unemployed with a degree

didntgotoplan

There is a lot of people in this position at the moment.
I graduated in 2009 and I'm having no luck in jobs as I've no experience in my area. I'm not in the worst position though so I know I'm pretty lucky as I've no debts and I live at home.
Luckily I'm still employed at my part-time job which I had during college but I'm applying for every type of full-time job going. My friends have done all the different suggestions- going abroad (some coming home after finding nothing), doing a postgraduate, doing any work they could find and being unemployed.

I can't go abroad as I don't have money to go and money worries at home with my parents jobs means I want to stay and help out in whatever small financial way I can.

I'm going to do another degree part-time by distance learning so that I'm trying to do something academic-wise and I volunteer in youth clubs and charities during my days off in work so that I don't have nothing to do and I can have experience on my CV.

While I understand the problems people have with WPP (my mother doesn't think highly of them), but if you are desperate to get somewhere with your career it's a head start experience wise I suppose. If I was in the situation, I would look to them to help gain experience.

gollem_1975

Optimus485 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I'm a degree-qualified young irish young person AND...
I'm fed up because I've been unemployed over a year.

1. It's boring.
2. I put alot of work into my 4 year degree course... I'd like to think all that work was for something.
3. I want to keep my skills in Ireland, after all... the HEA paid for my degree.
(but I won't work for free on these WWP things)

When is the misery going to end?

you're unemployed for over a year and you won't consider a WPP ?

If you had started a WPP 9 months ago don't you think you would be less bored and more employable now ?

mood

gollem_1975 wrote: »

you're unemployed for over a year and you won't consider a WPP ?

If you had started a WPP 9 months ago don't you think you would be less bored and more employable now ?

I think he/she are better off in the part time job than giving it up to do a WPP. If he/she gave up the part time job it could take along time to get another one.

looksee

mood wrote: »

I think he/she are better off in the part time job than giving it up to do a WPP. If he/she gave up the part time job it could take along time to get another one.

Where does it say the OP has a part time job?

OP, you have said the state paid for your education (and is now presumably paying benefit) so you don't want to leave. Leaving would remove you from the dole queue! Also since you have been fully supported, why not put a bit back with a WPP or voluntary job?

Employers are more interested in experience - any sort is better than none - and a positive attitude. I can understand you being fed up, but you are the only person who can do anything about it.

EI111

Optimus485 wrote: »

I'm either underqualified if I'm being ambitious or overqualified if I apply for anything entry level. Just can't win.

How exactly?
Maybe you are making excuses or the companies are using that as an excuse because your attitude seems poor.
You are fortunate enough to be able to eat courtesy of your country, perhaps it would be nice of you to go on a WPP to repay that honour and open some doors, show you are not lazy and are thankful that the country is no longer a third world country due to the work of those who built it up from a third world famine ridden hell hole?

EI111

I am sure if the HEA hadn't paid for your degree and you had a mountain of debt you would be employed, there are hundreds of jobs available in this country every day

mikemac

The OP started this thread six months ago hasn't contributed since
I hope it's because they are busy in work

We need to get the OP back here for an update

irishcarbomb2k

why are people focused on jobs. there is another option.apart from leaving and gives you the best experience you can get: start your own business. you clearly have the tech skills, now find a niche in the market. your industry is worldwide. someone else here suggested building apps. relatively low cost to produce but make a successful one and you could be netting 700 a day! we need to get ourselves out of this mess so being blinkered to only jobs and emmigration is not the whole answer, there is always a third. chin up, things will happen if you are open to all possibilities.

mood

looksee wrote: »

Where does it say the OP has a part time job?

OP, you have said the state paid for your education (and is now presumably paying benefit) so you don't want to leave. Leaving would remove you from the dole queue! Also since you have been fully supported, why not put a bit back with a WPP or voluntary job?

Employers are more interested in experience - any sort is better than none - and a positive attitude. I can understand you being fed up, but you are the only person who can do anything about it.

I was referring to didntgotoplan not the OP. Someone said he/she should do a WPP but that would mean giving up a part time job which would be crazy IMO.

NickDrake

EI111 wrote: »

I am sure if the HEA hadn't paid for your degree and you had a mountain of debt you would be employed, there are hundreds of jobs available in this country every day

What a crazy statement. If there are hundreds of jobs why are there so many people on the dole???

Hundreds are loosing their job everyday is what you should be saying.

I bet you have some cushy number somewhere and cannot understand what is going on in the unemployment situation

mood

EI111 wrote: »

I am sure if the HEA hadn't paid for your degree and you had a mountain of debt you would be employed, there are hundreds of jobs available in this country every day

If that were true why are there nearly half a million people unemployed? Do you really think people would rather have their home repossessed, ESB cut off etc if they could get a job? For every job available there could be 1,000 applications. There are simply not enough jobs to go around.

Like someone else said you must have a very cushy job (public sector I bet) and I really think you are living life with blinkers on.

looksee

NickDrake wrote: »

What a crazy statement. If there are hundreds of jobs why are there so many people on the dole???

Hundreds are loosing their job everyday is what you should be saying.

I bet you have some cushy number somewhere and cannot understand what is going on in the unemployment situation

If that were true why are there nearly half a million people unemployed? Do you really think people would rather have their home repossessed, ESB cut off etc if they could get a job? For every job available there could be 1,000 applications. There are simply not enough jobs to go around.

Like someone else said you must have a very cushy job (public sector I bet) and I really think you are living life with blinkers on.

Guys, this was sarcasm. Its a very sensitive area of discussion for people who are out of work, but E111 was pointing out that the OP's arguments about his degree and who paid for it are irrelevant when there are no jobs.

mood

Sarcasm is unhelpful and off topic. Is this not against the Boards.ie rules!

royston_vasey

mood wrote: »

If that were true why are there nearly half a million people unemployed? Do you really think people would rather have their home repossessed, ESB cut off etc if they could get a job? For every job available there could be 1,000 applications. There are simply not enough jobs to go around.

Like someone else said you must have a very cushy job (public sector I bet) and I really think you are living life with blinkers on.

If you go to irishjobs.ie and do a search without entering any criteria you will find they have 10,000+ jobs listed - are they making these up? Therefore the ratio of applicants to jobs is about 48:1 (ignoring of course any skills sets, experience etc.)

Also you don't have to be unemployed to be facing a rising mountain of debt; I can't quote any official figures but I'm sure there are a substantial number of employed people seeking financial help.

I also think your attack on the public sector is a little unwarranted, there are cushy jobs in all walks of life both private and public especially where the unions have taken advantage over the last ten years.

A degree does not guarantee immediate access to a job and never has. It's about time that graduates realise they have to start acting like adults and seek out opportunities for themselves. We have seen numerous reports from MNCs such as Intel and Google who slate graduates for their lack of soft skills and their inability to apply theory to real world situations.

The argument regarding the catch-22 situation should also be self-evident - if you need experience to secure a position then offer to work for substanially less than the position offers to get the experience and prove to the employer that you have the capabilities for the job. It amazes me the number of graduates who expect to walk into jobs paying 30-40k/annum just because they have three letters beside their names. I know I sound like Bill Cullen here but when I started to work in the 80s I was earning less than my mates on the dole but once I had built up my experience and proved my worth I was soon earning well in excess of them.

mood

royston_vasey wrote: »

If you go to irishjobs.ie and do a search without entering any criteria you will find they have 10,000+ jobs listed - are they making these up? Therefore the ratio of applicants to jobs is about 48:1 (ignoring of course any skills sets, experience etc.)

Also you don't have to be unemployed to be facing a rising mountain of debt; I can't quote any official figures but I'm sure there are a substantial number of employed people seeking financial help.

I also think your attack on the public sector is a little unwarranted, there are cushy jobs in all walks of life both private and public especially where the unions have taken advantage over the last ten years.

A degree does not guarantee immediate access to a job and never has. It's about time that graduates realise they have to start acting like adults and seek out opportunities for themselves. We have seen numerous reports from MNCs such as Intel and Google who slate graduates for their lack of soft skills and their inability to apply theory to real world situations.

The argument regarding the catch-22 situation should also be self-evident - if you need experience to secure a position then offer to work for substanially less than the position offers to get the experience and prove to the employer that you have the capabilities for the job. It amazes me the number of graduates who expect to walk into jobs paying 30-40k/annum just because they have three letters beside their names. I know I sound like Bill Cullen here but when I started to work in the 80s I was earning less than my mates on the dole but once I had built up my experience and proved my worth I was soon earning well in excess of them.

I currently have a job but when I didn't I used all the job sites etc. On Irish jobs for example I was lucky if I found 5-10 job on the site per week I had any qualifications, skills or experience for so it is not realistic to suggest anyone can apply for the 10,000 jobs and expect to get one. What is the point in my applying for a job as an accountant or hairdresser if I can do either job???

The simple fact is there are not enough job to go around at the moment and to not see this is stupid.

By the way I'm not a graduate. I have nearly 10 years experience in my field and am currently working for peanuts at the moment just to have a job and not be on the dole.

An when I was job hunting companies and interviewers told me that 150 - 400 people had applied for the position in question.

I think you need to get off your high horse.

royston_vasey

I think you have a bit of an attitude there - I'm the second person you are having a pop at for having the audacity to hold a view contrary to yours.

The fact that you are working for peanuts (your description not mine and a subjective term) is not my fault and I'm on no high horse. I also stated that I was making simple assumptions in relation to the ratio I used and pointed out that certain relevant criteria were being ignored.

mood

royston_vasey wrote: »

I think you have a bit of an attitude there - I'm the second person you are having a pop at for having the audacity to hold a view contrary to yours.

The fact that you are working for peanuts (your description not mine and a subjective term) is not my fault and I'm on no high horse. I also stated that I was making simple assumptions in relation to the ratio I used and pointed out that certain relevant criteria were being ignored.

My point was people are not unemployed because they won't work for under a certain salary or in a less prestigious job. It is because there are not enough job.

EI111

I said there are hundreds of jobs and there are. It's a fact. Every restaurant in the country will probably need a kitchen porter at some stage over the next two months, it's a high staff turnover because it's not the most enjoyable job but it's work. There are a lot of jobs advertised on websites, sure many of them one will not be qualified for, but the ones that they may be able to do will be theirs if they have the right hunger and desire to work. I have a job, yes, I have been unemployed and of the opinion that there was no work, but there was, I just had a defeatist attitude.

I know it's a touchy subject for many and I am sensitive to that, but someone leaving college with presumably no mortgage and no family to keep can get a job that will make them self sufficient and that is just a fact, even if it means relocation or taking a job you think you're too good to do. I am a million miles overqualified for my job but it pays my bills.

EI111

I'd also like to point out that I realise how difficult job searches are. It's like a full-time job in itself and can be emotionally very taxing with rejection after rejection, but if one keeps the chin up and the belief they will find a job even if it's not very exciting. Then when it comes to interviewing for a job you really want showing that you were willing to work a so called menial job will stand to you. At the end of the day there is more to working than your education.

gollem_1975

mood wrote: »

I was referring to didntgotoplan not the OP. Someone said he/she should do a WPP but that would mean giving up a part time job which would be crazy IMO.

I quoted the OP's post in my post - puzzles me what made you think I was referring to another post..

gollem_1975

mood wrote: »

My point was people are not unemployed because they won't work for under a certain salary or in a less prestigious job. It is because there are not enough job.

not all people but some people are.. for example the OP (and many others) are saying that they won't do a WPP job.

wouldn't be suprised if SOME unemployed Graduates walk by "help wanted" signs in take-aways, spar shops, 24 hour garages, bookies etc. many of them live at home with their parents , perhaps on the dole, low overheads.

It wouldnt be accurate to paint all the unemployed graduates as a homogenous mass who are all in it together and that none of them will get jobs any time soon - this is not the case.
as other people have said there are jobs being advertised all the time and in fact a lot of positions filled are never advertised at all.
first of all it costs money to advertise the jobs.
2nd - companies can use personal networks and referrals to fill positions.

you need to get experience, take advice where you get it , use your personal contacts , find your niche.

johnjoebreen

Kick out the Eastern Europeans that will solve the problem

hinault

johnjoebreen wrote: »

Kick out the Eastern Europeans that will solve the problem

We can't kick them out, even if we wanted to.

Under EU legislation we legally obliged to allow them in to our nation.

johnjoebreen

hinault wrote: »

We can't kick them out, even if we wanted to.

Under EU legislation we legally obliged to allow them in to our nation.

I know, I know, we should have followed the steps of the other 12 EU-15 nations in 2004 by not letting Eastern Europeans free access to our labour markets. If we had a visa system like we do for other nations, the unemployment situation in Ireland wouldn't be as bad as it is now.

Old Dick Roche in 2004 predicted 2,000 Eastern Europeans would come tops. How wrong he was.

hinault

johnjoebreen wrote: »

I know, I know, we should have followed the steps of the other 12 EU-15 nations in 2004 by not letting Eastern Europeans free access to our labour markets. If we had a visa system like we do for other nations, the unemployment situation in Ireland wouldn't be as bad as it is now.

Old Dick Roche in 2004 predicted 2,000 Eastern Europeans would come tops. How wrong he was.

Yeah, irrational exuberance gone mad.

tenchi-fan

Optimus485 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I'm a degree-qualified young irish young person AND...
I'm fed up because I've been unemployed over a year.

1. It's boring.
2. I put alot of work into my 4 year degree course... I'd like to think all that work was for something.
3. I want to keep my skills in Ireland, after all... the HEA paid for my degree.
(but I won't work for free on these WWP things)

When is the misery going to end?

1. get a job in anything. I know a guy who transferred from lifestyle sports to a fund accounting job. Personally I transferred from a customer services job to a trainee accountant job in the same company.
2. you don't automatically get a job just because you have a degree. work experience, personality, skills and personal interests are all taken into account.. as is cop on, determination and innovation in job hunting!
3. yea right. go where the opportunities are. North, South, Britain, Europe, America.. no wonder you're unemployed. If need to do a WWP for a month if you are lacking in work experience.

eire2009

tenchi-fan wrote: »

1. get a job in anything. I know a guy who transferred from lifestyle sports to a fund accounting job. Personally I transferred from a customer services job to a trainee accountant job in the same company.
2. you don't automatically get a job just because you have a degree. work experience, personality, skills and personal interests are all taken into account.. as is cop on, determination and innovation in job hunting!
3. yea right. go where the opportunities are. North, South, Britain, Europe, America.. no wonder you're unemployed. If need to do a WWP for a month if you are lacking in work experience.

Consider the position of no job, on the dole, finished your degree and having debts.. Cant afford to progress to do a masters/phd if there was a point. No experience is another unavoidable aspect of being young and just out of college.. This is a normal enough situation for most college graduates of which there is a lot of..

1.WPP are a great idea of working for experience the only draw back is the fact there actually just as hard to get in professional roles as the jobs themselves I have applied to any area`s I would want to progress in(not forklift driving or sales assistant roles)
2.Even if your lucky enough to get one it is at a cost of 10-20% of your dole a week which is your loan repayments if you have any.
3.A lot of people have families/kids and cant move anywhere without major disruption or money which they dont have. Great sense in moving abroad where you wont get the dole, see how long you last when your first couple of weeks have to be spent in a B&B forgetting about travel costs...

Cop on is something you clearly lack, personality from your post is insensitive, intelligence is lacking from you obvious lack of understanding of peoples positions and I doubt that you have a degree to suggest that somebody who spends 3-4 years paying to study a selective subject was not determined in finding a job..

But yet you have a job which is a lucky thing these days even luckier if your a person with the above qualities. But even still it is your right to work something that has been taken away from a lot of people and has yet to be given back..

I hope your position stays the same because if it changes with today's market you`ll be even longer looking for a job

Darlughda

Optimus485 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I'm a degree-qualified young irish young person AND...
I'm fed up because I've been unemployed over a year.

1. It's boring.
2. I put alot of work into my 4 year degree course... I'd like to think all that work was for something.
3. I want to keep my skills in Ireland, after all... the HEA paid for my degree.
(but I won't work for free on these WWP things)

When is the misery going to end?

Sick of hearing this self pity nonsense. Try volunteering. Keep you busy.

Predator_

Optimus485 wrote: »

Hi Guys,

I'm a degree-qualified young irish young person AND...
I'm fed up because I've been unemployed over a year.

1. It's boring.
2. I put alot of work into my 4 year degree course... I'd like to think all that work was for something.
3. I want to keep my skills in Ireland, after all... the HEA paid for my degree.
(but I won't work for free on these WWP things)

When is the misery going to end?

Next April at 5.15pm.

doolox

I would like to refer to the parts in the previous posts regarding Intel and other multinationals and the lack of soft skills in graduates etc.

On more than one occasion in my 13 years with a MNC I was the victim of intemperate anger from jumped up graduate engineers who had not an ounce of charity or compassion in their beings.

It is about time that the MNC's realised the lack of personality, humanity and common decency in many of our graduates.

It seems as if a skill is not on the exam or measured in some way they will not take the time or effort to cultivate it. Those without a degree have to put up or shut as jobs are scarce...........

What is needed are measurements in some way for a persons ability to get on with others and ability to operate as a mutually respected team in some way.

People who abuse their power and authority should be held in check at the quickest available opportunity.