Unemployment after graduation: stop whining and figure it out | Hacker News Reader

Unemployment after graduation: stop whining and figure it out

danielzarick.com

17 pointsdanielzarick15 comments

I think people are entitled to whine a bit. My anecdotal evidence suggests times are hard (in Europe at least).

I am at my most qualified, experienced and mobile but have never had the difficulty I have now getting work. I am looking at jobs which earn below what I was earning in 2005. I was job hunting in the early 90s recession and the dot-com burst but have never experienced this lack of response when putting my CV forward for work. I have had 1 interview in 5 months and 1 "dear john, your not suitable email". Apart from that - silence.

I can imagine what new graduates are going through. If they aren't coming from a top University then they are going to have to endure the challenges of long term unemployment before starting on the career that they have invested significant time and money on.

The economic problem was not caused by this generation of graduates. However, they are feeling the full brunt of its effects. Older people are not going to understand, because most of them haven't experienced anything like this in IT.

"Just because you got a degree does not qualify you to be employed."

...so does that mean that society will pay their bills until they are qualified to be employed? Seriously, employment is either a responsibility or it's a privilege. It can't be both.

I should have clarified that a bit more, I guess. This was primarily directed at unemployed recent graduates who cannot find work in their field of choice. "Just because you got a degree does not qualify you to be employed in your field" would have been more appropriate.

If you are only willing to put in minimal effort and a drab of creativity, there are many low-paying hourly wage, or other, jobs out there for you. However, I firmly believe that just because you graduate with a degree does not qualify you to a career in your, or any, field. There is a lot you have to prove about yourself outside the classroom.

"If you are only willing to put in minimal effort and a drab of creativity, there are many low-paying hourly wage, or other, jobs out there for you. "

Unless they won't hire you because you're "over-qualified" and they assume you'll bolt for the first higher-paying job that comes along.

I'm not saying you're making this fallacy...but give it a thought.

http://youarenotsosmart.com/2010/06/07/the-just-world-fallac...

I am not saying that it is their fault for not finding a job. What I have noticed with most of my friends and classmates around me is that they aren't putting in the full footwork or effort to seem qualified for the positions they are applying for. They are sending their resumes blindly to openings, and they are not getting called back. Then they whine that they didn't get called back. Never do they take proactive steps towards figuring out why. Learn to hack the system. There are numerous creative and interesting ways to get a job. Figure. it. out.

Paren't won't say you're committing that fallacy, but I will. Your response, which reads as "I'm not saying it's their fault, but...it's their fault," kind of confirms it.

I almost think you should link to the other post, Self Reliance: http://danielzarick.com/post/1642680958/self-reliance.

It was very applicable and actionable advice.

Thanks Colin. I appreciate that. You are probably right, but I was hoping to give a little background as to why I even wrote that one.

Sorry to post my own link, but all of these posts lately that have been getting on HN are starting to bother me. Hopefully some of you agree.

Share some information on how, or you're just whining in harmony. Something that was posted earlier on HN pissed you off? Too bad. I fail to see what's newsworthy or interesting about your feelings of irritation.

The other post I linked to within this one, titled Self-Reliance (http://danielzarick.com/post/1642680958/self-reliance) detailed sound and practical advice for how to get a job. This post was to be a lead-in to why I wrote that post.

Seriously, whining-about-whining is about as constructive as the original whine.

Which is exactly why I linked to my original post: Self-Reliance (http://danielzarick.com/post/1642680958/self-reliance). It is a long piece with very practical advice for networking and finding a job. Perhaps I should have just linked to it directly, however, I wanted to give a little insight to 'why' I wrote it.

How do you remember your username to type it in?

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