this post was submitted on 08 Nov 2023
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Work Reform

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what's the point of getting a degree if apparently you need all these other extraneous qualifications to get a proper job? networking, boot camps, certifications, training, programs, glass windows, button downs, on and on.

why can't there be a program where i pay somebody and i get a proper salaried good job at the end? you know what i mean? i keep seeing like, even if you graduate with a prestigious degree, that's still not enough to guarantee a decent living, a house with four walls and a yard and some trees and a dog, you have to shake some nebulous hands and attain more and more training to stay current, like i'm meant to actually be invested in a "career" for its own sake rather than something i can get money from to live a happy life

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[–] the_q@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

I think you're describing a trade school experience.

[–] CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world 7 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The way that it was explained to me is college is an "indicator" that says a candidate was able to go to class, study, and pass an exam. These are things that tell an employer that you have the skills to schedule your life, do assignments, wake up, etc.

Bootcamps, certifications, etc. all show how you can do a specific thing.

I'm not saying I agree with it. Remember that when you apply to jobs, your resume and your experience is to get past the resume bot. College and certs are easy gates for a company to put in their bot to filter resumes out.

[–] maegul@lemmy.ml 3 points 2 years ago

Yea, the problem is that it’s a very bloated, overhyped and pretentious indicator.

[–] johnthedoe@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 years ago

That’s why there’s a difference between book smart and street smart. Working on both matters. It’s a competitive world out there. You’re right, a degree doesn’t guarantee you a job, it probably did back in the day that’s why older generations wanted kids to go to college. Hence the competition.

Like it or not. This is essentially what comes with living in a capitalist society. My parents always told me growing up to learn a skill. Doesn’t matter what just like it and keep getting better at it. And that’s your fallback. It’s definitely help led me through lots of industries and careers. But I couldn’t have done it without a combo of hustle and study. All of it, the study, the networking, the interviews IS the work. There’s no “end”. So you gotta find some joy out of the process otherwise it’s hard to be happy in life.

I loved getting better at what I did. I would constantly work on or talk to folks on how to get better and how to get a job from what I did. My only goal was to get a job even slightly close to my industry and drop retail work. Once I got that I set a new goal, but all in the name of getting better at my craft and learning new skills to complement it. That involved going back to university in my mid, late 20s.

I never saw it as my career. I just wanted to get better at the few things I like doing and hustle to learn how to get paid for it. Then how to get better again and get paid more for that. Money came naturally because people do want to pay for passionate skillful people. But lots and lots of struggle along the way. Not trying to undersell that. But it was still fun and worth it when you have people by your side in this journey.

So on getting a degree, the most important thing I got out of it was making friends.

[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago

See if your university offers a co-op program. Those can often make it a lot easier to get a job after graduating. I did a 12 month placement which actually turned into a 16 month placement between my penultimate and final years of university. I ended up getting hired at the same organization once I graduated.

[–] zoe 1 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

i agree the whole process is stupid: even from kindergarten through middleschool: why waste my time with things that wouldn't help me put food on the table otherwise? i am willing to slave my life anyway but i might as well slave it early so i could retire early. as a capitalist: I (the worker) ll help u grow ur capital and buy ur first yacht but at least let me derive some joy from this life, since you are already enjoying yours: its not that i would reach the same amount of wealth that u have that i could be a threat to you. Say i learn all the necessary skills from 13. i am willing to put in my 76800 hours per lifetime (40hours per week * 48 weeks * 40 years) and just want to retire at 52, given also that the employer should control rent prices near his workplace so i dont have to waste the rest of my day commuting (so either cover the housing cost in the workplace area or compensate me more for my commute). from 52 onwards i want to spend the next 20 years just mindlessly chilling and then at some point i would rather be euthanized so i dont burden the younger generation with my retirement costs, but also i dont really wanna deal with random cancer costs and all. Everyone is logging in their 76800 hours of lifetime work, why the employer dont hold their part of the bargain? because they are hypocrites. u only become rich when u are hypocrite around people and abuse them. it would be cool if everyone could log just half of those hours and live happily ever after. i won't be having kids so i could finance more my retirement, i dont want my kids to slave for my out of breath skeleton in this ruthless world. again, academia is stupid.