So, with a little over a week left on the poll, I've noticed that most of my readers are unemployed--still looking for a job and hopeless. That's a whopping 30%! The next biggest category is Employed in a field unrelated to the law with 25%. I can't believe that over 50% of my readers aren't currently employed as attorneys.
Well, I was forwarded this article.... entitled "Class of '11 will see slightly better jobs outlook." Promising, right? Well most of the article discusses undergrads. For BIDER readers, there is no good news:
...Interest in graduates with associate, master's and professional degrees like medical, law or veterinary is expected to fall, with the exception of Ph.D.- and MBA-level students.How can it fall any lower? Well, with 45,000 new law grads on the market in May 2011, it's not really a surprise.
And I don't buy that things will get better for college grads either. I have a good friend who has an undergraduate degree in.. I'm not sure. She's nearly 40, so at this point her degree is meaningless. But she has experience as an office manager of a law firm and a PR firm. She's versatile, I suppose. When she combs the Internet for admin level positions in New York and New Jersey--she finds plenty o'jobs. Problem is that most of them pay $10/hour. How is anyone to survive on that? What about rent? What about transportation. This is New York Shitty!
Unfortunately, the fodder for this blog is never ending. I don't see an end to this recession. Do you?
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Interest meaning interest from potential employers will continue to fall. In other words, outsourcing will continue to ramp up and even fewer entry level attorneys will be required in the United States.
ReplyDeleteIn India, the boom times continue, as American entry level gigs are exported. Not only will we lose the jobs, but the skillsets gained by employees in these jobs (i.e. brain drain).
We are becoming a stupid country.
I work in regulatory compliance in NJ.
ReplyDeleteBut I know lots of people from my alma mater holding down 2 jobs to make the rent in NJ. The legal market here is insanely competitive. But at least its not NEARLY as bad as NY - talk about over-saturation. I didn't even take the bar in NY because I had no interest in competing with Johnny CUNY and Sally Hofstra for the bones and scraps.
There are jobs paying more than an hr. wage right now - salary and not bad either. If you live in the NY/NJ area: ladders, star-ledger, lawjobs.com, and some of the legal temp agencies (Roberts, Kelly, Special council, Aerotek). All good choices.
Happy hunting!
Personally, I would never get involved in it, but I know someone who has an Adult Video store and lives extremely well.
ReplyDeleteBusiness is not what it once was, but still pretty good, and it is all perfectly legal and in compliance with the existing laws.
One time this person looked at me and said: "What the Hell buddy? You educated yourself out of a job!"
Meaning my JD.
Sigh...
This is not a depression or a recession. It is the new normal. The USA experienced a 'Golden Age' for about sixty years after WWII. That age is now over. As someone born in 1949 I was lucky enough to live through it. You are not as lucky. Expect to have a standard of living the same as China's or India's. The only bright side is that these countries are getting richer, which is good as they set the floor for you
ReplyDeleteI remember the recessions of the 70s and the early 90s. Back then, I heard a lot of the same kind of thinking. People were saying that the era of prosperity was over forever.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty confident that the American economy is fundamentally sound; that things will get better; and that there will be another boom fueled in part by over-optimism.
You wrote:
ReplyDelete"I don't see an end to this recession. Do you?"
END? We haven't even gotten started on the bad economic times. This is just a warm up.
She should have voted for "the Rent is Too Damn High" candidate.
ReplyDeleteApparently, 5:32 am is a true believer in "American exceptionalism." Nations and empires rise and fall. When they rest on their laurels and stretch themselves too thin, they are on the decline. Does this sound like a place you would recognize?
ReplyDelete5:32, why are you confident that the American economy is sound? Did you make some good commission at Retail Store X. Did you sell a few insurance policies?
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should read the following blog:
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/
"I'm pretty confident that the American economy is fundamentally sound; that things will get better; and that there will be another boom fueled in part by over-optimism."
ReplyDeleteYou know, you should share your drugs with everyone else. You are definitely on something.