First Gen college grads share your experiences
Being the first in my family to attend a 4 year college, I went into it knowing so little about college life, other than Animal House, I didn't know anything about college life!
My parents didn't know about sending care packs, that I would need more than notebooks and pencils, that I would need food other than what the dorm cafeteria provided (they were closed Saturday at noon until 6pm Sunday).
Looking back now (I graduated 2 decades ago) I realize how scary and out of my element I felt. My parents dropped me off that first day with some new bedding and towels, a few notebooks and pencils and instructions on how to make collect calls (yep we had payphones then!).
I didn't know how to get change for the laundry machines, I had no idea what care packages were (my mother never sent any so no snacks or fun toiletries), I didn't have a credit card like my friends to charge incidentals and some Friday night pizza to. I had a workstudy job on campus that after taxes netted me $28 a WEEK! It didn't go far and I had to buy a bus ticket home on the weekends for $12 if I had arranged a babysitting gig at home.
Books and supplies, without that parent funded credit card, I was stopped in my tracks trying to buy the needed supplies as a freshman, luckily I quickly found classmates who were willing to share supplies or a text book.
Curious what other things you could share with someone who is or will be a first generation college student.
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Initially, the environment seemed promising, but I've noticed a lack of organization and low pay. Being the youngest on the team, under 30, in a team of over 40s, I feel underqualified and uncertain about promotion prospects. Despite having a degree and 4 years in IT support, I'm stuck with a $55k annual salary, costly benefits, and few perks. I moved here for the commute and the company's culture, but now I feel trapped. No other tech career paths seem appealing due t to stress. I'm confused about my next steps, even after consulting a career coach. I'm seeking advice from managers or anyone experienced in navigating a tech career with a degree but not feeling rewarded for their efforts and time.
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I hope everyone is having a good day and a great manager.
True story from World War II: A man who was a junior lieutenant got posted as a glorified clerk at The Army War College Fort Leavenworth Kansas. When he arrived he was the lowesrt ranking person in the whole placr and you know the military is about rank
The general in charge of the whole institution called an all hands meeting to introduce eveyone to "Lieutenant Forsdale". He told them to treat every word Lieutenant Forsdale might say as if he himself had said it.
How about that for a boss?
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Thank you's on emails ??
Two questions...struggling and taken back at times. A) When you request information and it is provided and multiple people are cc"d on your initial email , do you "Reply All?" with a 'Thank You"..? . We receive so many emails not sure if a Reply All is appropriate or just "Reply" to the recipient of the email. Your thoughts? B) Many times I will provide requested reports/information for 2 of my clients. The recipient does not reply with a "Thank you", " Will review" , etc. What do you think? Or again is this due to everyone being so busy? Thanks for your input!
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I started a new job in October.
I was unemployed for 7bmonths due to a layoff and was at that job for 6 years. While it had its ups and downs, I loved that job and likely lost my identity in it. This job, while the perks benefits and office is beautiful, is not for me at all. They offer learning credits that you can use how you see fit and I'm planning to use mine to pay for my Digital Marketing professional certificate from Coursera so I can leave this role by next June.
I feel like I've lost the desire to stay loyal to these employers. I stayed loyal for 6 years for nothing only to be thrown out like garbage.
Anyone else ever feel like I'm not being loyal anymore, I'm doing what's best for myself and my family? That's how I feel these days.
Also, I'd love to hear from any digital marketing professionals regarding the kinds of programs/etc I should begin learning.
Thanks!!
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A man needs a dream to run after and when you don't have one it is high time you do so.
A lot of things has happened and different generations are gone without achieving anything . All they have got is work and bills to pay. It really suck!
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Interview Questions
I left a job 7 months ago after being there almost 9 years. The last 2 I did my best to tolerate an extremely toxic environment after a new supervisor was put in place. Verbal abuse, age discrimination, retaliation, bullying, just barely scratches the surface of the environment. It was taking a toll on my health, both mentally and physically. Long story short, I was able to settle with the company through an attorney (to avoid legal proceedings). I’m having a horrible time in interviews when they ask why I left. My explanation has been that “after a corporate restructuring, they began enabling behaviors that were not consistent with my values so I made the unfortunate decision to look for new challenges”. Im getting reactions that tell me they don’t believe me, almost incredulous looks and snarky comments from hiring managers. Obviously I’m trying not to bad mouth my previous employer but not sure how else to broach that subject — especially when they ask what I’ve been doing since then (looking for a job, LOL!?) I leave the interview feeling defeated, although my skills and resume are definitely getting me through to 2nd and 3rd interviews. Anyone gave any other suggestions or insights into this? Leaving without something else lined up was definitely not ideal, but I had to put my health first. I tried for too long to make it work over there.
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