Reply #49: Keep telling yourself that it was your "hard work", not the dumb luck timing of when you were born.. [View All]

[LooseWilly]

"I started my first "real" job in 1983, working as a technical writer for a fast-growing financial institution."— having the opportunity to start a "real job" at age 25 is precisely what the "lost generation" lacks. People like you are in all those "real jobs" now... still. Or they're being outsourced. Try to imagine if those "hard years" when you had to do construction lasted until you were 30, and resumed when you were 40. Guess what— at that point you wouldn't be able to get that "real job", even with your college education... because it would be an internship position that would go to a college student for $0 pay, and only someone who can afford to work for $0 will be able to get the "experience" to then "have a skill set that is in high demand".

I remember the mortgage world of the '80s... that was when my single mom first bought a condo, then a house... because housing valuations were climbing and loans were available if you could come up with a down payment. Now housing values are spiraling downward and anyone buying a house is investing in something that will lose value nearly as quickly as their car... none of that is really relevant though to someone who has to work retail because there simply isn't anything else... because retail workers simply can't buy real estate (not anymore anyway, now that predatory loans are no longer profitable).

You can continue to preach condescendingly and self-righteously, pretending all the while that it is a sign of your "maturity"... but we both know that it is just a rationalization to help you pretend that it was "hard work" that got you where you are today, not just the dumb luck of being born at a time when the corporate bosses hadn't yet thought of nifty "profitable policies" such as using interns to do entry level work for free, and outsourcing to cut mid-level work labor costs.

(And by the way... reasoned personal attacks may well get me hired for a "real job"... and is your "personal attack" on my creditworthiness as much an indication of your immaturity as you are arguing that my "personal attack" is an indication of mine?... or is that just another double standard that you apply to other people? Hmmm, does that, in fact, support my allegation that you are a d*^$#ßå&?)


In answer to your anecdotal evidence... http://www.epi.org/publication/bp243/

...
A recession, therefore, should not be thought of as a one-time event that stresses individuals and families for a couple of years. Rather, economic downturns will impact the future prospects of all family members, including children, and will have consequences for years to come.
...
New entrants into the labor market are more likely to be un- or under-employed, which can have a lasting impact on their career paths and future income. An immediate boost to the economy in the near term can thus have lasting effects.
...

You have anecdotally placed your own entry to the job market pretty closely with "An immediate boost to the economy"... much as you'd like to take "personal credit" for your "skill set that is in high demand"... the fact of the matter is that you wouldn't have it without that "immediate boost to the economy" which coincided with the early stages of your career.

I'm sure you're just as much of a d*^$#ßå& in "real life" as you are on this board, I just wonder if you have the nerve to be so patronizing and self-satisfied when face to face with those facing such a bleak economic landscape.