<p>annasdad, I doubt there are many 18 year old STEM kids with a “world-wise tone” out there declaring anything against English majors. Most kids interested in STEM types of things get there because of interest and aptitude,just as non STEM majors in English ,etc. come by their interests honestly as well. My sons have a history of engineers, physician, biology and chemistry majors from way back in their background . Their majors in college had/have nothing to do with copping any kind of “world-wise tone.” I’m the sociology grad in the bunch. I see no reason to invent a divide between kids when there should be none. It’s not easy out there these days,period.</p>
<p>OK, I guess it’s just CC that attracts the tiny minority of future engineers who in world wise tones dump on the future employment prospects of “liberal arts” majors.</p>
<p>We have one kiddo in the Peace Corps…and she is very much enjoying and learning from the experience…while at the same time teaching in her town.</p>
<p>D graduated in 2010 with a degree in Classics. She had a paid internship with a magazine lined up before graduation, and after 9 months there got a job, with great benefits, at a major publishing house in NYC. We’re helping with her rent (she has 2 roommates), and she’s still on our cellphone plan, but she’s a frugal kid and wants to get off the family dole as soon as she can. We’re just delighted that she has a job in the industry she’s always wanted to be in, and that she has health insurance!</p>
<p>I think grads with any degree are having a difficult time. As a generality, I would guess liberal arts majors are having even more difficulty. CC does have a lot of posts regarding engineers who can’t get a job either. Accounting, accounting, accounting–many different career opportunities and at con’t ed they keep telling us our unemployment rate is ~3%. Not as much outsourcing as other industries either.</p>
<p>As to S1, the May 2011 liberal arts grad–I’m not sure what to think, but it’s a growing annoyance. Whether that is right or wrong, I can’t decide. He applied to 2 jobs before graduation. He put all his eggs in one basket (very very bad idea). This job had 2000 applicants for 65 positions and a lengthy testing and interview process. He kept making the cuts, until the last time…</p>
<p>However, he did get a “hold-over” job a month before graduation–farming. I have barely seen him since, as he has worked 70+ hr weeks every week. He loves it, but the pay is minimal, even more minimal because they pay for 40 hours, plus diesel for his truck. S is very responsible, dependable and is basically on call 24/7 because it’s an animal operation as well as crops. He walks in the door, falls into bed, gets up and starts all over, 6-7 days a week.</p>
<p>Between liking it and being exhausted, he isn’t really even looking for something else. I see on cc where students send hundreds of resumes all over the country. I don’t really think answering one ad in our local paper shows a bunch of initiative. I’m all for passion and liking the job etc., but at the end of day one needs to be able to support themselves and a family. He does not have student loans–he had an outside scholarship that paid all tuition and most r & b. We pay for his $10 cell plan, and he is included on health insurance.</p>
<p>H and I think that any potential employers, in this economy, will understand a job like this. For now…but if he does this 5-6 years, we really think it would be questioned. (that’s assuming the economy does get better!). Should we be concerned? For now, trying to bite tongue and letting long-time g/f do the talking. She isn’t too happy with the situation. The eggs in a basket place–hiring again, 6 month process starting, again. He has applied, again.</p>
<p>My 22 y/o 2011 graduate is doing well. Has a good job, an apartment in a different state and pays his own bills. The only thing he is not paying yet is his cell phone bill, because his contract has not expired yet. I supported him the first month or so after graduation, until he started getting a paycheck. We are blessed and I am sooo proud of him.</p>
<p>Well said sevmom.</p>
<p>My eldest son is doing really well in Ca - a car and hot tub in shared apartment . Middle son is working as an accountant in a small firm - just moved out of tiny shared apt . to Brooklyn . When I visited him , I counted 6 strollers in the lobby ! He is happy to be working , but he has to get a Masters in Acct . He graduated in Econ. Baby son ( we refer to him as this , but he is 21 ) is a Senior in Aeronautical /Mechanical Engineering won’t graduate till Dec. '12 , as he worked 7 months in a co-op ( paid ) He already had an interview for a F/T job after Graduation ! We are so happy .</p>
<p>My 21 yo graduated in May with a degree in Econ and East Asian Studies. He took an ESL certification course over the summer (we paid for that). He found a job teaching ESL in Shanghai and left in August. He went through nearly all his savings getting set up in a new apt. - first and last months’ rent, plus security - phone, general ‘getting settled’ stuff. He lives alone.
He has not bought any food to keep in his apt because of a roach problem so eats out all his meals. He says it’s actually cheaper that way. He tutors on the side and makes a LOT that way. He is also editing college essays for Chinese nationals. (He doesn’t think that is worth the time though…) He’s the first foreigner in his school and is being showered with attention by the teachers there - meals out, overnight holiday trips with families, etc.
He’ll be there for at least 1 year, maybe 2. He loves it now but I don’t know how long he’ll feel that way. He says Shanghai is a combination of the opportunity and optimism of the Eisenhower years and the complete lack of regulation of the Wild West.</p>
<p>BTW , Bei Jing has around 300 k ex- pats ,if your son is ever feeling lonely .</p>
<p>We sent S our oldest car for his SR year, upon his request. We paid to ship; he has paid everything else, including AAA, registration, insurance & all maintenance on the 1992 car. He was hired in 2/2010 & graduated in EE 5/2010. He lived at home, rent-free from 8/2010 de-cluttering our house & grandparents’ home while he was waiting for paperwork to finish, paid all his own leisure expenses. As soon as the paperwork was done & he was given a start date, he went traveling to another country on his own dime & then came back home. We met in DC, where we helped him find a place to live over the weekend (when we were there for business). He went back to LA & then drove across country with his sister to settle into his new place, paying all of their expenses. He has paid for all of his own expenses ever since. He makes a very good salary & has been saving it up since he started work 6/2011.</p>
<p>He has stayed on H’s medical insurance & has chosen not to get his own insurance plan, since it doesn’t cost us any extra and the plan is a very good one. He plans to keep using our local docs when he’s home to visit for Christmas. Oh yea, he is currently on the family plan with us so we cover all cell phone bills for him & D & me. It’s about $100 for our 3 lines/month. His salary is significantly higher than mine, plus he got moving expenses and will get a retroactive hiring bonus if he tests proficient in a language by December. They also pay all his travel & have him flying at least once or twice very month or every other month. He has considerable responsibility and seems to find his job engaging. As a benefit, part of his job involves flying to LA, where he visits with his sister & his many friends & profs from college.</p>
<p>We are crossing our fingers that D will get SOME employment as she graduates 5/2012, but not sure how things are in her field. She does have friends in the field who HAVE gotten jobs. We expect we may have to support her some, as several of her friends do get some help from their families while working as they can.</p>
<p>I also know a guy with a bachelor’s degree in accounting from a very good private university. He graduated in May and it took him 4 solid months of searching in a major metropolitan area to find a full time job. He had to relocate about 150 miles to get that job (which is not that bad in the scheme of things).</p>
<p>My point is: even the fields that are supposed to be the most practical are having difficulties.</p>
<p>There was a recent news article that new nurses are sometimes having trouble finding jobs. In addition to cutbacks, the article said the reason was that fewer older nurses are retiring. Older nurses are having to keep working because their retiremement accounts have taken a hit and because they are more likely to be supporting their husbands and their adult kids. Also, those older nurses may be providing the health insurance for their whole family.</p>
<p>Yes, and there are always the many who decide that even tho they got a degree in a “good” field from a great U that still can’t find a job or decide they don’t like the field for whatever reason.</p>
<p>There is a shortage of respiratory therapists but MANY of the recent respiratory therapist graduates can’t get jobs in HI at least. I attended a conference the other day & most of their spring grads are still looking for jobs!</p>
<p>Many older workers are deferring retirements because their pension & savings have been hit hard & they are supporting many more than anyone had anticipated in their “golden” years. They do provide health insurance for themselves, spouse and adult kids under 26! H is working because we still have a kid at the U–it’s VERY expensive & he earns much more than I do. When he retires, they expect to chop his job up into many smaller bits & hire lots of low wage workers to do all the jobs he currently does.</p>
<p>A story of networking:</p>
<p>We live in Massachusetts. My S graduated from a college in Pennsylvania with a BA in Economics last May. He had no job and no real prospects, although he was actively looking. Meanwhile, his younger sister goes to college in NC, and she was dating a rising senior finance major who lives in NJ. The BF was looking for a summer internship. A family friend heard he was job-hunting, didn’t realize he was a rising senior and only looking for a summer job, and sent him a posting for an opening in a training program at her company in NYC. BF couldn’t use the posting, so he passed it along to S. Three weeks later, S was employed in his field! </p>
<p>So S is working in Manhattan, and very conveniently living with his grandparents in NJ. They won’t let him pay them for anything. S’s car is still technically in my name, and its on our auto insurance policy, and his phone is still on our family plan. But he sends me a check every month to pay for his car insurance and phone fees, and when his car recently needed a repair he paid for it. Other than buying himself a few small things, he’s saving his money so he can find a roommate and move into an apartment. Once he gets an apartment he’ll probably re-register the car and get his own policy, but the phone is SO much cheaper on our plan he’ll probably just keep paying me and stay on our plan. He has his own medical insurance.</p>
<p>So his launch into the real world has been kind of gradual… but he’ll be better off for it financially. As a 22 year old working in NYC he’s not crazy about telling people, “I live with my grandparents in NJ,” but he knows that this is a financial no-brainer, at least for a few months. He’d like to move out during the first half of next year.</p>
<p>Recently he co-wrote an article that was published on his company’s website, and was later quoted by a well-respected financial website! I am thankful every day that he got the tip that lead him to this job.</p>
<p>Nice that your D’s BF was good enough to pass the tip on to your S. I’m sure that could only help their relationship and it sounds like it was a win-win. I’m sure the company will continue to keep the BF in mind if another opening becomes available. 
You’re right that your S will be on solid financial footing when he’s ready to find his own place. </p>
<p>By the way, he doesn’t HAVE to say to folks that he’s living with GRANDPARENTS, just that he has a room in a house while he’s figuring out where he wants to settle. He could also be seen as altruistic if his friends & colleagues see him as HELPING his grandparents, which a lot of folks are doing in varying degrees.</p>
<p>I graduated in December 2010. I had a job already lined up since right out of high school. With graduation, my responsibilities increased as did my hours. I spent the first 2 or 3 months working 20-30 hours a week, but was bumped up to full-time now. It’s a job I enjoy 90% of the time, I get to help student-athletes, and I receive decent compensation. I make decent money, have my health insurance almost completely paid for, and my Blackberry is paid for.</p>
<p>I do live with my parents which is allowing me to pay aggressively on student loans and working to save money for a new car…</p>
<p>Sometimes it’s mostly about luck. Some years ago, son of a friend graduated with an English major and teaching degree. Looked for two years for a teaching job, without luck. </p>
<p>Two years later his sister graduated, also with a teaching degree but a Spanish major. Had a job offer before graduation. </p>
<p>Sister shows up a couple days before start of the year for new teacher orientation and learns that one of the newly hired English teachers had just canceled. “I know someone who’s available,” she said. Brother gets interviewed that afternoon and offered a job. They’re both still teaching there, half a dozen years later.</p>
<p>yes, timing, especially in teaching. Late summer seems to offer opportunities…
Our DS walked into a teaching job two weeks before school started when there was an unexpected resignation in the district in August. He is up and out the door before anyone else in the house and seems not to mind it a bit! Quite the miracle from the kid who tried very hard to sleep till noon as a teenager.</p>