New job, not what I wanted but economy sucks. (Rant)

[Opeth]

I've come to the point where I feel all the hard work I did in college was for nothing, and the $100k I spent and still repaying was wasted. I have a bachelors in Sociology with a concentration in criminal justice, my goals were to be a police officer or a parole officer of some sort. I've taken numerous civil service exams all of which I've either scored an 80 or 85. I've taken them twice a year and I cannot break into the 90's which I am more likely to be canvassed.

I've been canvassed twice, once for a US Customs Border patrol agent which I had to withdrawal myself from because I truthfully admitted to "trying" pot in high school and they wanted things like this 7 yrs in your past. I graduated HS in 04', canvassed in spring of 08' so instead of having a failed federal background check on my record I was advised to withdrawal. I haven't reapplied, because starting pay isn't what I want nor do they offer reimbursement for relocating. I had nothing holding me back in 08', no g/f or debts except college.

Second, was for a correction officer in a local maximum security prison. Passed fitness test and never heard another word about it.

I have lived at home since I graduated college (May 09') hoping for something to come along but nothing has, I am even neighbors/ good friends with the head county sheriff, that still won't help me because they have to follow EOE procedures. While I have no problem with that, but when they hire a Hispanic/ African American/ etc. with a 75 score over someone who scored higher I think is BS just because they have to have X% of certain colors. I'd want whatever first responder scored the highest and knew what they were doing to be saving my ass, than someone who only got a 75.

While I am grateful that my mom has let me live at home paying $200/month, it has come time to face the facts that I might not be able to become what I want and pursue other alternatives which I have available. I have looked week after week and nothing appeals to me pay wise or benefit wise.

I current work for the Nations Largest food redistributor in the warehouse and have been here for 3 yrs. Its grunt work throwing cases for 10hrs, 4 days a week and I make $14.35/ hr plus benefits are actually quite good and very cheap health insurance. After OT it works out to be around $28-30k a year or has been for the past 2 yrs.

Well, the same company also runs their own fleet of tractor trailers with late model trucks. If a warehouse employee works at least one full year in the warehouse and wants to become a driver, they will pay for you to go to NTTS( national tractor trailer school) for your CDL-A ($7,500 tuition) and while in school/ training pay you $500/wk to get buy. Only stipulation is, you have to give them 3 yrs as a driver to wipe your tuition debt, and the $500/ wk is repaid with your bonuses until your debt is gone. Your first year, they guarantee you $51,000 but this isn't a drop and hook driving job. Your throwing the freight you carry, 1800-2500cs. per load, 3x a week. Home 2.5 days a week but rarely back to back days until you gain seniority. Some of the senior guys are making $75-100k. I feel Kind of embarrassed about this but the money is stupidly good, and would help put me on my way to owning home real quick. I feel like this is my best option right now, plus if I work 4 more years ill be at 3 weeks of vacation.

Any other recent college grads finding themselves in a pickle like this?

 

[Hypnotoad]

I know how you feel. I went to school to be an electrician and when I graduated 6 years ago, there were no jobs to be found. It seemed everyone wanted an apprentice electrician, but with at least 2 years experience. They wanted people that knew what they were doing, but didn't have to pay a lot. I had no on the job experience outside of school and that was always a deal breaker. The local union only hired 28 new apprentices that year, and over half of their electricians were benched.

I became a school bus driver just to make ends meet, and hated every minute of it. I can't find words to describe how much I hated it. I eventually gave up looking for an electrician position. I feel like I wasted 5 years of my life driving school bus.

I finally found a job doing something similar to an electrician, I had enough bus driving and couldn't take another minute. I took a job doing low voltage wiring. It definitely wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life. Low voltage doesn't pay as much and doesn't take a whole lot of skill (any idiot could do it), but I got my foot in the door.

That lead to me getting hired by a staffing agency to be an electrician. And with the experience I gained from the staffing agency, that lead to me getting hired for a permanent electrician job that starts one week from today.

I don't know much about how hiring works with law enforcement, but I do have a brother that is a Police officer. He worked as a reserve in our city, which was pretty much a security guard position, and he was eventually hired as an Officer.

You might feel like you're above being a security guard or a reserve or something similar, but it might be a way to get your foot in the door.

My advice, don't settle. Find a way to keep moving forward even if it's moving forward slowly.

 

[Matt]

I hear you. I worked in the security/law enforcement/investigative field for 23 or so years. I got laid off in 2009, applied for probably close to 1000 jobs in my field and had exactly 3 interviews.

I finally got a part-time job as a computer monitor at a sewage treatment plant in Feb 11 and June this year I moved to full-time in the billing department. Completely different from anything I've done and trained for but it looks like this is where I'll be as all the jobs I apply for I'm told I'm either over qualified or under qualified...I just don't get it.

 

[fadyasha]

It's everywhere. You spend money and the return is little! I spent the first 2 years busting my ass working as an so called accountant but what I was really doing was just data entry. I was fed up and kept trying to get into what you call ERP Consulting. I had to travel to another country to work with my uncle's friend who gave me that opportunity, I worked for free and long long hours!

After that things just started opening up Thankfully! Moral of the story is what the guys said! Try to get anything which at least relates to what you're looking for! Hopefully doors will open!

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

If you can get the license and training paid for...I would go for it. 3 years of getting paid good for them to add a tool to your toolbox is a good deal long term.

Think if you do get on as a reserve officer after the 3 years of payback. You still have that experience and license. You can do reserve to get your foot in the door and drive a truck part time. I know lots of people that do trucking and the flexibilty and being to make damn good money quick allows them to pursue their other hobbies or do another job they like.

You also may likie driving a truck and with 3 years experience and training and licensing up to date...You will likely be a top choice for a trucking company.

3 years will fly by. I say take em up on it and try it. You have not gotten what you want in 3 years, but worked for little. Take the chance and bank some money.

 

[Denali n DOO]

Well I'm kinda in a big pickle here. I left high school and went to work in a food manufacturer plant. I did that for a year or so and applied for a sales job at the same company looking after sales reps territories while they were on vacation, I was only nineteen and a salesrep for a big company. After a year I was given my own territory and stayed in it for 28.5 years. The last 3 years they had me doing 2 territories as they pushed older reps out the door. I had a company car, cell phone, laptop, good pension plan and great benefits. I was also up to 6 weeks of paid vacation yearly. I basically had the same manager off and on for 25 years. I had 25 years of perfect attendance, not 1 sick day used. I was always tops in sales contests and stuff like that. Then I got a new manager who micro managed the piss outa me. He came out with me a few times when he first started and twice spilled McD's coffee all over his shirt when he got in my car with it, yes twice. Of course he didn't like wearing ties and I did so I always looked like the boss and he the rep, with McD's coffee all over him. He micro managed me and picked apart anything he could. They stopped giving me raises and creating BS reasons why. He put me on probabtion for 12 weeks, after the 12 weeks of success he put me on another 12 weeks saying I wasn't getting off that easy and success the first 12 weeks isn't a get outta jail free card. He was an asshole as genuine as they come. The last year he only spend 4 hours with me in my territory and wrote me up for having to many cigarrette ashes in my car and said it was dirty. So in January I was let go. F'n great! I was 8 years away from early retirement at 55 with a full company defined benefit pension. Now I will have to work a extra 10 years till I get that F'n pension. Plus I'll never work anywhere long enough to get 6 weeks holidays. The severence I negotiated will take me well into next year so all is still good ....for now! If I find a job before the severence is up I get a cash payout and that would be a bonus. So after taking the summer off I'm looking for a job now and it isn't easy.


Now the problem, I have no post high school education at all. Any sales job I see is like 15k a year less and requires experience in the field and college or university. I have logged about 1,800,000kms over the 28.5 years driving company cars and havn't had a driving charge in over 11 years, so I know I'm a good driver. I'm considering to go get my A-Z liscense at a training facilty while I'm on the severence and look for a job being a professional tractor trailer driver. Not a cross country driver but a home every night driver. I wouldn't mind driving at night either like 11pm-7am and get lots of time for wife and kids still. It seems Truck Driving is the only good $ job around here, maybe $22.50 hr vs $13-17 in a factory. $22.50 is still less than I'm use to earning but overtime would help. If I find a good paying sales job later I can always make the move. And then having the A-Z could jump back to trucking is I choose.

Nothing wrong with having all kinds of experience doing different things. If being a Police Officer stills interests you then persue it even if you gotta be a security guard first, a very rewarding carreer I'm sure! Getting your truck license while someone else is paying for it is a plus too and if the money is good then, hey why not. Whatever you do choose to do don't feel embarassed about it. Just do what makes you happy and leads you to your goals.

 

[6716]

Life's a funny thing. I have three degrees, one of which is a masters. I'm in remodeling, and if you'd have asked me a long while back what the chances of that career were for my life, I'd have said slim to none.

Sounds like you could sure use a change, anyway.

Go for the truck driving. Sounds like they're going to work you for the education you get, but you're young yet. Keep your eyes and ears open and you'll likely learn more than how to operate an 18-wheeler.

The guy that invented the shipping container was a truck driver, or so the legend goes.

The guy who built the billion dollar Schneider National truck lines out of Green Bay, Wisconsin (of all places) was a truck driver.

 

[Jkust]

I hate to hear stories like this.

 

[Opeth]

I will for sure be worked a lot, but its nothing I'm not use to. Quite frankly I think I do more now in the warehouse because they hold us at a rate of 95%, if your not there they fire you. I went with a driver for over a year to a customer and helped him unload, so i know what it really entails. I'm one of the few in the warehouse who is always 105-110%, which they do pay you for anything over 100% you do. But if you do, 110%, they 1/2 it and only pay you at 105% which for me is usually an extra $50-80 every two weeks. Granted I'm 6th in seniority on a shift of 26 guys, so I never see freezer work and have a dedicated daily job task unlike newer guys who are essentially "freezer warriors" and that's where they work. I did my fair share of work there, so it's nice to be where I'm at in the warehouse.

If I go driving I'm sure I wouldn't want to stay for more than the 3 years because of all the away from home time. My g/f's dad drove for UPS for 40 years and just retired nicely with full pension from there. Something I may try and get myself into, I usually see they are hiring from time to time. But at least with doubling my pay I'll be able to get out of college debt, and maybe get ahead in life.

Hopefully something comes along for everyone whose posted and struggling, it really isn't fair but I guess I feel it makes us all more greatful for what we do have and turns us into better people.

 

[STLtrailbSS]

I know how you feel. I went to school to be an electrician and when I graduated 6 years ago, there were no jobs to be found. It seemed everyone wanted an apprentice electrician, but
I finally found a job doing something similar to an electrician, I had enough bus driving and couldn't take another minute. I took a job doing low voltage wiring. It definitely wasn't what I wanted to do the rest of my life. Low voltage doesn't pay as much and doesn't take a whole lot of skill (any idiot could do it), but I got my foot in the door.

What low v did you work in because Im In "Low Voltage"
Did you wire alarm sensor or Actually deal with 4000 pr strand.

 

[Hypnotoad]

What low v did you work in because Im In "Low Voltage"
Did you wire alarm sensor or Actually deal with 4000 pr strand.

I worked on the Energy Management Systems in new Walmart stores. We wired communication, temp sensors, and leak detectors for the refrigeration units. We wired temp sensors, communication, O2s for the RTUs and air handlers. In all the new Walmart stores, these things can be controlled wirelessly from another location. There's a few other random things too.

Everything we did was 2 or 4 wire cable. Pretty simple stuff.

 

[Jkust]

Just throwing ideas out there but I've got friends in North Dakota and the oil boom is providing minimum 120k/year jobs. There are downsides but i'm hearing a lot of opportunity there.
I'm wondering why you would spend 100k to become a police officer though? There seems to be a disconnect somewhere there. I spend close to that back in the 1990's for undergrad so I can empathise. The difference I suppose is I chose a career with salaries comensurate to the massive debt load. I might be missing something here though.

I was chatting with our local cops at our block party a month back and they only needed 2 year degrees to get in and 4 year degrees to move up. They started as community service officers. Neither of them had any college debt and they were 26 and 28 years old.

 

[D0M0]

Yeah, if you want to work in law enforcement, Try all different avenues of law to get your foot in the door. don't let any job be "below" your standard.

Here is my story tho.. its a bit different

I originally went to school to major in Mass Communications so I could work in broadcasting in 2001. Got kicked out of school and went to work for Taco Bell. worked there from 02 til the fall when I got fired. Needing a job badly, I went to try out for a Broadcasting School that offered job "Training" to prepare you for interviews, and a Vocational school that taught accounting, but promised job placement. Went for the accounting. Finished april of 03. No accounting jobs was available so I worked a telemarking job. Got fired by the end of summer. The Vocational program called me in sept of 03 asking if i wanted a position starting at $8/hr. Figured I could work that temporarily to pay the bills until I got back into broadcasting.


Almost 10 years and several nice pay raises later, i'm now the Office/Accounting Manager and i've decided to go back to school to get my degree in accounting. I never thought I would be doing such a job, but it appeals to my need for attention to detail (and salary!). Plus with the experience and now being back in school, Im looking into going into business for myself one day and having a accounting firm of my own.

plus, I can always go to broadcasting school on the weekends and get that started too. Thru accounting, Ive met alot of people in TV/Radio/Blogging and always get asked if i would do their accounting.

There are many avenues to get to the job you want. Maybe the Warehouse needs to hire security? Ask around and see.

*Edit* Or a nearby College... Campus Police.. Park Police... if you live near a city with a subway system you can be a Subway police officer.

 

[Badbart]

Just keep applying for the Police jobs if that is what you want to do. I had the bug when I was 18 years old and it stayed with me until opportunity knocked in 2001. Things are different here in Florida and I got hired right away. If you can get on with ANY agency just to get your foot in the door it will benefit you later.
As for those that think you spent more on your education than needed, LEO jobs in NY can pay quite well. I haven't seen the latest pay scales, but 5 or 10 years ago NYPD had a 5 year step program that started the recruits off in the academy at $25K a year and by year 5 they were making $59K. Their Sgt.'s were starting at $72K back then, and the Lt.'s started at $109K. In my book that's pretty a pretty good wage. I know a retired NY cop that lives down here and his retirement pay is higher than my active duty pay was.

 

[suburbs]

Move to Colorado/Utah/Tahoe, work for $10 an hour at a ski resort, live in cheap employee housing, ski on days off, party every night, hook up with girls from South America.


Then go back home and try to be a grownup again in the spring.


That's what I did 4 years ago. Except I never got around to the moving back home to be a grownup part.

 

[Opeth]

Well graduated from National Tractor Trailer School (NTTS) today with a 97.95% overall average and received the "class champion" award out of 20 other guys, and a 225hr perfect attendance award. I was shooting for the schools ever first 100% since it opened in 1971. But trying to parallel park an 18 wheeler in a box is a real bitch and a crap shoot at best since you can't see what you were doing for most of the maneuver. My trailer was cockeyed and sticking out from the curb so I took an 85 on that test, and on the first school road test took a 95 for a jeep cutting one of my turns short for me when I was 1/2 through it.

I can't complain otherwise since everything else was perfect and all my road ride instructors said I'll have no problem with the state DMV road test come Tuesday. My other work coworker who was attending NTTS with me failed both his school road tests and is now forced to stay in school another week before they let him go to the DMV.

One other little tid bit, I regret all those times I may have merged back in front of a big rig earlier than I should have. It takes well over a football field to stop these things when going 55mph, and if you cut in front of us coming up to a light your shortening it even more putting your lives at risk. Many trucks are are now equipped with on board cameras / speed recorders like in police cars to protect us from lawsuits by reckless drivers trying to beat us. So I just ask everyone to be safe, the 30 seconds your trying to save isn't worth putting lives in danger. This class was a real eye opener for me.

 

[NighTblazer]

I understand your situation. I live right around the same area and was let go from a Management position in an Office supply Distributor a few years ago and have had to struggle with entry level positions even though I have 17 years experience. I have recently been laid off from my last dead end job and just got passed over at the company I believe you are working for. (I received a letter stating they are going with more experienced candidates.... funny I doubt that!) But I'm glad to hear you are getting something in this area that is working for you even if it isn't what you wanted. My step-brother is a guard at one of the local prisons and it's not all that great they are cutting jobs all the time.

Good luck I hope it works out well for you and maybe I'll see you around town sometime.

 

[JPutnam]

Wow, just hear a conversation about this on Savage Nation. He was talking about how so many people are spending so much money to get white collar jobs and are getting blue collars instead. From what I was hearing though people were getting nice wages though with "old timey" jobs as he called them. AKA, relay tech, plumber, carpenter...

 

[Mooseman]

Boy, you sure like necroposting.

 

[djthumper]

this thread is a zombie

 

[JPutnam]

Oops, really need to pay attention to the dates. How do I keep finding these threads?

 

[Reprise]

That's a good question - how DO you find these? LOL Do they come up in the bottom section as 'related posts' while searching, and catch your eye?

The first thing I noticed on this thread was the date - and when I saw '2012' - I knew it was going to be a zombie post, as I hadn't seen this before today.

You're new - so *all* posts are new topics for you. Understandable. But if you don't want to 'reanimate' a dead post... maybe take a look at the date of the first post in the thread. If you like the post / thread, scan down to the last post date - if it's more than, say, 6 mos old (and really, that's a bit long, here) - you're in danger of necroposting.

I'm sorely tempted to add to the original thread, now that "it's alive!"
But just this once, I'll resist...

 

[$ Khalid ! 9130]

That's a good question - how DO you find these? LOL Do they come up in the bottom section as 'related posts' while searching, and catch your eye?

The first thing I noticed on this thread was the date - and when I saw '2012' - I knew it was going to be a zombie post, as I hadn't seen this before today.

You're new - so *all* posts are new topics for you. Understandable. But if you don't want to 'reanimate' a dead post... maybe take a look at the date of the first post in the thread. If you like the post / thread, scan down to the last post date - if it's more than, say, 6 mos old (and really, that's a bit long, here) - you're in danger of necroposting.

I'm sorely tempted to add to the original thread, now that "it's alive!"
But just this once, I'll resist...

I wouldn't resist if I were you, cause I just found out about this thread and was quite an interesting read for sure

 

[JPutnam]

I'm not sure. Could have been from the related section. Could have been from the search tool also. I have never seen a forum where it actually works this well. Will keep in mind to look at the dates though.

 

[Mooseman]

Although we do have a rule against necroposting/reviving dead threads, that rule does allow to revive it if it matches exactly what you want to post about. What we do want to avoid is posting a "Did your fix work?" in a cobweb infested thread where the OP hasn't logged on in years.

And if you're looking for those rules, the link is missing at the moment. We should have these back up soon.