Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253153 times)

Pooperman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6650 on: February 05, 2015, 01:18:12 PM »
This is interesting talk to me. As someone who was born in the mid-80s, I feel like there's a huge difference between pre-internet kids and post-internet kids. Then again, there are crazies on facebook who I have unfriended because I don't need to see another selfie or hear another tirade about how the world is against them. I think there are tons of people like this in every generation, but there's never been a generation that had the capability to yell it from the rooftops efficiently as the current younger kids.

I agree with this.  I was born in 91, and though I grew up with a computer in my bedroom, I played math games and Oregon Trail on it.  Didn't have Facebook until freshman or sophomore year of high school, didn't have a smartphone until I was 19.  I already feel like I'm out of touch with 'kids these days,' lol.  My little sister was born in 95 and things are so different for her.

I also think that being old enough to be aware of finances during the 2008 recession is a huge factor that divides Millennials.  I turned 18 in 2009 and I remember older friends basically pioneering the 'boomerang kid' thing, or going on to get Master's and PhD's because there just wasn't anything out there for new grads.  Everyone in my freshman class was so thankful we still had 4 years of college and praying that things would get better by the time we graduated.  I don't think Millennials who are more than a couple years younger or older than I am had that sobering experience, which I think shapes a lot of my world view and financial habits.   The ones that are older are probably more likely to have realized it and have it affect their behavior, but the younger kids have no idea.

I was born in '89. I remember sitting in my freshman economics class when SHTF. Probably a good class to be in when that happened. Anyway, It took until your class graduated from college to get a full time position (2013). I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess. Of the internet, it was in my home as long as I've been alive (10+ years earlier than most). Still, the internet didn't become a thing until YouTube happened (2004?). By this point you and I were early teens. Very different!

rocksinmyhead

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6651 on: February 05, 2015, 02:34:48 PM »
Not really financial related, but still...

An IT colleague asked me, after overhearing something on the news in the background at work, "Where, exactly, is the Western Hemisphere?"


On the positive side, a couple of people at work are interested in learning more about rental properties.

Seems like a fair question to me.  Could you really draw a map accurately depicting the prime meridian and antimeridian?  If you can, maybe you should be a geographer

thanks for sending me down a mini-Wikipedia rabbit hole. I realized I didn't know where exactly the antimeridian is and I probably should. so I googled it, came upon the Wikipedia article for the prime meridian, and saw that it was established as Greenwich by Sir George Airy. Sir George Airy, of Airy isostasy fame! who knew! then I clicked through to his article... dude did so much cool shit! #themoreyouknow

CommonCents

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6652 on: February 05, 2015, 02:38:54 PM »
UGH!  So, I have a coworker that just put in her notice at work.  The new place offered her a pretty good package, 15k a year more (so around 130k), a 25% annual bonus if goals are met, a 5% 401k match etc (she doesn't save in our existing 401k just an FYI).  We are talking yesterday and she was saying how the bump would be nice since her and her husband can now start building a savings account (which they are pulling in 240k a year combined now and apparently have no savings).  Sitting here just now she calls her husband and says she's "found her dream home" and it's ONLY 895k so our mortgage would only go up "a little bit" and they HAVE to go look and put in an offer this weekend. 

Her current house is a 2 bed in the District that she bought for 450 during the recession on a 30 year FHA w/3% down...the new house is a 3 bed, 3 bath, it's them and a dog and no plan for having kids.  That new mortgage is going to be going up more then "a little bit" even taking into account the 20% increase in sale price they can realistically see..  I also broke the news to her that if she is changing jobs (no savings remember) then she will have a hard time getting a mortgage since she can't provide a consistent work history.

Eh, the key is working in the same industry.  She can probably find a lender even if she just switched jobs (though having savings helps).

arebelspy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6653 on: February 05, 2015, 05:16:04 PM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived. 
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6654 on: February 05, 2015, 05:39:51 PM »
Not really financial related, but still...

An IT colleague asked me, after overhearing something on the news in the background at work, "Where, exactly, is the Western Hemisphere?"


On the positive side, a couple of people at work are interested in learning more about rental properties.

Seems like a fair question to me.  Could you really draw a map accurately depicting the prime meridian and antimeridian?  If you can, maybe you should be a geographer

thanks for sending me down a mini-Wikipedia rabbit hole. I realized I didn't know where exactly the antimeridian is and I probably should. so I googled it, came upon the Wikipedia article for the prime meridian, and saw that it was established as Greenwich by Sir George Airy. Sir George Airy, of Airy isostasy fame! who knew! then I clicked through to his article... dude did so much cool shit! #themoreyouknow

Is drawing a relatively accurate map of the prime and antimeridian really that hard? I'm not a geographer and I tried it from memory and then checked on a map. I only messed up a bit of France, I had Ghana on the wrong side and I didn't know that part of Siberia made it across to the "Western" side, though I probably should have since I was pretty darn close with the Aleutian Islands and I knew that they overlapped but didn't draw it that way for some reason. I got Hawaii, the Marquesas, New Zealand and Ascension Island all correct.

How accurate do I have to be to get an honorary "you should be a geographer" badge?

Malaysia41

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6655 on: February 05, 2015, 05:54:34 PM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

Wow, arebelspy, you are impressively wise and measured for such a young'un.


Timmmy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6656 on: February 05, 2015, 06:03:22 PM »
Not really financial related, but still...

An IT colleague asked me, after overhearing something on the news in the background at work, "Where, exactly, is the Western Hemisphere?"


On the positive side, a couple of people at work are interested in learning more about rental properties.

Seems like a fair question to me.  Could you really draw a map accurately depicting the prime meridian and antimeridian?  If you can, maybe you should be a geographer

thanks for sending me down a mini-Wikipedia rabbit hole. I realized I didn't know where exactly the antimeridian is and I probably should. so I googled it, came upon the Wikipedia article for the prime meridian, and saw that it was established as Greenwich by Sir George Airy. Sir George Airy, of Airy isostasy fame! who knew! then I clicked through to his article... dude did so much cool shit! #themoreyouknow

Is drawing a relatively accurate map of the prime and antimeridian really that hard? I'm not a geographer and I tried it from memory and then checked on a map. I only messed up a bit of France, I had Ghana on the wrong side and I didn't know that part of Siberia made it across to the "Western" side, though I probably should have since I was pretty darn close with the Aleutian Islands and I knew that they overlapped but didn't draw it that way for some reason. I got Hawaii, the Marquesas, New Zealand and Ascension Island all correct.

How accurate do I have to be to get an honorary "you should be a geographer" badge?

I was thinking the same thing.  It's really not that tricky, but then again sometimes I have some pretty damn useless info stored in my brain that nobody else cares about, so I don't know if it's normal to know that kind of info or not.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6657 on: February 05, 2015, 06:08:35 PM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

Wow, arebelspy, you are impressively wise and measured for such a young'un.


He's not a young'un; he's a baby. But we like him.:-)

arebelspy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6658 on: February 05, 2015, 06:14:34 PM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

Wow, arebelspy, you are impressively wise and measured for such a young'un.

Nah, I'm just good at faking it.  :)
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6659 on: February 05, 2015, 07:19:56 PM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

Aw, man... Here I thought I liked you, and then you had to go and ruin it by telling me you were born THE YEAR I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL.

Harrumph...

Malaysia41

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6660 on: February 05, 2015, 07:24:36 PM »

Nah, I'm just good at faking it.  :)

That's what she said!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

G-dog wins the maturity award today!  Well played. 

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6661 on: February 05, 2015, 08:05:56 PM »
Not really financial related, but still...

An IT colleague asked me, after overhearing something on the news in the background at work, "Where, exactly, is the Western Hemisphere?"

Seems like a fair question to me.  Could you really draw a map accurately depicting the prime meridian and antimeridian?  If you can, maybe you should be a geographer

Fair enough.  But I can assure you from context and non-verbal cues it was solely due to not having a clue about the topic at all.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6662 on: February 05, 2015, 08:16:42 PM »
Not really financial related, but still...

An IT colleague asked me, after overhearing something on the news in the background at work, "Where, exactly, is the Western Hemisphere?"


On the positive side, a couple of people at work are interested in learning more about rental properties.

Seems like a fair question to me.  Could you really draw a map accurately depicting the prime meridian and antimeridian?  If you can, maybe you should be a geographer

thanks for sending me down a mini-Wikipedia rabbit hole. I realized I didn't know where exactly the antimeridian is and I probably should. so I googled it, came upon the Wikipedia article for the prime meridian, and saw that it was established as Greenwich by Sir George Airy. Sir George Airy, of Airy isostasy fame! who knew! then I clicked through to his article... dude did so much cool shit! #themoreyouknow

Is drawing a relatively accurate map of the prime and antimeridian really that hard? I'm not a geographer and I tried it from memory and then checked on a map. I only messed up a bit of France, I had Ghana on the wrong side and I didn't know that part of Siberia made it across to the "Western" side, though I probably should have since I was pretty darn close with the Aleutian Islands and I knew that they overlapped but didn't draw it that way for some reason. I got Hawaii, the Marquesas, New Zealand and Ascension Island all correct.

How accurate do I have to be to get an honorary "you should be a geographer" badge?

I was thinking the same thing.  It's really not that tricky, but then again sometimes I have some pretty damn useless info stored in my brain that nobody else cares about, so I don't know if it's normal to know that kind of info or not.

Yeah, you are both cartographic freaks and I hereby award you the badge of "you should be a geographer."  The award is, however, not honorary, as the distinction carries no honor

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6663 on: February 06, 2015, 02:27:25 AM »
If you are ever in London the Greenwich observatory is worth a visit.  You can stand with one leg in the Western Hemisphere and one in the East!

For a long time, French maps used Paris as 0 degrees, because, well, they were French

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6664 on: February 06, 2015, 02:48:42 AM »
If you are ever in London the Greenwich observatory is worth a visit.  You can stand with one leg in the Western Hemisphere and one in the East!

For a long time, French maps used Paris as 0 degrees, because, well, they were French


Trivia question(s) for the meridian buffs:

If you stand on the North Pole (or the South pole), what time is it?

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6665 on: February 06, 2015, 02:55:14 AM »
If you are ever in London the Greenwich observatory is worth a visit.  You can stand with one leg in the Western Hemisphere and one in the East!

For a long time, French maps used Paris as 0 degrees, because, well, they were French


Trivia question(s) for the meridian buffs:

If you stand on the North Pole (or the South pole), what time is it?
whatever your wristclock says it is ^^

Since the pole is effectively a point and your feet are not, you have to measure how many toes are standing on each time zone. The time zone with the most toes wins.

Pooperman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6666 on: February 06, 2015, 05:13:00 AM »
If you are ever in London the Greenwich observatory is worth a visit.  You can stand with one leg in the Western Hemisphere and one in the East!

For a long time, French maps used Paris as 0 degrees, because, well, they were French


Trivia question(s) for the meridian buffs:

If you stand on the North Pole (or the South pole), what time is it?
whatever your wristclock says it is ^^

Since the pole is effectively a point and your feet are not, you have to measure how many toes are standing on each time zone. The time zone with the most toes wins.

Nah man, it's the date converted into time (with midnight being December 21 and Noon being June 21). The fact that the earth rotates about itself has no meaning at the point of rotation. The rotation about the sun is the only thing that changes.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6667 on: February 06, 2015, 05:30:58 AM »
If you are ever in London the Greenwich observatory is worth a visit.  You can stand with one leg in the Western Hemisphere and one in the East!

For a long time, French maps used Paris as 0 degrees, because, well, they were French

Is it thrue that English peoples started driving on the left side of the road to get rid of the Frenchies on their way?

Pooperman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6668 on: February 06, 2015, 05:33:48 AM »
If you are ever in London the Greenwich observatory is worth a visit.  You can stand with one leg in the Western Hemisphere and one in the East!

For a long time, French maps used Paris as 0 degrees, because, well, they were French

Is it thrue that English peoples started driving on the left side of the road to get rid of the Frenchies on their way?

Supposedly the Left-sided thing was a Roman one. Frenchies (Napoleon) changed it when his soldiers had to march over long distances and were more apt to get into fights with people on their sward side than the other (or something like that). Since Britain is an island, they didn't adapt because they didn't have to. The US was left riding to start and converted to right riding (and later driving) at some point int he 1800s.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6669 on: February 06, 2015, 05:37:27 AM »
If you are ever in London the Greenwich observatory is worth a visit.  You can stand with one leg in the Western Hemisphere and one in the East!

For a long time, French maps used Paris as 0 degrees, because, well, they were French

Is it thrue that English peoples started driving on the left side of the road to get rid of the Frenchies on their way?

Supposedly the Left-sided thing was a Roman one. Frenchies (Napoleon) changed it when his soldiers had to march over long distances and were more apt to get into fights with people on their sward side than the other (or something like that). Since Britain is an island, they didn't adapt because they didn't have to. The US was left riding to start and converted to right riding (and later driving) at some point int he 1800s.

So, Frenchies can adapt! Good to know...

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6670 on: February 06, 2015, 06:07:51 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

i was 86 my wife 87 and we did just fine. both had great engineering jobs right out of school. 


QueenAlice

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6672 on: February 06, 2015, 07:52:40 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

Oh, hey! That's me! I ended up with a PhD because of it... haha

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6673 on: February 06, 2015, 08:11:04 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

Aw, man... Here I thought I liked you, and then you had to go and ruin it by telling me you were born THE YEAR I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL.

Harrumph...

LOL.  One of my coworkers turned 30 last year and was moaning about how "old" she was getting. 

"Do you know what I was doing in 1984?" I asked her.

"No, what?"

"Graduating from high school."

Immediate end to the "I'm old" moans.  :D

rocksinmyhead

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6674 on: February 06, 2015, 08:26:56 AM »
If you are ever in London the Greenwich observatory is worth a visit.  You can stand with one leg in the Western Hemisphere and one in the East!

For a long time, French maps used Paris as 0 degrees, because, well, they were French


Trivia question(s) for the meridian buffs:

If you stand on the North Pole (or the South pole), what time is it?

"There is no permanent human presence at the North Pole and no particular time zone has been assigned. Polar expeditions may use any time zone that is convenient, such as Greenwich Mean Time, or the time zone of the country from which they departed."

"There is no a priori reason for placing the South Pole in any particular time zone, but as a matter of practical convenience the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station keeps New Zealand Time. This is because the US flies its resupply missions ("Operation Deep Freeze") out of McMurdo Station which is supplied from Christchurch, New Zealand."

awesome! I actually was gonna guess something like that. thanks for the info.

I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

Oh, hey! That's me! I ended up with a PhD because of it... haha

yeah, I was born in '88 but graduated college in 2009. I can tell ya I was glad that I had already been planning on going to grad school regardless of the economy :)

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6675 on: February 06, 2015, 08:55:02 AM »
I got a job making $50k right out of college (in 2010) at a place that I'd had several internships at, but I showed up and there was nothing at all to do. I openly studied for the GRE at my desk and left when I got into grad school.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6676 on: February 06, 2015, 09:14:21 AM »
I got a job making $50k right out of college (in 2010) at a place that I'd had several internships at, but I showed up and there was nothing at all to do. I openly studied for the GRE at my desk and left when I got into grad school.
Out of curiosity, did you actually have stuff to do when you interned there? I'm guessing yes because it seems unlikely that you'd choose to work full time there otherwise...?

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6677 on: February 06, 2015, 10:25:19 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

I was born in '85 as well. For my class, there were certain majors (accounting, nursing, etc) that they had no trouble getting a good job. Others (English, political science, etc) were screwed. I think that only intensified, as my sister was a few years behind me and her entire class was in trouble, including the accountants and nurses.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6678 on: February 06, 2015, 10:47:54 AM »
Two CWs talking right by my desk. CW1 works out almost every day, at a gym across the street. CW2 asks how much it costs. $100 a month.

Here's the kicker. The office building has a full gym in the basement. This place is nice, I've been in there. Classes, weights, everything. $20 a month I believe. The only difference - the one across the street you can play basketball.

CW1 has a shoulder injury, he can't play basketball for at least 3 months.


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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6679 on: February 06, 2015, 10:48:12 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

I was born in '85 as well. For my class, there were certain majors (accounting, nursing, etc) that they had no trouble getting a good job. Others (English, political science, etc) were screwed. I think that only intensified, as my sister was a few years behind me and her entire class was in trouble, including the accountants and nurses.

not to come across as mean but WTF do you do with those degrees that had trouble finding jobs even if its a good economy.  its like getting a general history degree or an art degree. 

galliver

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6680 on: February 06, 2015, 11:21:22 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

I was born in '85 as well. For my class, there were certain majors (accounting, nursing, etc) that they had no trouble getting a good job. Others (English, political science, etc) were screwed. I think that only intensified, as my sister was a few years behind me and her entire class was in trouble, including the accountants and nurses.

not to come across as mean but WTF do you do with those degrees that had trouble finding jobs even if its a good economy.  its like getting a general history degree or an art degree.

http://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-resources/careers-for-history-majors

http://education-portal.com/articles/What_Jobs_Can_You_Get_With_an_Art_Major.html

You'd think Mustachians would know how to google...

History majors are taught to critically analyze events and the sequences thereof. They can apply that to teaching young minds and giving them perspective, to preserving, displaying, and otherwise working with historical artifacts, to analyzing current events with a historical perspective. They could go into law and government. Among other things, I'm sure.

Everything with any kind of aesthetic appearance has to be created by someone. Every book cover, every logo, every gadget, every ad, every cartoon, every website, every picture book. Someone has to make paintings and vases for hotels, corporate, offices, and homes. And that's just from the creative side...if you put a marketing/business spin on that education with a few classes, doing research on what KINDS of vases and paintings people want these days and being a supplier/distributor/middleman for such things is feasible. If you can program/work with computers, you can do digital animation or game design.

Not to be mean, but it seems really narrow-minded  and unimaginative to me to say these majors are unemployable. They may be harder to market well than "I can use AutoCAD" or "I can program in Java" but there is work for non-STEM majors to do.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6681 on: February 06, 2015, 11:26:57 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

I was born in '85 as well. For my class, there were certain majors (accounting, nursing, etc) that they had no trouble getting a good job. Others (English, political science, etc) were screwed. I think that only intensified, as my sister was a few years behind me and her entire class was in trouble, including the accountants and nurses.

not to come across as mean but WTF do you do with those degrees that had trouble finding jobs even if its a good economy.  its like getting a general history degree or an art degree.

I was born in 86, wifey was born in early 89. I had a job in the transportation industry on the side (driving a truck) when I graduated college (2010 with International Business major, Economics/Spanish minors)

The Monday following the Saturday graduation and I was working full time at an excellent wage. Was I honing my skills as a Manager/Importer-Exporter/Economist? No, I was driving a rigid semi truck for damn near $50/hr.

I still drive trucks and now run half of the business, honing my management skills and practicing economies of scale :)

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6682 on: February 06, 2015, 11:36:06 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

I was born in '85 as well. For my class, there were certain majors (accounting, nursing, etc) that they had no trouble getting a good job. Others (English, political science, etc) were screwed. I think that only intensified, as my sister was a few years behind me and her entire class was in trouble, including the accountants and nurses.

not to come across as mean but WTF do you do with those degrees that had trouble finding jobs even if its a good economy.  its like getting a general history degree or an art degree.

http://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/career-resources/careers-for-history-majors

http://education-portal.com/articles/What_Jobs_Can_You_Get_With_an_Art_Major.html

You'd think Mustachians would know how to google...

History majors are taught to critically analyze events and the sequences thereof. They can apply that to teaching young minds and giving them perspective, to preserving, displaying, and otherwise working with historical artifacts, to analyzing current events with a historical perspective. They could go into law and government. Among other things, I'm sure.

Everything with any kind of aesthetic appearance has to be created by someone. Every book cover, every logo, every gadget, every ad, every cartoon, every website, every picture book. Someone has to make paintings and vases for hotels, corporate, offices, and homes. And that's just from the creative side...if you put a marketing/business spin on that education with a few classes, doing research on what KINDS of vases and paintings people want these days and being a supplier/distributor/middleman for such things is feasible. If you can program/work with computers, you can do digital animation or game design.

Not to be mean, but it seems really narrow-minded  and unimaginative to me to say these majors are unemployable. They may be harder to market well than "I can use AutoCAD" or "I can program in Java" but there is work for non-STEM majors to do.

I think the problem stems from the fact that a lot of students are graduating with no ability to market their skills.  I've an accounting degree from a school known for it's accounting program.  My last year there they were really pushing the non-accounting skills on us because they were graduating fantastic accountants that couldn't formulate a decent letter/resume and couldn't interview for crap. The result was an inability to land a job. 

IMO when an art history major can't market their skills it becomes way more difficult to land a job than if an engineer can't market themselves. 

Sibley

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6683 on: February 06, 2015, 11:36:36 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

I was born in '85 as well. For my class, there were certain majors (accounting, nursing, etc) that they had no trouble getting a good job. Others (English, political science, etc) were screwed. I think that only intensified, as my sister was a few years behind me and her entire class was in trouble, including the accountants and nurses.

not to come across as mean but WTF do you do with those degrees that had trouble finding jobs even if its a good economy.  its like getting a general history degree or an art degree.

I get the argument that there's underlying skills there. And there are - I completely agree. However, its much harder to convince potential employers to take a chance on that. My sister has a "useless" degree, and I think her best hope is that Congress changes the bankruptcy laws so she can discharge her student loans. A good friend has a dead end and deadening clerical job. She's looking for a new job, knows what she wants, and just doesn't have the ambition to find it. Meaning, she's stuck.

I'm of the camp that I don't care what your major is, but you have to be able to support yourself. So either figure it out ahead of time or pick a major has a more defined career path. You can double major after all.

arebelspy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6684 on: February 06, 2015, 11:54:57 AM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

I was born in '85 as well. For my class, there were certain majors (accounting, nursing, etc) that they had no trouble getting a good job. Others (English, political science, etc) were screwed. I think that only intensified, as my sister was a few years behind me and her entire class was in trouble, including the accountants and nurses.

I was a philosophy major. She was English.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
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Apples

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6685 on: February 06, 2015, 12:28:22 PM »
I have a coworker who always complains that our health insurance doesn't cover any medical expenses and is too expensive.  The employer pays the full premium each month, and it's a HDHP but an HRA and they get reimbursed after the first $400 in deductible expenses.  The copays are higher than the last plan, and these guys are solidly working-class to middle class if a two income household, but seriously it shouldn't break the bank.  And we handed out a chart with expected copays for different kinds of visits so they know what to expect.  Anyway, this guy complains EVERY TIME there's any medical expense.

So, last week he and his wife bought a new car to replace hers, which is 7-10 years old and only 2 wheel drive, which sucks in winter.  And they "would never have the money for good snow tires and rims".  The new car is a brand new SUV crossover vehicle, I think a Honda or Hundai (but not actually sure).  Brand new.  Brought it to work to show it off to all of us.  Bought b/c it is new, has 4 wheel drive, and is bigger than a car.  And he says he got a good deal on the financing.  So obviously, they can afford hundreds of dollars in car payments each month buy not health care costs?  Of which they might pay $2,000 a year-IF they go to the hospital and get a zillion large copays or something?  Insanity.

ShoulderThingThatGoesUp

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6686 on: February 06, 2015, 12:37:21 PM »
I got a job making $50k right out of college (in 2010) at a place that I'd had several internships at, but I showed up and there was nothing at all to do. I openly studied for the GRE at my desk and left when I got into grad school.
Out of curiosity, did you actually have stuff to do when you interned there? I'm guessing yes because it seems unlikely that you'd choose to work full time there otherwise...?

Yes, though not as much as I now know there should be at a well-run company in my industry. But I didn't know that at the time.

arebelspy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6687 on: February 06, 2015, 12:54:11 PM »
I was a philosophy major. She was English.

Would you mind elaborating how you found jobs with those majors? My experience has been that it's completely doable, but difficult. I graduated in 07 with a business major, but most of my friends were from the social sciences. One of their advisors was handing out a brochure entitled "What Can You Do With An Anthropology Degree?" It was basically "You understand people, so you'll be in high demand in HR, psychology, marketing, etc." But why would someone looking for an HR person choose your average Anthropology major over an HR major? And ditto for psychology, marketing, etc.?

We decided to teach for two years with Teach for America to try and close the education gap, and then move onto real (aka profitable) jobs.

Then (unfortunately for us, financially) we fell in love with teaching, so we stayed.  But I can say that I am grateful that I did a job I loved for almost a decade, rather than the alternative.  Now I wouldn't take any job I didn't love.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6688 on: February 06, 2015, 01:22:02 PM »
This is interesting talk to me. As someone who was born in the mid-80s, I feel like there's a huge difference between pre-internet kids and post-internet kids. Then again, there are crazies on facebook who I have unfriended because I don't need to see another selfie or hear another tirade about how the world is against them. I think there are tons of people like this in every generation, but there's never been a generation that had the capability to yell it from the rooftops efficiently as the current younger kids.

I agree with this.  I was born in 91, and though I grew up with a computer in my bedroom, I played math games and Oregon Trail on it.  Didn't have Facebook until freshman or sophomore year of high school, didn't have a smartphone until I was 19.  I already feel like I'm out of touch with 'kids these days,' lol.  My little sister was born in 95 and things are so different for her.

I also think that being old enough to be aware of finances during the 2008 recession is a huge factor that divides Millennials.  I turned 18 in 2009 and I remember older friends basically pioneering the 'boomerang kid' thing, or going on to get Master's and PhD's because there just wasn't anything out there for new grads.  Everyone in my freshman class was so thankful we still had 4 years of college and praying that things would get better by the time we graduated.  I don't think Millennials who are more than a couple years younger or older than I am had that sobering experience, which I think shapes a lot of my world view and financial habits.   The ones that are older are probably more likely to have realized it and have it affect their behavior, but the younger kids have no idea.

I was born in '89. I remember sitting in my freshman economics class when SHTF. Probably a good class to be in when that happened. Anyway, It took until your class graduated from college to get a full time position (2013). I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess. Of the internet, it was in my home as long as I've been alive (10+ years earlier than most). Still, the internet didn't become a thing until YouTube happened (2004?). By this point you and I were early teens. Very different!

I was born in 85 and my wife in 86 same as arebelspy's situation. We are fine, only have mortgage debt (just bought the house last year), and are saving 50% of our income.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6689 on: February 06, 2015, 01:24:19 PM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

Aw, man... Here I thought I liked you, and then you had to go and ruin it by telling me you were born THE YEAR I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL.

Harrumph...
Same here.  Got my driver's license the year arebelspy was born.

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6690 on: February 06, 2015, 01:25:18 PM »
yeah, I was born in '88 but graduated college in 2009. I can tell ya I was glad that I had already been planning on going to grad school regardless of the economy :)

Maybe it was my major but only one or two people from my graduating class had issues getting jobs, and they weren't the brightest bulbs. This just seemed foreign to me.

johnny847

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6691 on: February 06, 2015, 01:42:22 PM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

Aw, man... Here I thought I liked you, and then you had to go and ruin it by telling me you were born THE YEAR I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL.

Harrumph...
Same here.  Got my driver's license the year arebelspy was born.
If it makes you feel any worse, I was born in 91.

Apples

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6692 on: February 06, 2015, 01:55:17 PM »
CW:  I'm gonna get a dog this weekend!
Me:  Oh wow, that's fun!  What kind?
CW:  [tells me the breed but I didn't recognize it but I don't know breeds, so nbd]
Me:  Nice!  You're all ready to take care of it? (Single guy, so can't be sure)
CW:  Well sure, I just gotta get some paperwork so the bank will approve me so I can get the dog.
Me:  Wait, why does a bank have the dog you want?
CW:  No, I need a loan for the dog.
Me:  How much is this dog?!?
CW:  $1500, down from $2200, getting to be a good deal.  But the bank has to let me get that much.
Me:  That's a really expensive dog; and what will you do if it needs to go to the vet b/c it's injured or sick?  That gets expensive really fast!  Idk if you can buy a dog with a loan?
CW:  I'm not sure.  But I really want this dog.

WHAT.  I know some dogs are that expensive, but not one that will just be a pleasure dog (no hunting, no work of any sort, no shows).  We just got a puppy; I tried to warn him that it's several hundred dollars in vet visits the first few months.  And I've never heard of taking out a loan to get a puppy!  Can they repossess the dog if you don't pay on time?  Poor little guy!  The CW in question makes approx. $12/hr.  He's not rolling in dough, nor saving at the moment, so idk how he'd handle a vet bill.  Insanity.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6693 on: February 06, 2015, 02:17:19 PM »
so the bank will approve me so I can get the dog.

Apples wins the thread!

infogoon

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6694 on: February 06, 2015, 02:20:38 PM »
I was a philosophy major. She was English.

Would you mind elaborating how you found jobs with those majors? My experience has been that it's completely doable, but difficult. I graduated in 07 with a business major, but most of my friends were from the social sciences. One of their advisors was handing out a brochure entitled "What Can You Do With An Anthropology Degree?" It was basically "You understand people, so you'll be in high demand in HR, psychology, marketing, etc." But why would someone looking for an HR person choose your average Anthropology major over an HR major? And ditto for psychology, marketing, etc.?

My first undergrad degree was in English. I supported myself in college working in IT jobs, and that eventually became my career after I graduated -- as it turns out, there's a lot of demand for technologists who can actually communicate well.

ketchup

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6695 on: February 06, 2015, 03:14:36 PM »
CW:  I'm gonna get a dog this weekend!
Me:  Oh wow, that's fun!  What kind?
CW:  [tells me the breed but I didn't recognize it but I don't know breeds, so nbd]
Me:  Nice!  You're all ready to take care of it? (Single guy, so can't be sure)
CW:  Well sure, I just gotta get some paperwork so the bank will approve me so I can get the dog.
Me:  Wait, why does a bank have the dog you want?
CW:  No, I need a loan for the dog.
Me:  How much is this dog?!?
CW:  $1500, down from $2200, getting to be a good deal.  But the bank has to let me get that much.
Me:  That's a really expensive dog; and what will you do if it needs to go to the vet b/c it's injured or sick?  That gets expensive really fast!  Idk if you can buy a dog with a loan?
CW:  I'm not sure.  But I really want this dog.

WHAT.  I know some dogs are that expensive, but not one that will just be a pleasure dog (no hunting, no work of any sort, no shows).  We just got a puppy; I tried to warn him that it's several hundred dollars in vet visits the first few months.  And I've never heard of taking out a loan to get a puppy!  Can they repossess the dog if you don't pay on time?  Poor little guy!  The CW in question makes approx. $12/hr.  He's not rolling in dough, nor saving at the moment, so idk how he'd handle a vet bill.  Insanity.
I drove by a pet store once with a big sign saying "$0 down puppies!" and it made me want to scream.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6696 on: February 06, 2015, 04:23:10 PM »
I was a philosophy major. She was English.

Would you mind elaborating how you found jobs with those majors? My experience has been that it's completely doable, but difficult. I graduated in 07 with a business major, but most of my friends were from the social sciences. One of their advisors was handing out a brochure entitled "What Can You Do With An Anthropology Degree?" It was basically "You understand people, so you'll be in high demand in HR, psychology, marketing, etc." But why would someone looking for an HR person choose your average Anthropology major over an HR major? And ditto for psychology, marketing, etc.?

My first undergrad degree was in English. I supported myself in college working in IT jobs, and that eventually became my career after I graduated -- as it turns out, there's a lot of demand for technologists who can actually communicate well.

What would you say you do here?



« Last Edit: February 06, 2015, 04:25:59 PM by dragoncar »

clarkfan1979

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6697 on: February 06, 2015, 07:33:59 PM »
I am glad I wasn't born in 1986 and graduating into that mess.

I was born in 85, my wife in 86and graduated into the recession.  We survived.

I think this is a really good point. When I was finally ready to buy a house, there was a massive housing recession. Without the recession, I doubt that I could get a good deal on a house.

pancakes

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6698 on: February 06, 2015, 07:53:02 PM »
I was bone in 1986

We shared a grad ceremony with the film and TV students and their head of school opened his speech with: "Welcome to the wonderful world of retail and hospitality"...

SwordGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6699 on: February 06, 2015, 09:45:11 PM »
If you are ever in London the Greenwich observatory is worth a visit.  You can stand with one leg in the Western Hemisphere and one in the East!

For a long time, French maps used Paris as 0 degrees, because, well, they were French


Trivia question(s) for the meridian buffs:

If you stand on the North Pole (or the South pole), what time is it?

Easy peasy.

"It's time to head to Hawai'i and the beach..."