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  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by tiporispit View Post
    My dad grew up on a dirt floor in Southeast Kentucky. There were times when he went hungry because they couldn't afford food and rent at the same time. At 18, he went to Michigan on a bus with a single month's rent in his pocket, which he made washing dishes at a local diner. He put in an application at Ford Motor Company who had been advertising openings all over the country. He worked 60-80 hours a week for 31 years. He lives on oceanfront property in Florida and drives a Viper.

    He went where the jobs were. He didn't know a single person there.

    Basically, what you posted is complete garbage. The problem isn't a lack of opportunity. The problem is a lack of drive and willingness to give up the video games and partying to work 60+ hours a week. The children of that generation are spoiled, entitlement babies. When life hits them in the face, they crumble and cry in the fetal position. It's everyone else's fault. Always.

    No-one should have to slave and work with blood and sweat like your father did in order to earn a living. It's unreasonable.
    Don't come with such moral stories from a time which had a job market vastly different to ours. It's the attitude that young people are lazy and dumb that's ruining their will to even begin to look for work.

  2. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Creamy Flames View Post
    No-one should have to slave and work with blood and sweat like your father did in order to earn a living. It's unreasonable.
    Don't come with such moral stories from a time which had a job market vastly different to ours. It's the attitude that young people are lazy and dumb that's ruining their will to even begin to look for work.
    Not to mention that if you tried that today, the Ford Motor Company (or similar) would say, "Sorry kid, but we had to lay off 500 workers who have worked 60-80 hours a week for 31 years last week. There's nothing here for you".

    Every generation seems to think the generation that follows is full of lazy assholes. But guess what? The world changes. How things were done 30 years ago isn't how things are done today.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tigercat View Post
    Don't use facts, they unsettle peoples' prejudices, and once that happens the flames start.
    Quote Originally Posted by krethos View Post
    Its Science, just ask Albert Einstien, he invented Space

  3. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by twh View Post
    I have no idea how any college grad could ever get a job in today's America.
    I'm still in school and I've already got job offers. I'm in school for Electrical and Electronic Engineering with an emphasis on Networking Hardware.

  4. #24
    Another problem is the follow up. All of my friends that are unemployed just toss applications in and wait for a call.

    Go in put an app in and speak to the hiring manager. Make yourself stick out. Show them that they don't need to come to you for everything. Employers can afford to be picky these days so you have to give them a reason to hire you over the huge amount of others that are trying to do the same thing that you are.

  5. #25
    With almost no exception it is illegal for HR to ask about your medical history so I'm hoping that you're bringing up your autism on your own. That being the case; stop. You are only hurting yourself by bringing up a medical condition that is irrelevant to your job. As someone with autism I'm sure you are aware that your average person has a very skewed concept of what autism really is. Most media portrayals of autism are of the extreme, so assume whenever you are dealing with HR that if you mention autism that extreme is all they are going to see in their minds.

    And that extreme is a red flag that will most assuredly get you on the 'do not hire' stack of resumes, particularly in todays job market where they have a plethora of other equally-suited candidates to choose from. By NOT bringing up your autism you're leveling the playing field so you can be judged by your merits, rather than your medical history.

    The lack of a drivers license could hurt you though the field you're interested in traditionally does offer more opportunities for telecommuting. I would encourage you to work toward getting your drivers license as... quite frankly... the reasoning you've provided for being afraid has little to do with autism and more to do with the simple fact that people can be terrible drivers.

    I am curious about your college education though; did you have an opportunity to intern in a business related to your end-goals? Most job offerings I've seen in your fields of interest tend to want actual experience over college education so being able to show that you interned somewhere where you were utilizing your skill-set would go a long way.

  6. #26
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Creamy Flames View Post
    I think it says more about the companies and places that employ people, that have extremely unreasonable demands on what you should have done and be able to do to get a job.
    It's not the education that's entirely at fault, it's also the job market which doesn't employ well-educated people.
    Total rubbish. I run a series of companies and you're going to ask me to lower my standards because stupid people can't reach them? Education is a joke right now, it is getting insanely easy. If it takes you 5 - 6 years to learn a subject, where all you have to do is store information in your head where the answers are in the back of the book, and you can't get 100% then I don't want you.

    The issue is that the governments have removed buisness from education, so now they're not the same and no longer connected.

  7. #27
    I understand the troubles you're having. My boyfriend is in a similar situation and had to settle for a job not even related to his degree that pays almost as little as I made before I graduated. He went to the college he did because they pretty much guaranteed a job out of school. Like others said though, you may just have to work it up little by little with smaller 'achievements' so to speak to prove you're the person they want. Honestly, the only reason I got a job right out of college is because I went to nursing school.

  8. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by isuridedes View Post
    With almost no exception it is illegal for HR to ask about your medical history so I'm hoping that you're bringing up your autism on your own. That being the case; stop. You are only hurting yourself by bringing up a medical condition that is irrelevant to your job. As someone with autism I'm sure you are aware that your average person has a very skewed concept of what autism really is. Most media portrayals of autism are of the extreme, so assume whenever you are dealing with HR that if you mention autism that extreme is all they are going to see in their minds.

    And that extreme is a red flag that will most assuredly get you on the 'do not hire' stack of resumes, particularly in todays job market where they have a plethora of other equally-suited candidates to choose from. By NOT bringing up your autism you're leveling the playing field so you can be judged by your merits, rather than your medical history.

    The lack of a drivers license could hurt you though the field you're interested in traditionally does offer more opportunities for telecommuting. I would encourage you to work toward getting your drivers license as... quite frankly... the reasoning you've provided for being afraid has little to do with autism and more to do with the simple fact that people can be terrible drivers.

    I am curious about your college education though; did you have an opportunity to intern in a business related to your end-goals? Most job offerings I've seen in your fields of interest tend to want actual experience over college education so being able to show that you interned somewhere where you were utilizing your skill-set would go a long way.
    Agreed. I have ADHD but none of my employers ever knew because frankly it is none of their business and it doesn't affect my performance very often and when it does it isn't very noticeable.

  9. #29
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    Hello,

    I have a couple of comments for you. So you understand my perspective, I have hired a lot of folks into technical and engineering positions over many years in industry, so my perspective is from someone doing the hiring.

    First, what have you been doing for the last year? Looking for a job can be a full time job, but most folks do not treat it that way. You need to be doing something to keep you skills current. Have you considered pursuing your masters degree while continuing your job search. If you had done this a year ago, you would be just about done by now. For many companies, a masters degree is the entry degree in the IT world. This is a huge paradigm change from even 10 years ago.

    Second, you mention you have autism and I appreciate that you are honest about that. However, Autism is a huge spectrum. Unfortunately, many employers will assume that your on the extreme end of the disorder. I don't know where you are on the Autism spectrum and only you can judge how well you can function in a corporate environment, but my question is, why would you even disclose this to potential employers? In the U.S. it is illegal to ask about specific disorders on an employment application or during an interview. All they can ask is if you have any condition that would keep you from performing your duties. If you can honestly answer this no, then there is no reason to go beyond that in disclosing anything.

    If you are not comfortable work around others or commuting, then look for contracting positions that you can do from your home. There are a lot more of these jobs than you might expect, but you will really have to search for them.

    I would also second the notion that you get a drivers license, even if you never plan on driving. Most employers do ask for your DL number. They do this as they use it as part of their background investigation. Not listing one is a huge red flag.

    Finally, I would get involved with the various job networking groups. In my area there are at least three active job networks. Some meet formally, weekly, some are virtual networks. There are also tools such as Linkedin.com that are effective tools for job searchers. I shy away from places like Monster.com, with the exception of Dice.com which is very good for technical job searchers. Finally, don't over look government jobs. This is the one place where have any disability can be a positive in a getting a job.


    PE me if you need more details on any of the things I have mentioned.

    I wish you the best of luck in your search.

  10. #30
    Yes, I agree, try and get your driver's license. I deal with autists, I'm one, I suppose, though I don't really like to say it. The rules look confusing because you don't actually know them or how people can deal with them. Only experience can teach you this. All of them have a driver license, so it's definitely possible.

    I suggest you just go take lessons. Just to try. Tell the guy who's gonna teach you your issues, and he'll definitely be able to help you with all that. And you know what, if it doesn't work out after all, just quit the lessons. There's other ways to get to your job especially in Belgium. A car is rarely a requirement for a job, in fact most employers will pay for your traveling costs.

    It'll definitely help you though. Autism is shitty, but it proves the same challenge everyone else has, just on a different level: learning to deal and OVERCOME your difficulties. The moment you give up on that you're just needlessly limiting yourself and making your life even more of a problem than you are already thinking it is!

    Good luck!

  11. #31
    Todays society is expected to work twice as hard on the lowest income possible, and if you agree to work overtime so they can cut stuff even more thats even better.
    It's all about making the most profit, workers are replacable.

    Also 3 times a week so send in applications thats rather nice, in Sweden they tell you it's a fulltime job, 5-10 applications a day.
    I had to apply for crap I don't even have the slightest clue of how to do just to get those 5-10 applications daily.

  12. #32
    I've been graduated from college for almost 3 years now and I haven't been able to find anything.

    The issue I'm running into is that ALL companies want at least 2 years professional experience. I graduated with a Bachelors in Film/Video Media Arts and because I haven't been able to find anything at all, I'm now 3 years behind in editing technology. Not like it would take me long to re-learn but still...

    Also, companies don't want to have to pay someone more than they have to. People with degrees tend to be paid more, so a company would rather go with someone who they can train themselves and pay minimum wage. My brother in law didn't even graduate high school and he was recently just fired from a job he had for a year+ and he was able to find a new one within like 2 weeks.

    Yet here I am with a high school diploma and bachelors degree and I'm now underemployed at a seasonal gift company getting maybe 12 hours a week(if I'm lucky) while I continue to hunt. Oh yeah and I only made 7.25/hour. Pretty pathetic isn't it? I'm making LESS money now than I did 10 years ago when I was 17 and in high school.

    The best way to find a job these days, I've found, is knowing someone. Know the right person/people and you're golden.

  13. #33
    I thought i might just drop this here.

    Theres a company in Zurich Switzerland that specialized in hiring IT Developers with Asperger/Autism.

    There website is sadly only in german and also not in Belgium.

    But they might be able to help you abit.

    asperger-informatik.ch/firma-zuerich/kontakt.php

  14. #34
    Deleted
    I have a masters degree in science and engineering. I finnished 1,5 years ago. Have been unemployeed since than. I sob with you. Hope you find a job really soon. I know the pain and suffering from it.

  15. #35
    Most common issue i c atleast on some of my friends that have moved to US or EU, that they looking at the wrong places, a job is a job, if its according to ur special skills and ur degree then awsome, if its not it is a job that u will get paid off and gain some exp.

    atleast thats how i roll, i have a psychology degree and Eng. in electronics and currently i'm working for the financial dept of a propane gas company, so pretty much nothing to do with my special skills but still gaining some exp and getting paid.

    Hope u get my point and sorry for my bad english

  16. #36
    Deleted
    Go self employed. Use your degree to get funding for a startup loan. You have nothing to lose, so go for it

  17. #37
    Titan Grimbold21's Avatar
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    That's pretty much how things are around for young people who just finished university. Most finish and are sent straight to unemployment.

    I finished my 3 year Archaeology degree in June 2010 and completed a 1 year post grad in maritime archaeology in october 2011. What do i have that one may consider as "professional experience"? During the post grad i participated in 2 excavations of the course of something little over than 2 weeks.

    In October 2011 i embarked on a european program called "Eurodysee" (you being Belgium) should definitely check that out, since there were around 2 or 3 guys from Belgium. That was 5 months of an overall average quality job, but in the end it's something to put in the curriculum.

    Now im back at my country (Portugal) simply looking for a crappy job (think supermarket, malls, big commercial facilities) just so i can put some money in the house, but even that is hard to get.

  18. #38
    DO NOT ADMIT AUTISM IN AN APP!!!! And get a drivers licenses. Lower your standards take something out of your field so you can get by while you find something in your field.

    A college degree is not a free pass to your perfect job.

  19. #39
    After graduating college i ended up stuck at the same retail sales job i had in college for 3 years, worked sorting medical records for a while until the hospital had huge lay offs (over 1k people laid off) and then ended up unemployed for almost 2 years due to injury that left me unable to walk. 3 years later I'm now a retail manager.

    None of this has anything to do with what my 4 years and (large sum of money i don't even want to think about let alone type) were for, not even close. While i was unemployed I submitted over 150 job applications to everywhere i could get to by bus since i couldn't drive due to spasms. I got a number of calls back for jobs where they would ask me if i could do dock work or stocking and I would say "no i cant lift" and they would hang up on me. Clearly when applying for a job as a cashier its a good idea to call them for a job for heavy lifting.

    I, not unlike you, was afraid of getting my license. Mostly due to my parents attitudes towards me learning when I was 15. Me and my wife spent 2 weeks driving around an abandoned parking lot until one day I just drove out on the road of my own accord and drove home. It was a fear that took me a while to break but it can be done.

    Take what ever job you can get, stock shelves, work retail, flip burgers. Doesn't matter what it is, employment record looks good to employers even if it isn't where you want it to be when asked saying "Hey i had to pay my bills" shows maturity and dedication and that is very important to a lot of people. Try to find somewhere that has room to grow, a lot of store fronts or offices and a company thats thriving. My company right now is dying, granted it will take 5-10 years but the writings on the wall, closing stores, changes in policy, its going under. And since its going under I'm not going to have the chance to move up, as such I'm back to applying for jobs again, yes it sucks, yes i have gotten 1 interview out of the 15 apps I've put in but at least its something.

    Push on, soldier through and take what ever job you can find and try and move up. No, it's not easy just remember:

    "It's rewarding but oh, the road is hard" - Streetlight Manifesto

    Edit: Two other things

    Quote Originally Posted by Howlrunner View Post
    For the love of God, stop mentioning your autistic. Yes, I know you think it helps long term, as when you inevitably have issues with work when you get it (you will, its natural with an illness), they will be prepared, but here is the dig. They won't touch you with a shitty stick.
    Quote Originally Posted by IIamaKing View Post
    DO NOT ADMIT AUTISM IN AN APP!!!! And get a drivers licenses. Lower your standards take something out of your field so you can get by while you find something in your field.
    This is correct right here. In the US (and i don't know how it is where you are from) employers are not allowed to discriminate based on disability assuming that they can make a reasonable accommodation to allow the applicant to complete the job at an acceptable level.

    But they discriminate anyways. Don't tell anyone about your problems until AFTER they hire you. If they call you with an offer, take it, then in your first week take in a diagnosis from a doctor. This gets you around the discriminatory nature of people and it allows you to get on the books that you have a problem. Personally I'm unable to lift anything, colour blind and have problems with minor dyslexia. I don't apply to work anywhere that these would be a problem, but after a week or so i tell my employer "Hey you need to know this."

    A college degree is not a free pass to your perfect job.
    This is also very true so take what ever you can find. There is this misnomer that getting a degree is some holy grail and leads you to a life of picket fences and luxury cars. In reality most people don't get out and end up in their field. Of the people i graduated with two of them are doing what they went to school for and one other is doing the "Staving artist" thing but hasn't really done anything since graduation.

    Of my friends that i didn't go to school with ONE of them is doing what he went to school for, lucky bastard did really well on his internship and the guy he interned with called in some favors, he had a job 6 months after graduating. But you want to know what he did before getting a job in his field? He worked night shift painting helmets at a mining helmet factory and then evening shift building screen windows.

    He took what he could get.
    Last edited by mrwingtipshoes; 2012-05-08 at 03:35 PM.
    As for prot... haha losers he dmg needs a nerf with the intercept shield bash wtf silence crit a clothie like a mofo.
    Wow.

  20. #40
    Quote Originally Posted by healplix View Post
    Go self employed. Use your degree to get funding for a startup loan. You have nothing to lose, so go for it
    Yes do this if you want MORE LOANS on top of your student loans. This is also the BEST time in history to start up a small business what with the solid economy and all.

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