WTF IS WRONG WITH COLLEGE KIDS!

raleighjeepguy

New Member
Joined
May 27, 2007
Location
Raleigh,nc
So we had 2 kids interview for internships. I won't name what colleges they came from but they def were not the cream of the crop. They show up in blacked out suits to an interview for a construction summer internship in the field. They evidently get taken out as kind of a congrats and get to talking with our guys. Say they are expecting to make 75-80k first year out of school in construction. They get asked wtf they do that is so special and reply with having a college degree. Evidently the laughter scared them. Whoever is blowing smoke up these kids a$$ needs to be shot. My profs were always very honest with us about income, jobs, etc. Someone should be stomped for getting these kids all jacked up when they will prob be making 30k first year
 
raleighjeepguy said:
Whoever is blowing smoke up these kids a$$ needs to be shot. My profs were always very honest with us about income, jobs, etc. Someone should be stomped for getting these kids all jacked up when they will prob be making 30k first year
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Good point...I know a number of people making over 40k or more out of college but they hung around and got a masters or are in an industry where their talents are few and far between.
 
I just think its humurous that someone with no trade specific training or experience and a generalized degree would expect to make that much 1st year. Theres only 1 person in this office period that wasn't in the field for years upon years first
 
yea and it showed that they have never done any research into the field they want to get into. They were too focused on which suit to where and not enough on the info.
 
What really gets me is all the people I see graduating especially with Finance/Banking/Accounting/Business degrees and the first thing they do is buy a new car. Ha great move dumbass. Obviously you never learned about depreciation in school or were hungover and missed that lesson.
 
I just graduated and EVERY student thinks they are going to come out making WAY more than they really will unless you have some great connections, which is very few people. I came out with a B.S. in Accounting and I am making less than 40k. Every undergrad in accounting kept saying they would come out making mid 50s if not 60s. It is possible but you better be prepared to work 60-80 hours/week on a regular basis and not be limited to where you move for your job. I am working to save up to return to grad school August of '09.

I don't think it is professors who necessarily inflate the student's heads with those dollar figures. It often times, from my experience, is recruiters and representatives who talk about the "potential" and it gets translated into "straight out of college." I fell for it at one time too until I slowed down and really listened to what was being said and read everything in black and white.

As for the car, I drive my dad's hand-me-down '02 GMC Envoy. It works great and I have no real complaints other than the 163k mileage. In order to put money aside I am looking to sell it for a cheap Honda-ish car or possibly a Toyota pickup for the benefit of some utility.
 
I worked as an electrician through college so I pretty much knew I wasn't going to be making 75k. I think after a few years 50+ is within reach in my field but not right out the box with no experience
 
What I like is when interviewing fresh or upcoming graduates they always feel like you OWE THEM SOMETHING... If you're graduating soon dont go into an interview like that b/c all we do is end up saying have a nice day and thanks for coming by.... It just seems like that's in everyones heads now days...

RaleighJeepGuy.. you can't knock them for coming in wearing suits. They probably didn't know better and I know when I was about to graduate they told you to dress to impress on interviews. No one wears a suit anymore except for a few bankers/lawyers,etc.

I'm also in the construction field now and I would probably get a good laugh out of someone thinking they're going to start out in the mid 70's... but from leaving the pure Design side of things I can say that we were starting CE's right out of school at mid 50's w/ a BS...

EDIT:

Also a little advice take it for what it's worth... trust me or not it's up to you. IF you're in college and have you heart set on an engineering field. I do not recommend EE or ME.. I know everyone wants to be a Mechanical Engineer but jobs are few and far between (and ME students make up about 2/3 of the engineering student body) and there isnt but so many HVAC firms around... I can tell you that CE is absolutely booming and isnt showing any signs of slowing down...
 
Coming out of College with a BFA in Graphic Design and Illustration and about 2 classes short of a Double Major, all in 4 years of school, I didn't expect to make much. I was happy with my $20K at my first real job. However my buddies that did Computer Science or Technology, stepped out of college into Jobs at IBM making $50-60K. and with in a few years they were pulling 100K+. I never could wrap my brain around how the hell they pulled that off. I'm now 12 years out of college and not making that much. :shaking:
 
mbalbritton said:
Coming out of College with a BFA in Graphic Design and Illustration and about 2 classes short of a Double Major, all in 4 years of school, I didn't expect to make much. I was happy with my $20K at my first real job. However my buddies that did Computer Science or Technology, stepped out of college into Jobs at IBM making $50-60K. and with in a few years they were pulling 100K+. I never could wrap my brain around how the hell they pulled that off. I'm now 12 years out of college and not making that much. :shaking:
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I couldnt get a job at IBM, so I married someone who did. :flipoff2: That was great until she became a stay-at-home mom.

I remember dressing to the nines on job interviews, because that's what our placement office told us. It was very awkward when the interviewer handed you off to some engineer (usually dressed in khakis or even jeans) who then took you on a plant tour. There you are on the manufacturing floor dressed like its a wedding, and everyone else is going about their daily business.
 
uncc civilengineer said:
but from leaving the pure Design side of things I can say that we were starting CE's right out of school at mid 50's w/ a BS...
EDIT:
Also a little advice take it for what it's worth... trust me or not it's up to you. IF you're in college and have you heart set on an engineering field. I do not recommend EE or ME.. I know everyone wants to be a Mechanical Engineer but jobs are few and far between (and ME students make up about 2/3 of the engineering student body) and there isnt but so many HVAC firms around... I can tell you that CE is absolutely booming and isnt showing any signs of slowing down...
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Yep 100% true..... Thats what I do is CE.....

you can hit 60,70, or 80k if you work hard and put a few years in.
 
Ok I'm not a four year man but I do have enough credit hours to have a 4yr degree and I did personally turn down a four year school and an open door into the engineering field, but my take on what students expect is because to many are fed to much theory and to little practicality. I not just talking engineering here, seems even in basic mechanics, havac, or even trades skills students training isn't focussed enough on the here and now. Just like their concept of competitve pay rates, they have no clue how to carry out day to day task. Comon sense 101 should be reinstated, and a few hard knocks to teach about the real world.
 
uncc civilengineer said:
What I like is when interviewing fresh or upcoming graduates they always feel like you OWE THEM SOMETHING... If you're graduating soon dont go into an interview like that b/c all we do is end up saying have a nice day and thanks for coming by.... It just seems like that's in everyones heads now days...

RaleighJeepGuy.. you can't knock them for coming in wearing suits. They probably didn't know better and I know when I was about to graduate they told you to dress to impress on interviews. No one wears a suit anymore except for a few bankers/lawyers,etc.

I'm also in the construction field now and I would probably get a good laugh out of someone thinking they're going to start out in the mid 70's... but from leaving the pure Design side of things I can say that we were starting CE's right out of school at mid 50's w/ a BS...

EDIT:

Also a little advice take it for what it's worth... trust me or not it's up to you. IF you're in college and have you heart set on an engineering field. I do not recommend EE or ME.. I know everyone wants to be a Mechanical Engineer but jobs are few and far between (and ME students make up about 2/3 of the engineering student body) and there isnt but so many HVAC firms around... I can tell you that CE is absolutely booming and isnt showing any signs of slowing down...
Click to expand...

HAHA, I graduated as an ME and I completely agree with you... if i had to do it over again, Id go CE... finding a job was tough, and even though im doin engineering, it really doesnt have much to do with my education or experience, they just wanted an ME...
 
My first year out, I made over 60k as an Electrician and working a bunch of hours, screw the degree and needing an office. The guys in the field laugh their asses at me for even having a degree. Two year later I had my own company....Never worked in my major.
 
Its hard for college proffesors to teach any real world expierence b/c most of them have none, they went to shcool for 10 years to learn about "X subject" and now they teach it.

I had 2 teacher in college who actually made it in the real world and were succesful retired and taught for fun, we used no books and i learned the most in those classes. All the rest of my teachers either couldn't make it in the real world or never even tried they hid behind the podium telling me how to do it.

College in my opinion is a waste of time we should bring back aprenticeship or however you spell that. College education costs about a 100k these days for a bunch of punk ass alcholics to get taught socialism, and they think there going to come out out and take the world by the tail but instead they end up living in a van down by the river.
 
Man, you guys are killing me here.
I got a Psych degree. An "applied" degree, mind you - a BS, concentration in experimental methods.
First year out - lets see - I had to go to grad school... I think I made $5k working as a lab tech part time. Then as a doctoral student, thought I'd hit it rich at $18k stipend.
Now I have a PhD, and no less than 11 years of official college time... and make $38k/year as a research fellow. Someday I'll bump up to faculty status to start at a whopping $50k at a public university, or maybe even $60k private.
Academic research.... shit for pay... but I get to look at people's brains every day...
 
My $0.02

I have two, two year degrees. I went to learn stuff. Not to get a "degree" I never worked in either field, but used the principles learned in Mech. Engineering, in my racing career.

My view on College and reasons people go nowdays:

*So we dont have to get a job too soon in life. (Play a little longer!)
*Cuz Daddy went to this school.
*Business/Trade Connections. (Job networking, alumni, fraternities, etc)
*That "piece of paper" that sez "hire me/pay me more" (the "best jobs"!)

*And last, and, sadly, the least important reason to all but the few in the smaller colleges (Belmont, etc)...To just learn something! Gain knowlege, so that we might actually contribute to the Human condition.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Man, you guys are killing me here.
I got a Psych degree. An "applied" degree, mind you - a BS, concentration in experimental methods.
First year out - lets see - I had to go to grad school... I think I made $5k working as a lab tech part time. Then as a doctoral student, thought I'd hit it rich at $18k stipend.
Now I have a PhD, and no less than 11 years of official college time... and make $38k/year as a research fellow. Someday I'll bump up to faculty status to start at a whopping $50k at a public university, or maybe even $60k private.
Academic research.... shit for pay... but I get to look at people's brains every day...
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If you enjoy what you're doing, then you're far ahead of the many people that make big money but hate their lives.

I'm going for ME right now, but the electrician field is sounding better by the minute. I don't really want to spend my days in front of a computer screen.
 
You can downplay college and education all you want but in the end it gives you the best shot. Can a hardworking individual succeed in great capacity without it? Most definitely! I've got family and friends to prove it but without college you are giving everyone else a head start. Our university system may not focus enough on trades and skills and I agree with that ideal that so many of you stress in this thread but I can't see how college kids wide-eyed and maybe overly eager with high expectations are a problem. Granted it wasn't that long ago that I was that kid this thread began talking about in a lot of ways but I will say this much. I had high expectations for the real world...in some ways I felt the jobs owed me something...and you know what? It kept my driven, strong willed, and hardworking and it still to this day keeps me a step ahead of others around me who get less done while working harder. College, well at least my experience in a major prestigious university, put me in an environment with where I was constantly pushed and put in situations where I had to prove I could hang. I came out ready to work with a better understanding of what I was capable of. That being said I expected a lot straight out of school but its because I knew I was worth it. You can only achieve as much you strive for. I know theres very little chance I would be as far along in life at 25 as I am now if I would have taken a job straight of high school. The people I know who very successful at my age without college are in the situation they are in because of family businesses where the success was handed to them. Maybe my situation or perspective isn't the norm but hell we are all just running our mouths anyway right?
 
braxton357 said:
... I don't really want to spend my days in front of a computer screen.
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One of my first interviews as a fresh-out-of-college kid with an 4yr ME degree was with a CAD software company, looking for people to develop the software. I remember telling the interviewer something along the lines of "I can't see myself spending 8 hours a day behind a computer". The little voice inside me said "you didnt just say that did you?". Then the interviewer looked at me as if to say ""you didnt just say that did you?" :lol:

Now, this was before webwheeling the internet was even possible. I finally got hooked up and do just fine jockeying the mouse :driver:
 
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