"WELCOME TO DICK CHENEY'S AMERICA"

Graduates settling for less as their degrees gather dust,
Underemployed face harshest job market in a decade

From the Houston Chronicle:

The underemployed -- those out of work and discouraged workers who have accepted jobs below their expectations -- reached 10.3 percent of the nation's work force in June, the highest level in almost a decade, according to the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. Underemployment is a problem in any economic slump, but it tends to fall more harshly on students coming out of college, who often cannot compete with more experienced candidates in a tight job market.

And

For some graduates, getting a job at all can be a challenge. Employers with low-skill jobs often are reluctant to hire applicants with college degrees, who will leave as soon as something better comes along.

Escovar says the job market is putting her in a difficult position. For the marketing jobs she's seeking, she often has less experience and fewer degrees than her competitors. At the same time, people won't hire her for less skilled jobs because of her degree.

One restaurant turned her down for a waitressing job after she told the owner she was a Rice graduate.

Click here.

I've been in this position before. Here's some advice: lie. Believe me, employers in the low-wage service sector have no problem lying to or withholding the truth from you. Don't tell potential bosses how educated you are; odds are that the person considering you may very well feel threatened by your degree. Don't tell potential bosses that you may be moving on to something better; tell them that you're there to stay for a long while—it doesn't really matter, anyway; employee turnover in the service sector is already high, and your eventual departure won't hurt them.

When you get your crappy McJob, work hard and make your boss like you--this is your source of income now, so don't blow it with a stupid sense of elitism. Don't give up looking for better work, however, and don't get discouraged—remember, this isn't about you; it's about insane neo-liberal economics that have destroyed the US job market overall. Lots of people are hurting.
Finally, service sector work, contrary to the conventional wisdom, is honorable work. It is not below your or anybody else's station. We all must work in order to make society function. Don't despair, and take pride in what you do. The problem is not that you have to work in a lame job: the problem is our sick society that overworks and underpays most everybody.

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