby, I don't know if I can offer any meaningful advice in that field. I'd say it's the road less traveled, although to be honest, settling for a lackluster career is the road most often traveled. Hell, science careers are also the road less traveled.
No matter what you choose, having passion for it is critical. I couldn't have gotten a job doing geology if I didn't love rocks and minerals. I love them, and most people don't understand that and think I'm weird for it. I've been mocked for it. But I'll never regret my passion for it. Because and the end of the day I'm skilled in something unique, while most people settle for mediocrity and don't challenge themselves.
Don't ever forget your passion for what you do, it's the fuel for everything you desire and dream of. I know it sounds cheesy, but damn if it isn't true. And it can propel you to reach your goals.
Establish goals, use your passion as fuel to reach them. This is what anyone who has ever achieved anything has done. You guys can do it!
Myself and close friends all graduated right before or right as the recession hit. Successful tips for getting a job, based on mine and their experiences:
Network your ass off. Hit every job fair, every career event, every popular after-hours bar, every trade show you can. Get some cards made up, hand them out whenever the opportunity presents. Hone your Elevator Pitch. Volunteer somewhere.
The post-9/11 GI Bill buys you a bachelor's or a Master's. The four years of work experience you get earning it make you attractive to every employer under the sun save possibly the Peace Corps. Unless you're doing something weird.
But there's this one hot goth chick... happy is you can be... and wickedly devious. My pants is always too small when I was around her
Had me a couple of them. Way too many daddy issues.
Occasionally you'd hit the jackpot and get the ones with just enough daddy issues.
Bwahaha. I have to agree.
Glad to see I come back to this thread to find a post I made a week ago being quoted
As someone that is not clinically depressed, I have a history of burning bridges with women who have broken up with me. Usually after a week of feeling down, I usually spout off about something offensive and don't stop until they no longer consider me a friend. I've found it works quite well in my process, but the week after the breakup I find reasons and excuses to be angry and or depressed. This is something that I've tried to change, and I've found that it sucks for longer, but it's easier on my blood pressure...
every job I've ever had was garbage, and the job I have now is garbage
there are very few things I enjoy in life, call me joyless and miserable because I am
life has shown its uglyness as did everything I once enjoyed
(for example I find the prospect of trying 6th ed daunting and exhausting as I would have to invest so much into it, money I worked very hard for, and it won`t bring me any joy
I donno what you would call a person who generally dislikes everyone he meets but I have been sliding down that path for a long time
Rainbow Dash wrote: every job I've ever had was garbage, and the job I have now is garbage
there are very few things I enjoy in life, call me joyless and miserable because I am
life has shown its uglyness as did everything I once enjoyed
(for example I find the prospect of trying 6th ed daunting and exhausting as I would have to invest so much into it, money I worked very hard for, and it won`t bring me any joy
I donno what you would call a person who generally dislikes everyone he meets but I have been sliding down that path for a long time
Rainbow Dash wrote: every job I've ever had was garbage, and the job I have now is garbage
there are very few things I enjoy in life, call me joyless and miserable because I am
life has shown its uglyness as did everything I once enjoyed
(for example I find the prospect of trying 6th ed daunting and exhausting as I would have to invest so much into it, money I worked very hard for, and it won`t bring me any joy
I donno what you would call a person who generally dislikes everyone he meets but I have been sliding down that path for a long time
Misanthrope?
I find the older I get, the more I am like this.
Things aren't what they used to be eh? Grandpa Simpson ramblings all round.
Rainbow Dash wrote: every job I've ever had was garbage, and the job I have now is garbage
there are very few things I enjoy in life, call me joyless and miserable because I am
life has shown its uglyness as did everything I once enjoyed
(for example I find the prospect of trying 6th ed daunting and exhausting as I would have to invest so much into it, money I worked very hard for, and it won`t bring me any joy
I donno what you would call a person who generally dislikes everyone he meets but I have been sliding down that path for a long time
I used to have that same thought about the jobs I had back in the days of my youth, so maybe I can tell you something I wish I knew back when I was your age that works really well for me and gives me a great amount of job satisfaction.
Study lean manufacturing and job instruction, and job relations. You can pick up a lot of good information on the internet and I'd be happy to PM you some things I've learned through experience on improving your resume or at least point you in some directions to get the information.
More and more, people doing the hiring, at least around here, are impressed with someone that understands and can implement even a few of the concepts of lean manufacturing.
Put some of the lean techniques, such as 5s into practice around you apartment or house so you can really familiarize yourself with them and talk the jargon. Practice building a resume by recording before, during, and after states of your home improvements. You could practice making some PDCA sheets, complete with problem statements and solutions. I also reccomend a book, along with the workbook, "6Sigma for Dummies".
It seems a bit overwhelming at first, but if you learn and practice these skills and build your resume with evidence of how you have improved your places of employment, you'll most likely find you can right your own ticket eventually. I'm not saying there won't be setbacks, some people are entrenched in their methods, but when you start with small things and work up, most end up coming around. Just pick your battles
Like I said, I'd be happy to PM you and help you out if you're interested.
I'm an upbeat person with possibly a bit more self esteem than is good for me.
I'll be going to college next year to study on becoming an aerospace engineer with hopes to work in the private space industry. I see no reason to be depressed or downtrodden, and I quite frankly don't see why some people around me find life to be such a depressing thing. Life isgreat. There are all kinds of opportunities out there, if you start early. If you blow off your high school years I'd imagine things will be much more difficult.
Sure, I fething HATE high school just as much as anyone else, and any and all attempts at asking le females out so far have resulted in a friendzone, but I try not to let crap like that bother me. And there is always Skyrim if I want to escape for a bit. Really, people need to set goals in their life and pursue them, and don't get lost along the way or you will regret it. I say life is the best accident to have happened in the history of the universe. And yes, I do in fact mean accident, as in random occurence with no purpose whatsoever. Make your own damn purpose.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant. It's probably because I am a little bit.
If you can't deal with reality don't bother reading this, but it's important knowledge for someone who is quickly running out of options.
Spoiler:
Practical tip: if you have no hope of a better future, lie on your resume. I'm not joking. It's not ethical, but neither is 99% of what employers are going to do to you when they start losing money. If the worst that can happen is you getting fired when they find out later, at least you had a job for a while and you can always lie about having lied later. It's a beautiful, natural cycle. This mainly applies to low end jobs that don't bother checking your credentials that thoroughly.
Always double check to make sure it's not illegal where you are or for what you are doing (basically that it's not worth pursuing damages), but lots of people get away with this all the time and it's better than being depressed.
@GalacticDefender: Noone cares about high school. At all. And if you're getting friend zoned there are things you can do to fix it. A woman usually knows within a minute or two whether she'd date you or not, and it's your job to appear dateable and not just friendable.
Rainbow Dash wrote: every job I've ever had was garbage, and the job I have now is garbage
What is the common thread between all these things?
Also, on an unrelated note, lying on your resume is terrible advice.
Note that I said "for someone with no other hope." I.e. when I was homeless and unemployed, lying that I had been working the whole time was the best advice ever.
While I wouldn't agree with lying, there is cause for, shall we say 'misrepresenting reality.'
It's a funny old world this job application thing, as far as I can see, noone wants, or expects the whole truth. So if you end up giving it, I've got the suspicion that people think you're exaggerating, because everyone exaggerates, so they think you're worse than you are!
Also, tying into the depression thing with jobs, it's amazing how often I find, the most pointless, crappyass things you do just to get by end up being seen as really awesome.
For example, one of the tiny wee, unimportant things I do, that I never thought anyone in the 'real world' would ever care about (except as a reason NOT to date me), was my work as a kind of moderator type person on a wee online game.
But, when writing my CV, I went 'oh frak it' and mentioned it in my resume/CV. It turned out to be massively important in an interview for an itservices / itsupport job I applied for because as I talked, the skills required ended up being pretty much the same sort of thing.
Incidently, 'oh frak it' seems to have been my personal medicine for any depression type situationss I've had in my life so far. Cause, when I've found myself getting low, I sometimes almost find my brain at a 'what is the point' etc etc depression-ey stuff. And "oh frak it, I'll do something out of character for me" seems to be a way round it. Admittedly, the most exciting thing I've done with that, is going for a random walk to a nearby village but it was out of character!
GalacticDefender wrote:Sure, I fething HATE high school just as much as anyone else, and any and all attempts at asking le females out so far have resulted in a friendzone, but I try not to let crap like that bother me. And there is always Skyrim if I want to escape for a bit. Really, people need to set goals in their life and pursue them, and don't get lost along the way or you will regret it. I say life is the best accident to have happened in the history of the universe. And yes, I do in fact mean accident, as in random occurence with no purpose whatsoever. Make your own damn purpose.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant. It's probably because I am a little bit.
Every time you get friendzoned... you made a friend. It ain't all bad.
@Compel: Exaggerating is both a given and a completely different animal I didn't stock groceries, I oversaw completion of tasks with short term deadlines on a consistent basis with a 100% success rate. I didn't flip burgers, I have experience working in environment-controlled clean areas (told one of my friends that one and he landed a job as a lab tech grunt having only had food service experience! I was proud). It's the name of the game.
@LL: That's a defeatist attitude, sir! Just because something seems foreign doesn't mean it's impossible. Change is not a bad thing, and the social habits of many in the nerd community could certainly benefit greatly from it if they could lose their fear.
Besides most people people who are "friend-zoned" are going to end up having an unhealthy friendship anyways, since one half of the relationship is going to feel like there needs aren't being met.
Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote: If you can't deal with reality don't bother reading this, but it's important knowledge for someone who is quickly running out of options.
Spoiler:
Practical tip: if you have no hope of a better future, lie on your resume. I'm not joking. It's not ethical, but neither is 99% of what employers are going to do to you when they start losing money. If the worst that can happen is you getting fired when they find out later, at least you had a job for a while and you can always lie about having lied later. It's a beautiful, natural cycle. This mainly applies to low end jobs that don't bother checking your credentials that thoroughly.
Always double check to make sure it's not illegal where you are or for what you are doing (basically that it's not worth pursuing damages), but lots of people get away with this all the time and it's better than being depressed.
@GalacticDefender: Noone cares about high school. At all. And if you're getting friend zoned there are things you can do to fix it. A woman usually knows within a minute or two whether she'd date you or not, and it's your job to appear dateable and not just friendable.
Oh, I care very much about High School, or rather the impact that it will have on my college education. Just because I have a 4.2 and am in several school clubs (Academic Competition in Education, etc.) doesn't mean I like school. The only part of school that is actually fun is Band, and that is only fun about half the time.
And on the second part of that comment... Bull crap. I've tried everything . I'm thinking I should probably give up until college. I don't know what the feth it is, heck, I get girls telling me I'm handsome and such all the time, and even what I percieve as outright flirting, but they never want to be anything more than a friend. Ah well. C'est La Vie
Cannerus_The_Unbearable wrote: @Compel: Exaggerating is both a given and a completely different animal I didn't stock groceries, I oversaw completion of tasks with short term deadlines on a consistent basis with a 100% success rate. I didn't flip burgers, I have experience working in environment-controlled clean areas (told one of my friends that one and he landed a job as a lab tech grunt having only had food service experience! I was proud). It's the name of the game.
@LL: That's a defeatist attitude, sir! Just because something seems foreign doesn't mean it's impossible. Change is not a bad thing, and the social habits of many in the nerd community could certainly benefit greatly from it if they could lose their fear.
It's actually a good accomplishment you have there to be able to stock groceries competently and work in a burger joint like you did. The first point being that you have the ability to stick to a grinding task and maintain standard work. The second being the experience you get in a lean work enviornment like the burger joint. Being able to maintain standard work like you must have had to have do is huge for employers who hate having the same job done as many ways as they have employees.
Standard work is one of the roots of continuous improvement and any business wanting to keep its doors open is definitely interested in that and the people who can maintain it.
GalacticDefender wrote:Sure, I fething HATE high school just as much as anyone else, and any and all attempts at asking le females out so far have resulted in a friendzone, but I try not to let crap like that bother me. And there is always Skyrim if I want to escape for a bit. Really, people need to set goals in their life and pursue them, and don't get lost along the way or you will regret it. I say life is the best accident to have happened in the history of the universe. And yes, I do in fact mean accident, as in random occurence with no purpose whatsoever. Make your own damn purpose.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant. It's probably because I am a little bit.
Every time you get friendzoned... you made a friend. It ain't all bad.
no you now have someone who only comes to you when they are upset and vents, when happy, they avoid you
thats not friendship, and if it is, well I am glad I avoid it in my adult years
It's actually a good accomplishment you have there to be able to stock groceries competently and work in a burger joint like you did. The first point being that you have the ability to stick to a grinding task and maintain standard work. The second being the experience you get in a lean work enviornment like the burger joint. Being able to maintain standard work like you must have had to have do is huge for employers who hate having the same job done as many ways as they have employees.
Standard work is one of the roots of continuous improvement and any business wanting to keep its doors open is definitely interested in that and the people who can maintain it.
I've never actually flipped burgers, just giving an example It certainly is a benefit to show long-term, consistent employment though. My point was that you can take experience and make it sound mundane and trivial or turn it into something exciting and applicable. Let's say someone had to change prices on items while working at a grocery store every once in a while. They could reference that in applying towards an entry level data entry/database management job as maintaining price accuracy on 2000+ items instead. It's all in how you spin it, really.
GalacticDefender wrote:Sure, I fething HATE high school just as much as anyone else, and any and all attempts at asking le females out so far have resulted in a friendzone, but I try not to let crap like that bother me. And there is always Skyrim if I want to escape for a bit. Really, people need to set goals in their life and pursue them, and don't get lost along the way or you will regret it. I say life is the best accident to have happened in the history of the universe. And yes, I do in fact mean accident, as in random occurence with no purpose whatsoever. Make your own damn purpose.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant. It's probably because I am a little bit.
Every time you get friendzoned... you made a friend. It ain't all bad.
no you now have someone who only comes to you when they are upset and vents, when happy, they avoid you
thats not friendship, and if it is, well I am glad I avoid it in my adult years
Why would you even use the term friendzone if you were never even friends?
This thing where people assume unemployment is due to be lazy or not wanting a job is a stupid, stupid thing. Here's a graph showing unemployment in the US and UK;
See how the unemployment rate goes up and down? That's because the level of economic activity varies from year to year, meaning that at some points in time, like now for instance, it can be quite hard to get a job, and meaning some folk will be out of work despite putting in efforts that at another time would have seen them get work very quickly.
It isn't because the number of people who happen to be shiftless and lazy fluctuates from year to year. That's crazy pants nonsense talk.
As such, claims that people ought to stop being lazy and just get a job becomes, basically, gibberish uttered by people who don't understand how the world works.
GalacticDefender wrote:Sure, I fething HATE high school just as much as anyone else, and any and all attempts at asking le females out so far have resulted in a friendzone, but I try not to let crap like that bother me. And there is always Skyrim if I want to escape for a bit. Really, people need to set goals in their life and pursue them, and don't get lost along the way or you will regret it. I say life is the best accident to have happened in the history of the universe. And yes, I do in fact mean accident, as in random occurence with no purpose whatsoever. Make your own damn purpose.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant. It's probably because I am a little bit.
Every time you get friendzoned... you made a friend. It ain't all bad.
no you now have someone who only comes to you when they are upset and vents, when happy, they avoid you
thats not friendship, and if it is, well I am glad I avoid it in my adult years
That's free psychotherapy and frankly I started to charge for that service.
GalacticDefender wrote:Sure, I fething HATE high school just as much as anyone else, and any and all attempts at asking le females out so far have resulted in a friendzone, but I try not to let crap like that bother me. And there is always Skyrim if I want to escape for a bit. Really, people need to set goals in their life and pursue them, and don't get lost along the way or you will regret it. I say life is the best accident to have happened in the history of the universe. And yes, I do in fact mean accident, as in random occurence with no purpose whatsoever. Make your own damn purpose.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant. It's probably because I am a little bit.
Every time you get friendzoned... you made a friend. It ain't all bad.
And.. Depending on the type of friend you have, they may be the most marriageable person around, and eventually they will see more good in you than before and take up that "dating" interest in you...
This coming from a guy who spent most of high school in the friendzone as well, but ended up marrying a girl who put him in the friend zone, but quickly realized that he wasn't like the other "friends" that she had, etc. etc. High School should never be about dating girls or any of the other outside BS we think it's about when we're in there... it's about getting the life skills necessary to succeed in life.
So, if you are in HS (or it's foreign equivalent for those of you across the ponds from us) and find yourself always getting put into the friendzone, don't fret right now, once you're out of school, those few friends that you do keep will usually become better friends, and occasionally someone who put you in friendzone status will re-evaluate you and wish to pursue further relations with you.
sebster wrote: It isn't because the number of people who happen to be shiftless and lazy fluctuates from year to year. That's crazy pants nonsense talk.
As such, claims that people ought to stop being lazy and just get a job becomes, basically, gibberish uttered by people who don't understand how the world works.
Yes, but...
it is much easier to believe in gibberish and more it's fun!
sebster wrote: It isn't because the number of people who happen to be shiftless and lazy fluctuates from year to year. That's crazy pants nonsense talk.
As such, claims that people ought to stop being lazy and just get a job becomes, basically, gibberish uttered by people who don't understand how the world works.
Yes, but...
it is much easier to believe in gibberish and more it's fun!
I know a lot of people who had some of the best times in their lives in high school. It makes sense that when your hormones are peaked out that certain things will be more fun than later in life. Social skills never hurt later in life either. I was lame in high school and I regret it, personally.
GalacticDefender wrote:Sure, I fething HATE high school just as much as anyone else, and any and all attempts at asking le females out so far have resulted in a friendzone, but I try not to let crap like that bother me. And there is always Skyrim if I want to escape for a bit. Really, people need to set goals in their life and pursue them, and don't get lost along the way or you will regret it. I say life is the best accident to have happened in the history of the universe. And yes, I do in fact mean accident, as in random occurence with no purpose whatsoever. Make your own damn purpose.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant. It's probably because I am a little bit.
Every time you get friendzoned... you made a friend. It ain't all bad.
no you now have someone who only comes to you when they are upset and vents, when happy, they avoid you
thats not friendship, and if it is, well I am glad I avoid it in my adult years
Why would you even use the term friendzone if you were never even friends?
Ehhh.... teenagers.
yeah so 24 is a teenager now?
I didn't invent the damn term, people always act like I invent these damn terms
It's not easy for younger people at the moment because of the unemployment rate. I was unemployed for a good chunk of 2008 despite a pretty good education and having been in work since I was 15 in one way or another. I was pretty depressed at the time, definitely felt useless and like a sponge.
The only thing that saved me, long term, was being willing to emigrate to where long term work is. When I left for England I had barely any money (couldn't afford to buy new shoes for work or even replacement glasses because I'd broken mine until I got my first paycheque! Spent the first month looking at chav-shaped blurs, very entertaining).
Even at that though, I was much luckier than many of my friends at home because I had a skill that was in demand abroad, and I had at least enough of a fallback to be able to afford (barely) the flights to the UK to be interviewed. I mean, I got them refunded when I took the job, but having that capital to hand is a huge deal for a lot of people (I had to get a loan out to manage it, but even there, I was helped by my dad's membership in the credit union and respectable position as a policeman. Not everyone will have these advantages).
The other secret is that pretty much every job sucks in some way or other, and making peace with the sucky parts of your job is the best route to not hating your life for ever. They don't really pay people for anything that someone would happily do for free, most of the time.
I don't think young people at present are well prepared for this kind of struggle. I wasn't, everything was very optimistic in boomtime ireland and I didn't always focus on what would make me employable (I studied ecology in parallel with experimental physics. Real employable there, Boss). Many of us get told to pursue our dreams and what will make us happy, but in reality pursuing a stable and comfortable existence is smarter advice for most people. Dreams are for bed time.
GalacticDefender wrote:Sure, I fething HATE high school just as much as anyone else, and any and all attempts at asking le females out so far have resulted in a friendzone, but I try not to let crap like that bother me. And there is always Skyrim if I want to escape for a bit. Really, people need to set goals in their life and pursue them, and don't get lost along the way or you will regret it. I say life is the best accident to have happened in the history of the universe. And yes, I do in fact mean accident, as in random occurence with no purpose whatsoever. Make your own damn purpose.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant. It's probably because I am a little bit.
Every time you get friendzoned... you made a friend. It ain't all bad.
And.. Depending on the type of friend you have, they may be the most marriageable person around, and eventually they will see more good in you than before and take up that "dating" interest in you...
This coming from a guy who spent most of high school in the friendzone as well, but ended up marrying a girl who put him in the friend zone, but quickly realized that he wasn't like the other "friends" that she had, etc. etc. High School should never be about dating girls or any of the other outside BS we think it's about when we're in there... it's about getting the life skills necessary to succeed in life.
That dating bs you complained about can be important in the development of social skills.
Da Boss wrote: It's not easy for younger people at the moment because of the unemployment rate. I was unemployed for a good chunk of 2008 despite a pretty good education and having been in work since I was 15 in one way or another. I was pretty depressed at the time, definitely felt useless and like a sponge.
The only thing that saved me, long term, was being willing to emigrate to where long term work is. When I left for England I had barely any money (couldn't afford to buy new shoes for work or even replacement glasses because I'd broken mine until I got my first paycheque! Spent the first month looking at chav-shaped blurs, very entertaining).
Even at that though, I was much luckier than many of my friends at home because I had a skill that was in demand abroad, and I had at least enough of a fallback to be able to afford (barely) the flights to the UK to be interviewed. I mean, I got them refunded when I took the job, but having that capital to hand is a huge deal for a lot of people (I had to get a loan out to manage it, but even there, I was helped by my dad's membership in the credit union and respectable position as a policeman. Not everyone will have these advantages).
The other secret is that pretty much every job sucks in some way or other, and making peace with the sucky parts of your job is the best route to not hating your life for ever. They don't really pay people for anything that someone would happily do for free, most of the time.
I don't think young people at present are well prepared for this kind of struggle. I wasn't, everything was very optimistic in boomtime ireland and I didn't always focus on what would make me employable (I studied ecology in parallel with experimental physics. Real employable there, Boss). Many of us get told to pursue our dreams and what will make us happy, but in reality pursuing a stable and comfortable existence is smarter advice for most people. Dreams are for bed time.
I think youth have a moan about jobs/work no matter what the current economic outlook. There will always appear to be some 'difficulty' in getting work.
I do, somewhat, agree that our culture has us following dreams. But that is a product of the media and businesses need for mass consumption. Special Snowflakes need their MTV crib, fridge of cristal and appearance on X Factor.
I think youth have a moan about jobs/work no matter what the current economic outlook. There will always appear to be some 'difficulty' in getting work.
I do, somewhat, agree that our culture has us following dreams. But that is a product of the media and businesses need for mass consumption. Special Snowflakes need their MTV crib, fridge of cristal and appearance on X Factor.
So it's not actually hard to get a job then and every young adult is obsessed with MTV?
I think youth have a moan about jobs/work no matter what the current economic outlook. There will always appear to be some 'difficulty' in getting work.
I do, somewhat, agree that our culture has us following dreams. But that is a product of the media and businesses need for mass consumption. Special Snowflakes need their MTV crib, fridge of cristal and appearance on X Factor.
So it's not actually hard to get a job then and every young adult is obsessed with MTV?
Didn't you know? This generation is waaaay worse than any other ever. No one was ever coddled or interested in popular culture before this generation. Rabble rabble insert Jersey Shore comment rabble rabble.
GalacticDefender wrote:Sure, I fething HATE high school just as much as anyone else, and any and all attempts at asking le females out so far have resulted in a friendzone, but I try not to let crap like that bother me. And there is always Skyrim if I want to escape for a bit. Really, people need to set goals in their life and pursue them, and don't get lost along the way or you will regret it. I say life is the best accident to have happened in the history of the universe. And yes, I do in fact mean accident, as in random occurence with no purpose whatsoever. Make your own damn purpose.
Sorry if I sound a bit arrogant. It's probably because I am a little bit.
Every time you get friendzoned... you made a friend. It ain't all bad.
And.. Depending on the type of friend you have, they may be the most marriageable person around, and eventually they will see more good in you than before and take up that "dating" interest in you...
This coming from a guy who spent most of high school in the friendzone as well, but ended up marrying a girl who put him in the friend zone, but quickly realized that he wasn't like the other "friends" that she had, etc. etc. High School should never be about dating girls or any of the other outside BS we think it's about when we're in there... it's about getting the life skills necessary to succeed in life.
So, if you are in HS (or it's foreign equivalent for those of you across the ponds from us) and find yourself always getting put into the friendzone, don't fret right now, once you're out of school, those few friends that you do keep will usually become better friends, and occasionally someone who put you in friendzone status will re-evaluate you and wish to pursue further relations with you.
I am quite aware that high school is not about any of those things. In fact I am highly considering giving up on trying to start a high school relationship now as I will be going to college out of state and I haven't seen much succes in that area. And no, I don't think it is about getting the life skills necessary for life either, or at least it is not successfull. Good grades and school participation look good on college applications and make it easier to get scholarships, and that is the only reason why I put up with it. That and Band is fun.
I guess I can see how high school could depress people who don't have any real aspirations or clearly defined goals, but I've already started planning my future, so even the stupidest thing that happens in school, I know they will pass and be an annoying memory someday. I can't fething wait for college. Though I won't be too surprised if it isn't much different. At least there will be fewer rednecks.
I think youth have a moan about jobs/work no matter what the current economic outlook. There will always appear to be some 'difficulty' in getting work.
I do, somewhat, agree that our culture has us following dreams. But that is a product of the media and businesses need for mass consumption. Special Snowflakes need their MTV crib, fridge of cristal and appearance on X Factor.
So it's not actually hard to get a job then and every young adult is obsessed with MTV?
Didn't you know? This generation is waaaay worse than any other ever. No one was ever coddled or interested in popular culture before this generation. Rabble rabble insert Jersey Shore comment rabble rabble.
It's less of the coddle and hands being held, and more of the fact that our economy sucks, our job market is crap, and people are leaving college with enough debt to saddle them for a lifetime....
Mr. Burning wrote: I think youth have a moan about jobs/work no matter what the current economic outlook. There will always appear to be some 'difficulty' in getting work.
True, end of the day it isn't easy getting started in the work force, no matter what the economic conditions. In the end though, most everyone does what it takes to get a job and bring in money, because the alternative is basically a life wasted in poverty.
It's just that right now with the economy the way it is there are a lot more kids than there are jobs.
I do, somewhat, agree that our culture has us following dreams. But that is a product of the media and businesses need for mass consumption. Special Snowflakes need their MTV crib, fridge of cristal and appearance on X Factor.
While there is an increasing emphasis on glamorous lifestyles today, I think its effect on kids entering the workforce is way overstated. Sure, there'll be some idiot that's a friend of a friend who thinks working is beneath them so they keep living with their parents, building up ridiculous credit card debt and chasing their dream of being a pop star... but it's the extreme exception.
Most people do what they've always done. Realise life isn't going to be the easy road to fame and fortune and then just get on with it.
This whole thread makes me so sad. I think I'll call off work and just lay in the fetal position all day, whimpering. Somewhere off in the distance, a dove cries.
Ahtman wrote: This whole thread makes me so sad. I think I'll call off work and just lay in the fetal position all day, whimpering. Somewhere off in the distance, a dove cries.
Shortly after, alerted by the sound of sweet tears, a pack of wiener dogs eats the dove. In his sleep, Frazzled smiles.
If you said pop star I might agree...
. I'm thinking I should probably give up until college. I don't know what the feth it is, heck, I get girls telling me I'm handsome and such all the time, and even what I percieve as outright flirting, but they never want to be anything more than a friend. Ah well. C'est La Vie 
