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[Suicune's Fire]

So many jobs are all about networking. I want to get into the games industry, the voice acting industry AND be an author someday... That's certainly all about who you know, not what you know! XD What you know helps, but who you know is more important. They really pushed us at AIE to get networking. They often had cool games industry people come in and give us talks, and we could then speak with them after. I've added a few on Facebook so I have my fingers in a few pies... Not enough yet, though. And getting yourself out there is always imperative. @Pokemon Trainer Sarah That's just it--it requires a lot of talking and more importantly, selling yourself. I always find that - and I know this is perhaps a tad inappropriate, but I'll chance it - a bit of alcohol in me always helps me free up and talk to people (even if it's just one standard drink XD). I'm ALWAYS more social when that happens... So it's great when there are gatherings and such at which you can have a few and get to know some people! I am not condoning alcohol. completely

[Neo Emolga]

Wow @Neo Emolga, that is so dodgy! I can't believe they want you to pay for everything PLUS it's commission based! That's crazy!

I hate the networking thing too. It's really unfair. I'm terrible at talking to people. I know networking is really important for science too because if you know the guy who runs the lab, that's all that really matters. Blah. It really shouldn't be so hard to find a job if you want to work. If it's this bad already, imagine how much worse it's gonna get as things become more and more automated! I know some countries have been experimenting with having a basic wage that everyone gets paid each year no matter what, which seems pretty interesting. It might have been Iceland or something? I can't remember.

It was such a joke, but I fear this might be the beginning of a new trend. In a few years from now, companies may expect their employees to incur all of the business expenses. So if a job requires you to travel for work, they'll expect you to pay the airfare, hotel costs, and dining arrangements the same way you have to pay for the gas in your car that allows you to drive to work. A lot of things seem to be hinting toward that lately and I wouldn't be surprised if it happens.

I'm not so great at talking to people either (I do better in emails and online where I have time to gather my thoughts and organize them before sending them out). I got rejected from one job interview because they felt my answers to interview questions were "too short." I don't get it, the answers were straight to the point, I didn't repeat myself, and cut out the needless fluff and filler. Meanwhile, when someone else is talking, I politely and respectfully wait my turn by holding up for a pause in the conversation before speaking up... but sometimes my chance never happens, especially when it's a group of three or more. And I often get tagged as being "unsociable" simply because I am just trying to be respectful and polite.

I guess that's the beauty of an online forum like this one. Everyone gets a chance to speak to share their feelings and thoughts, there are no interruptions or people butting into a conversation, and no one can hog the conversation either and prevent others from getting a chance to talk. I wish real life conversations could be just as respectful and considerate, because yeah, maybe then I'd participate in them more often.

[Chakramaster]

It was such a joke, but I fear this might be the beginning of a new trend. In a few years from now, companies may expect their employees to incur all of the business expenses. So if a job requires you to travel for work, they'll expect you to pay the airfare, hotel costs, and dining arrangements the same way you have to pay for the gas in your car that allows you to drive to work. A lot of things seem to be hinting toward that lately and I wouldn't be surprised if it happens.

I'm not so great at talking to people either (I do better in emails and online where I have time to gather my thoughts and organize them before sending them out). I got rejected from one job interview because they felt my answers to interview questions were "too short." I don't get it, the answers were straight to the point, I didn't repeat myself, and cut out the needless fluff and filler. Meanwhile, when someone else is talking, I politely and respectfully wait my turn by holding up for a pause in the conversation before speaking up... but sometimes my chance never happens, especially when it's a group of three or more. And I often get tagged as being "unsociable" simply because I am just trying to be respectful and polite.

I guess that's the beauty of an online forum like this one. Everyone gets a chance to speak to share their feelings and thoughts, there are no interruptions or people butting into a conversation, and no one can hog the conversation either and prevent others from getting a chance to talk. I wish real life conversations could be just as respectful and considerate, because yeah, maybe then I'd participate in them more often.

Sad to see, but it's becoming more and more true as well as it is apparent. There are still some that don't do that (the luck few businesses, which most seem to be government jobs). Where you don't have to go paying for all expenses on that stuff.

Yeah I don't understand that. If your answer was to the best of your ability without dragging it on just to make it longer then why wasn't it good enough. Dragging it out can be just as bad. I've never been in a group interview before, but I guess mine would go in a similar way for the same reasons, out of respects of others. That and normally I can be a quiet person, but when needed I can speak up.

Well other than someone who has missed parts of the earlier conversation that may randomly come up and start trying to change the subject lol, but I get what you mean. Yeah it's tough when your "business" self has to meet a certain demand to even get the job. If it were to require you changing who you really are and how you learned to treat others as a person.....would it really be worth it? I would say no. It's definitely not worth you changing who you really are.

[Chibi Altaria]

Wow @Neo Emolga, that is so dodgy! I can't believe they want you to pay for everything PLUS it's commission based! That's crazy!

I hate the networking thing too. It's really unfair. I'm terrible at talking to people. I know networking is really important for science too because if you know the guy who runs the lab, that's all that really matters. Blah. It really shouldn't be so hard to find a job if you want to work. If it's this bad already, imagine how much worse it's gonna get as things become more and more automated! I know some countries have been experimenting with having a basic wage that everyone gets paid each year no matter what, which seems pretty interesting. It might have been Iceland or something? I can't remember.

^ This.

I'm not social in the least, so my network pool is very, VERY small. And that's not all my fault. Sure, I'm shy, but the networking thing works both ways, and even if I talk to people, they find so little about me interesting they don't bother contacting me again. .-. That in itself makes it really hard to get a job, even though I'm pretty sure I'm MORE than qualified, I just have very little actual business experience.

That's why I blame Universities for giving us this knowledge of the field we want to get into, but not actually doing anything useful with it. We pay all this money to do a fancy course and degree, and yet can't even get anywhere in the work field because we don't 'know' anyone? That is so ridiculous. It's pretty much saying that no matter how hard someone works, they're never going to achieve anything important.

So many jobs are all about networking. I want to get into the games industry, the voice acting industry AND be an author someday... That's certainly all about who you know, not what you know! XD What you know helps, but who you know is more important. They really pushed us at AIE to get networking. They often had cool games industry people come in and give us talks, and we could then speak with them after. I've added a few on Facebook so I have my fingers in a few pies... Not enough yet, though. And getting yourself out there is always imperative. @Pokemon Trainer Sarah That's just it--it requires a lot of talking and more importantly, selling yourself. I always find that - and I know this is perhaps a tad inappropriate, but I'll chance it - a bit of alcohol in me always helps me free up and talk to people (even if it's just one standard drink XD). I'm ALWAYS more social when that happens... So it's great when there are gatherings and such at which you can have a few and get to know some people! I am not condoning alcohol. completely

You're lucky you went to AIE on campus. xD I mean the online course wasn't bad, but it certainly didn't help us network in any way (and my lecturer kinda just rambled on half the time..). I want to do graphic design, illustration and be an author, too! But even if I wrote some awesome manuscript, who would publish the work of a person they'd never even heard of? ;(

On the alcohol note, Xanthe, I've found that helps with me. xD As a super cautious person to begin with, I HATE putting myself out there. I'm usually that person at a party who just stands in the corner, baha. Once I've had a couple of drinks I do realise it doesn't matter so much, and I can talk more freely. Awful, I know, but it really does help. xD Pity I rarely drink at all.


On a sort of unrelated note, that's why when people talk about luck it just pisses me right off. I consider luck as something that happens as a result of all your hard work. To have people just sit back and be lazy and have everything handed to them... it annoys me. It degrades all of us who work so hard to achieve what they want.

[Neo Emolga]

Okay, I'm going to try that. Next time I go to a job interview, I'll have a beer just before the interview, and then I'll bring a second one along to have AFTER the interview to enjoy for better or for worse. XD

[Homura]

Ya I hate my job, but I can't quit my job because it's the only thing that puts food on the table. >.>
Wish I was a doctor or something. lol

Luck is absolutely something that exists for job searches. My friend got a residency position randomly because she randomly learned about it and applied when it wasn't announced anywhere that this position was open. Basically a free ride in right there. I worked hard for a position in the current hospital I work in, and landed a crappy job with an oppressive atmosphere and politics up the anus. Somehow I'm supposed to be happy because "hey you got a job".

[Neo Emolga]

Ya I hate my job, but I can't quit my job because it's the only thing that puts food on the table. >.>
Wish I was a doctor or something. lol

Luck is absolutely something that exists for job searches. My friend got a residency position randomly because she randomly learned about it and applied when it wasn't announced anywhere that this position was open. Basically a free ride in right there. I worked hard for a position in the current hospital I work in, and landed a crappy job with an oppressive atmosphere and politics up the anus. Somehow I'm supposed to be happy because "hey you got a job".

That's just lame. I kind of feel the same way though. My brother got an internship right out of college that turned into a permanent position and he makes around 90k with just an undergrad degree. He graduated back in 2007 and he still has that same position. I have an MBA and 10+ years of experience and have never earned more than 60k.

It just sickens me how unfaithful companies are to their employees now. All around me, I hear stories of pay cuts, loss of insurance, lost benefits, and people having to work insane amounts of unpaid overtime. Other people are just outright losing their jobs to cheap labor overseas and in other countries.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Yeah luck definitely plays a role. I always used to wish my family owned a business so I could just work there when I grew up!

My dad has been at the same company all his life. It would be so nice to know that you're always gonna have a job tomorrow. I doubt that's a luxury anyone is gonna have in future though. :|

[Neo Emolga]

Yeah luck definitely plays a role. I always used to wish my family owned a business so I could just work there when I grew up!

My dad has been at the same company all his life. It would be so nice to know that you're always gonna have a job tomorrow. I doubt that's a luxury anyone is gonna have in future though. :|

As much as I'd like the idea of having my own business, it's too expensive and there are so many regulations now that I'm surprised I don't need a permit just for going outside. That, and the number of failing business in the United States is just frightening.

I even got an entrepreneurship certificate in grad school and... wheee, it's going to waste. I just don't think the current economic environment is suited for new businesses to spring up with rents being super high and availability of startup capital being extremely low for most people. I also had a friend in college who tried to start his own business selling auto parts online and it cost him so much money by trying to keep it alive that I just couldn't help asking myself what the whole point of it was. Month after month, I heard he had been dumping thousands into it to keep it going and kept trying to hire helpers who would work for a percentage of the profits instead of a fixed wage, and I just couldn't bring myself to get pulled into that kind of agreement when things were looking really sour. Not to mention that he had a real passion for cars, whereas to me, they're more of just a way to get around from place to place.

And this is why I'm trying to get books published instead. Yes, it's an investment of time and money, but if it all goes down, it still feels a little safer and more fulfilling as I enjoy it. Worst case scenario, my stuff never gets published, and before the days of the Internet, I've had plenty of stories and novel-length books just get thrown in a binder and forgotten about. At least now I could just post the entire thing for free online for whoever would want to read it, and if they never get read, well, that's no different from what was happening before.

[[Desolate Divine]]

My parents have a business. Trying out skip bins (dumpsters for you Americans). When it is good, it's good, when it is bad it's bad. You gotta know your market, eg which areas want them, who the competition is, where people look and what time of year. Start of the year is our busy season.

On an unrelated note, I am catching a train home, however found out that it is ending one stop before mine. Lucky for me @Suicune's Fire lives nearby and said yes when I asked for a lift home. This is why she has 20 million Valentine things! Round of applause for Xanthe!