Is it uncommon to be unemployed until you graduate?

[Bolson13]

Pretty common here. Parents also encourage their kids to find a job. I believe it is good experience to be working as a teenager. Making your own money, seeing what adult life is about, learn responsibilities etc.

[Rukentuts]

It was different pre 2008.

[Spectral]

It was different pre 2008.

That's probably right. Back in my day, we did menial labor during summers and we liked it I tell ya!

[Senathor]

Its normal. I never fancied the idea of finding a normal job. I want to be an engineer. I can't work in a grocery store or bar for several months 40 hours a week. What am I, a fucking slave? No sir. But eventually I might have to find some pathetic thing to work with until I can work with something fun. After all, money is always nice. Always.

- - - Updated - - -

It was different pre 2008.

Why?

/10chars

[Deleted]

It depends. If You want to earn more money to spend, get some part time job or something but don't expect it to influence Your "after-graduation-work" because it won't. It's a bullsh1t, working at a MC or in a grocery or at a bar in no position will have an extra effect after Your graduation if You intend to become engineer/programmer/economist/whatever.

You can ofc put such "experience" in Your resume, but expecting something from that is like counting on Your imaginary friends during a brawl or something. High-end work positions expect high-end experience in the topic You are applying, not some experience with frying fries or selling stuff in sex shop. So If YOU need money, go for it, if You don't, then don't bother at all.

On the other hand, training/practice in some sort of company You are going to work in future after graduation is a better option. However don't expect too much i had a friend of mine who was "practicing" for about 3 years during studies and his master degree, and You know what his "first" employer said to him at the job interwiev? "well i can offer You a practice" "but i don't want, I want full time job!" "well, You seemed to be volounteering for 3years, seems You don't value Your time after all WASTING so much time on practice". So don't know what is like in Your country but if You keep practicing for too long don't expect anything other than...well, practice/training.

[Rukentuts]

Why?

/10chars

When the recession hit adults started taking jobs normally filled by teens.

[Jeleh]

Honestly I would say it varies person by person and there is no set way. When I was at school (highschool level) i did weekend work. Whilst I was at university i did no outside work. I don't know where I would have fit it in if i am honest, 40 hours a week in class/labs and then the time to do my reading and assignments. Obviously everyone has different workloads depending on their course and circumstances but at the end of the day it is different for each individual.

Relevant work experience is a different matter however. A lot of universities have opportunities in the summer months or outside of term time to take up positions in departments which relate to your course/degree or have ties to local businesses in your field which if you can you absolutely 100% should take the opportunity to undertake.

[Deleted]

So I know that some parents push their kids to get a job during high-school and learn to support themselves but on the other end of the spectrum there are parents (like mine) who don't motivate their kids to go get a job even when they're at university. So is it uncommon?

In Sweden then education is free and you are giving grant by the stated, you are expect to study full time. But in the summer break you are expected to take a "summer-work" to gain work-experiences and some extra money.

[Sky High]

here in america unless you are super well off or have that one crazy scholarship that take care of everything it is more or less a necessity to work. I've had a part time job for as long as I have been a student.

[Sainur]

An answer to almost every question:

Depends/maybe

[lordmatthias]

I am a bit of an unusual case, but I have been working since I was 12 when I starting a small business mowing lawns. I basically did that until I was 16 when I could drive, and I got a job working retail at Best Buy. I ended up going from sales to geek squad over the course of 2 years. I ditched that when I found a job at my university in the IT department working at the help desk. I did that for 3 and a half years (until I graduated) and I was able to find another job in IT as a desktop engineer and have continued on etc...

Even though I didn't need to work, I still found it gratifying to be doing something, especially to get paid for it. It allowed me to save up for school so that I had no dept going out, and in the end it has really helped having a proven track record when looking for work. Because of this I have had a much easier time finding employment. There are definitely advantages to not working when younger, but I have found the working path has worked very well for me, and taught me a lot of life skills including work/life balance and time management skills (I was able to maintain good grades while at university, and work, and still have an active social life). It did help that when I was working for the university IT dept, I was able to do homework and play video games during down times .

[crakerjack]

Work experience is bullshit, it doesn't mean crap. "Wha?!?! How are you expected to get a job if you never work!?!" Simple... Do internships. To this day, i've never worked a minimum wage job... the closest I did to that was helping my disable aunt w/ her very large garden. She would pay me $12 an hour and of course it was tax free. I never needed $500+ a month, so i'd do a couple hours a week, maybe making just over $100 per month. When I got enough CS under my belt, I started applying for internships that didn't pay. I slapped those on my resume after I graduated and it was never brought up when I was hired that I didn't have any previous work experience. No business is going to give a rats ass that you stocked shelves in a market back when you were 16... no one will care that you bussed tables when you were 20... they want to see that you have a degree and that you've done some form of professional work.

[TirielWoW]

So I know that some parents push their kids to get a job during high-school and learn to support themselves but on the other end of the spectrum there are parents (like mine) who don't motivate their kids to go get a job even when they're at university. So is it uncommon?

I don't think I'm at an disadvantage as most jobs available to young people are low-skilled, manual labour jobs SO they don't give much in the way of actual experience apart from working of course...

My parents actually wouldn't allow me to get a job during high school. They wanted me focused on school.

I had trouble finding a part-time job in college because I didn't have a car. I did have a Work Study job, however, where I was paid from a grant by the Federal Government.

[Aldred]

Yes, I'd say it's uncommon not to have had ANY job ever until you graduate from university/college.

At university I was at classes 9-5 pretty much every day, and then several hours studying and coursework in the evenings. In my last year I worked a few hours a week helping 1st years with their lab work, but other than that - if I'd had a time consuming part time job during term - I wouldn't have time for anything else at all (e.g. socialising, sports clubs, etc), which is all part of the university experience too.

But it's definitely a good idea to work in between times - like each summer - so you build up the experience and a little money. Even if it's not for your CV, just having had any kind of work anywhere before you graduate is a wise move.

I suppose it depends on what you're studying too. Some people only seemed to have a few hours of classes a day and studied next to nothing. Arts students, I think they were called.

[Frozenbeef]

I think i would have a mental break down/ die of bordem if i had uni + a part time job.. although i have to spend 2 hours on a bus everyday getting into/out of uni so I'm sure that eats a lot of my free time as well

[OzoAndIndi]

Is it uncommon to be unemployed until you graduate?

Gotta go with the "it depends" camp. If someone has the time to fill, then why not. On the other hand, some students may take more classes at a time than the average student and/or be taking courses that all need most of their time out of class to devote to projects and stuff, so depends on what time someone has available.

As for me, I loaded up on the classes, lived at home and commuted an hour each way, and on my days off and time between classes I usually had projects that needed working on. I kinda wish I had, but my time didn't really have much room to reasonably fit a job into my schedule.

[Reeve]

I don't know about common, but I worked in high school, probably 15-20 hours a week, and then 30-40 hours a week during college. I'm glad for the work experience I got, but at the same time, I imagine I could have been far more involved in organizations on campus if I hadn't had to work. Much easier to network with companies at events if you aren't busy pulling a double shift.

I'd recommend something between, where maybe you do an internship during college to get work experience and to introduce yourself to a potential employer.

[Duronos]

Holding a second job in college wouldn't be nearly as bad if I wasn't working at a restaurant, there is no mercy there when it comes to anything. People often want the kitchen staff to work under stress as to make them perform better... Logic in the restaurant industry. I'm out of here the instant I find another job away from it.

[Orlong]

I dont know about uncommon, but it is pure laziness

[Deleted]

I dont know about uncommon, but it is pure laziness

I'll try to squeeze in some minutes of feeling bad while enjoying the additional free time.