Anyone demoralized about job opportunities?

[Dixie Expat]

I've felt pretty demoralized recently about work, I've been consistently underemployed for the past year or so. Was never one of those lucky people who got government gibs. I'm diving into looking for a new job again, and the thing that shocks me is how little many of these jobs pay, the hoops you have to jump through to get hired (and even pre-screenings), and never getting callbacks even for basic jobs... For example, I applied for several jobs to sell consumer electronics (which is something I can easily do given I'm studying to be a programmer and previously did retail sales), and I never get a call back (a job which I assume pays $12 an hour).

 

[ball dont lie]

Burger King pays $14 an hour here.

I'm shocked how many 'Help Wanted' signs are around. This is in the Midwest.

At the same time - I was shocked to see that substitute teacher only paid $85 for the day, which works out to less than you would make than working at Burger King.

 

[Dixie Expat]

Fast food here pays 12 or less. I'm in no rush to take 12 pre-tax.

 

[Emperor Constantine]

Once you've finished your training to be a programmer, you'll probably have a much easier time finding gainful employment.

The market is what it is, and we must adapt ourselves to it if we want money.

 

[Chasinglogos]

Getting into sales is the only way if you don't have a trade. You just need drive and an ability to learn.

 

[EndlessGravity]

Data I saw said job postings are up...but hiring isn't really. Hard to say why businesses have that disconnect. My view is it's simply for show and most of the jobs won't be filled. Business owners I know don't have a rosy picture of where the economy is or is going.

 

[Nordwand]

I feel for the young. Within a couple of miles of my apartment, there used to be a steelworks, an engineering works, a car factory, and a couple of other very large volume employers. All of it provided solid employment, that enabled a man to buy a home, raise a family, and have a life. All of them are now gone, replaced, if you can call it that, by out of town warehouses and the like, offering zero hour contract, minimum wage employment. Good luck with having the life that your father had, under those conditions.

 

[MKE-Ed]

A lot of companies today are posting jobs on their websites, but they’re not actively hiring to fill those positions. This is something I have seen in my area in the Midwest. I applied for a position with a well known regional company a few months back. What was odd was that the position in question had an original listing date of December of 2019. I applied back in July 2020. I was suspicious as to why they were still advertising this position for that length of time?

Two months after I sent in my resume and application. I called their HR department and spoke to a person there who did confirm that they did have my resume and application on file. This woman told me that they would call me once they start to call in applicants for interviews. I never heard back from them and they still had the position posted for several more months on their website. Many companies today are also taking advantage of the fact that there are a lot of unemployed people so they are now low balling salaries big time. I’ve had some job offers within the past couple of months, but they offered me way less than what I was getting at my last job. I worked in an industry that got killed due to COVID. I was actually below industry standards at my last job so I have a pretty good idea on what the industry standard is. The market has improved a bit within the past month. Hopefully things improve soon.

 

[berserker2001]

I work in logistics in the freight industry, there is a massive underemployment going on at pretty much every company, whether major corporation or smaller 3PL provider. You should look into a job in supply chain; it's pretty high stress and grinds you down/ high-turnover, but there's tons of jobs.

If you don't have a family, honestly you should take a hard look at becoming a truck driver. Those salaries are going to explode in the near future. Our economy is about to go into a massive spike in gas prices because of the driver shortage, and obviously store shelves are still struggling to keep shelves stocked. Plenty of members on this forum who are drivers that can assist you with a good career strategy with truck driving.

 

[Durden347]

Gig work isn't also too bad if you like working on a flexible schedule. Better to have it as a side hustle though.

 

[berserker2001]

Kinda like a gig job, getting a Notary Public certification in your state can allow you to make an easy little side-hustle. In the Covid era, you can pull it off as a full time job because so many mobile notary services are needed now

 

[Bright_Sun]

I also work a supply chain/logistics (warehouse) job. The work can be physically stressful, but not mentally stressful like a white-collar job, and it pays quite well for what it is (I make almost $30 an hour). The majority of my coworkers are masculine, not soyboys, and managers aren't too strict about rules like wearing masks while working. A lot of them won't take the vaccine. They're pretty easy to get along with, and we have fun sometimes.

There are plenty of openings, especially for the physically demanding work. As long as you're in shape and not too old, you should be able to do it. Then you can transfer to a less physical job after a year. You should look into it.

 

[kamoz]

OP, you’re still in college?

 

[phluff127]

Check out getting your stenography license. Lots of jobs, can be your own boss And make six figures.

 

[Chains of Peter]

The market is what it is, and we must adapt ourselves to it if we want money.

This may as well be the first and greatest commandment of classical liberalism.

 

[Dixie Expat]

I was working logistics on contract basis. Good pay. Out of college.

 

[Slide-Rule]

If you don't have a family, honestly you should take a hard look at becoming a truck driver. Those salaries are going to explode in the near future. Our economy is about to go into a massive spike in gas prices because of the driver shortage, and obviously store shelves are still struggling to keep shelves stocked. Plenty of members on this forum who are drivers that can assist you with a good career strategy with truck driving.

There are already driverless trucks being tested on the roads today.

From the stuff I've seen... Most people have no idea what's coming down the pipe with automation. Andrew Yang may be an idiot-democrat, but he makes a good point that automation is going to be a major game-changer in the coming years. This isn't a "All the farm-workers can move into the factories, so there's nothing to worry about..." This is: "We're going to have a mass of unemployable people because they aren't engineers or programmers, who need to eat."

Truck driving today is like cashier jobs, it's going away.

Right now, and maybe for the next 10 years, yes, you can make some money in truck driving. I would not recommend it beyond 2031. I expect those paychecks from truck driving to get smaller and smaller.

 

[DanielH]

There are already driverless trucks being tested on the roads today.

From the stuff I've seen... Most people have no idea what's coming down the pipe with automation. Andrew Yang may be an idiot-democrat, but he makes a good point that automation is going to be a major game-changer in the coming years. This isn't a "All the farm-workers can move into the factories, so there's nothing to worry about..." This is: "We're going to have a mass of unemployable people because they aren't engineers or programmers, who need to eat."

Truck driving today is like cashier jobs, it's going away.

Right now, and maybe for the next 10 years, yes, you can make some money in truck driving. I would not recommend it beyond 2031. I expect those paychecks from truck driving to get smaller and smaller.

Truck drivers are not going away. We've pretty much hit the peak of what computers can do, and that doesn't even consider the semiconductor shortage going on. As a diesel engineer, I cannot imagine what a nightmare automated diesel trucks would be, so I'd have to assume they'd make those trucks electric, at which point they'd need to vastly expand mining operations worldwide because we cannot produce enough batteries as is.

If automated trucks ever did become a serious thing, it's one of those things that are 10+ years off in the distance, but good luck maintaining and diagnosing such a fleet with the demographics of the world by then. There's a reason we don't have self driving cars widely in use yet, and those are much simpler to implement.

 

[STG]

I highly recommend reading this book, Enjoy the Decline by Aaron Clarey.

Its not your fault women are the way they are today, its not your fault the economy is where it is today, its not your fault that the coming catastrophe will happen. I know that seems rational but this book explains it in such a way that you can be at peace.

You have to come to terms with what is and accept them. You only have one life and you aren't guaranteed tomorrow. This book will help teach you how to let go and enjoy life now.

 

[Monty_Brogan]

I work in the trades in a big city. No driverless/computer-driven flatbed would be able to pull into a job site -basically backing up the wrong way on a one-way street through a gate not much wider than the flatbed. Lol. And the same goes for basic driving in any big city.

I too feel for the young bucks. I remember how much different everything was when I reported to USMC bootcamp after high school in the summer of '03. It used to be a uber-masculine outfit where you could get your life together. If I was a young buck today I would look into the Coast Guard. Hopefully, get a couple of good duty assignments in FL or CA, stack some money, and get your shit together.

Either that or be a ready-mix driver.