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    maquiladoraHamilton Nolan
    5/20/13 12:46pm

    I love this from the second story:

    "This may mean expecting you to work over 40 hours but not intending to pay you for that work. This of course is illegal. I refuse to work over 40 hours unless I am paid to do so."

    That's an excellent attitude to have when trying to transition from contract to full-time. Sometimes (exempt) salaried employees have to put in a few extra hours to get stuff done.

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      barelylethal: shitassmaquiladora
      5/20/13 1:04pm

      Contract workers usually aren't exempt. They should be billing for their time. It's a good argument to make in favor of hiring them salaried and giving them benefits: "Well, I'd be willing to do the extra time, however, I can't do that as an hourly contract employee. So I'll have to pick this back up next week."

      Because otherwise companies WILL take advantage of you, and WILL NOT hire you full time if they can get away with it.

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      maquiladorabarelylethal: shitass
      5/20/13 1:08pm

      I totally understand. I work for a company that periodically uses contractors and have managed many (although ours were paid per job, as opposed to per hour.)

      It was just a general statement about that particular attitude- not a sweeping generalization of contractors as a whole. Employers can be ridiculously awful to contractors, and there are few laws that regulate that interaction.

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    Killer_WaLrUsHamilton Nolan
    5/20/13 4:13pm

    To the Contractor piece, I know exactly how that feels. I was in between jobs for a while and was extremely depressed. I was working for a retail shop with some friends which was a good way to distract me and make a little cash, but it was VERY little and I don't have a sellsman mentality. Right before my father was diagnosed with cancer, I landed a contracting job with an education company doing tech support. It wasn't the most technical job I've ever held, but it was work and they were paying a decent wage. I worked hard, but missed some days because of my dad's condition. I tried to limit it to a day or missed work knowing I had no benefits and couldn't request paid time off. By the end of the contract, I was informed that they were going to bring me on. The same day, I learned my dad's illness was terminal. The first round of treatments they tried didn't work and they wanted to up the dosage, but my father wasn't going to play that game and went home. He passed away within 2 weeks after 4-5 month battle. I was devastated. I didn't know what to do, but luckily I was with a company that believed in me and I got some bereavement time off. A few months after the funeral, I had a mental breakdown and was given some more time off. I was truly afraid that I killed my chances because I couldn't keep my composure, but they stuck with me and I've ever grateful for them. I've gotten better since then, but if I didn't have the time to grieve and do what I needed to do to get better, I don't know where I would be now. There are some places out there that actually care about their employees.

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      Kyo Soma AdamsHamilton Nolan
      5/20/13 4:04pm

      Wow. That last letter was basically how I felt Saturday and since I graduated college. I have a job which is great. The people at my job are nice for the most part. Yet I feel that I am going basically nowhere. I graduated with a degree in Graphic Design and pretty much have no future in it, I came to the conclusion that I am terrible at design and at the age of 32, I should pretty much give up on dreaming that things will turn around, that I will finally understand color, layout, type and have a great job at a company like Pentagram. I didn't suck up at school, and didn't really get along with other design majors. I didn't have a massive ego, and I was pretty shy. But a shit ton of other classmates had Major Ego status, so forming constructive relationships with classmates was difficult. On top of that present family issues were compounding to the point where everything became a breaking point.

      I had the worst panic attack in my life during the weekend. I was on the ground balling crying my eyes out, hyperventilating, rocking back and forth. I started pacing up and down my apt at 2 a.m. Nothing helped, my boyfriend had to come out and hold me down while I had a nervous breakdown in the hallway. I was screaming that everything has gone to shit, and that I am so sorry, that I'm not good enough. It was a bad. I finally worked up the strength to calm my breathing and focus on what is making me depressed since I was a teenager and having these awful attacks. I found a really good article on Psychology Today which put some perspective and helped a little. Everyday is hard, and everyday is a little easier, I sometimes go back to that article to find some grounding. I hope that the woman in the last article gets some help. I hope that she finds something she is passionate about. In a way I had to start to give up on my dreams. It's kinda of hard to do that, I think a lot of people are doing that now. She is pretty young, so it's heartbreaking to hear that she is already at that pit of nothingness.

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        Charlie B. SharenativeHamilton Nolan
        5/21/13 9:56am

        I feel compelled to weigh in and help. But did that one really say he/she turned down a dream job, and then write an essay moaning about unemployment? Are you effing kidding me?

        I spent a lot of time unemployed after school(s), and one of the biggest barriers can be a sense of entitlement. Take the not-so-great gig, and keep looking for the greener grass or look to improve on where you are. People tend to expect to start higher than they realistically can. Yes, companies hire outside at the mid or upper levels sometimes, but they have to weigh this against choosing an unknown person for a position over an existing employee, and what that says to employees that might feel forgotten as a result. If you truly are skilled and worth more than the entry job description frames you to be, you will advance quickly.

        Depression and a sense of worthlessness will always eventually set in. When you take the gig in front of you, you also work to combat that, however slightly, by making your time worth something.

        Regarding essay 1, I don't know what the TV production scene is like in Colorado, but relocation should always be an option. My parents relocated 6 times before settling. It used to be the norm. LA and NYC are huge TV production and cable TV systems centers.

        And one final thought, in an effort to help. Interviews are the worst things ever created. Right up there with nuclear bombs and reality TV. No one should have to be quizzed and judged by a knucklehead with half their IQ and an inflated sense of importance. The key is to tell them exactly what they want to hear, and at the same time, not be intimidated and interview them right back. It is your opportunity to get to know the job and the person you have to work with better. If you get in, there is likely someone above the interviewer who will notice your energy, if you show it. Although I don't endorse him fully, Ramit Sethi has some great advice on this topic.

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          A. Nonie MeusHamilton Nolan
          5/20/13 6:17pm

          The unemployment rate for college graduates is not that bad. I mean, it's not good, but it's not nearly as bad as for non-graduates, or non-high-school graduates. And I know there are other bad things going on, like relative underemployment, and crushing student loan debt.

          I guess I just wonder if the college-educated 20- and 30-somethings who make up the bulk of stories in this series really best exemplify the unemployment crisis.

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            raincoasterA. Nonie Meus
            5/20/13 9:30pm

            I think they simply represent who reads Gawker and consequently who writes to Gawker.

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          raincoasterHamilton Nolan
          5/20/13 3:41pm

          "I won’t deny that I’ve made mistakes, who hasn’t, I’m just not sure what those mistakes are."

          That right there is the tagline for the book which should be made from this series.

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            jrockazHamilton Nolan
            5/20/13 1:36pm

            The second story just enrages me.

            All of these stories, with the exception of #2, talk about their past, trying to find work, trying to better themselves and pushing on while everything is looking grim.

            Story #2 is just pissing and moaning. "worst computer" "limited lighting" wanting an "ergonomics evaluation?" SERIOUSLY? They gave you a room and a computer and a chair to sit your ass in and work.

            It still surprises me that in this work climate and still very much depressed job market, where genuine hard working individuals will put in the effort to be a great employee/contractor, there are still some who feel entitled.

            I am involved in hiring for our IT and development departments at the company I work for. We bring on a lot of contractors. They temporarily increase our capacity and it works out well for everyone.

            Our contractors are paid well. If they want any vacation time, they negotiate it up front. They don't get insurance and they aren't paid for overtime, they are paid by the project, they know what they are getting in to and it isn't my fault if they drastically underestimate the work needed to complete their portion. Any scope change or change requests are renegotiated.

            We hire contractors specifically because we don't have to provide those benefits. It saves us roughly $10k - $30k+ per person depending on the length of the contract and we generally add some of that back into the contract so those people can go get insurance on their own.

            We have hired a couple of contractors full time after exceptional work, going above and beyond and being very engaged and great to work with. #2 seems to lack all of those positives.

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              MidsummerNightMoonCakesjrockaz
              5/21/13 2:07am

              And, I would just like to add, it really is the humane thing for a company to help answer the true needs of the people that do the work of the company, whether it be the ergomomic needs of the 55 year old or the childcare needs of the 35 year old - so that they can do their jobs better.

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              ReginaFlangejrockaz
              5/21/13 5:37am

              Jebus cripes, the bare minimum of employee rights and care really is just TOO much on the poor employers, amirite? Fuckers think they gonna get paid for working and avoid repetitive stress injuries.

              All of this could have been avoided if only them pesky steel workers hadn't so rudely taken agin falling into the smelt, or them spoilt textile industry workers hadn't started demanding to be able to breathe and not have to scrape mangled kids out of the looms. Fuck safe work environment! A good employee should take the carpal tunnel as a badge of honor: "I may not have a pension or health care - but by GUM I have the chronic pain to remind me that I did my duty by the Glorious Company! Long Live the Company! Long Live our Glorious CEO!"

              You know, for a country fostered on commie fear, your corporate values read a lot like Stalinism. Funny that.

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            BoyHowdyHamilton Nolan
            5/20/13 1:22pm

            To the first letter writer — it sounds as if you are trying to make a career in the television production field in Colorado. Is that correct? If so, as someone in the same field, I say: bold move. Possibly misguided. That sounds like a very small pool of potential employment. You may need to decide what you're more dedicated to: life in Colorado, or employment in the TV production field. I say this with empathy, as someone who also faced that choice once upon a time.

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              kcunningBoyHowdy
              5/20/13 3:13pm

              This is part of the real talk I give to recent grads: Be willing to move. Do not get obsessed with staying in the some town you've fallen in love with. It will screw you over.

              One day, when you're established, and maybe if you picked the right career, you'll be able to move back. Don't bet on it, though. But also don't bet on the idea that you'll never fall in love with a town again.

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              MrBarnacleMankcunning
              5/20/13 3:29pm

              Since 2003, I have lived in 4 cities, including one in Europe, all in the name of a decent job. I have (or probably had at this point) a wife and children. That's stress on the home life. Each move also made me a little poorer. I'm not trying to discourage Mr Colorado TV from moving to LA, or perhaps NY - in fact, I think it's sound advice. My only point really is to reinforce yours - be prepared to move. Especially if you're in a fickle industry like entertainment.

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            facemeltHamilton Nolan
            5/20/13 12:37pm

            this is the most depressing series. plz stop.

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              SomeTVGuyfacemelt
              5/20/13 1:16pm

              Just once, I'd love to see an entry here talking about how someone's success story that came from becoming unemployed. I've seen people get laid off from miserable jobs (I work in TV, it's commonplace, sadly) who've gone onto newer ventures in life that made them quite happy. It does happen.

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              APersonaSomeTVGuy
              5/20/13 1:53pm

              Sadly these exceptions are not the rule. Far more people struggle and suffer. They barely get by.

              I applaud every Happily Ever After story. I just know that those happy endings are uncommon today.

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            IrishishHamilton Nolan
            5/20/13 12:52pm

            and that I deserve my situation for my poor choices.

            Every time someone says this about fellow human beings I want to choke-slam them through a fucking table.

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