Happy New Year! Jobs will be harder to get

Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal ^ | December 30, 2002

[Nuke'm Glowing]

" but simply because I'm a lawyer doesn't mean I'm not a conservative."

More like you're a vampire. But don't take it personal...we still love lawyers, LOL. Happy New Year!

[dtel]

I really don't see, at least on this thread, a whole lot of people running around blaming others.
There may be facts you choose to ignore, but that does not make them any less of a fact.
Happy New Years and may your glasses always be colored rose.

[RightWinger]

We need to get this Iraqi war on & over.
The uncertainty is driving the markets crazy.
One way or another . . . "let's roll."

[Boatlawyer]

Would you say that if you could not find work for over a year? There is no way, and I don't mean to sound self-righteous about this, that I would not be able to find work for over a year. If, for some reason, I could not practice law, I would start a bookeeping or secretarial service, or a delivery service, something to keep money coming in. I'd have to in order to survive!

This country was founded on competition and innovation. I'm not ignoring the fact that things are tough for a lot of people right now, and it's tempting to blame cheap foreign competition, or greedy corporate policies. But those things have always been with us.

My grandfather came here from Italy to Birmingham, Alabama, where he was considered the "cheap foreign labor." He worked his butt off doing jobs that the Americans wouldn't do, bought crummy houses, moved his wife and 5 kids into them and fixed them up and sold them.

It's the same story for millions of Irish, Italian, German, English, Norwegian Americans. And it's why we Should be the heartiest breed in the world, because our ancestors were of stock that was not afraid to leave home to make a better life.

All of that drive is still somewhere in our collective gene pool. We have just been spoiled by the inflated prosperity of the last few years. Now it's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

[dtel]

Your Honor, I object.
The boatlawyer has taken my client's comments out of context.
My client simply meant he/she has been unable to find a salary situation that had previously matched their level of achievement, this was not meant to imply that my client was disinclined to accept a position that was benaeath his/her previous level of compensation, but that once said client reached the age of 40, there were no such offers.
I plead with the court to at least grant those reaching this plateau in life, where the white picket fence has met the wheels of globalism, to at least gather their splinters and shattered dreams and rebuild them into more than a fire to keep warm.

[Boatlawyer]

but that once said client reached the age of 40, there were no such offers.

Funny you should mention the magic age! I am going to place an ad for a law clerk at my old law school, but wasn't sure whether they'd let me have place a "40 or older" age requirement on it.

In my book you're just a larva until you're 40!

[dtel]

40+ plus seems to be the age of no return.
I am 44, impeccable resume, and I can't even get the $10 an hour entry level position. I certainly do whatever contract work is available, but it isn't much.
To go from 90K to zero is quite an adjustment in life, there are many that are finding this out the hard way.
New business will spring up, but a lot of buying power has been removed from the economy.

[blueriver]

There is no way, and I don't mean to sound self-righteous about this, that I would not be able to find work for over a year. If, for some reason, I could not practice law, I would start a bookeeping or secretarial service, or a delivery service, something to keep money coming in. I'd have to in order to survive!

Nice of you to want to give your job and your career to some foreigner in another country. Good for you if you would be happy being a secretary while your government gives all the lawyer jobs to foreigners. The fact is that because you are a lawyer you will never have to worry about this because the government bureaucrats will watch out for their own. It is easy for someone like you to talk about how you would just "do something else". Some Engineers in this country are Engineers and can not just flip a switch and be a secretary or a business person. Also, why should our government give American jobs to foreigners? Exactly who is representing who?

[blueriver]

It's the same story for millions of Irish, Italian, German, English, Norwegian Americans. And it's why we Should be the heartiest breed in the world, because our ancestors were of stock that was not afraid to leave home to make a better life.

This is a far cry from the current H-1B visa policy. Corporations are bringing people over here. There is no risk.

All of that drive is still somewhere in our collective gene pool. We have just been spoiled by the inflated prosperity of the last few years. Now it's time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Oh yes, let's just give away all of our "good" jobs and start putting on our WalMart uniforms. And please lets smile while we watch all the foreigners buy our homes.

[The Duke]

I'm not exactly sure why you're lumping me in with Willie on this particular response(?)

[UnBlinkingEye]

Times are tough for software engineers and other hi-tech workers that have lost jobs. I suspect that boatlawyer has little understanding of their situation.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

"I really don't see, at least on this thread, a whole lot of people running around blaming others. There may be facts you choose to ignore, but that does not make them any less of a fact. Happy New Years and may your glasses always be colored rose."

Having been in an executive position, then watching a company cut salary at my level to insure the bonus level for higher execs, I know alot about the bitter feelings of the unemployed. But I learned my lesson. I had two choices. Go back to the headhunting route or do my own thing. I chose the latter. It's much harder than washing cars or opening a lawn service because you will fail 99% of the time initially. But if someone is whining because they can't find a job at the same pay scale they were at before, then perhaps they should get off their butts and create a job for themselves and work hard enough to get to the level of income they desire. I do still believe that that is legal in the good old U.S. of A. I'm doing it. It sucked at first, big time. But my glasses were not "colored rose", more like tinted and bloodshot. Now, even in these tough times, I'm muddling through, as I watch my former co-workers go to slaughter in the industry I was in.

May you have happy new year, and think about what really needs to be done in this nation. No corporation can export "your job", if you are the only employee and the boss.

[Nuke'm Glowing]

" Times are tough for software engineers and other hi-tech workers that have lost jobs. I suspect that boatlawyer has little understanding of their situation."

Boatlawyer may not. I do. And quite honestly, I have little sympathy. Unqualified individuals were making over $60,000 a year in some corporations to run a bleeping help desk. That's almost as bad as paying someone $27 an hour to screw bolts on an assembly line at Ford. But the advantage a "software engineer" has, is that he has a tool and if used correctly, can create his or her own enterprise. Thanks to the internet, that enterprise can be sold anywhere in the world. I don't have those skills as I was one of the schmucks in management. I envy those guys as I do not have the time to learn those skills. But I will tell you, that if you think that the I.T. people have it bad now, wait until the end of this year. The ones who do not create their own products, or demand for their services, will be the next burger flippers. And that will keep the ripple effect of some very poor decisions made by all in the last 10 years continuing.

[savd_rn7]

"Why go over to South Africa and poach off their top nurses and give them $20/hr to work here in the states."

I've been an RN for approx. 11 yrs. My wife has been an LPN and an RN a total of 28 yrs. The patient load is currently horrendous nation wide as well as the stress and the high acuity of patients leads to high burn-out ratios in a short time. It doesn't appear to be getting any better with importing nurses. More and more leaving the profession all the time.

I make close to $33.00/hr. with NO benefits. I receive my benefits paying for them via my wife's employer at great cost. The shocking thing about our hourly wage for what all we have to know and tasks we have to accomplish with a large number of very sick patients we take care of, massive amount of paper work, constant seminars, and re-certifications, WE IMO ARE STILL SIGNIFICANTLY underpaid still!!!

I do thank God I have a job, have my health, and am able to be a blessing to others.

The nurses I work with and myself included believe with all the workload, responsiblity, and working conditions that $45.00 to $60.00/hr. is NOT unreasonable. I would gladly accept a paycut if they would reduce the workload> I am at times ashamed of myself because I wish I could have helped all my patients so much more.

There's my .02 worth. God bless.

[dead]

Because you said the article was propaganda and Willie argued with the point.

I was just stating my opinion as to why you were right.

[185JHP]

Lawyers haven't done what physicians shamelessly do - hold down the numbers to hold up the income. If you're smart enough and want to do it, you can become a lawyer. One reason thee's a lot of lawyers and a lot of lawsuits is, there's a lot of malefeasing. FReegards

[Boatlawyer]

The fact is that because you are a lawyer you will never have to worry about this because the government bureaucrats will watch out for their own

No, the fact is that I am a lawyer in a practice area with a lot of variation, I have practiced my skills in various cases and transactions over ten years, I'm relatively smart, and, this is important, I know and get along with people on a variety of income and educational level. For these reasons, I have the flexibility to respond to the markets legal needs, whatever the state of the economy.

I also keep my living expenses low, regardless of my income, just in case. As long as I get my daily swim in, and a couple of meals, and my daughter's tuition paid, I'm a pretty happy camper. Don't need a new car, fancy clothes or vacations, etc.

[warchild9]

It's really REALLY difficult to find any current college graduate with maturity, technical skills, and a willingness to work hard. REALLY REALLY hard.

[EVO X]

It's really REALLY difficult to find any current college graduate with maturity, technical skills, and a willingness to work hard. REALLY REALLY hard.

You didn't say what type of positions you were looking for, but you might consider ex military types. You will have to pay them a decent wage for them to stick around..

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

Second your opinion on college degrees here. Companies seem not to respect them.