Sunday, October 11, 2009
Meet The Barry Twins, New York City's Newly Famous Job Seekers
Jezebel: "There should be a required course for everyone during senior year of college called 'Nobody Owes You Anything,' wherein your professor informs you that the economy is terrible, the job market sucks, and your degree is no longer an instant ticket to a dream job. The course should also force students to come up with a backup plan (or several) should they find themselves in a position where they have to make ends meet while waiting for their big break to arrive."
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8 comments:
I find this article amusing. Partly because in my classes, most of my professors HAVE talked about the horrible economy and how jobs are hard to come by etc. But mostly because the times is doing a piece to get these girls jobs, and they come off horribly. One is at least trying to make a living, but the other got fired for taking a vaca to cancun. Who does that when they are struggling? Also, it states that while they are "flexible" they would like to work together as tv sports reporters or journalists or something. Perhaps they are severly limiting their search by only applying to the same jobs....
While I agree with the sentiment of the author of this article, I believe that the entire blame should not be placed at the feet of professors and the universities. We are all grown individuals and should be expected to take care of ourselves. Yes, the professors and advisors should make themselves available for consultation and assistance. It is the responsibility of the student to take initiative and plan for their future using available resources. Finally, like arosenbu, I feel that, even though they are not required to, most if not all of our professors have given us hits and advice about how to prepare for and move into the work force.
It's probably a mark of how dismal I see my financial future that my longterm plans include marrying a successful CS major so that I can be have a job without worrying about making it along on a paltry costume designer's allowance. When I switched majors, I was asked by multiple faculty in the school of drama if I was crazy; why change from CS, where I can have a fantastic starting salary and benefits from a big company like Microsoft, to theater, where I will never make any money. Ever. Forever. This is not a question I can really answer, nor one that I feel like I made the right choice. I tend to give some impassioned monologue from RENT when asked, without really believing most of it.
I have a friend back home who left school to pursue a career in the movie industry and has yet, four years after the fact, to find any work. He's worked at hotels off and on for slightly more than minimum wage, but as far as I can tell most of his job hunting time is spent LFG in World of Warcraft.
The American dream is BS, honestly, and we've been fed it our entire lives. The fact that we can do anything we want if we work hard and set our mind to it is what keeps an unequal capitalist model from allowing us universal healthcare. Poor people are poor because they deserve to be that way. There's no such thing as bad luck or needing help; if you're not a millionaire by now, you obviously didn't work hard enough.
There's merit in the American dream, sure, just as there's merit in philosophical Marxism. Personally, I want to be successful. I want to have money and be able to travel. I want to have a fan following. But the more I think about the economy, the more I freak out.
I still feel that the twins did at least something right; even if it's not taking them where they thought it would, at least they graduated school.
This article speaks about an issue that is very serious for our current youth generation. The naivete of college graduates in terms of understanding the current job market is severe. How can we expected to make smart out-of-college choices when we don't understand the economy? I think that there should be more preparations made available for graduating students to make them more aware of the current world.
I recently spoke with a CMU grad student who quiet honestly told me that he doesn't know what he's going to do after school and that he is afraid to go out into the world because he is afraid of growing up. This frightened me because I always figured that if you have gone through undergrad and are a graduate student then you must know everything and have a clear plan for the future, but he made me realize that that's not necessarily true. What does school really teach us, if not how to go out into the world and be successful in our chosen field of study? With theater I feel like what I am learning is more tangible, and maybe that's just because we like to build things. As far as the twins are concerned, it is good that they finished school, but they should focus on more realistic goals instead of on some vague, naive notion of moving to the big city and making it big.
I'm getting kind of sick of reading articles about people who are surprised that it's tough to find jobs after graduation. It doesn't make a lot of sense to put the responsibility on the professors; try reading the newspaper once in a while. Maybe there should also be classes called "Sometimes it Rains and You Need to Dress Accordingly" and "If You Leave Milk Out Too Long it Spoils."
People who graduate from college need to have an actual physical marketable skill. For example a certified hairdresser or welder. Graduating with something as esoteric as a degree in english is a horrible idea. You don't just step off campus and into the offices of the daily planet. In all likelihood you'll end up a waiter or bartender (as pointed out in the article) to earn money before finding something you enjoy doing.
I have several friend's who dream beyond their means. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just they have no honest grip with reality. I understand the world is a nasty place and I maintain long term dreams, while at the same time seriously expecting to be homeless for several years.
It's something everyone needs to come to grip with. Especially people people who slack off in school. You can't slack off in life and end up with a Porche like your dad. Dumbass.
REALITY CHECK... Nobody owes you anything!!! You have to fight for it every step of the way. Before anyone will "give" you anything, you have to pay your dues like everyone above you. Get that "Hollywood" dream out of your head. ITS NOT REAL.
I have worked with so many people who think they are owed everything. I have not finished paying my dues yet... what makes them think they get to step over me. Just keep working, or as Steven Bochco said, "Work Harder."
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