<p>BTW, I don’t see why vocational training and college are either/or decisions. Yes, in HS, you probably should concentrate on AP courses, but after college, you could do one and then the other, or vice versa (just make sure you have enough money for both; or get them paid for).</p>
<p>Does not Walmart pay for colelge?
I received my (other) BS while working. Several of my employers paid for my education all thru MBA. Having an MBA has helped me to find several jobs and MBA is completely irrelevant in my line of work. Interviewers are just implressed, specifically more so when you get your degree while working full time and having family. I went back to school because I personally did not like to be in engineering after 11 years working. I have changed in my mid. 30s. Frustrations do not help. You got to have a plan and stick to it (not only for getting job that you love, but for everything in your life, frustrations should be out, plans shou;d be in)</p>
<p>You went to college to get an education, not just job skills. I agree that a 3.0 is not that great a gpa, especially if it is in the major or last two years of school. Jobs are not handed out, you have to figure out your skills and do the work to get them. Did you expect that any bachelors was an automatic ticket for a good paying job? Do you enjoy the types of jobs that economics majors usually get? You should look into management track positions. You need to project the self confidence in your ability to do college degree work. Market yourself.</p>
<p>PS- you are NOT a “lower class” adult. A college accepted you and deemed you proficient in a major, awarding you their degree. Not everyone finishes college. Not everyone who doesn’t go to college is “lower class”. Average is finishing HS, not finishing HS would be lower class. It doesn’t matter where you grew up or what your family background is. You and your attitudes matter.</p>
<p>I compliment the posters who are actually offering constructive suggestions to the OP instead of bashing him for the choice of major or gpa. I think he came here for some support and suggestions. How many of us are doing exactly what we majored in college?. 10 years at Walmart is a lot of experience in retail. However, if you have not moved within the company,it is time to move elsewhere. Someone mentioned Home Depot. Costco also has a good reputation with employees. Once you get out of the store level, there may be opportunities in headquarters but you have to get moving. </p>
<p>Funny story, back in 2001, I was a financial analyst laid off from a very well know company. I decided to use the time to stay home with my kids for one year. However, I wanted to work at my local supermarket in the evenings just to do something and have a little mad $ in my pocket. They would not hire me because of my experience and the previous salary I had made. Can’t win sometimes but don’t give up. By the way, I majored in Computer Information systems and how I got to be a financial analyst was a zig zag path. I do something else now. You are not really stuck in one job if you are willing to move.</p>
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<p>He didn’t come to ask for advice. He came to offer advice.</p>
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<p>How is your resume? How well do you interview? A degree in econ. might get your foot in the door, but at the end of the day, whether you get the job or not falls on you.</p>
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<p>Realistically speaking, you had a mediocre GPA. Typically a ‘good’ gpa in a field like econ. would be a 3.5+</p>
<p>I think a big part of your problem has to do with attitude. The time you have to yourself must be spent productively. What have you done with your time in Wal-Mart? Have you been promoted? Are you working hard toward establishing a career there? etc. If you come off as some entitled person who thinks he’s better than others because you have a BA in econ., that’s not going to get you very far. That holds true not just in Wal-Mart but of life in general.</p>
<p>I graduated relatively recently (2012,) went to a good school, actually graduated with a good GPA (~3.7 + cum laude honors) and had some great opportunities out of college. That being said, my first job out of college was a dead-end, entry-level job. I had to spend a lot of my own time learning new skills, networking, and had to take a fair amount of initiative to get better career opportunities. At this time, my job prospects look significantly better than they did even a year ago. If I hadn’t done those things, I would probably still be working at that dead-end entry level job.</p>
<p>I think some of your bad luck was due to the economy. Even after the recession ended (2007-2010) the economy was still weak until like 2012-2013. A lot of people who graduated in that time, from better schools and with better GPAs, may not have fared much better than you. If you want to change your career, be proactive and take some initiative to make it happen. Sure, ranting may make you feel good. But it’s not going to earn you pity on this forum and won’t be productive towards advancing your career.</p>
<p>Thank you to those that are supportive. I do not like having my face ground in the dirt by forum bullies though. In case you did not know, a 3.0 cumulative GPA is a solid B average. I chose an interesting route in college. After I graduated from the university, I decided grad school was way overpriced and time-consuming. I went back to the local community college for some accounting classes after getting my Bachelor of Arts in Economics. People keep telling me a “job is a job” in this small Nor Cali area I live in. Maybe if I wanted to live in the big city and fight traffic to/from work and have an overpriced cost of living expenses just to survive there, I could ONLY make it if I earned $50K+ a year but I really like my small town/city community. My college did not give me a inkling of how difficult it is to land that high salary job. That is my main concern for current/future college students/grads…</p>
<p>Sometimes, small towns offer only small-time opportunities. Gone are the days when a person could actually live at a decent level while working retail. It sounds like you made a decision on where to live without exploring how difficult it will be to make a living there. You’re in a tough spot. </p>
<p>Whoa- no one is a forum bully. YOU definitely have an attitude problem- could be a source of your problems, as mentioned above. It seems as though you only want to hear what you already believe. A reality check is in order. Constructive criticisms have been given and you are biting the hands…</p>
<p>When a person is first starting out they need to go where the jobs are! If you choose to stay in a small town with limited professional prospects then you are choosing your environment over career opportunities. Go where the jobs are! Have a roommate or two if you want to make it work. There are many affordable places outside of California where you could be employed with a bit of re-invention and hustle.</p>
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<p>My nephew is at Chico and I can guarantee this information was all around you at college. You may have been distracted by other things, but now you know and can do something about it.</p>
<p>Early careers are full of sacrifice while you build skills and expertise. Once you obtain that, then you can start to be choosy about hours, location, pay and benefits. Life in college towns is generally pretty good and filled with distractions. They are also filled with educated people looking for entry level jobs. We had to pick up the family and move across the country when my wife got her MS and could not find a job in our old college town.</p>
<p>The parents on this forum have been through it first hand and many, more recently, with their kids. I slept on an apartment floor with a blanket and pillow until I could afford a bed. My sister worked 70-100 hour weeks until she had the experience to move to a better job. She now lives a block from the Pacific Ocean and will retire at 55. </p>
<p>Please, although you are off to a slow start it is not too late, so adjust your expectations until you have built a portfolio of marketable skills. A lucky few will get that jackpot job straight out of college, but most will have to earn their way there. That Walmart job puts you among the working poor - we are encouraging you to change it. We can’t make you.</p>