oops…
Thanks.
This is what truth sounds like right here.
there are things you can do to increase your confidence when going to do job interviews without spending thousands on a college degree… if you believe in yourself and you are confident that you can get this available position with or without a degree, than what’s to stop you besides you?..
you can start by boosting your vocabulary and you will actually increase your intelligence and effectiveness of your thinking.
the more words you know, the more you are able to use and the more complex and accurate thoughts you can think. Each word you learn introduces you to as many as 15 other words.
The average person only uses 1200 to 1500 words, although the English language has over 600,000. If you learn one new word per day, 365 days per year, within 5 years you will be one of the most articulate and intelligent people in our society.
This has nothing to do with vocabulary. The times I was able to get an interview I spoke like I was supposed to speak at interviews. I had confidence too and that got me no where still. I have applied to plenty of jobs I had confidence in getting. The sad part is I believed in me but the employers did not. That’s messed up. All I ever wanted was a chance. At least give me a chance to try. They just couldn’t bare to give me that one shot at the job.
Practice interviewing. It is a skill and everyone thinks they do it well. Honestly at this point in time you probably sound very desperate. Desperation is hard to kill because as time goes by you just become more and more desperate. Do whatever you have to do to try and stay upbeat and carefree. Smile at yourself in the mirror a few times if you have to. Practice your answers ahead of time and try to speak clearly and concisely.
The military is about public service, making a difference, and defending your fellow man’s freedom. I can tell you take your freedom for granted. You have no idea what tyranny is until you lived in the other half of the world. I have met plenty of people who lived under tyrannical rule and they were undeniably grateful that they got out. Sometimes blood gets spilled in fighting for freedom. That’s just a reality of life.
I have two cousins in Virginia. Both joined the marines to pay for their university education. They did their time. One graduated and got a civilian job as an engineer. The other became a CPA. Both have six figure incomes now, investment capital, a huge mansion with white picket fences.
My brother never got past a high school diploma academically. He served six years as an airborne engineer. Had a kid. Got out. Retrained as a tool and die maker. Got his ticket and then a job as a tool and die maker at an auto plant. Got laid off when the plant moved to Mexico. Now, he’s a plant manager in a huge factory in a field unrelated to tool and die making also making six figure income.
But, let’s just sit back and all be libertarians and complain about our circumstances. Having a military background has absolutely no value on a resume when applying for higher paying jobs according to you. Oh, the military could never make lower class people into higher class people–it just continues to oppress the lower class. It’s not a path to financial freedom for the lower class. Right… Thanks for the insight, Michael Moore.
Good post, Dave…you’re spot on.
The military is not all about “killing people and breaking things”…that’s foolishness. Hopefully, no one really believes that.
Keith
Depending on the branch or service as well as you job within that branch, you may or may not be on the front lines. Many people go their entire careers in a supporting role and never even have the opportunity to kill the enemy. An aircraft carrier has 6000 people on board to support 80+ aircraft going to the fight.
I serve with many other people that have engineering degrees just like me as well as various other degree fields. I definitely don’t consider any of us as lower class. We make good livings and provide well for our families. The military is actually getting quite competitive. Used to be a few years ago that as long as you made E-5, you could retire at 20 years. Now unless you advance to E-6, you’ll get booted because of something called high-year tenure. Same thing for officers. If you get passed over for O-4 a couple times, they’ll process you out.
We are mixing signals here. I am not saying we don’t need military. I agree with the Jack Nicholson character in the movie a few good men when he says we need him on that wall. What I am saying is that when it comes to using the military as a job or as job training it does not work. Even in your example your cousin got retrained. A study came out this week that the largest single class of homeless in America are veterans. The reason that college educated people and veterans do better statistically than people that don’t is because this is a self selected group. They have a bent toward action and self improvement. You can have that and not stand on that wall for our enemies to take a shot at you.
The military has a huge scope and do a lot of things no one else will do or the government actually can’t afford to pay to do. I worked as a communicator for the President for seven years…if you had to pay civilians to do that, you’d go broke - the average work week was probably about 70+ hours and these are high-skill telecommunications and data networking jobs. Young NCOs get out of this organization and make six figures. Don’t try to tell me that all of the military are standing on walls as ‘bullet catchers’ - it’s an absolute perversion of the truth. MANY, MANY jobs in the military have a direct correletion in the civilain world. It’s a high-tech military in so many ways.
To say differently displays a view with blinders at best and ignorance at worst.
Keith
Okay, heres what I think.
Tboldley, i think the reason you might not be able to find a job is because maybe… just maybe… you dont stick out, your not unique. How do I get that opinion? Well… I dont think you think for yourself.
Bluemoon stated a opinion about the military (Im a Ron Paul Libertarian, believe in protecting USA, not being the world police, but thats besides the point) giving the military a negetive view (which is fine)… but heres the kicker… you agreed with him so easily, YET, you said you’ve talked to the military twice.
Soo… what I dont get is… your willing to join a group of killers, that does NOTHING benefitial in terms of finding a job (because youll need retrained) in the real world, yet , you have the same viewpoint as Bluemoon? I find that hard to believe. Somebody who thinks Bluemoons views are the “truth”, yet, you’ve talked to the military multiple times to JOIN YOURSELF. Come on man… THINK
What you need to do is… think for yourself.
Fdjake, furnished, Chris, and Bluemoon, all people I like as posters, and respect their opinions. However, been in the past, I had big arguements with each of them because I didnt agree. AND THATS FINE!!! Its fine to have different opinions.
Im a very proud capitalist/pro SMALLLLL government/ Libertarian. In my view, the Constitution (which I really want us to start following) is FLAWED, because it gives the Government TO MUCH power. See how far off base I am with the publc? On the other hand, you have Furnished, who is form Cali and is pretty Liberal. But thats fine, because we both think for ourselves. Furnished does well for a living, and im doing well so far.
You on the other hand, judging from your last post, do not think for yourself. I cant speak for everybody, but thats a trait I pick up on people very easily… and to be honest, its not appealing (to me atleast). Think for yourself man, and things might get better just by doing that.
If I wanted to hire an accountant, I sure as shootin’ would not consider anyone without a degree.
In fact, about the only thing I’d consider a high school graduate with no experience for would be burger flipper or sidewalk sweeper. Something where I could get someone else in for a couple of hours if they didn’t show up.
Your problem has nothing to do with degree or lack of degree. It is a slow economy and there are few jobs available. If a decent job comes up, it is going to be someone who has a degree that gets it.
Now… someone with the drive and smarts to get a college degree might be smart enough to figure out how to generate some cash (start a business) to keep going until there is hiring again.
Well there are some jobs out there for diploma holders that are not all burger flippers and sidewalk sweepers. I know someone with GED and works at a steel plant making over 20 bucks an hour. I wasn’t going to go through with getting a degree at first because it is expensive and I didn’t want to be stuck with a student loan that will last for many years. I just felt the pressure to take the risk that may better my chances at a career I am interested in. Everywhere I looked at the time were employers all demanding people have a degree to get the job I want. So I did just that. I got a degree. And that self employment thing is something I am working on.
When I said there is truth in what he was saying, I was agreeing with him saying the military is not a job. Now about the killing people and breaking stuff comment. I can’t say I agree or disagree with that statement because I never been in the military nor do I know anyone who is in the military. I have butt heads with quite a few people whose views and ideas didn’t match mine.
I had to get my 2 cents in here. This is a biased opinion. I am currently in the military (officer), actually deployed now. I joined the military shortly after I graduated college and although I have been on that “wall” you speak of, I led troops in combat I also built up a ton of experience in my relatively short time in the military that will set me apart from my peers.
In my experience the military has given me responsibilities well beyond what has been asked of my peers at the same time they work their entry level jobs. I have managed a Platoon of over 30 Soldiers with all the “HR” and other extremely valuable management experience that it would take years to get to that level of experience. Now I manage property worth over 68 million and a logistical process to support over 400 troops. All that experience will open doors oh and I am only 4 years out of college. Good luck getting to that level of experience working a regular entry level job for 4 years.
Let talk finances, in short the military pay system no longer lags behind the corporate world as it once did. this stigma still persists but I see my pay check and its bigger than those entry level jobs in NYC (which generally pay better than most)
Then there is the honor and pride that comes with serving your country. I am an immigrant so this opportunity to give something back to a country that took me and my family in, priceless.
Thank you for your service!
Keith