Jobs, the world economy, and University

[LORD DARKSOUL]

Unheard of maybe on the east coast, but not the west coast. Kroger is HUGE on the west coast and is doing very well with a business model that includes the labor unions. The company I work for is an independent grocer that was hit hard by the fall of the economy since price wasn't our main selling point, quality and customer service was. For the last year, we've dropped our prices so that we're on par with Kroger and we still sell quality goods and offer great customer care. As for unions, they're not for every business but for grocery stores I think they're very important. If all grocery stores did away with unions you may as well say goodbye to the middle class. This country needs people to spend money and if you take money out of the pockets of the middle class its just going to get worse. If the company I work for fails its not because they're paying workers like myself good money. The landscape of the grocery business has changed and its really hard for the independents to compete with stores like Wal-Mart and Winco if the only thing people care about is price.

Here is more information about Kroger if you're interested -

http://www.thekrogerco.com/

Good info.

My stance on unions is so wavering. In theory, I think they're great, as regular-Joe's certainly need organized protection and to make a livable wage, but unions typically wind up being almost as greedy as the corporate corporations, nearly grinding business to a halt with unreasonable demands (the auto industry is a perfect example).

Ah, well. This is one of the truly two-sides issues. On one hand, unions protect the interests of those that can't really protect themselves, but on the other hand, union employees could pretty much 69 customers, or do nothing all day, and get away with it without being fired. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a real plausible solution, other than government regulations which would restrict CEO pay and more fairly distribute it among employees at the bottom of the pyramid. That will never happen in the states though, with the Joe the Plumber types arguing that'd be socialism and voting against it, even though it'd be in their best interest.

Anyway, my apologies for being so harsh. Still, you're probably in the top .2% of wage earners nationwide (according to the article you posted, ~$17 was the ceiling wage in 2007, and even if it's gone up $2 since then, no where east of CA/WA/OR is going to pay that).

Tell you what, next time I come to the Pac NW, first 5 rounds of Patron are on me, dawg!!!

 

[insidethefall]

College is the biggest scam going...It's good for some people, but for the majority of us, especially us americans it's a big hole of debt that we'll be spending years of our lives climbing out of.

If I could have done it all over, I would have joined job corps and became a plumber.

 

[Heliotropic_Rose]

College is the biggest scam going...It's good for some people, but for the majority of us, especially us americans it's a big hole of debt that we'll be spending years of our lives climbing out of.

If I could have done it all over, I would have joined job corps and became a plumber.

that's the way I feel about it too. What's your degree in?

I heard that about 30% of people who went to college said they didn't learn anything, put me in that boat, unfortunately. My parents had the philosophy of get a degree and get out and the skies the limit. Which for my dad who went to college in the early 70's that made sense, but it's a different ballgame now. My folks think I can just easily get some kind of manager position anywhere since i have a degree . . . . . . .and plumbers make good money too

 

[BlueSky]

 

[insidethefall]

that's the way I feel about it too. What's your degree in?

I heard that about 30% of people who went to college said they didn't learn anything, put me in that boat, unfortunately. My parents had the philosophy of get a degree and get out and the skies the limit. Which for my dad who went to college in the early 70's that made sense, but it's a different ballgame now. My folks think I can just easily get some kind of manager position anywhere since i have a degree . . . . . . .and plumbers make good money too

I wouldn't be surprised if it wasnt more than 30% ... My BA is in History. I find the subject fascinating, but I'm not a historian or teacher. Liberal arts majors might be the most targeted victims of the college scam because most are young and are "dreamers" but really don't have a end site in mind. I guarantee that the colleges are aware that their thousands upon thousands of students studying poetry, history, art, liteature, etc... are not going to pursue these subjects as their primary career and their degrees are worthless.

Like a moron though, I got my Master's degree in Library science. I just started working in a library and thought it would be practical. As it turns out, the program I applied to taught me next to nothing and now that I've graduated, the job openings for librarians are few and far between. I'm now unemployed and being hounded by the government to give them back the money that I borrowed. I can't see where I'll ever be out of debt.

Like your parents, mine too were naive enough to push me into college. But they were fooled by the American Dream...it doesn't exist, it's a smoke screen for rich people to take advantage and ruin the lives of the poor.

 

[Brave.Archangel]

so then how do I become a plumber?

 

[Phoenix5]

Sign up for an aptitude test at your local union, so you can apply for an apprenticeship.

 

[Silent paragon]

I work In the Entertainment Industry doing lighting and rigging for a range of events from small TV shows to big music festivals. I love it. My degree in Design is useless and was a waste of 3 years. The pay can be a bit up and down. Some days I earn 5 times what I earn other days. Eventually I wold like to be a touring systems tech / rigger / moving light fix it person for productions with a big budget that still retain some sort of artistic integrity.

Photos!

Some of our new lights.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/silentparagon/IMG_20110210_132543.jpg

LED panels at the back of a stage, just before we pulled it all down.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/silentparagon/IMG_20110213_075556.jpg

LED panels being tested in the warehouse before they go out to the gig.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a41/silentparagon/IMG_20110209_161927.jpg

 

[Heliotropic_Rose]

Like your parents, mine too were naive enough to push me into college. But they were fooled by the American Dream...it doesn't exist, it's a smoke screen for rich people to take advantage and ruin the lives of the poor.

Yup, well said my friend. Hopefully some awesome turn of events will turn the tables on these rich assholes that have more money than they know what to do with.

 

[Lisra]

Meanwhile in socialist heaven, college is free. oO

(Edit: My studies cost 1652€/year, but over in Germany there are still plenty of states where there are no tuition fees)

 

[Heliotropic_Rose]

its practically free in denmark and most of the scandanavian countries though, right? I know in France it's cheap as fuck

 

[isolation_years]

uni is expensive here too



i would take a trade too if i could do it over again, good money

 

[Morfeind]

Good info.

My stance on unions is so wavering. In theory, I think they're great, as regular-Joe's certainly need organized protection and to make a livable wage, but unions typically wind up being almost as greedy as the corporate corporations, nearly grinding business to a halt with unreasonable demands (the auto industry is a perfect example).

Ah, well. This is one of the truly two-sides issues. On one hand, unions protect the interests of those that can't really protect themselves, but on the other hand, union employees could pretty much 69 customers, or do nothing all day, and get away with it without being fired. Unfortunately, I don't think there's a real plausible solution, other than government regulations which would restrict CEO pay and more fairly distribute it among employees at the bottom of the pyramid. That will never happen in the states though, with the Joe the Plumber types arguing that'd be socialism and voting against it, even though it'd be in t lheir best interest.

Anyway, my apologies for being so harsh. Still, you're probably in the top .2% of wage earners nationwide (according to the article you posted, ~$17 was the ceiling wage in 2007, and even if it's gone up $2 since then, no where east of CA/WA/OR is going to pay that).

Tell you what, next time I come to the Pac NW, first 5 rounds of Patron are on me, dawg!!!

No worries. I think we both learned something. I had no idea grocery wages were so low outside of the west coast. I'm sure the cost of living in both parts of the country has a lot do with it. I know the cost of living in WA and CA is crazy.

 

[the mourner13]

I am about to complete my master's degree in materials science in Germany. In April I will start my master thesis project in an institute called Fraunhofer. During the project (6 months) I will work 40 hours a week and I will be paid 4.6 euros per hour. It is not so bad I guess considering that this is only my master thesis project and not a job...

 

[Liquid Crystal Sunshine]

I'm from Spain (so I could make some writing mistakes). I'm studying at university and I pass the subjects slowly. I'm doing a very hard degree and some time ago i decided not to get stressed with it. I started losing interest in my studies due to some teachers attitude, university's politics and many other things. It seems like students are nothing more than something to keep university's prestige. So we are throwing away some years of our life (the best ones i guess), and life is short.

So now I spend time writing some short stories and sometimes i send them to writing contests. I'm also interested in publishing them. Despite this, i'm also a songwriter, a singer and a musician. So I spend some time doing that. I founded a band called 11th Universe (follow the links in my signature if you want to hear it). It's something like melodic death metal, but also influenced and searching for a unique sound. I'm going to release an EP called Unfold this spring.

However i'm still at university. I'm also looking for a job for the weekends. One option i'm seeing is working at McDonald's or at any restaurant/bar/hell.

 

[Swany]

Interesting thread, stories and points of view... Had quite a time reading here! (and wished I was any good at math...)

Tell me if I got it all wrong, but I'm somewhat surprised to get such a "negative" vibe concerning higher education from our American friends. Feels like you see it as a burden, something that wasn't worth the debts it's put you in. :/

To (most of) us over here, attending university is absolutely desirable and somewhat inevitable for any future career. Although I don't quite feel such a pressure for the degree itself and more for the actual educational results. To be fair, public universities in Germany were free until some years ago and even now the "really expensive" ones cannot be compared to the fees for example in Great Britain. Still, it's put many school graduates and families in very difficult positions. We have a Federal Law on Support in Education which basically allows everyone to get a special loan with no (or quite low) interests and a maximum limit for repayment (about €10k in my state). However, with the new Bachelor/Master system it's limited to Bachelor studies only... that's why I'm glad that I don't have to rely on financial support from the government - even though my family's far from being rich and I have to consider my expenses twice.
I'm currently aiming for my Bachelor of Arts, in regional cultural studies and language (bit vague here, sry, but I don't want to go into detail)... my studies will take a bit longer than usual because I'm planning to get straight into a Master programme (regional culture and global economy) after that.

Bachelor of Arts? Cultural studies? How's that supposed to feed me one day?
Honestly? I don't know yet! What I know, though, is that I love what I study, that I get to travel around the world, that I can look at Chinese and Japanese characters and actually understand something, that I can meet all kinds of people from everywhere... and so much more.
When I graduated from academic high school I intended to keep on working and earning money... I can't quite say why I ended up at university, even ended up working as a docent for my department! (I somewhat finance my education by working for those who educate me - perfect deal!)
Maybe I'll be a prof one day... so not rock'n'roll... or work in diplomatic service... maybe a bit more adventurous... but hey, it'll always be possible to get a job "below my academic level"... probably not in Germany, but where the sun rises first.

Naive? Yeah, maybe. ;D

 

[LifeDepraved]

I cult, 7" ep and earn wage.