Gen Y: Educated and Jobless

[When Doves Cry]

I know I am one of the very lucky few who did find a job right out of college, however unrelated to my degree. I have many many friends who graduated last year (09) and are still looking for jobs or have part-time "high school" jobs. I just graduated in May and was hired two weeks after. With a Bachelor's in English, I am working at a daycare, where I was told it was a big deal to have a B.A... And yes, I am living with my parents and making just a little above minimum wage. But I love my job; If I didn't want to work there, I wouldn't have applied, right? I can only hope for the best for everyone else :-/

[AGDee]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

AFAIK it's still that way in a lot of areas.

Originally Posted by christiangirl

^^^Not over here (and she's not able to relocate). There was just a thing on the news about how the older nurses can't afford to retire so the newly graduated nurses are coming out of school to find no jobs are opening up. Several recent grads interviewed said the same thing: I thought it was a guaranteed job so I went to school for this and there's nothing.

Originally Posted by 33girl

I had a guy one time try to shove nursing/healthcare down my throat and said "you'll be in it someday." I think I nicely responded that would be a cold day in hell. Just not my thing.

It's not that medical professionals aren't needed, it's that they may be hiring LPNs (or whatever that designation is called) instead of RNs, or they may have to look other places for a job (such as being a home health aide).

There was an extreme nursing shortage prior to the recession. I read an article recently that the nursing shortage is over because so many people who have been displaced in other careers have gone into nursing. I know that in Michigan there were special accelerated classes for auto workers who wanted to become nurses.

I suspect that at least some of the people who turned to nursing in a pinch will leave it if things get better and other jobs become more available. It's definitely not for everybody. Having worked in health care, nursing is one area I know I could never do.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by AGDee

There was an extreme nursing shortage prior to the recession. I read an article recently that the nursing shortage is over because so many people who have been displaced in other careers have gone into nursing. I know that in Michigan there were special accelerated classes for auto workers who wanted to become nurses.

I suspect that at least some of the people who turned to nursing in a pinch will leave it if things get better and other jobs become more available. It's definitely not for everybody. Having worked in health care, nursing is one area I know I could never do.

I see a lot of nursing jobs posted here still, but they are all for RNs (at least, some are higher level) and they all involve starting back at the low end of the totem pole and working the "worst" shifts with the most on call, etc. Those are probably the hardest to fill as few people want to regain seniority all over again, and you can't get your RN as fast as you can get your LPN.

But I couldn't tell you if there are fewer or more of the jobs posted now than there were before, or if what is posted now is just hiring to replace.