I Thought High School Graduates Got Better Jobs? but apparently not.

[pylorusrock 0]

The entire time I was in high school I was told if I graduated I would make more money than someone who drops out.BUT, the fact of the matter is it is way harder for me to get a job.I have applied every where in my town, most places would prefer to hire a high school student than an high school graduate.Where are these employers that will hire high school graduates and pay them more?cause obviously they're not around here.

[jlhaslip 4]

Well, you must be applying for the wrong jobs. Wait until Summer is over and the students return to school and see what opens up for you. Because of their 'student' status, lot of kids manage to find work for the summer, but in the Fall, there should be openings available for 'permanent' workers. And definitely you will earn more as a High School Grad than if you have never gotten your Diploma. Might take a while, but the results will show. Non-grads don't even get to the interview stage most of the time.

[Saint_Michael 3]

Thats the catch 22 as to why a high school graduate would make more money then a dropout, this is because with a drop out they won't be getting the same amount of money a person who has graduated high school. However, when you graduate college and people notice you have graduated high school then they will be making even more money. Now the reason some job prefer high school students to those who have graduated is that when students are entering college, most go for intern related jobs to help build there career's while attending college at the same time. Nonetheless most jobs today are either classed as high school related jobs (supermarkets, fast food places) and those who have graduated college (most jobs today required college degree's to even be considered). However (once again), businesses are looking for only part time work through the students so they don't have to pay as much as a full time worker, and that way they can make a better profit and if need be fire off their part time help. It's capitalism and standards and practices for you.

[pylorusrock 0]

Well, you must be applying for the wrong jobs. Wait until Summer is over and the students return to school and see what opens up for you. Because of their 'student' status, lot of kids manage to find work for the summer, but in the Fall, there should be openings available for 'permanent' workers.
And definitely you will earn more as a High School Grad than if you have never gotten your Diploma. Might take a while, but the results will show. Non-grads don't even get to the interview stage most of the time.

well.....I've been out of school for a year!!!
and I've applied at every job that i could appy for.
The thing is very few of them even interview me.
It's not like I'm the only one having this problem.
I've heard of several high school graduates in my area from years before me still not being able to find work.
So basically since I can't afford college right now I'm stuck still not being able to afford it.
it's dumb.

[TikiPrincess 0]

There are two types of jobs: skilled and unskilled labor. If you're looking for a job that doesn't require any experience, like many service jobs, including telemarketing, fast food, etc., than employers are looking for someone who will be cheap and undemanding. They often choose high school students because they can pay minimum wage, students still live at home and are under parents' insurance, and they only work part-time hours which means that employers don't have to give out full-time benefits. If you have no work experience when you graduate, employers assume that you are getting a job because you need the money, but they have no evidence of your work ethic and whether you'll be a good employee. At least that's one perspective. And people who work at unskilled jobs, even if they get promoted, will usually make less money than someone working at a skilled job.Skilled jobs are harder to come by these days. In my parents' day, a high school diploma was a benchmark that showed an above average level of competence and basic education. A high school diploma today doesn't carry the same weight. The new benchmark is a degree, and specifically, more often than not, a bachelor's degree either in the arts or sciences. You can eke out a living off of an Associate's Degree, but most companies are requiring at least a Bachelor's or equivalent work experience.My suggestion to you is to try taking some community college courses and work towards an A.A. or an A.S. It's cheaper than going to college or a university, and it will show employers that you have some sort of ambition. The next thing would be to try networking. Ask your parents or your friends' parents or your parents' friends if they know of any jobs that might be available and if they can put in a good word for you. Volunteer for a non-profit. It doesn't pay, but you'll meet people who may have connections. If that doesn't pan out, then rethink your work hours and ask a manager at a nearby store if they need an overnight employee, like a stock boy or something like that. It's not glamorous work, but it's work and it pays. You'll need to work at a job for at least a year to be able to put it on your resume, but it will start opening some doors that weren't open before.

[pylorusrock 0]

i just don't understand why they feed you all this crap about how high school graduates make so much more money when it's not true.college graduates do but not highschool it's just as hard to find a job if you graduated high school than if you didn't.it's crap.

[jamers 0]

Try to identify companies that have a reputation for hiring new grads. That and government jobs are your best chance if you are having a tough time getting in the door. It's hard with no experience but it can be just as hard or harder if you do have experience. I had loads of experience, perhaps too much because I was starting to get "we think you're just over qualified for this position". On the other hand I was also getting "we want someone with recent experience"...I just didn't seem to matter how I presented myself during my job searching there always was some dummy weeding out applicants based on some kind of criteria that didn't really address your ability to do the job at hand. Eventually I realized the problem was that I couldn't bear to be around stupid people anymore or pour out my "A" game for a big company that didn't give a rats a$$ about me or my future. This was when I decided I just didn't want to work anymore! One day I just stopped going to work and started freelancing doing something I enjoyed doing anyway, graphics design.Even though I have gone from 85k in a telecom specialist role to barely paying the bills as a starving artist I have been so happy and stress free that my eyes have really opened to how the corporate rat race is a very very unhealthy thing for most of us. I'm never in a hurry to get to the next red light, in fact I'm never in a hurry to get anywhere anymore. I have started to notice things about other peoples behaviour such as hardly anyone makes a full stop at a stop sign anymore. People are in such a damn hurry all they care about is trying to shave a few seconds off their trip home or to the store so they can get home and try to relax before doing it all again the next day. I'm not trying to discourage you from joining the workforce but if you have any ambition at all you should spend it on your own plans for success and not some corporate bigwigs who don't even know your name. Get an easy going job for sanity sake not for money, then start building on your own project of some kind.