Career counselors routinely exhort college graduates to obtain a job

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   gmwilliamsposted 10 years ago

   before they are 25 years of age.  Their reasoning was that after age 25, employers usually look askance at college graduates who never worked as a sign of a poor work ethic. Exceptions can be made for a full-time graduate student but for those who do not pursue any further education, it is preferrable that one obtains a job subsequent to his/her graduation. 
   
   Jobs are difficult to obtain in this precarious socioeconomic climate, particularly for college graduates.   There are college graduates who will not take jobs that are beneath their educatonal qualifications so they prefer not to take a job until a suitable/right job comes along. They may take YEARS to search for the right job.   
   
   I know a few people who did not get their FIRST job until they were in their late 20s and early 30s.   They were college graduates who did not pursue further educatiion; they waited until the right job arrived.   Do you believe that excusing being a full-time graduate student that college graduates should obtain a job before they are 25 years of age?

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   Marisa Wrightposted 10 years ago

   Absolutely.   Entering the workforce is part of growing up:   it may not be a pleasant experience but dealing with other people in a different environment contributes significantly to your personal development.  Delaying exposure to that experience delays your personal development.
   
   Besides, if someone is waiting for "the right job", it's quite likely they are sponging off someone else in the meantime, instead of behaving like an adult and earning their own living.

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      gmwilliamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Totally agree.   Many employers negatively view such people.  They assert that the latter have no work ethic and are irresponsible.   Many people who do not have jobs by the time they are 25 find it difficult to be hired.  Those who are hired, find the initiation of the work force quite daunting. 
      
      One man who did not work until he was in his 30s, was very perplexed in the work environment.  He had a Ph.D. in psychology which he earned early in his college career.  During the interim, he sponged off his mother.  He wanted the right job. When he started work, everyday work tasks were difficult for him to do.   Although he was highly intelligent, his work performance was abysmally poor.  Another man did not obtain work until his 30s, he earned a Masters early on and did not work until his 30s because he waited until the RIGHT job.  He, too, was totally amiss in the workplace, much to the chagrin of his superivisor who believed him to be irresponsible to say the least.

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         Marisa Wrightposted 10 years agoin reply to this

         I sometimes think people who say they're "waiting for the right job" are actually afraid of entering the workforce.  Either that, or they have an over-inflated sense of their own value.
         
         I have a postgraduate degree and years of experience as a senior manager, but I'm currently working as a clerk.  Why?  Because I'm pushing 60 and can't get a part-time job because I'm (a) too old and (b) a woman.  I've always had to battle gender stereotypes in my field, but while I was young and slim and could stride around in power pants suits, I was able to win.  Now I'm older and look like someone's Mum (or even Grandma??), I've got no chance.  But am I sitting around on my butt "waiting for the right job"?  No, because I know that the longer I'm unemployed, the harder it's going to get.  Employers don't like the long-term unemployed, they see them as unemployable.

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            HattieMattieMaeposted 10 years agoin reply to this

            I think that's the lesson, if you are unemployed for any amount of time, you have basically set yourself up for failure. Today there is no such thing as the right job. It's about survival whether you are educated or not educated. I've seen people go to college and get masters and spend tons of money only to find out the career developers don't really do much, but look over your resume, give you a job list, and practice interview skills. It's a political game, and all about what age you are, how you answer the questions, and what experience you have. If you have no experience, you're basically not unemployable.

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   psycheskinnerposted 10 years ago

   I don't think it is reasonable for an able-bodied or otherwise employable person to sit unemployed for years waiting for the "right" job.  If they can't get a job they feel is worthy for them within a few months, they need to adjust their expectations.  The job you deserve is the job you can get.
   
   It would be nice if I could have sat on my butt all the way through the end of my PhD.  But like most people I needed money, so I worked part time all through that period.

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