Chomp8645 posted:

Pretty telling that any thread that deals with low economic opportunity is automatically a "millennial thread".

runupon cracker posted:

it's almost like the workforce participation rate isn't the lowest it's been in 35 years and companies aren't scrambling to automate literally everything as quickly as possible

Enderzero posted:

fuckin sales bots lol

radiatinglines posted:

Aasimov is spinning in his grave at the idea of giving computers the capability to do the things salesmen do

Solice Kirsk posted:

and those little plastic football helmets.

happyhippy posted:

Do they still have those! Those were loving gold dust when I was kid in Ireland here. All the kids went apeshit wanting them all.

Solice Kirsk posted:

INITIATING SMILE FUNCTION!

HOW ARE YOU SIR?! GOOD DAY. THIS WEATHER, EH?

INITIATING HANDSHAKE MODE
whrrrrrrrr-click

radiatinglines posted:

Imagine a world full of robots lying, cheating, and trying to gently caress each other both literally and figuratively

Neutrino posted:

gently caress anyone born into the greatest country in the world that can't make a million dollars by the time they are fifteen. They don't even deserve to lick the sweat from my Gucci loafers.

Panfilo posted:

lol if you don't have Enrique to handle your gucchi licking tasks.

naem posted:

It's not like there are infinite jobs in the trades either, there are construction booms and busts just like in any field

HEY NONG MAN posted:

just marry a rich person how is this hard?

Solice Kirsk posted:

Ha! Have you ever tried finding a rich woman?!

Enderzero posted:

That's true but jumping from that to 90% of jobs are gone within 4 years and "sales bots" is incomprehensible

fuckin sales bots lol

Angela Christine posted:

Right, and that's the trap. A lot of students study things that are interesting, rather than things that are useful. Stuff that helps you make witty conversation, not stuff that helps you get a good job. Which is fine if your family is independently wealthy and you are just going to school to pick up class markers and make connections. It's not such a great idea for the lower middle class who have no college fund and are going tens of thousands into debt because psychology or english lit is super interesting.

Angela Christine posted:

As a dumb first year student I remember thinking that since I struggled with high school math (got Cs) that I'd probably be bad at calculus and college level science, so I shouldn't do that. I was really good at sociology, cultural anthropology, and psychology and those subjects are interesting to me, but they don't lead to any particular careers. I cleverly decided that if I didn't go to college at all I would be poor, while if I went and took something not-career related I still might not get a very good job and be beggared by debt, but at least I'd bee well educated. Being poor and educated is better than being poor and ignorant, right?

Bobbie Wickham posted:

A STEM degree isn’t necessarily some magic ticket to a six-figure job, though. What’s a Bachelor’s in Math going to get you—a cushy job at the local cosine factory? A lot of people in those fields end up going to grad school for a more practical Master’s in teaching or library science, anyway—nobody’s really chomping at the bit to get a physics major in the office. The point of college isn’t just to acquire knowledge in a specific field; in theory, people are supposed to be acquiring skills like critical reading, time management, how to formulate/express/defend ideas coherently, do research with a discerning eye, and so on. Every degree is worthless, if you don’t know how to hustle.

You also have to consider that, 1) not everyone is cut out for STEM or business or other "useful" degrees, and 2) funneling people into those "useful" degree programs is going to create a glut of job candidates looking for work in the same fields. What's the point of being a struggling student with mediocre grades and no interest in the career I'm training for? Especially if you have to distinguish yourself from the graduates with the genuine passion, talent, and desire to excel in Finance or Chemistry or whatever? Especially if there's a surplus of job candidates--which is something that's happened with "useful" careers like nurses, teachers, and even librarians. You may as well play to your strengths and actually make the most of both college and yourself. A degree in English isn't exceptional, but a degree in English with a 3.8 GPA and membership in the Golden Key Society stands out far more than a 2.1 GPA in Accounting and the dread of being stuck in that job forever.

This girl’s problem isn’t that she got a BA in English. Yelp girl’s problem is that she expected to land a good job right out of college, with no work experience, at the age of 25. My sister has a BA in English, and has an awesome job: she’s a technical/promotional writer and personal assistant for the CEO of a local company. (Perks include accompanying her boss on business trips and getting a personal spending account to blow on whatever her little heart desires. Girl got trashed in the sauna of a four-star hotel in Beijing on the company’s dime.) My sister was lucky to have a connection that got her in the door for that job—but she also made her own luck by working hard (like creating content more substantial than a cutesy Twitter account), being smart, accumulating experience, and promoting herself in a thoughtful and appealing manner.

Shoot, right now I’m fielding job prospects from the state for $39K entry-level positions; meanwhile, the supervisor at my county job is trying to cut my probationary period short and secure my position as Permanent. Once I hit the one-year mark, I’m eligible for transfers, promotions, and a free college education up to a Master’s. My degree is a “worthless” BA in History, something I studied because I’m interested in it. I wasn’t hired because they need someone with in-depth knowledge of Galileo’s persecution by the Catholic Church.


The thing is, having a college education isn't a guarantee that you'll have a lucrative career, but not having a college education is an obstacle to getting a lucrative career. You can work around it--lots of people do very well without a degree--but it's still an impediment. Having a degree has never stopped anyone from establishing a career.

Call of Cholula posted:

Didn't read lol

I said come in! posted:

You should take the time to read it, he actually gave really good advice, a rarity for GBS!

I just landed a new job this week at a tech company, I have no STEM degree to speak of.

Bobbie Wickham posted:

A STEM degree isn’t necessarily some magic ticket to a six-figure job, though. What’s a Bachelor’s in Math going to get you—a cushy job at the local cosine factory? A lot of people in those fields end up going to grad school for a more practical Master’s in teaching or library science, anyway—nobody’s really chomping at the bit to get a physics major in the office. The point of college isn’t just to acquire knowledge in a specific field; in theory, people are supposed to be acquiring skills like critical reading, time management, how to formulate/express/defend ideas coherently, do research with a discerning eye, and so on. Every degree is worthless, if you don’t know how to hustle.

HEY NONG MAN posted:

oh also be "good with computers" and work with old people. helps a ton.

Bobbie Wickham posted:

A STEM degree isn’t necessarily some magic ticket to a six-figure job, though. What’s a Bachelor’s in Math going to get you—a cushy job at the local cosine factory?

Volume posted:

HEY NONG MAN posted:

oh also be "good with computers" and work with old people. helps a ton.

Uncle Salty posted:

100% agreement with the poster who said that the math undergraduate degree is the autistic stepchild of STEM.

Talia Jane is really laying it on thick about how much media coverage she got this past week. This is totally a long con for publicity and free moneys. I sort of have to hand it to her.

Angela Christine posted:

In this thread I think "trades" is sort of shorthand for the jobs that don't require a degree, but do require some skills and training. The stuff that requires 1 or 2 years a trade school or career college.

For example the medical industry is booming. Baby booming. And a lot of those jobs aren't in danger of becoming automated any time soon. In a couple years you can be a licensed practical nurse, a pharmacy assistant, dental assistant, medical imaging technician (x-rays and CAT scans, etc), laboratory technician, physical therapist assistant, respiratory therapist, phlebotomist, optician, etc. You won't get the cool initials after your name like your boss who spent 7-10 years training for his job, but it is steady indoor work for decent pay, and you won't be starting trapped under a mountain of debt.

Aralan posted:

Actually, while the computer science part of my degree has certainly gotten me most of my work, every time I apply for a job they always comment on and sound impressed about the physics double major I had with it. I'm pretty sure it's a big part of the reason I've gotten job offers. Also lots of math majors I knew were doing it to make bank as insurance actuaries.

Applebee123 posted:

The thing about math degrees is that there are alot of jobs like actuaries, that it is a strict necessity you have a very strong understanding of math to do the job. I.e you cant just make do with a top graduate in management from Harvard, if when you give them their first assignment to model insurance risk on a portfolio it becomes clear that there is 4 years of missing math education before they have any hope of completing it.

Applebee123 posted:

The thing about math degrees is that there are alot of jobs like actuaries, that it is a strict necessity you have a very strong understanding of math to do the job. I.e you cant just make do with a top graduate in management from Harvard, if when you give them their first assignment to model insurance risk on a portfolio it becomes clear that there is 4 years of missing math education before they have any hope of completing it.