Terrible job market RANT

[bad guy]

3 minutes ago, Cyanide said:

All our lives we are conditioned to believe that we're nothing without going to college, just to go and incur debt for a SLIGHT chance of getting an entry level position, and that's if the entry level jobs aren't asking for 10 years of experience out of college  

It's the biggest scam ever 

 

Not to mention most of the time the only option for high-paying jobs if you're non-college educated are jobs that require extreme manual labor, extreme hours, and are quite dangerous (fishing, mining, logging, military, machinery, etc.). The worst is when you have the degree and jobs are paying less than $20/month or not even 50k salary  And these are multi-billion dollar companies slapping us in the face 

[Odette Violet]

I still considered myself as lucky as I have job. You'll get yours too, stay strong friend 

[brraap]

23 minutes ago, Jotham said:

The job search has been so frustrating right now. I don't even know which job search engines to use anymore. I feel like LinkedIn is full of fake jobs made by bots and Indeed doesn't recommend jobs I'm interested in.

I've heard a lot about ghost job postings. Basically companies are paying people to post a bunch a day. That's what I think LinkedIn is full of. Roles that these companies do not intend on filling immediately, or even at all. They just use them to collect resumes, scope out talent or give them stats for internal purposes. Instead of addressing an actual hiring need.

 

Also, actual recruiters don't look at resume's anymore. They use AI to scour through and pick the "best fits". Highly problematic.

 

Governments should put laws in place because it really, really is getting out of hand. 

[king_queen]

The key is to get a sales job that doesn't have set hours while you're still looking for a job in your own field. That extra money has literally saved my life this year  

[brraap]

47 minutes ago, bad guy said:

I also just finished school about a year ago after changing my major three times because I was noticing the job market for each just get worse and worse  

 

I took a gap year right before the pandemic to try the whole networking thing for a job in entertainment (marketing/PR) while working full time at another job and then Covid hit so all that went away. Transferred to a different school with the same intention of pursuing something in that industry but on the arts side and quickly realized that the job market was scarce despite my school having decent connections. I didn't want to take the risk of having a useless degree and just minored in that and majored in a social science so that I can pursue law. But even law school applications want a resume with some sort of experience and finding just an internship at a firm has been nearly impossible. And the one that had set up an interview with me ghosted me. I drove past them one day saw a "FOR SALE" sign on their building so I guess no interview was needed anymore 

 

I have a few friends back home but I can't use them a connections for anything because they also can't find work, it's all just hustling. I do have one of my closest friends who will more than likely end up in the entertainment industry due to connections/talent and he's said he'd want me on a project but even his older sibling hasn't been able to find a job, so we'll see. Right now I work two jobs and do my writing on the side, and am just focusing on law school for next year. If I do well my first year I could have a good job at a firm lined up for me which can be six figures and that's enough for me to be comfortable. Plus there are pathways for me to do a myriad of things with that. It'll all depend on if I can afford it though 

 

Unfortunately AI is going to destroy any creative job that there is unless there are regulations in place. Animators are also getting steamrolled right now. Writers will be next. Then movies. Then music. These people at the top want to spend as little as possible to make as much profit as possible. They don't care about you, your talent, or even their own shitty work as long as AI gets it done and they make millions. It's already becoming so normalized. If I were you I would do freelance work while also finding another job to finance yourself. I'd say get your masters but if you're American you know how expensive that'll be. Hang in there 

THIS. You got it on the nose. I'll have to rely on contract work 

 

Good luck in law school bestie! At least that's a field that won't be disrupted and you'll get to read people to filth (and get paid) 

[John Slayne]

I really feel you but honestly with the way AI is going I don't think there is going to be that many graphic design jobs around, especially if you don't have significant experience. It sucks and I know AI can't do what you can, but most places won't see it that way. IMO the best thing you can do is retrain or find a job that is at least somewhat bearable for you and offer graphic design services as a freelancer. That way you can start building a portfolio and make connections in the industry that may translate into a stable job in the future. I know that's all easier said than done but from my impression the graphic design industry is very precarious...

 

Once upon a time I wanted to be an academic but honestly academia is a terrible industry to work in if you're new so I don't think I will ever get around to it, you might come to a similar conclusion about graphic design.

[Capris Groove]

All I can say is, I feel you sis. I have 10 years of experience as a senior in my field (investment banking), and still struggled to land a job last year. Sent hundreds of applications. Ran into things I didn't even know existed: ghost postings (where the job doesn't even exist the company is just collecting applicants' data), recruiters who ignore you, interviewers who don't show up, and the worst, going through multiple rounds of interviews and then never hearing back again. It's all bullshit.

 

The truth is, corporate is very hesitant to hire right now. The pandemic, AI, and fears of a recession have them acting very conservatively. As others have said, it's not about what you know it's about who you know.

 

Personally, I see this getting worse and think that corporate in general is slowly dying. Think about the world in 10 years. If you want to invest, are you going to go to a bank and talk to some sales rep? Of course not you're going to research it yourself. If you want a product, you're going to research it yourself. Consultants, PR, middle management, project management etc., these are going to decline.

 

I wish you well in your search.

[VVVVVV]

Well I am a graphic design student. I have been triying to finish an associate degree for around 7 years. Everytime, every year, everything became more and more complicated to me. I am final giving up to that i changing to another path. I am planning to go and do some technical/labor course. I really dont know but graphic design isnt my passion anymore, I have been both burned out from school and job industry. AI is the worst thing for us right now, and every design company have been using it right know, they all have giving it the green light. I was never talented at all to be a designer, my college isnt one of the best of my country neither. Graphic desing is so complicated and weird, and it is seem as easy at same time. My degree program got math subjests, I went to art (never got high skilled) because I wasnt good at math, I dont want to do coding or programming at all. I feel the career is kind of useless and flat now, I regret a little bit cause I though my overal experience was going to be different. Like i felt at that time that I was going to became good at it. Like I found my village or mission of life. 

 

I recommed you watching other areas. 

[Cottonmouth]

I just quit my job. You don't give me much hope in my search 

[Jotham]

2 hours ago, Cyanide said:

All our lives we are conditioned to believe that we're nothing without going to college, just to go and incur debt for a SLIGHT chance of getting an entry level position, and that's if the entry level jobs aren't asking for 10 years of experience out of college  

At this point, I'm considering trade school if the job market doesn't get better. I noticed that most of the people around my age who are financially stable or are happy with their lives ended up doing trade school. The problem for me is that it still seems like a huge time commitment and I don't even know which trades I'm interested in.

[Archetype]

3 hours ago, brraap said:

I've heard UX is very picky with juniors. Like they want 2+ years experience but entry level is virtually non existent. I have some experience in UI it but didn't pursue it fully because it looks like that industry wants you to be able to do UX/UI plus coding.

 

Hopefully it gets better. Good luck on your masters! 

Go all in on product design (UI/UX).  Do absolutely everything you need to do to land just one product design role, even if it's contracting.  Get your foot in the door, keep building your portfolio, and make sure you eventually have fully launched products in your portfolio, as that's the easiest way to break into design jobs with insane pay.  You will be significantly better off in the long run from that career path with much higher pay, benefits, and a lot of job opportunities.  And no, most product design roles do not ask for coding experience.  It's considered a plus, but developers/engineers are responsible for that, not designers. 

Edited November 19 by Archetype

[poki]

From my experience in the last few weeks, Indeed also has a lot of fake jobs.

Also, if you see the word "camaraderie" in a job post, it's 100000% AI. I don't know why but ChatGPT absolutely adores that word.

[sh0ckw4ves]

After a recent job change, the biggest piece of advice I can give you is filtering and applying for jobs posted within the last 24 hours.

 

There are so many applicants right now that recruiters aren't waiting for postings to close, every callback/interview/job offer I got was for jobs I applied for with a quick turnaround.

 

(But obviously of those posted within the last 24 hours still pick ones within your field/that you'd like to do)

[Namie-Knowles]

Yeah I'm in Advertising and Public Relations as well as Journalism. I know I have a lot of options but it's just so hard to find anything. I've been graduated for about two years at this point and have had to get regular minimum wage jobs just to get by. I don't know what I'm doing wrong that this point. 

[Capris Groove]

 

11 hours ago, Jotham said:

At this point, I'm considering trade school if the job market doesn't get better. I noticed that most of the people around my age who are financially stable or are happy with their lives ended up doing trade school. The problem for me is that it still seems like a huge time commitment and I don't even know which trades I'm interested in.

 

Would becoming a Registered Massage Therapist interest you? It's healthcare which means helping people, so it tends to be very fulfilling work. People are always happy to see you and it's a low-stress career. It's a 'trade' but it's a more glamorous one without all the homophobia and sexism BS that you can encounter in a lot of trades. It's well paid, can't be automated, you set your own hours, and in high demand thanks to massages being covered in most people's work benefit plans. You can also learn advanced modalities and increase your rate that way, you can be a traveling massage therapist as well, meaning you bring your table to people's homes = minimal overhead, you keep the full hourly rate.

 

Downside, it's hard on the body, but what job isn't? Sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day is terrible. If you learn proper body mechanics you'll be great. Lots of MTs massage well into their 60s.

 

I think it's a great career.

[katara]

I am sorry and don't want to seem harsh but your design degree is terrible. It always was but especially now due to AI it's basically useless. You should think about switching trades. I don't know in which country you live in but I think in general nurse/carer jobs are in high demand everywhere and the pay is also pretty hefty. Maybe that will interest you? Or maybe sales/call center?

 

---------------

 

In general yeah the job market is terrible for everyone right now. Last year I quit my old job coz managment became too toxic and I was shook at how much longer than anticipated it took me to find something new. It took like 4-5 months in a "high demand" field like data analytics as someone with 4+ years experience. It is really humbling and I am so glad my current job is really good so I think I will get cozy here and stay for a long while.

[shyboi]

why dont you get a sugar daddy and persuade him into funding you your own business? everything under your name 

[katara]

Also I know it's easier said than done but don't get too stressed about the whole thing. Especially if you have unemplyoment pay/savings/other means as a safety net right now.

 

Stress will not help anything and will just make things worse for your health but also the job searching process. Because stress also reflects in interviews. Calm yourself down and have an easy going attitude towards difficulties in life. 

[Smarticle]

omfg i went thru 2 rounds of interviews, maybe 1.5? cause the second one was a bit too chill... only to find out that the company doesn't re-hire if you've worked there before????

 

i was gobsmacked .... like in this economy?? like why the **** do you post external job positions and just leave it open for months until you find your ideal candidate when i'm willing to work for u again

 

[monologueNacafe]

I pretty much have two useless degrees...a BAS in Psychology...and an MFA in Creative Writing. I'm so depressed most of the time I don't even write. I've been looking for writing related work but it's been a struggle

[Staunch_Character]

If you're willing/able to go back to school, consider getting a degree in healthcare. I changed careers at 27 and went back to nursing school -  best decision I've ever made. There will always be demand for skilled nurses and it's the one industry that is fairly AI resistant. Having an in-demand degree also gives you the power and freedom to leave a shitty job with confidence, knowing there will be 10 more lined up for you. I recently resigned from my job due to my distaste for management and the direction the company was heading, and had a new job lined up in less than 2 weeks. 

[monologueNacafe]

Everyone shouldn't be a nurse...