I see kids right out of college expecting to either start in a managerial-level job or be promoted into one really quickly - like within six month.

Whereas I, who already has about ten years of varied library experience and will hopefully have my MLS in three years, am just hoping to work my way up to library director at a public library within ten years after getting my masters.

And growled for more.

On growling babies: all three of the recent babies in my family have or are going through a growling phase. It happens around 7 or 8 mos. old. It was alarming with the now 2-year-old, but with the 7 and 8 month-olds it just seems routine now.

On unemployment: All I know is my own experience. After I was first laid off from the full-time job I'd had for 7 years, I was able to receive the maximum for a single person from Missouri. It was $338 a week as I recall.

I am currently unable to qualify for unemployment in Iowa because I haven't worked enough. Your unemployment is based on your salary from 2 to 3 quarters before you became unemployed. Because my temp work has been so spotty, I didn't make enough to qualify.

So, I personally, am not "enjoying' my unemployment.

I guess I have mostly seen people go from admin to at best PMs, or research/data collecting to PM, but not much more. My designer friends have even more trouble because for every CD position there are bunches of really talented design and concept (and sometimes UX and IA) people for it, and that's if your company doesn't decide to hire a flashier name from outside the co.

FWIW, Daisy, I remember seeing data that very few management-level jobs are filled by people who "worked their way up." I think I saw the study in the NYT but can't find it. It may happen, but expecting it to happen -- particularly if you're paying off, say, grad school -- is crazy.

I guess I have mostly seen people go from admin to at best PMs, or research/data collecting to PM, but not much more.

I have never seen an admin move from admin to elsewhere. Sometimes contract workers get FTE jobs, but that's about the extent.

Of course, I am also not sure how people navigate upwards in a job, but that may be an introvert curse thing.

Yeah, that NYT guy turned down a job that's $11,000 a year more than I make, and I'm 37 and have two Master's degrees. (I mean, if making money was my heart's desire, I could have chosen a different profession, but seriously, let me wipe away my tears with my PLASTIC HAND).

Yeah, I was like "Seriously dude? You know that even if that isn't your dream job, it's often easier to get a job once you HAVE one...so get this one, prove you can do it, and then people will hire you! And you'll have INCOME...more than a lot of people in the US!"

That said, I'm not the best at moving upward or anything. But still.

On the unemployment thing--I've been on it a couple times, and it's based off what you made before--a percent of that, up to a cap, varying by the state you work in. So you DON"T make more on unemployment than you did at your previous job. You MIGHT make more on unemployment than you would at a job you are offered, if you were doing well before and the job you're offered is like, part time, or minimum wage.

Considering Obama and Rahm Emanuel are BFFs, (Which may frighten your co-worker and others for a whole host of, um, other reasons, not least my internal debate about adding another F,) Sophia, I think Israel-supportage is nsm an issue. I could be wrong.(I'm a fan...where else do I seem demure...think about it!) But he is not a Muslim. Kat, I learned a lot from the AP courses(government,iirc) wherein my test scores were none-too-fab...testing out was good though. Erin, yikes...mom-ma to you. was that it? I feel that this meara was sloppy in some way

My first job after my BA was as a receptionist, I then became an admin asst, then a department asst, and up from there. I think it depends on the field. And I switched places a lot, which helped me move from low-level department staff to department head. (Now I'm more mid-level again, but in a much bigger place, so the money is the same.)

I've seen several people in my department come in as the admin and get promoted up - me, two of our sales team, and our research manager all started out in the same admin position and got promoted out of it.

I freely admit that the industry I work in tends to like "new blood" and flash names (for the industry), so people get stuck at the bottom/middle a lot.

I think everyone's individual experience colors the way they view other people's choices. I'm just saying I can see some circumstances that may have led to the kid turning down the job.

There's also an opportunity cost to taking something that is a poor fit. There was a job that was only nominally close to my area, not great pay, but not really worth it to basically work in what amounts, in my line, to an assembly line. I agonized over not taking it, because it was getting dire for us, and then shortly after I interviewed and got this job, and I am so happy here that I'm actually sad some days when it's the weekend or holiday, and I'm off.