Comments on: Are recent college graduates who turn down jobs amid the recession doing the right thing?

By: A Short Review Of The Last Two Months Or So, And A Few Links « The Chronicles of A Decidedly Un-glamorous Post Graduate Existence

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 04:42:19 +0000

[...] Recent College Grads Turning Down Jobs Vetta and Astri, two friends of mine from college who have travelled around and worked for the last 2 years interviewing a lot of amazing professionals about work/life balance. Now they right for true/slant, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite media outlets (Moe Tkacik, formerly of Jezebel and someone else whose opinions and perspectives I appreciate, writes for them too) Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)Forgiveness, what a beautiful thingRevelation?Teen Community Service Article of the WeekBeyond Mom: Love Letter [...]

By: Caitlin Kelly

Caitlin Kelly — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:37:14 +0000

Liz, I don’t think “suck it up” is a career standard, by any means. But, seriously, every job has its shortcomings and if you only accept jobs you think perfect, you’re setting an impossible standard and, I do think, not forcing yourself to grow. My first NYC job was not a great fit in some ways, but after six months’ cold-calling in a recession, I was not about to say no to the first real offer that fit my skills, if not my temperament.

When it comes to increasing your earnings, I disagree as well on this point. I doubled mine between 1994 and 1996. A great book, for women of all ages, is “Women Don’t Ask”, which focuses on when and why women have such difficulty negotiating more money when offered a job when men, they found, almost always do. Even if it’s a 5 or 15% difference each time, it really adds up.

By: SteveInTransit

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:35:12 +0000

There’s a practical side to this that’s not obvious: your first job out of college can set the tone on your career earnings. Gone are the days when your next employer will double your pay without blinking. (How I miss 1997.) When you change jobs, expect your employer to base your offer on how much you made at your last job, with enough adjustment to make it worth the leap for you.
And that’s it, until you find yourself in another hiring spree where they can’t find enough warm bodies to stick in Aeron office chairs, not the half-empty cubicle farms of today.

By: Liz Kofman

Liz Kofman — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:26:27 +0000

You bring up good points and I don’t disagree that 1) we all need health care and 2) sometimes it’s a good idea to take a job you may not be crazy about.

I’m just saying that if this is a real trend– I’m not convinced one New York Times article makes it so– then there’s a bigger picture problem with the way jobs are structured. And “suck it up” isn’t the only or best solution necessarily. /Liz

By: Caitlin Kelly

Caitlin Kelly — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:11:28 +0000

A few issues here.

You need health insurance at any age, not just when you have a family. The cost of living without it is brutal if you need surgery or expensive treatment. With all due respect, suggesting living without it because they’re young and single is madness. Even freelance, you can find something to protect you from medical catastrophe. If it’s a choice between affording new shoes or health insurance, guess which should win.

You can turn down a decently-paid job because you don’t like the vibe — but you may not get 20 or 10 or even 3 other offers. Like many of my generation (yes, the suck it up crowd in a highly competitive field), I’ve accepted jobs knowing full well they would not be at all amusing, but would pay bills, build my skills and lead to the next, hopefully happier, situation. Please. The working world is not filled with shiny, happy people whom you either really like or avoid. Some of the worst bosses are those who can teach you the most, whether soft or hard skills.

It’s nice to dream big but some of the people who are in the position to hire Gen Yers who show up with all these wishes roll their eyes and hire someone a little less…fussy.