"Both my husband and myself have master's degrees and can't find a job to save our lives."

Story Highlights
iReporters shared what they are giving up to deal with economic concerns
Some are giving up 'luxuries' such as cable and eating out

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/09/18/giving.up.irpt/index.html

How iReporters are dealing with tough times

(CNN) -- Catherine Konradt wrote "Goodbye" on an iReport.com post as she was packing to move from California to Arizona to live with her mother. "Both my husband and myself have master's degrees and can't find a job to save our lives."

iReporter Kathleen has a long list of things she is giving up because of financial struggles.

Konradt was laid off in July, and said potential employers have been turning her down for months because of the "high volume of resumes."

"I have just about hit the end of the line financially," she says. "Even in a two-income family we are hard-pressed. Something has got to give soon!"

In my field they want experts they don't have to train.

I am not an expert, so I can't find a job.

(And yeah, the last place I applied for told me that straight up... My response was that if you're not going to mentor junior employees, I don't care to work for you. He also said that if they hired me, they'd get rid of this girl Karen. I was totally appalled. Again, I don't care to work for a place that pits junior level employees against one another.)

http://www.cohousing.org/

Give up some things; gain others.

In what field? That can make a world of difference.

those are 3 fields that will take any sort of degree.

When you are highly educated, you should have a "dummy" resume omitting some of your education so getting a crap job just to eat won't be so hard.

...that might be holding you back.

...that have no social skills, yet somehow find fault that their education hasn't "saved" them. Of course, it's not always the case, but I don't swallow this line as easily as I used to.

Don't judge people so quickly. And social skills mean different things to different people.

Here in L.A., you need to speak Spanish for a lot of community service jobs, for example. I suppose that speaking Spanish is a social skill, but no employer should be permitted to "prefer" Spanish speakers regardless of the reason if the employer is funded by public money.

that Bachelor's degree?" due to the recession.

Come to think of it, there was a Bush in the White House then, too...

wink

I hate it when I do it the most though. I'm my own Nazi!

Grammer is the actor, I think.

The Jays are honouring Mookie Wilson tonight as part of their Flashback Friday celebrations. Friday home games, the Jays wear the old powder blue uniforms, and invite an alum back to be the honoured guest. Lucky me, I've got field level tickets :)

Sid

here, but I restrain myself and don't become a grammar nazi. I really think it is impolite.

to Canada or the UK.

and even harder to get a job withOut a masters. It's hard enough to just get a job, but good luck getting one that allows you to live. Pay rent, food, transportation ect... Years ago if you were lucky enough to get a job, you could pretty much get along and live and pay rent and eat . Now you have to worry about getting one and if by some chance it will be enough to live on. How much more are they gonna try to thin the herds ? They're killing us. Literally !!

That's the problem. I know several people who have lost their jobs out here and can only find part-time work at low pay, not enough to live on.

And this has been going on for quite some time. Why do you think so many people borrowed against their houses? A good number lost their jobs and borrowed money thinking they would start businesses. Of course, new businesses flooded the market competing with each other for customers and their scarce dollars. The economy has been tanking since Bush took office.

Bankers used various techniques to hide the structural problems, but those problems just became deeper. It's going to be very difficult to put the nation back on its feet.

The worst of it is that these bail-outs create the illusion that everything is OK. It hasn't been OK since 2001.

Don't blame people who were intelligent and hardworking enough to get Master's Degrees for not finding jobs. In a good labor market, even social misfits get work, and I'm sure that the author of the OP is no social misfit. I know a few social misfits, but they are the exception, and very few of them are married.

making $90K now....will never be rich but tis okay with that

The economy is much more volatile and unpredictable now, than it was then.

Graduate degrees in math and the sciences have little trouble getting jobs.

are these great folks with great degrees? blocked from succeeding?

or the assholes from hell that no one wants to work with?

something in between?

you can't tell from this paper thin article.

so, in the face of no evidence, let's just all create some story that we like in our minds...

Set themselves a tough table from the get-go.

I work in environmental consulting, and with the implosion of the housing market, it's slim pickings. :(

And sometimes bio, if there's enough of the real math and science (= physics and chemistry) involved. And CS, too, I suppose, if one doesn't count that as engineering.

Firm that I consulted for frequently in 2005 had 100 people. Now 7.

Architecture and engineering firms are having waves of layoffs. Firms are decimated.

Name a large home builder. National or not. All offices in AZ from hundreds of people to less then 30 in some cases.

All city governments are slashing budgets.

Five friends laid off this year. No jobs. (Yes, incredible as it seems, I do have friends.)

ASU cutting budgets.

Hospitals slashing staff.

Price wars and low balling for jobs occuring.

Restaurants closing.

Huge commercial real estate vacancies.

Entire shopping centers empty.

....

I sucked it up and paid for her to go back to school, shortly after which she asked and we decided to divorce . . .

should have paid for ME to go back to school.

I sucked it up and paid for her to go back to school, shortly after which she asked and we decided to divorce . . .

should have paid for ME to go back to school.

that has more experience.

People in the middle...not always so luck.

I've had a hard time finding a job...I've just finished a Master's degree in Biology (Genetics/Evolution). I've gotten 2 interviews in one year. One of them I'm still waiting to hear from. The other I had to turn down because they offered me 30k in a VERY expensive city (which would actually be a pay cut for me if you consider rent is double in that city compared to mine).

I'm also waiting on a government job I applied for...which so far, has had me write THREE exams. Three! For a 45K a year job, lol. I still haven't gotten to the interview portion.

I'm sure I could make a ton more if I moved to the U.S., but I like Canada too much to do it. It sucks though. If I don't have anything by this time next year, I'm going into Pharmacy.

I'm finishing up my undergrad stuff (double major: History/English) and thinking of picking up certification in a technical field or a trade before even considering grad/law school.

Not that education is bad, it isn't; BUT the old dream that a college education will open ALL DOORS IS A LIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LEARN TO FLIP BURGERS AND PUSH GROCERIES!!!